The Story
This 2012 Marin Alpine Trail frame looked lonely hanging on the wall at the Fort Collins Bike Co-op so I brought it home. I have always loved Marin bikes and this one was unique with flat, polyhedral tubing that would stand out when applying lettering.
The color scheme was meant to be a test bed for another classic build. My friend Karin and I have been restoring a 1936 Monark Karin (no relation), and we landed on a gray-blue fade with gold accents. While we decided it wasn't what we wanted for her specific bike (too calm), it ended up gorgeous.
The paint process was humbling. I printed vinyl decal masks for the logos, laid down primer, built up the fade, and buried it all in clear coat. When it came time to pull the vinyl... the paint came with it in spots. A few deep breaths and some careful touch-up work later, the frame looked more stately than I had even predicted.
For the build, I went full restomod: a 12-speed SRAM SX/GX drivetrain and Shimano 2-piston hydraulic brakes. It's not a carbon race machine, but it's a capable, beautiful bike that rides way better than its age suggests.
It didn't last long on the co-op floor. Someone saw what I saw in that old Marin frame—and now it's out there getting ridden instead of collecting dust.
Gallery
