1999 Marin Palisades Trail (Sold)

1999 Marin Palisades Trail

This was the second bike I build following the Bridgestone MB-1. The uniqueness of the frame was the bare aluminum finish; termed by Marin as ball burnished. Essentially, each tube was placed in a big bowl of ball bearings and turned round and round until they are shiny. It is not an easy frame to maintain and I spent countless hours trying to make it shine like new. The bike was build from the ground up with mid range components.

To maintain its originality, a threaded Deore XT headset was used. The fork was bought on eBay and shipped here from USA. Its rather heavy and further down the road, it will be swapped for something lighter. Its still kept on the bike because the color combination looks good.

In the initial stage, it was build like a traditional MTB with straight handle bars and longish stem. But, after a few rides, a slight riser bar and shorter stem was added. It made quite a difference in the posture; certainly more comfortable for long rides.

Shimano Alivio components were used throughout the bike with some Deore parts here and there, The brakes are from Avid.

The knobby tires were swopped for city slick tires since the bike would be used more on the road than the trails.

The Alivio components are quite efficient. Once tuned properly, they shift nicely and never gave any problems.

The front derailleur is from the Deore series.

You can see the rise on the handle bar. Coupled with the comfy Ferrari leather seat, you can cycle for miles on this bike and not feel the strain. The only penalty is the weight of the bike.

Some pictures before the refurbishment.