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You can easily exchange the freehub rotor, so if you have an 8speed XC somewhat and an 7speed XC Pro hub you can interchange them. Look out for XC Expert hubs, they were only produced as 8 speed MD hubs. One guy in the german bay sells 8speed XC Comp hubs, another chance to swap your XC Pro 7s...

Your first hub is MOST probably a seven speed Microdrive hub, the second one a generic standard 7speed. You need an 8speed MD hub to utilize an MD 8speed cassette. a picture of all three species of hubs to visualize the differences: © euphras Rule of thumb: every time you see a rubber...

XC Pro are pieces of art, i agree. I have a full Standard (110/74) XC Pro group in my closet but i´m planning to build it up with one of my middle class groups (i also have an more or less complete XC LTD and pieces of the XCD group on my hands). Brakes will be the original Shimano BR-MT60/61...

My fav Speshs are the two-tones from the late eighties but this one is an example of the last pristine MTBs Specialized did build.

I´ve never heard of Hardrock tyres, but in the late eighties Spesh did offer Hardpack tyres within their midrange bikes, see over here: http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=197704 Do you have any pics of yours?

Are you sure about the build year 1989? From what i´ve read in the Speci catalogues the blue/ivory Rockhopper with the rear U-Brake is the 1988 model. I´m currently working on exactly the same model:

Great pics - like i wrote before. :)

Looks good! I love those Specis from - let´s say - end of the eighties/ beginning of the nineties. I think you´ll like it a lot. How did you get a grip on those nicely looking Umma Gumma tyres? From my impresssion they´re as rare as real.... uhmm....virgins. :)

One word: biodegradable :D

As long as it´s period correct i wouldn´t even hesitate to invidualise a ride... my 2 cents.

They work, but since six o´clock this morning the MTB-News servers have severe problems and are offline most of the time.

Is it built pre-1996? :wink:

Go on a hunt for XC EXPERT thumbies in the bay. They´re only available as an 8speed version and normally they sell for a fraction of the cost of XC Pro ones. If you want the look of XC Pro you can always transplant the index ring from the XC Expert thumbie to the XC Pro casing.

Yes, that was the "last battleship" of SunTour, the XC Pro 8 speed Microdrive. Those thumbies bear a mark on the outer plastic ring stating they´re capable to run BOTH 7speed AND 8speed cassettes. Those thumbies look like this: Earlier 7 speed thumbies only bear a [7] marking in that area.

Unfortunately no. The thumb shifters have index rings with a given number of deepenings in which the index balls rest. An 7 speed index ring: An 8 speed ring (XC Pro Microdrive): There´s no way to convert an 7speed thumby into an 8speed others than grinding additional holes...

Top job, well done and thanks for the elucidating pictures! edit: i did something comparable for SunTour shifters back in 2007, it was moved to another blog site in 2011: http://euphras.blogspot.de/2011/10/how- ... index.html

Suntour thumbshifters combined with Suntour derailleurs and Shimano 7 speed cassettes should work together. If you MIGHT run in trouble you could always use a Shimano guide pulley with laterally floating bearing.

I´m out since i´m looking for 36 holes rims... :(

So impressive! The more i am into MTB history (and i´m in since twentyseven years :wink: ), the more i´m overwhelmed by those eighties designs and artifacts.