Marin DH FRS

Sikora
Sikora Posts: 519
edited March 2011 in MTB general
My friend has a Marin DH FRS frame that he's fixing up as his bike. From what i've found out on the net its from around 98/99

Does anyone know what travel fork would suit this bike?

There is some play in the rear pivot. Are the bearing kits still available for this age of bike? Is it a job for a Marin dealer?

He'd like to upgrade the rear shock for a more modern one. What measurements do we need off the shock to work out what to replace it with?

IMGP3015.jpg

That photo is one i just found on the net by the way
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Comments

  • RevellRider
    RevellRider Posts: 1,794
    It was designed around a 6 inch travel dual crown fork, something like Manitou X-Vert Carbons (which the team bike came with).
    Marins do have a life-time warranty on their bearings, but it original owner only. Unfortunately, I can't remember shock dimensions. You will need to get an adaptor to run a disc brake with this frame.
    Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Epsilon.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Shock dimensions are odd, and not an "off-the-shelf" part. However, TFTuned can sort it out for you by adapting a shock to fit, at no extra cost I believe.
    Bearings are free for lifetime. I've taken my old wolfridge (see sig - it's 11 years old!) to the marin dealer several times, and they've always fitted new bearings, no questions asked.
    I think RevellRider's right about the original owner thing, but I've never been asked if I was when I had bearings fitted. :wink:

    It's a Marin B-17 frame. I've never seen one with DH-FRS written on it before though.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Oh, and as for forks, a decent 140-160mm fork should be ok on it, but I'd suggest not fitting a modern dual crown fork there, since they're quite a bit taller today than they were back then. It would slacken the head angle way too much.
  • RevellRider
    RevellRider Posts: 1,794
    yeehaamcgee wrote:
    It's a Marin B-17 frame. I've never seen one with DH-FRS written on it before though.

    It's not a B-17, they came with red swingarms in 1998 and blue swingarms in 1999. The forks match the ones which were spec'd on the B-17 in 1999 though, and the swingarm is of the earlier generation.

    It's an odd one, they did do a Team DH in 1998 but I can't remember if the did one a year later
    Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Epsilon.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Oh yeah, you're right. I remember those red/white ones now. Hmm.
    I still don't ever remember seeing any with DH-FRS on them though. I don't think the early mount visions had FRS written on them, and my wolfridge from a year later certainly didn't have FRS on it.
    I could well be mistaken though, it was such a long time ago.
    Wonder what year/era they're from?
  • mikeage
    mikeage Posts: 150
    my mate had that exact same frame, think it was in '98/'99 sort of time and he paired it with some 6" Boxxers of the same year, no idea on the shock length/stroke for you but think there's a guide in the Tech section for measuring eye-to-eye and stroke so you know what you need.
  • fcumok
    fcumok Posts: 283
    Funny enough I was looking at this bike in the 1998 Marin catalogue the other day. I'll see if I can find it when I get home and get a scan of it for you.
  • Sikora
    Sikora Posts: 519
    edited June 2010
    My mate has just come back from the local Marin dealer and they say the pivot is fine :shock:
    Theres a fair bit of sideways movement when riding but they say that its designed to do that. Surely thats not right??
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    No, that's not right at all.
    Did you go to West end cycles by any chance?
  • Sikora
    Sikora Posts: 519
    No, The Edge in Chester

    I'd understand if it was West End Cycles though :lol:
  • RevellRider
    RevellRider Posts: 1,794
    Sikora wrote:
    My mate has just come back from the local Marin dealer and they say the pivot is fine :shock:
    Theres a fair bit of sideways movement when riding but they say that its designed to do that. Surely thats not right??

    Ask then to send the bearings back to ATB Sales, they have a lifetime warranty remember :P
    Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Epsilon.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Lightspeed in Betws were the last Marin dealer I dealt with for bearings, and they were alright.
    Revolution in Bangor though, more recently, got me an entire pivot kit for it. Those guys are awesome, the gold standard of bike shops.
  • xrusos
    xrusos Posts: 1
    I have this exact frame. I'd like to put some disc brakes on it. How do I go about finding an adapter? What terms should I search for?
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    xrusos wrote:
    I have this exact frame. I'd like to put some disc brakes on it. How do I go about finding an adapter? What terms should I search for?
    If it's the exact same frame, then it appears to have IS disc mounts on the swingarm. Your fork will need whatever's on that.
  • thel33ter
    thel33ter Posts: 2,684
    Some had standard IS mounts, but others had funny sized ones, with 60mm between the two holes, not 74mm.

    Some people get custom ones machined up though.

