vp's Cogworks: The Marin and Beyond

That paint is bonkers!

I hope this is getting the 1x1 treatment

As I already have a 1x1 Marin, this one will be 1x10. :P

(At first, then in 3 weeks I'll have another idea, as usual.)

10 x 1x1 marins, that's just greedy!

More Marin content is on the way. I've got offered a 1995 Hawk Hill for free. It's ratty, beaten, but my size. Triple butted CrMo goodness. It's a bit far though and I'll only collect it at the end of this month.
I've got a parts bin single speed beater build in my mind.

@Josh ;)

My 1x10 plans for the Eldridge are down the drain, at least for now. I was planning on using the Sensah RX10 set I've had from earlier, which came with a defective derailleur. I've got a new RD, and well... it's also shit. At this point I'm pretty sure it's a design flaw, the riveting doesn't hold the tensioner cage properly. Some gears skip and at the lowest 3 gears the chain drops down to a smaller cog when backpedalling (chainline is not fully optimal but definitely not this bad).

So yeah, for now it's 1x8, I've put on an XT 737 derailleur and cassette. 36T up front and 11-28T back, enough for cruising around the city anyways. Gonna use a SunRace 8sp thumbie.
Might upgrade later on, Deore M4100 10sp or something.
Tomorrow I'm collecting a cheap donor bike, mainly for some nice wheels and brakes. The rest of the components should arrive this week, fingers crossed.

While I'm waiting for parts to arrive for the Marin, there's another project cooking. My specialty, a mid-90's, steel, 700C monstrosity. I'm building it up for a friend, who needs something indestructible and comfy, yet not too slow. And it shouldn't be very nickable either.

I've found this Genesis trekking bike for cheap. It's naturally thief-repellent (=ugly as sin).

Good:
Pretty good Tektro brakes and levers
Deore RD
1 1/8" Ahead steerer
Nice and strong wheels with cassette hub
Rear axle is not QR, so a wee bit harder to steal

Not good:
Hi-Ten frame
Tyres are long gone
Cranks are heavy, riveted and he'll definitely not need a triple
Ugly, rusty cockpit
Wrong size seatpost, smaller diameter

Bad:
BB was extremely stuck (of course). Tried with an impact wrench, it didn't work (350 Nm torque, my ass).
However, I did get it loose with my breaker bar after some fiddling. Since it kept slipping, first I had to fasten the BB tool against the BB cup using a threadless headset spacer, an M10 DIN9021 washer and an axle bolt. 32mm socket over the tool, lots of leverage, a few menacing snaps, and it was loose. And the best part, the threads are immaculate!

Referring to the derailleur pics below, this bike has seen a looot of grime. Cleaned up nicely though.

Here's how it's gonna be:
Cockpit: 100mm 17° stem, narrow riser bars, Shimano STIs
Seatpost: 27.2-29.2 shim and a new clamp
Drivetrain: 1x7, 12-28T cassette, Deore RD and my old 700CX crankset with a 46T narrow wide ring (chainline is going to be proper garbage, might change this later)
Tyres: 700x38C Maxxis Overdrives (these came off my Marin Redwood)

Excited about finishing this, although this bike is the complete opposite of exciting.

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Alright, 95% there. Chain will be shortened, but instead of breaking the chain the chain breaker tool snapped. The current spacer under the stem is too tall, will get a shorter one. Need to install some cable ends and I have to fine tune the saddle height and angle.
Then I have to seat tyres properly. Spent well over an hour trying to seat only the front one this evening, but there was always a deep spot. Tried every possible method, soapy water, just soap, massaging it, strapping it etc. nothing worked. I don't have a compressor though, so tomorrow I'll visit the nearest gas station I guess.

Overall really happy how it turned out, but I have no idea how it rides yet.

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That looks fun!

It's ridiculously good.
I'll probably look for bars with less rise, these are 20 cm, I'll need somewhere around 15.

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Looks like I'm buying a Brodie tomorrow.
Nothing quite special, but an old steel Brodie nonetheless. Fingers crossed nothing is seized...

I redact the nothing quite special part of the previous post. It is quite special. In fact it might be the best bike I've ever ridden. I wanted to flip it as it was a very good deal but I have to keep it, even though it's a bit too small.
I'll reach out to Mr. Brodie to check the build year. I'd guess 98 based on the components but found no catalogs after 97.
Marzocchi Bomber forks work like a charm too, really smooth.

No build plans yet, I might keep it as is...

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That is really cool! I love those forks.

Always good to see what you're up to. Good job finding and rescuing so many old ones

Thanks, that means a lot!

Speaking of rescuing old ones, this one's also (almost) finished. Quite heavy, but practically indestructible.
I could probably shorten that RD cable housing a bit.

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Love the brodie.Canadian steel

Aye aye! Although this is most likely from '98-99, and has a Made in Taiwan sticker on the BB shell. Nevertheless, Tange double butted main tubes with triple butted stays. Very light and very nicely built.
I think I won't modernize it apart from a new stem and bars. Will replace all cables and brake pads though.
By the way, I bought the bike from the first owner - super nice guy.

This is the donor bike I've picked up for its wheels that went on the Eldridge.
I've never heard of Hrinkow before, apparently it's an Austrian brand from Steyr and they are still in business. Frame's made in Taiwan though. Only plain gauge tubing, but it's really, and I mean really nicely made. I should take a few more pics of the stays.
Components have effectively no wear, I don't think the bike has been ridden for more than a couple hundred kms.
Way too small for me, but it has already found a nice place in the family.

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Went on a small ride with the Brodie a few days ago. I'm absolutely in love with it.
Ordered a new stem, bars, seatpost and saddle and removed the kickstand. Groupset works really well so not upgrading that.
Tyre clearance is great at the front but really tight at the back, I don't think I can get away with anything wider than 2" (hopefully that will fit). The obvious choice would be Conti Racekings I guess?

So, the Hawk Hill. I don't have it with me yet, I'll pick it up next week.
The pic below is how it should look like. The paint on mine is so faded it barely has any pink/purple left. It's mostly just a grey, Triple butted Tange CrMo goodness.
Here's what's gonna happen.
Handlebars: these.
Drivetrain: likely an LX 550 crankset with a 32T chainring and a 15T sprocket. Single speed with a tensioner.
Pannier rack at the rear with a cheap basket (wanted a front one but they cost more than the entire build).

Oh, and obviously it will have a kickstand.

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Shitty pics but you get the idea.
Saddle to bar drop is a bit too much, will invest in higher rise bars and likely a tad shorter stem as well. Should check it out on singletrack first though...
Oh, and I forgot to take the reflectors off since I've bought it.

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Sort of finished, rides absolutely fantastic! Need to fine-tune saddle angle and I'll get a nicer set of pedals too. Maybe a shorter stem later on.

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The bike can handle gravel and some beginner-friendly single track for sure. In fact, it can probably handle a lot more than I do. Need to discover more gnarly tracks around the town nonetheless.

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Love the Brodie!

You're in Vienna, right? In the hills to the west you'll find all the tracks you could want. When I'm out there on my narrow tire gravel, I usually think 80% of the time: “hey, this is really nice” and 20%: “something's going to break this time”.

Thanks! Indeed, been there on foot a few weeks ago and my first thougt was I should've brought a bike haha. Will definitely do it when the temperature drops a tiny bit!

Bicycles: ❌
Absolute fckin dumpster fires: ✔️

It's in a perfect thief-repellent condition. I only need to procure a front basket, everything else is in the parts bin.

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