It’s the Redwood again! Are you bored yet? Me neither, just look at it! Look how cool it is!
Alright, quite a lot has happened since the last proper post (which was about the Puch). Let the pics do the talking. They are in chronological order. I was quite restless…
Unfortunately, under high load I’ve experienced ghost shifts, despite checking the derailleur hanger alignment and changing every single piece of gear (and cable) multiple times. It was meant to be a noodly, comfy city bike, not a stiff road machine after all. I guess there’s a bit too much flex in the chainstays. Or something like that.
In any case, this was a good excuse to wrench (verb). So one day, at the end of 2023 I ditched all unnecessary stuff, fiddled a bit with the ratios and found the magic gear. 38-15T, no chain tensioner needed.
I wanted some faster rolling rubber, so I purchased a set of Continental Contact Speeds (32 mm width). The difference was night and day compared to the hefty Maxxis Overdrives. Riding this bike became completely effortless. Saved quite some weight too. By the way, I didn’t have a single puncture in 4 years with those Maxxis tyres, they are quite invincible.
Then I moved (again), this time to Austria. Needless to say, I unpacked the Marin on day 1 after arrival. You’ll see this backdrop quite often in the upcoming posts.
Mudguards are very functional and I generally like the look of them, but let’s face it, I won’t be riding this bike in wet conditions. And I was kinda itching for a change, it’s been half a year since I’ve last tinkered on this one. I’ve found a set of almost mint Continental SpeedRide folding tyres in 42 mm width for cheap. I’ve had these on my Kästle and I liked them a lot. Turns out I still like them. And then came the crown jewel, a 70 cm wide riser handlebar with 16° backsweep. Sweet stuff.
So here we go, the “final” build.
By the way, oldshovel has featured this build in a video! YouTube Link
Components Table
| Component | Brand & Model |
| Frame & Fork | Tange CrMo Double Butted MTB Tubing |
| Seat Tube | 52 cm C-T |
| Effective Top Tube | 57 cm C-C |
| Crankset | Shimano FC-R500 |
| Drivetrain | 38-15T |
| Brakes | Tektro RX1 |
| Brake Levers | Avid FR-5 |
| Handlebars | Ergotec 700mm, 30mm rise, 16° backsweep |
| Wheels | Shimano WH-RS11 |
| Tyres | Continental SpeedRide 700x42C |