vp's Cogworks: The Marin and Beyond

Sunny pics!

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Cheers, me too! Hopefully I can grab a Stridsland purple chainring soon to make it more loud.

Well you cant argue with the price! Should look pretty decent on the Marin though, looking forward to seeing it in drop bar mode again

excellent bike,

Which cruiser bars are those? they look ace

Ta, me too!

Cheers, Ergotec (EAN 4016538079773)
I'd need something wider with more backsweep for maximum comfort, but they do the job for now.

damn they look much wider than 590! much like yourself im looking for something a tad wider with a similar rise/sweep

seems to be a void of 680-630 cruiser bars with rise!

Instead of going for a whole new cockpit at once, I decided to give the old XLC drops a go with the current 100 mm stem. Bit stretchy but it seems ok after a quick test.
So, this bar has a very weird shape, 69 mm reach, 5° backsweep, and a reaaaally long flat section at the bottom. I used to hit the shifters with my knees regularly when pedalling out of the saddle. Prevention method: hacksaw.

All I need are brake levers to finish this, but I believe they will have to wait until next month.

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So this happened. Probably just a quick restore-and-sell project. Paint is insanely good in the sunlight, green pearl on blue base.

Before and after cleaning:

Thought the groupset was Santé at first (main reason behind buying it), but I cannot say I'm bummed out by the fact it is "just" white RX100.

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Done and sold.

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Ordered a set of rebranded Tektro brake levers for the Marin. Should be here by the next weekend, then I can build it up.
The Shimano SL-BS50 bar end shifter I have works perfectly with the 1x9 setup in friction mode. Really looking forward to this setup, should be very comfy.

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Ooof thats awesome!

Due to limited availability of the fully black version, I instead went for black-silver brake levers (they are surprisingly good quality and feel great). Tossed them on real quick, taped the bars and went for a test ride. So far so good, aesthetically nowhere near perfect due to the asymmetry of the single bar end shifter. However, I was already toying with the idea of going 2x... Maybe next month?
Since the weather is extremely atrocious I won't be riding much this week, but I hope to snap a few shots during the weekend.

As for the Minerva, I find the riding position quite odd after a certain time, the stem is a tad too long for these bars to be comfy - but it's so bling with the purple ano... I was trying to find bars with bigger backsweep and similar rise, but only huge, steel cruiser bars would fit, and I don't like that idea. So I gave in and will go for a shorter, silver Ergotec stem, that has the potential to look pretty good on the build. It has a 75mm total length, compared to the 115mm that's currently being used, and it's angled more upwards, so I believe it will do wonders with the fit.

I was already toying with the idea of going 2x...

Do it!

Friction shifting 2x drivetrains are really easy to work on, so I'd say go for it!

Thanks for supporting the plan! Main reason behind the idea is the shitty chainline (integrated cranks and vintage frames don't always mix perfectly).
Minor issue: I think I accidently threw out the stock XT chainrings that came with the crankset, so I have to buy new ones. I will go with 36-26 on the front and keep the 11-34 cassette for now.

Also, if anyone wants to sell a 94BCD 5 arm NW chainring (Stridsland, Wolf Tooth), I'm interested.

Might need to tilt the saddle down a tiny bit, and I will definitely flip the stem.
Hunted the worst looking "brick" wall for 20 minutes, worth it.

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Boy, that marin is just such a good bike.

Cheers mate, I've never ridden anything better in my life.
Also, I'm not a heavy rider but these brakes never fail to impress me, they bite so damn well.

Endless tweaking... Looks and feels a lot better this way. Also I've found the "lost" XT chainrings so I can do the 2x conversion at any time basically.

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Sweet, better with every iteration!

Very nice

Cheers! Ordered some black CNC chainring bolts, when they arrive I'll go 2x9. I plan on using 42T and 22T chainrings, hope the derailleur will clear this much of a jump. Should give a really nice gear range with the 11-34T cassette.

I have also ordered this single speed adapter kit from AliExpress:

Looks really solid for 32 EUR including shipping+VAT, reviews are also good.
Will convert the Minerva into ss.