90s Dad Bike to Gravel Bike Restomod - 96 Marin Stinson

[@JDSJayDS]

When I got out of the Army in 1995, I rented a moving van and drove across the country from NC to AZ. The last trip I made in the van was to a bike shop where I picked up this exact bike. Dropped off the van, rode the Marin to my new apartment and a new life. I was car-free for the next 25 years. I've owned road bikes, mtb bikes, fixed-gear bikes, touring bikes. Worked as a mechanic at several shops and raced for a few teams. It all started with that Stinson.

[@TeeLichtet]

This is one of your best paint jobs ever!

[@gregtaylor6146]

Agreed!

[@AnonymousPhucker]

done with rattle can, will be ruined within a year

[@gregtaylor6146]

@@AnonymousPhucker - .....ever heard of polyurethane???

[@adredy]

true

[@cvo6054]

@@AnonymousPhucker bs. Its all in the preparation.

[@thomaseisen304]

This is therapy on screen , watching oldshovel transforming those bikes is oddly satisfying! I love the paintjob ! I'm pretty sure one day people will fake his logo to theyr bikes to make it special !😂 As always good job oldshovel !

[@1976tincho]

Think same!

[@bunmeng007]

I don't know why too but the ASMR does put me in a calmer place.

[@ramonsanchez8871]

06222227395352629362489 5

[@waynepoole6120]

It really is. No corny music. No talking. Just quiet observation.

[@grumpy_ken]

yeah building a bike is exactly like reliving childhood trauma 🙄

[@kamonsimpson384]

So just wanted to say that I just finished watching your joint video with Russ from Path Less Traveled and got the biggest kick out of the end where you were asked about today’s gravel bikes just being yesterday’s mountain bikes and you responded that the actual 1:1 comparison was closer to the old hybrid/dad bikes … then this video popped up. I couldn’t agree more and I have personal experience to prove it - earlier this year I picked up a 1994(?)-ish Giant Nutra “Cross” bike, fully modernized into a gravel grinder. It has a 44/32/22 triple Deore 9-speed drive train (11/39) with drop bars (bar-end front friction, back indexed shifters), and 700/40 tires, with clearance for probably 45s. The steel frame is supple and bomb-proof. The geometry looks identical to the All Road I was eyeballing before picking up this old Dad rig. I can’t imagine trading it in for a brand new steel gravel bike would give me any upgrade that would justify the cost. I have a 90s Specialized hard tail 26er in my garage as well, so I’m already a disciple of your views on the beauty and utilitarian value of 90s mountain bikes, but this Giant has really opened my eyes into a whole new avenue of bike-repurposing.

[@MeNtAlmil]

Just re-built my second 90s mtb for my wife to bike camp and running errands/city riding. Love how simple these old bikes are and how much fun they are to ride! Brings the joy back to biking again. I'd love to find one with 700c wheels and big tire clearance like this one

[@Korina42]

Keep an eye out for a Trek Multitrack, especially the 750 and 790; top-of-the-line, based on their legendary 520 touring bike.

[@MeNtAlmil]

@@Korina42 will do! I never knew the difference between the numbers. Thanks!

[@Korina42]

@@MeNtAlmil Yep, the higher the number, the better the bike; although from 730 on, it's all components. Hope you find a good one!

[@mattdunkin5368]

As a dad, I appreciate that market has come around feed me all the Dad bikes I can handle. Also it's funny to me that these are dad bikes now. When I was a pup making fun of dad's it was Schwinn varsity's and old cruisers

[@sal26]

I watch these videos while working from home. Inspired me last winter to restore an old schwinn and cranbrook into bmx klunkers...I was into BMX as a kid from 80s. Restoring/rebuilding was time consuming and tedious in a good therapeutic way. I highly recommend giving it a try. I ended up selling both and getting some money back but really now can relate to the "hate to see it go". The work put in is soooo satisfying when done. It was also awesome knowing they were sold to kids who were stoked about them and were going to actually ride them a lot.. Thanks again for the videos.

[@marcomcdowell8861]

My neighbor is returning to the US for good this summer. He's got a 90s Marin in his garage just collecting dust. He's very aware that cycling is my commuting method, so I'm hoping that he won't be able to ship that bike and offers it up. I see it sitting there sadly every time I look out of my window, just begging me to clean and overhaul it hahahaha. It's one sweet ride. Fortunately, thievery in rural Japan isn't a big thing, so it stands there in full view waiting to be reborn.

