1989 Specialized Rockhopper Comp

[ovim]

A few days ago I noticed a local facebook classified ad for a a "Rocktopper" for 35 euros. Couple of hours later I was the owner of a 1989 Specialized Rockhopper Comp. The bike seems to be in reasonably good shape with all original parts except for the tyres, rear mech and the saddle. There's some rust on the parts and chipped paint on the frame but it's straight without dents. Bearings run smooth and the rims are straight without too much wear. It seems that it even has the original brake pads. I think it should be pretty easy to restore it close to original spec without too much money or effort.

My plan is to remove the accessories, clean and service it throughout and find the right rear rear mech (Deore RD-MT62). Then I need some preferably tan wall mtb tyres(suggestions?) and at least a period correct saddle if I cant find the original "Specialized ATB" one. The decals are faded and a respray would be great but I think I'm going keep the frame as it is for now.

This might take some time but I'll post updates when I've made some progress.

Here it is as it was bought:

 

[Deleted member 53753]

Re:

Lovely bike, should clean up nicely. For tyres I recently got some of These which seem good value

 

[MRGRUMPY]

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Nice. I had one of those. One of the many bikes I regret selling. It rode really well.

 

[ovim]

Re: Re:

Lovely bike, should clean up nicely. For tyres I recently got some of These which seem good value

Thanks for the tip! Duro isn't exactly the sexiest of tyre brands but they are actually one of the better cheap tyre manufacturers and their stuff usually lasts long and is well enough made. How wide are they? I mean in reality when mounted on normal vintage mtb rim? 1.75 (47mm) sounds a bit narrow for my liking but since there's huge variation between same size tyres from different manufacturers I might give em a try if they look wider than actual size.

Nice. I had one of those. One of the many bikes I regret selling. It rode really well.

Nice to hear, I'm planning to take her out on some of my local trails instead of the normal fullsus Cannondale to see what it would have been like back then when my parents wouldn't buy me a mountain bike

 

[ovim]

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It's not much but I've managed to remove all the extra crap and threw on a saddle that doesn't hurt my eyes as much.

 

[ovim]

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I've taken the bike completely apart and haven't found any nasty surprises. I gave the small steel bits a bath in Dinitrol Annitrol (Diluted phosphoric acid?) rust remover and it worked better than I anticipated. The brake levers look quite nice after a clean and a polish.

 

[fishyfool]

I know this is an old thread, but as a Rockhopper nut I gotta ask, how did it turn out?