    IMG_1963.jpg

    http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=85838

    http://www.marin.co.uk/downloads/Marin% ... Models.pdf
    And now you know, and knowing is half the battle
    05 Spesh Enduro Expert
    05 Trek 1000 Custom build
    Speedily Singular Thingy
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    ^^That's not an IS mount at all. It's a post mount. The old Manitou standard, I think.
  • thel33ter
    thel33ter Posts: 2,684
    Good point :roll: but it is what is on that FRS DH frame in the OP's pic.
    And now you know, and knowing is half the battle
    05 Spesh Enduro Expert
    05 Trek 1000 Custom build
    Speedily Singular Thingy
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    My guess is an IS mount. Because the weird one was a post mount. (If I remember rightly)
  • RevellRider
    RevellRider Posts: 1,794
    No, old Manitou post mount was 71mm. It's a funny Marin only mount, some larger dealers may have an adaptor plate kicking around. If not you could try ATB Sales as they're the importer, just be aware that some later Marins (around 2000-2001) had a different adaptor.
    Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Epsilon.
  • thel33ter
    thel33ter Posts: 2,684
    RevellRider wrote:
    No, old Manitou post mount was 71mm. It's a funny Marin only mount, some larger dealers may have an adaptor plate kicking around. If not you could try ATB Sales as they're the importer, just be aware that some later Marins (around 2000-2001) had a different adaptor.

    http://www.marin.co.uk/downloads/Marin% ... Models.pdf

    He will need one of the top ones, or something custom machined.
    And now you know, and knowing is half the battle
    05 Spesh Enduro Expert
    05 Trek 1000 Custom build
    Speedily Singular Thingy
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    RevellRider wrote:
    No, old Manitou post mount was 71mm. It's a funny Marin only mount, some larger dealers may have an adaptor plate kicking around. If not you could try ATB Sales as they're the importer, just be aware that some later Marins (around 2000-2001) had a different adaptor.
    Not so certain. Mine (from essentially the same range) was a 98/99 model, and has standard IS mounts.
  • thel33ter
    thel33ter Posts: 2,684
    Did the original swing arm also have those mounts?

    My old Shoreline Trail from 2000ish had standard IS mounts too, but it was the last of those shaped models.
    And now you know, and knowing is half the battle
    05 Spesh Enduro Expert
    05 Trek 1000 Custom build
    Speedily Singular Thingy
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Yep. Same mounts on the original swingarm.
  • RevellRider
    RevellRider Posts: 1,794
    yeehaamcgee wrote:
    RevellRider wrote:
    No, old Manitou post mount was 71mm. It's a funny Marin only mount, some larger dealers may have an adaptor plate kicking around. If not you could try ATB Sales as they're the importer, just be aware that some later Marins (around 2000-2001) had a different adaptor.
    Not so certain. Mine (from essentially the same range) was a 98/99 model, and has standard IS mounts.

    Yeehaa, I believe your Wolf Ridge to be a '99 model. That did have IS mounts, my memory is a little foggy but I think that all full suspension Marins did that year. I know the 6" travel bikes (B17 and Attack Trail I think) did.

    It was in 2000 when they changed the swing arm design to the more swoopy one that they removed the fixed disc mount on the 4" travel bikes, I think the travel adjustable ones stayed with fixed disc mounts. The link that thel33ter posted is the mounts needed, though good luck getting a number 1 calliper from Hope :p
    Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Epsilon.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    It might well be the '99 model. I'm sure it was bought in '98 (memory is hazy now), but whether it was already the next year's model, I can't remember.

    It was in their "freeride" range, same as (I think) the Attack trail, and one other bike, which may have been the rocky ridge? Something like that.
    But still, essentially the same as their DH bike. And it has IS mounts.
    IIRC, it was their first "Wolf Ridge"
  • RevellRider
    RevellRider Posts: 1,794
    The 6" travel bikes that I can remember for 99 were the B17 and the Attack Trail, I can't actually remember the Wolf Ridge, I don't think we did they back at the shop I worked in, but the graphics and design of the bike make me think it's that year too.

    The Rocky Ridge back then was an alloy hardtail.
    Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Epsilon.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Wasn't the B17 all out on it's own? Then there were the freeride bikes, then the mount vision?
    I must confess, I am confuzzled by the fog of days gone by :lol:
  • RevellRider
    RevellRider Posts: 1,794
    I'm pretty sure the B17 always had some stable mates in the 6" travel range. I think it was 2000 they introduced a 5" travel range and then in 2001 they brought in the TARA's.
    Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Epsilon.
  • thel33ter
    thel33ter Posts: 2,684
    Mine was a 4" one, and I've just found a pic of it, it had IS mounts :roll:
    And now you know, and knowing is half the battle
    05 Spesh Enduro Expert
    05 Trek 1000 Custom build
    Speedily Singular Thingy
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    :lol:
    So, essentially, we're still none the wiser!

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