looking back on bikes: part 4

In previous installments of this series, I learned to ride, discovered that I like mountain biking, and even raced an exotic Slingshot mountain bike.

Now we’ll fast-forward a few years. My Slingshot had been stolen by a persistent thief in Salt Lake City who, at the same time, stole my old Scott mountain bike. But I’d been at college throughout the early and mid 1990s, and hadn’t really ridden during that time. I ski raced for Connecticut College for a year, but that’s about it.

However, after I graduated, I wanted to get a bike again. It took until I’d been fired from my first post-graduation job for me to actually get a new ride. And a cross-country drive to Utah allowed me to pick up a new bike.

Marin Indian Fire Trail (1997)

The bike is a 1997 Marin Indian Fire Trail, bought at Wild Rose Sports using insurance claim money from the Slingshot. I test rode many other bikes before settling on the Marin. I almost was able to get another Slingshot, but they didn’t have any frames in my size at the time. I tried other bikes from Bontrager and Fisher, and almost got the Bontrager – a fine, Reynolds 853 steel frame – but thought it was a bit too flexible for my needs.

The Marin happened to be a perfect match. Having previously owned a Marin, I was familiar with the ride. However, this jet black bike has an aluminum frame, which is stiff and responsive. Yes, it’s harsh on washboard bumps, but the Answer Manitou shock fork dampens things quite a bit. The drivetrain is 8-speed Shimano Deore XT, which shifts wonderfully, and the Shimano M747 clipless pedals are bulletproof.

And it’s light – only 23 pounds (sans rack, U-lock, and bags). So it’s still race-worthy, ready to rock the competition.

And it’s seen a lot of riding over the years. Granted, in the years I had it in Connecticut, it didn’t see too many miles – mainly due to the fact that I had a long drive to and from work, and wasn’t usually in the mode to ride after work. And my off-road skills really suffered over the college years, so I was really shaky on a lot of the wet and slick trails in CT.

But the Marin has seen a new life here in DC. I’ve equipped it as a commuter bike, with quick-release rack, bags, lights, lock bracket, front fender and kevlar-belted slick tires. Sure, it occasionally sees some trail work, but it’s the ultimate urban assault machine right now. It’s taken me hundreds of miles in the DC area, on streets, paths and trails and in all kinds of weather.

And in 2019 I finally converted the Marin to a drop-bar gravel bike. I figured that the geometry of modern gravel bikes is almost identical to mid-90s MTBs. I cobbled together a bit of a weird drivetrain, using 10-speed Campagnolo integrated road shifters with the old XT 8-speed stuff (the cable pull works perfectly), sourced some pull ratio adapters for the brakes to work with the road levers, and presto! It’s a very capable gravel bike.

And I still love it, more than 24 years on.