Just bought this for Son1 as he’s outgrowing his hardtail. Anyone like to provide more details, It has a full XT 8 speed groupset, Rockshox Pilot and some spring rear shock. Since I’m new to these mountain bike things, is it a reasonable bike for a 14yo? Think it is from 1999 but am not sure.

He was after a Whyte or an Orange Five, so a single pivot it is :lol:. Was £150 a reasonable price? Suggested upgrades? Fork and hydraulic front brakes? His Kona hardatil has Dart 2’s and Shimano disks. It is however lighter than the Kona.

Oh and he hates the frame as it’s “not modern”. Is he being reasonable? Has suspension geometry changed that much?

if i was 14 i would be gutted

That’s a 98 I believe. Lovely in your 40’s – probably less so in you teens!

I used to have one of those ) sold loads in the shop I worked at in the late 90s. A great XC bike of the day. Maybe not so cool now and a more wheels-on-ground XC kind of geometry than a 5, but a lot better overall than most suspension bikes of the time. £150 seems fair but you could spend a lot replacing parts if he uses it a lot over the next year.

He’ll have grown out of it in a year – That’s the problem. Aside from a slightly off rear rim, it’s mechanically fine.

I suggest a glass fronted mahogany cabinet for it 😉

shirly retro musta meana rigid, no

Keep an eye on the swing arm. I think that’s the first model and they were prone to cracking. Also the Mt Vision Pro was the first full sus to win an xc chamPionship if i remember so it can’t be that bad.

I did check the swingarm carefully. It’s almost retro I guess, as it’s EDIT: ONE year younger than him.

Cruzheckler – what did you ride at 14?

I suggest a glass fronted mahogany cabinet for it

😆

Thats a 98, as the one pictured below is a 99.

They suck

flow – Member

They suck

You own one, but it has different stickers on it! 😉

i would have loved one of these when i was 14, then again i was 14 when this was brand new…god i really wanted one back in the day… get him a new one mate 🙂 rode one not so long ago, god it was **** shit!!! like riding a long gate.

You own one, but it has different stickers on it!

Hmmm, quiet David 😆

Those Manitous were truly awful!

It’s better than anything you’ll get new for £150. If he doesn’t like it I’m sure he won’t mind saving up for a different one with money he’s earned himself. 😉

Fair play to Marin, in real terms the bikes hardly changed. The negative comment from someone with heckler in their login is quite amusing. 🙂

djaustin – Member

I did check the swingarm carefully. It’s almost retro I guess, as it’s EDIT: ONE year younger than him.

Cruzheckler – what did you ride at 14?

I suggest a glass fronted mahogany cabinet for it

Something from my era!! A titanium/cromo composite Mtrax since you ask

Oh and jonny storm – explain?

Agree, you won’t get anything better for £150 new

Strip it down, get it powder coated in some nice new colour scheme and it’ll ride ace 😉

Agree, you won’t get anything better for £150 new

Strip it down, get it powder coated in some nice new colour scheme and it’ll ride ace
maybe spend more then!

A friend of mine bought one for his son and I did it up a bit for him – put some vaguely functional hydro discs on it and generally spuced it up. To be honest I was surprised how good it felt – I’d be happy razzing round on one for £150

Those Manitous were truly awful!

This one has newer forks (Rock Shox Pilot Air), but V brake only. Not planning on spending much as it’s to tie him over for the current growth spurt 😯 . It’s hardly a gate either as it’s only a 17″ and fits him well. And when he’s done, I can use the parts on the tandem.

As to his other bikes 😳 : Commutes on a refurbished 1970’s track bike, rides a Trek 2200 road bike, has a KMX Kart and had his Kink Whip BMX stolen this year. Money saved could go towards the next BMX…

how tall is ur child, god im still on a 15″ frame and im almost 30

im still on a 15″ frame and im almost 30

In dog years? 😉

I had the later 2k Mount vision & loved it, very light, failed on the BB weld unfortunately. I replaced the manitou’s with 100mm Marz MX Comp’s, they just about worked ok but the frames are more suited to 80mm or short axle-crown 100mm.

He’s about 5’7″ (we don’t really measure), but four of those have been in the past eight months. And don’t get me started on feet!

I still ride mine. It now has a 130 Rev up front, 203/185 discs (discs fit a 99 swing arm – you have a 98).

The new fork gives it a head angle of 67 degrees according to iphone clinometer which is much safer than stock. Slackens the seat angle though, so now have an inline post which fixes nicely.

It’s survived 5 PassPortes du Soleil, a Tour de Mont Blanc, 10 other Morzine and 4 other Chamonix trips, an Enduro6 and countlesss other UK rides.

I can still keep up with my mates and their wonder bikes so I’ll be keeping it.