[@cibernet.]

This is how I like to see bicycle restoration videos, to hear the sound of components, torques and tools. greetings friend

[@monzadh]

so glad to have this pop up! In my town people just throw away old bikes for having flats or being a bit dusty/rusty..in the last 5 years i have saved almost 20 bikes from the crusher...multiple Motobecane's, Raleigh's, Myata's, Specialized, Trek's, Bianchi's, the list goes on. I am currently building up an early 90's Trek alloy 7600 Multitrack with 700c wheels that I will use as my ex-Dad second hand town bike. I will now need that Surly bar to complete the build!

[@aux84]

Paint job is awesome, light green is remarkable! Greetings from Poland.

[@stefanpethybridge9855]

Hayball Cycles Salisbury is in Dorset UK. About 15 miles from me at Cycle Rescue in Ringwood Hampshire. How mad that a bike should turn up in your workshop so far away. Excellent content as always.

[@dylanthompson9363]

haha its actually in Wiltshire! Ive just noticed this too.

[@trevlyndeklerk6266]

Hybrid Dad bikes are under estimated...can be got on the cheap. I done a gravel/CX conversion on a Trek 7300fx from the early 2000s. Running new claris STI with TRP mini vbrakes....plenty tyre clearance where some of the new gravel bikes on the market only accommodate 40c... Great build Mr Shovel, greetings from South Africa 🇿🇦👊

[@BoomerangVillage]

This is true. If you want to put the time into relaceing your wheels, you can even get adaptors to add disc brake mounts to the rears, and you can grab a disc fork for under a hundred bucks that you can paint to match. With derailleur extensions, you can usually get at least 11-42 cassette to work with a 1x 42t chainring. Most of these old frames from the turn of the century are made from steel, so you can cold set them to accept the wider hubs. I like to stick with silver components with brown contact points and white accents over a solid colored frame. I add on some decals to specify the frame builder and major component manufacturers, and I polish all the chrome. It's amazing how you can refurbish a bike to all the modern standards while keeping the original vintage charm for only a couple hundred bucks. I pass guys huffing around their brand new SWorks carbon gravel bikes, and I just smile knowing I spent 1/10th what they did and I'm faster because I love my bike more.

[@froggerc625]

Man I love oldshovel and comet restorations paint jobs. That period of 700c steel hybrids from the late 80s was so good.

[@SHWELL11]

I just finished losing a fight to a Trek Bottom Bracket.. No amounts of heat or leverage would break it free.. Now I am here watching your builds so I can get this idea of defeat out of my head.. Thanks for everything you do..

[@kevinthomson6324]

Bike came out great! Those bars a interesting solution to the 2000’s brifters to 90’s brakes issue.

[@sylvainguidi]

this surly handlebar and this specific BCD 96 1x chainring from Wolftooth, cost way way too much in Europe...

[@daynaga]

Love 90s steel bikes, especially from Marin. Had a Team Issue frame from just after this era and it rode beautifully! Super cool conversion!

[@monkist]

This fade paint job is super cool, totally in early 90s fashion! Reminds me of my first bike, a 1990 Diamond Back Topanga back in the good old days. Loving these, keep the 90s mountain bike spirit alive!

[@nommchompsky]

Marin has some of the coolest colors out there. Thank you for saving this one from its boring greyness

[@rooksfoot1184]

the grey (and matt) thing was a role reversal.. marin had the loudest colourschemes 89-92... dude pays homage to this in his awesome custom paintjob

[@adlar2005]

Marin, if you're watching.... mass produce this colorway... it's beautiful!

[@tikas408]

Oh man, I just picked up a 95 Rockhopper and this is similar to my dream build! Thanks for the inspiration!

[@boheyo]

Sweet, I had a '94 Rockhopper Ultra (in 2002) and that thing was an absolute blast around town, like a mildly overgrown BMX you could also commute on.

