Marin Bear Valley, horrible to ride?

[spike3]

My commuter is a 1995 Bear Valley and it's performed very well however Last night I took it offroad and it was he harshest most bone shaking rigid and unforgiving thing I have ever had the misfortune to ride.

Rootes and rocks threw it violantly of course and each one was like hitting a brick wall.

Anyone else not like the ride of 90's Marins or is it just me?

On the other hand i've found my M-trax ti1000 to be fairly supple and comfortable Both are rigid.

 

[hamster]

I'd try swapping the tyres - there is far more compliance in the tyre than any frame.

Generally Marins are very nice for longer-distance stuff. BITD they seemed to be the choice for events like the Polaris Challenge.

 

[highlandsflyer]

The basic BV was nothing special, but not too bad either.

How are you riding it off-road? You may just need to adjust your approach.

Largest volume tyres you can fit, or how about sticking a set of suspension forks on the front end?

 

[NAILTRAIL96]

You may have just had a bad day.
They can't be that bad, they sold thousands of them.

 

[marc two tone]

yep, well travelled are marins.

maybe a tyre pressure thing or stem length issue. i'm sure you will tame it though.

check out this local on a palisades. somewhere on the karakoram highway.

 

[daj]

I just brought one of these and hate bone shakers!! ha,ha

 

[Rich Aitch]

I think my 1992 BV is the best offroad bike that I've owned but a lot might have cahnged in three years.
Marc isn't that photo from the Ultimate Mountainbike Book? I've got a copy of it on my personal cool-wall. I think it's a great photo.

 

[marc two tone]

I think my 1992 BV is the best offroad bike that I've owned but a lot might have cahnged in three years.
Marc isn't that photo from the Ultimate Mountainbike Book? I've got a copy of it on my personal cool-wall. I think it's a great photo.

your observations serve you well, my brother

 

[Chute55uk]

The basic BV was nothing special, but not too bad either.

How are you riding it off-road? You may just need to adjust your approach.

Largest volume tyres you can fit, or how about sticking a set of suspension forks on the front end?

+1 I think it may be your style of riding, I doubt very much if it's the bike they were very popular but I might be wrong

 

[hydorah]

I had one quite recently a £15 tip job. STX equipped it was a pliant as any other Tange single butted cro moly bike which was almost everything by the big boys fom the late '80s though to mid '90s. I actually really liked it, even built a new front wheel for it

Nice riding bike great colour scheme, under rated as hell