IME there’s little anyone can do on an Orange 5, say, that I can’t stay with – if they get away it’s their skill level, not the bike…

Cruz Heckler:

My comment was relating that the Marin/Heckler suspension system isn’t a million miles
Away from each other and are systems that have survived a number of years looking pretty similar superficially.

Perhaps at 14 you would be gutted but perhaps you ought to be grateful that you had a bike. I would imagine that your MTRAX from BITD was a lot more than £150 which with inflation would make it even more so now. I haven’t a clue about the OP’s financial state, nor whether his son pulls his weight. Regardless, £150 isnt going to get you something light years ahead of this Marin.

IMO 17 frame will be good up to nearly 6 foot. He may not (to his horror) grow out of it. I’ve got a 19 at 6foot3, my mate’s OK on his 19 at 6foot5.

Also, putting a platform shock on it transforms it – your’s isn’t original anyway, they came with coil-overs in 98.

I have a 99 and its bloody ace. I spent a fair bit of money trying to get a more modern bike to ride as well as the mountie. In the end flogged newer bike kept mountie.
Lots of pivots and mud on other bikes makes me shudder.
Last winter I put 29er wheels and cyclo cross tyres on it and single handedly invented mountain cross.

johnnystorm – Member

Cruz Heckler:

My comment was relating that the Marin/Heckler suspension system isn’t a million miles
Away from each other and are systems that have survived a number of years looking pretty similar superficially.

Perhaps at 14 you would be gutted but perhaps you ought to be grateful that you had a bike. I would imagine that your MTRAX from BITD was a lot more than £150 which with inflation would make it even more so now. I haven’t a clue about the OP’s financial state, nor whether his son pulls his weight. Regardless, £150 isnt going to get you something light years ahead of this Marin.
Posted 7 hours ago # Report-Post

It’s not about the pivots purely its also the fact that at 14 kids are very image concious!!

The mtrax cost me £5-600, all of which i worked **** hard for and saved.

It’s not about the pivots purely its also the fact that at 14 kids are very image concious!!

his may be the problem… we dont have kids and have to cope with the “brand demand” and whats fashionable but for the money, but its a pretty capable bike.

I think you will find a lot of quality single pivot bikes still have the pivot in the same place, upgrade to modern air shock and you have a capable bike # not much has changed in 15 years

The swing arm on my old one was a thin tubed affair and it broke. The box section ones are heap better… If your curious about it, line up the bb centres with the Marin and another bike when there leaning against a wall side by side.. step back and look at the relative position of seat tube, forks, wheelbase etc etc… Guess it will have a higher BB though… Jon Whyte was and still is a pretty god designer… I reckon it will still perform pretty well…

I used to really like my 99 Rift Zone (yes the Manitous were shite and were swiftly changed) – but I did 1000’s of miles on mine through all weathers and have great memories of it.

It was a bit like triggers broom after 7 years of ownership…

Great bike… with more capable forks. Had an original MtVision when they first came out (1996), stuck Judys on it and then Bomber Z1s and raced DH on it for a couple years… Just sold an 02 East Peak with Fox shock and Hope brake upgrade in mint condition for £360. I’d say you got a bargain.

I had an east peak, chucked a load of XT at it and changed the forks to pro class 2’s, I liked it but the shock (I think it was similar to yours) badly needed an upgrade to an aircan. Stick some cheap ebay Marzocchis on it, a disc for the front and keep an eye out for a more modern shock.

But for £150, I think you have a winner.

I lusted after one of these in 98
However that was the year of our first born child so it wasn’t to be.
Your 14 yr old is a lucky lad. £150 seems fair.
I eventually got a FS marin in 2006- by this time there were linkages involved and the frames were more boxy than the round tubes of the original but the layout is pretty similar. Still gets me up/down/along most things!
Mine is a 17.5 and I’m a smidge under 6 foot so your lad should be ok for a while.

DocR later Marin model changed in my experience, I’m 6ft odd and ran an original 19″ 2000 MV but then changed to a 17″ for the 04 then 06 MV (warrenty replacement) frames.
Again as above £150 is fine, newer forks (reba’s) and an Fox Propedal shock would be topping the upgrade list, followed by discs.

Thanks all. ive trued the wheel and it rides well. Forks seem in good order and will take a disk. unfortunately, it’s combined shifters and brakes mean i’ll need some new parts if upgrading brakes. however the XT groupset is still clearly very nice quality 13 years later.

He’s not really brand conscious and his best mates ride Appollo – and i still got them around Swinley without dying 😉

At 14, I saved for a bbc computer at the lofty price of £400. Bikes were not really the rage then. We have discussed employment options 😈

The combined shifter will operate an Avid Mechanical absolutely fine. I use them front and rear and they stop my 100kg with no probs…