[@rooksfoot1184]

i got a 93 one..please dont put drop bars on it..lol... but whatever do what u want.. but in time ul realise why they became unpopular in the early nineties... hopefully while u still got teeth after riding offroad (edit and by unpopular imean cyclocross vs MTB)

[@glennpettersson9002]

DB's are the next 90's MTB. Great job 👍

[@paulwatson-work3544]

Great paint, it transforms the whole bike. Love it with those funky trick bars

[@wg2060]

Well done! Now I’m eyeing my 96 Diamond Back Axis for a repurpose. All XT goodie’s.

[@anthonyharris483]

I scored a Diamondback Apex SE with nice lightweight True Temper tt-lite steel tubing. Steel Diamondbacks were great bikes back then

[@Hamperi]

Absolutely awesome paint job and build.

[@roguishowl3915]

A very beautiful and satisfying bike build. I love watching old things being brought back to life.

[@omarsrigs7480]

I swtiched my giant talon 2 flat bars to a Surly corner bar......mannnnn......I wont ever switch them back. The hand positions are so comfortable and more a natural position for me especially on long rides. Not to mention the different hand positions you have with those corner bars. Its almost a must for a bike if you own several diff bikes. Looks abit whacky but literally looks rad and stands out. If you have 2.6" wide tires it gives the right amount of a beefy bike look that match the bars if it makes sense lol. You wont regret it.

[@Darvis77]

Awesome job, i really excited to watch this careful process and how good old things transformed to beautiful modern gears, thank you so much for this

[@smup2I]

More dad bikes please 👍

[@tedwingate]

The head tube badge was next level. And it's nice to see Microshift getting some love!

[@clrlmiller]

Oh man, that painted head badge looks sweeeeet!

[@johnhopkinson1620]

Inspirational video, I just love seeing old bikes get their day.

[@NathanBake]

I'm so glad I saw this corner bar setup. That's the perfect solution for my current setup, switching a hydraulic setup for road.

[@sagehiker]

Elegant build. With the stops on the frame, if I found one like that, it would be an interesting experience to explore cantilever brakes. 700c from the 90s with the spare steel frame ads the sleek look. Thank you!

[@catshoemike]

I used to race a Kona Hahanna in the 90's, with cantis. It was a joke-fact that whatever fancy Kool-Stop pads, or how much you feathered or fettled, you could never get them to the point where the rear brakes would actually lock the back wheel. All of the family bikes, the GT that my wife raced, the Marin that my daughter raced, got swapped over the minute V-brakes came out. But yes, it would be interesting to try

[@sagehiker]

@@catshoemike I am an commuter/utilty bike rider with bikepacking for recreation. Resto/mod and play w 90's mtb's as a hobby and a coffee can full of canti's. No sudden uncontrolled deconstruction into rock or trees in the plans ;)

[@_Murky_]

very therapeutic watching, seems like there are a few custom or unique tools to bike building which makes the process a lot easier

[@joeyd4899]

Awesome build! I used the same Microshift Advent X drivetrain on my Cannondale F3000 26" to 27.5" gravel conversion. I'm really impressed by it for the price!

[@Donovangulya]

That paint job is amazing. Personally I'm a sucker for neon yellow and green

[@dougbailey7919]

Agree with one of the comments below, definitely is “therapy” watching. I’ve got a 1995 Specialized Hardrock. Would love to upgrade it’s components to make it a gravel grinder!

[@kellymorris10342]

That Advent X fit no problem?! And 700c?! That's awesome. Very inspiring as always. You do such amazing work.

[@mapgeek6]

@kilt6680 In case you're not joking, they don't - this bike always had 700c wheels.

[@darkcrystal999]

Just beautiful! Takes may breath away.

[@danmallett3281]

Beautiful bike! Love the paint job and the fade using the plastic bag. Brilliant as always.

[@JDArborist]

Loving the paint scheme! Looks like meeting Chris Chance left quite the impression on you. Lots of fades lately and I'm not complaining!

[@flyriviera]

I loved Marin bikes. Was my dream when I was much younger. I really wish for a pine mountain. Unfortunately, company fell (maybe because of distribution or bigger companies), and now it is not the company it was. However, it will be in my heart.

[@purpletrance9874]

As an obsessive early 90s Marin collector, it was refreshing to see an old Marin given CPR and brought back to life...albeit one of the 700c "Dad bikes". Love the custom paint job on this, as well as the Surly bars choice (inspiring). I might look out for an old Marin 700c myself and get a custom build going 👍👌😎

[@ipodgolfer13]

I live in Bentonville and have donated to PIF several times at this point. I will be in the Rule of 3 race this year as well! 13 days!

