1986 Rockhopper mod

[klunkrider]

Got this lovely Rockhopper from @CROB yesterday and been looking at what I can do with it.

My plan is to make a real simple and straightforward rim brake single speed with it.
Moodboard,

 

[klunkrider]

Purists gonna hate but I'll be removing all the brazeons related to gear cabling, changing the dropouts and probably adding a Konga yoke to increase tyre clearance.

It looks like I could just de-braze the current dropouts and slide a track end into the slots that would leave in the stays but I think I'll probably add a transverse bit of tubing on the seatstays as I did with my mini Honzo which will lift the back end slightly. (I hate low bottom brackets and reckon the geometry of an 18 year old mtb can stand to be a little steeper!)

 

[klunkrider]

Compontry-wise I have some Paul cantis

A choice of two cranksets, both Stronglight. Some 49d or some 86bcd ones. Probably would need to make an adapter for the 49d as I don't think I'd find an outer chairing small enough (32 or 34t)

I'd like either bullmoose bars or a bullmoose style/slingshot stem.

I made a slingshot style stem for my klunker recently.

I have avoided making full on bullmoose bars (despite a lot of requests for them) as I bought the Nitto/Fairweather ones a while ago and found the angle of the bar just felt awful. I reckon having the angle fixed is a recipe for disappointment but who knows. If I made the stem/handlebar I'd maybe do it with a single bent tube like these ones,

I have submitted an offer for a slingshot stem though,

 

[27motorhead]

Love your work and builds. Have seen your handy work on LFGSS as well as on here and Instagram. Looking forward to seeing this one develop!

 

[klunkrider]

Love your work and builds. Have seen your handy work on LFGSS as well as on here and Instagram. Looking forward to seeing this one develop!

Cheers.

Might be a slow burner to start with, you may have seen on lfgss that I had an unexpected coming together with the floor while out on the mini Honzo and am currently unable to do any metalwork.

 

[27motorhead]

Cheers.

Might be a slow burner to start with, you may have seen on lfgss that I had an unexpected coming together with the floor while out on the mini Honzo and am currently unable to do any metalwork.

Didn't realise you bust yer thumb. That'll certainly restrict what mischief you can get up in the workshop! Hope it heals back OK and I'm sure you won't need physio as you'll have that covered with messing about with bikes!

 

[klunkrider]

Didn't realise you bust yer thumb. That'll certainly restrict what mischief you can get up in the workshop! Hope it heals back OK and I'm sure you won't need physio as you'll have that covered with messing about with bikes!

Yeah, thought it was fine at first, realised it was getting more and more painful as I rode the 9 miles back to the car and confirmed broken at minor injuries. At a follow up a week later they reckoned I’d buggered the ligament so surgery the next day. Get this cast off in 9 days and hoping they put me in a Velcro splint at that point but kinda suspect it’ll be back into another cast.

At least it’s not summer!

 

[klunkrider]

My bid on the slingshot stem was accepted.

I'll make a flat bar to go in it.

How wide is wide enough but not obnoxiously so for a 1986 bike?

 

[27motorhead]

My bid on the slingshot stem was accepted.

I'll make a flat bar to go in it.

How wide is wide enough but not obnoxiously so for a 1986 bike?

Great news about the stem, love those and perfect for a mid 80s build.

As for bar width, you can get away with quite wide bars IMO. The narrow flat bar craze of the late 80s and early 90s hadn't started so don't feel you need to be squeezed from an aesthetic POV.

 

[27motorhead]

Yeah, thought it was fine at first, realised it was getting more and more painful as I rode the 9 miles back to the car and confirmed broken at minor injuries. At a follow up a week later they reckoned I’d buggered the ligament so surgery the next day. Get this cast off in 9 days and hoping they put me in a Velcro splint at that point but kinda suspect it’ll be back into another cast.

At least it’s not summer!

Good luck with all that. Been there (numerous times!) having to ride home with broken bones.

Ligaments can be tricky to repair correctly, I have a deformed arthritic left hand thanks to being doored and crap repair work being done.