vp's Cogworks: The Marin and Beyond

This Merida Boston from 1993 just popped up (actual photo of the frame) for less than 40 USD, which is a ridiculously good deal here. Double butted Tange tubing.
55 cm TT, which means there is a chance of drop bars. This is going to be a slow and steady build as I need some parts.

• seatpost
  
• front wheel
  
• stem
  
• handlebars
  
• STIs
  
• etc.
  
  

The Diamond Back is going strong by the way, very comfy and quick commuter, did not have time to solve the forks so far though.

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This is gonna be good! Paintjob looks pretty funky, what kind of STIs are you after?

If drop bars then I'll probably go with microSHIFT, if flat bars then I already have some 3x7 M550 LXs. :) This is going to be a slower build though, as I still need to finish my other two bikes first.

7 speed it is then? looking forward to seeing how it develops

Yep, and me too!

So the frame has arrived last monday, and even though it has some paint chip-offs it still looks incredibly awesome.
Today a set of quite worn, but fully functional Claris 2x8 road STIs and shifters came up for about 40 GBP (which is an absolute bargain here).

Now for the plan:

• get a front wheel and a a 8s casette
  
• get a steep stem and a compact
  drop handlebar
  
• get a 26.2 seatpost
  
• build stuff up
  
  

Gonna be a slow and steady project for sure...

So a full XT (thumbies too!) Scott Windriver from 1989 just popped up at a friend's place for about 40 GBP. Gonna buy it in two days. Either gonna strip it and put the XT stuff on the Merida, or going to build this one up as the drop bar monstercross machine. Time and frame measurements will tell.

In the mean time the bent fork of my Diamond Back's frame has been realigned successfully, plus both my wheels got trued a bit. Now it doesn't lean anywhere, keeps straight without hands etc. I'll try to take a proper picture of it this week. :)

Click on the photo for more pics (Flickr).

Silver seatpost or black stem and you're golden.
Good looking bike!

Thanks! Maybe in the future, can't spend a coin more on this for a while. :)

I've just read this from start to finish... what a roller coaster!
You've ended up with a nice bike though, chapeau

Haha yeah, I have quite the thing for catching wonky stuff, or wonk them up myself. :) Thanks, love the DB in its current state!

I agree, personally, I'd go for a silver seatpost.

Regardless, looks really neat, good job @vp1337 !

Solid dude!

& slothy:

Thanks lads, means a lot! Regarding the seat post: there are no options available locally for a 30.0 mm silver seatpost, which means I should get a 27.2-30.0 shim plus a seatpost. But again, no money for pure aesthetics nowadays, that I still need to start, then finish the Merida (or the Scott, that I'm going to buy today for the parts and check if the frame has a better geometry or not).

How is that cheap narrow wide chainring?

Didn't use it too much yet, but it's great so far. Not a single chain drop either.

In the mean time I went to buy the Scott.
49 C-T high, 54 C-C long, quite a lot of clearance, which means absolute perfection for a drop bar monstercross build. Needs a lot of TLC though.

Some quality bodging. MTB shifter clamps have a diameter of 22.2 mm, while road handlebars are 23.8 mm. The XT thumbies' clamps are forged aluminum, so they aren't really bendable, so I took my left Deore thumby's clamp, bent it up, and checked if the XT is compatible with it. Hell yes it is. Will probably get thicker screws to do the business.
Oh, and as you can see this won't be a brand new/scratchless build. :)

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Uhh, a BMW handlebar. lit!

Haha, almost! It's made by Icon actually, and it's ridiculously light.

smart! looking forward to see how this goes, tempted to do something similar.

Swapping clamps, getting there. Wheels will be sorted by the end of the week. They are Wolber AT-18 rims laced to XT hubs.

The Scott is in an unbeliveably condition below the dirt/grime, the derailleur springs are strong as hell, the crankset/casette look like they never saw more than 500 kilometers. Only the frame has some slight surface rust and paint chips here and there. Best bike deal so far in my life, that's for sure.
Frame pics as soon as I finish cleaning it up nicely.

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looking very cool!!! cant wait to see the rest!!