[@jorgscz9175]

I did pretty much the same exact thing with my 1986 bridgestone. Old mtn bike geometry is a bit of a bear but when you find the right stem setup they ride incredible

[@simonb6058]

I was lucky enough to get hold of a 1995 Marin San Rafael in original spec in Dec 2020. I gave it the full gravel bike conversation to 11-speed 105 5800 shifters and derailleurs with a 105 5703 triple crank converted to a double 42t 26t with a 11-32 cassette. Built up a set of new wheels on some cheap Mavic A119 rims and 11-speed hubs. I stuck with cantis for the Sti's and wide tyres with CX50's. I did the quill stem conversion too so I could fit some modern drop bars. I left the frameset in original condition which shows the bikes heritage. I may get it sprayed one day as this Stinson looks superb. Well I've ridden it over 2000 miles to date and love it. The geometry is perfect and the tyre clearance is great. It's the perfect gravel/touring bike for me.

[@beacherHH28]

Absolut perfect bike. Thank you for the illustration. I love it. Just amazing. I have to do it at my bike

[@noelsmith1852]

Wow that paint/decaling turned out amazing. Great build.

[@JaydelCorro]

Seeing that bottom bracket spin like butter is satisfying in itself. Lol.

[@alimaleki217]

I’ve watched a lot of your videos and have no idea how you choose frame colors but this one is absolutely gorgeous!

[@el_micha]

I think this one is oriented on vintage Marin paint jobs. They had quite some flashy colors in the 90s. I recall a "pine mountain" model from 1991 in neon yellow + neon green. Colors were used in a different paint scheme. Google some pics, you will be amazed…

[@64Spokes]

This is one of my favorites you’ve restored!

[@nthonyholden]

Your paint jobs just keep getting better and better! (And they have always been good.)

[@playandteach]

Excellent job. I was born in Bethnal Green, and drove through Limehouse all the time. Looks like you enjoy the painting as much as the rebuild.

[@diyuliarto]

amazing bike restoration and beautiful ASMR in one video two thumbs up....

[@WiltshireSportingShooter]

Awesome job. I also noticed the sticker @ 01:50 for Hayball Cycles on the down tube, that’s my local bike-shop in Salisbury (in the U.K). Very cool to see this bike has made its way all the way over to you. Keep up the great work 🤘

[@OneHourPhotos]

I noticed that too, I had to do a double take. How on earth it got all the way over there I’ll never know!

[@austinmatthews347]

here in yorkshire england i have inherited my dads raleigh record sprint he bought new around 1985 i was going to sell it on but after watching a few vids showing resto mods i have decided to see about upgrading the gears to mega range with a new shimano setup and start occasionally riding it out of love and respect to my late abd great father

[@techno.drew_]

At first I was thinking "oh nice paint and sticker job!" and then the other cans came out... seriously impressive work man! Beautiful bike

[@walterpierowski7976]

Great color scheme with the paint!

[@tzlrc0]

Paint job turned out great. I did a similar conversation on a 700c dad bike from the mid 2000s. I'm running the 50mm gravel kings. It's a bit if a monster.

[@chwbiker]

This handlebar looks really cool!

[@rogg2020]

That’s a badass bike !!

[@JoseMartinez-rp4yh]

Awesome job,..beautyful results..!!!

[@madyogi6164]

Awsome green painting...

[@kovacs4577]

Super nice build. Great job on the paint! Only upgrade I'd consider is a chainring guard to fill that empty 2nd

[@kosskrit]

Wow, that paint job is awsome! Hope you've added bar ends to those handlebars though so nobody gets core-sampled.

[@randallblytheadlercavalera8373]

the more i watched oldshovel the more i love and maintained my bikes❤

[@derekmosher4561]

Wow , you did an amazing job on that old dad bike lol. You just nailed it with the color . I bet it rides nice . Great job .

[@shortcyclingtrips]

This is I think one of your best paint job I've ever seen in terms of colors and blend, I meant Art Work 🤗 thanks for sharing

[@oldshovel]

🙏 thanks

[@motorizedbikeenthusiast6880]

THAT BRAKE ADJUSTMENT TEQNIQUE IS GENIUS I LOVE IT i wish i knew about it earlier

[@matthewelliott1976]

Cool project, always a joy to watch your work , great job on the build!

[@donaldfranklinjr7087]

Awesome restoration old shovel 😎

[@humanerror3139]

Another fantastic build and video. I like the rear derailleur setup jig, never seen one of those before! Great stuff🙂

[@gregtaylor6146]

Looked like an extra piece of unwanted/un-needed plastic surplus junk tbh, I'll stick with the Mk1 eyeball.

[@georgewallis3960]

Great Build, very tasteful yet with the right level of modern... What width Surly Corner Bars did you use?

[@SMKHEMI]

I own early 90s cannondale R900 that I would love to convert to gravel bike. It's just hanging in the garage and needs to be brought back to life.

[@PAExploration]

Very nice, I really like the splatter gradient between the colors, great job!

[@rogerhart612]

Very, very nice build. Beautiful bike.

[@jacoboreilly3601]

This thing is awesome. Thank you for this video. It was what I needed to solidify my decision to build a 90’s gravel racer!

[@ReCycledCycler]

It’s funny that these are considered Dad bikes now, they were classed as Performance MTBs bitd, but the wheels at the time wouldn’t stand up to too much bouncy rocky stuff, the original 29ers. A lovely build again mate! Paul, Auckland NZ.

[@raceface_m2579]

What a wonderful build.

[@TREVORtheSAXman]

Love the use of Surly Corner Bars! I love mine.

[@jp93309]

Super nice paint! What is the trick for for getting clean lines from masked logos. Last time I did it was messy so I had to start over from scratch.

[@bsdooby]

Where can these "brand" stickers be ordered? Great paint job, BTW...

[@Screenwriting]

Love that paint job.

[@ossieljuarez1936]

Awesome restoration. I brought home a 1999 specialized crossroads found at a trailer that im currently remodeling. And I'm hoping my restoration of that bike turns out to be half as good as yours.

[@vasanneovakul4436]

Wow, wow, wow! Amazing and love it!

[@marcin4893]

Yes, very nice second life of this pretty bike.

[@brianalbano8503]

When is the pedal it forward event taking place? I can’t find any information on it. Awesome build.

[@HonedByJones]

This makes me think of a couple bikes I’ve had in the past that now I wish I had kept to do a conversion like this. 👍🏿

[@christofs-a1834]

Don't we all?! 😢

[@bjornerikkleiven9172]

this is exactly as I was looking to do with a mtb 90s frame, (besides the paint and rather more restomod (as you coined)). BUT the rear shifting did not work out. maybe I got the wrong derailleur from mICROSHIFT. next time I will try the adventix. and nice to see more detail during the crucial assembly. yes cool bar, cheers

[@dimimtb]

I have my old 90’s KHS Pro I’ve been thinking of doing a retromod on. I wonder if I could fit 700c tires on it and what to do with the canti brakes. Probably not worth the effort but oh so tempting.

[@midorimage]

That bike was originally was a 700c bike. You might squeeze 650b on your bike, but to do that it gets pretty expensive if you don't already have the parts.

[@dimimtb]

@@midorimage Yeah, I have a nice set of 700c tires, crank, etc, just need to figure out how to get the brakes to work and a new front fork, the old Mag21 is deader than dead. Probably not worth the effort.

[@markanderson744]

Well, I have to say this was (a) a really great procedural, and (b) a pretty awesome resto-mod! Well done!

[@Nick-jy4zf]

man the advent x is just extraordinary. i replaced the drivetrain on my 90s cyclocross bike with it and it's such a blast to ride

[@grumpy_ken]

gorgeous build. one question though- broadly speaking, are v-brakes better than cantilever?

[@Sceme1991]

My pet peeve on restoration videos is people putting the stickers back on after a fresh paintjob. It was PERFECT! lol Nice work nevertheless!

[@markpeterson8978]

Well done. Beautiful build Sir.

[@lebakassemi692]

how did you make this sticker ?

[@Adroit1911]

Peddle it forward is an awesome organization

[@going4broke1981]

Nice, i started a build like this one also with a marin hybrid bike about a year ago, lets just say its still in the sanding stage.

[@MulettoMotorsports]

Klein and Marin, my favorites back then