Early 90's Rockhoppers and Hardrock

[jono1980]

Hi there, relatively new to the forum and thought i'd start a thread.

I inherited my brothers old Rockhopper Sport some time ago and after a few different road setups would like to get her off road again. Being honest i'm not much of an MTB guy, but i know my way around a bike and i'm keen to hit some trails and the local BMX track for some fitness/fun.

Current state;

Recent purchases include some Avid V-brakes to go with the XT levers i had lying around. The plan was to use a quill adaptor to experiment with stems, stick on a pair of wide riser bars, knobbly tyres, sort the gear ratio and be done with it. That was until i came here...

Now i've got all caught up with the idea of a retro rebuild. Other than the frame and forks (which are both in pretty good condition) I have the original front wheel, stem, seat post and cranks (although both pretty fubar), canti brakes and maybe saddle. I recently discovered you can get Panaracer Smoke and Dart skin wall tyres which are now on my list and maybe some quality period flat bars.

Question is, does old school mean not as good? I'm guessing that with an old rigid steel frame there's only so far it would be worth taking but should i opt for modern bars, wheels, tyres and brakes for trials riding or will a well setup "retro" build be just as rideable for a novice?

For now i plan to keep it single speed although i do have both the original X1 shifter and mech somewhere as well as brand new Sram X4 counterparts for added confusion. A little advice on s/s ratios for trials riding wouldn't go a miss either.

cheers

 

[xerxes]

Re:

Nice start point. I like the Saab 900 too.

You could find out the exact model and year and it wouldn't be difficult to find all the period correct parts and make it original. But, it's not rare or unique by any means and if you want a practical rider there's no issues with having a mix and match set of components.

I can't see from the picture; does the rear wheel have a freehub for a cassette? If so, you could fit a cassette and then decide whether to go for period correct 3x7 set-up with thumbshifters, or a 3x8,9 or 10, all could be made to work. As far as function goes, my older 3x7 set-up works as well as the newer 3x9 I have and I don't miss the extra 6 gears on the older 21 speed.

I like V-brakes, they work well and are much less faff to set-up than cantilevers, so I'd stick with them to start with as you already have them.

A fully rigid bike isn't going to be as good at bouncing down rocky, rooty trails as a newer hardtail or full suspension bike, but fit a set of fat 26x2.1, or 26x2.3 tyres, if they'll fit, and it'll be fine on canal paths and for mucking about in the countryside.

Now wait for a completely contradictory opinion.

 

[jono1980]

Re: Early 90's Rockhopper Sport - Advice needed

Cheers, pretty much what i was hoping to hear, some bikes should remain as they left the shop but this isn't one of them.

It has a free hub so a cassette could be fitted but it'll stay single speed for now, got a choice of 14T or 17T for the back so i'm thinking 32 or 34T on the front?

From the reviews i've seen the Panaracer Smoke and Dart are still up to the job and tick the "things i always wanted but couldn't afford" list along with the Flite saddle.

Been hassling mates to borrow some bars to see if i prefer flat or riser and just how wide i should go for the kind of riding i want to do. Gonna strip it this weekend and go from there.

Glad you like the Saab, i seem to be stuck in the early 90s in all walks of life...

 

[Seneb]

Re: Early 90's Rockhopper Sport - Advice needed

If you're going to keep it as a single speed, a good start for a 26er is a 2:1 ratio but that can quickly change based on terrain. In your case, I'd start with the 34:17. Those frames are pretty solid and seem to last forever. I go through a lot of them with my nonprofit project.

 

[jono1980]

Re: Early 90's Rockhopper Sport - Advice needed

Thanks Seneb, sounds like a plan.

 

[jono1980]

Re: Early 90's Rockhopper Sport - Advice needed

Little bit of progress...

Managed to borrow a few different bars and stems to try, the 60mm stubby was a disaster for my lanky torso but it feels much more comfortable with the 100mm in the pics. Bars wise so far the best i've tried is the 630mm mild risers but i think i could go wider.

Swapped the cranks for something with a 39t, now not sure about 34t if I'm running a 17t rear, might try a 36 first. The chain is an issue with the current setup but hopefully a change of gearing can sort the slack.

Also finally got some proper tyres on it, had my heart set on a pair of smoke and darts but when i saw the charge splashbacks at £15 the pair i couldn't pass on it, went for 1.8" as i'm gonna be doing some harder surface riding.

Speaking of which, hit the local BMX track on the weekend (dropped the saddle first!), completely out of my comfort zone there but there were a few really sound guys from Brixton BMX that gave me some tips and showed me a few lines. Considering the bike has been quickly hashed together i was pretty happy with it and riding on the track was the most fun i've had on a bike in while.

General feedback? The bike needs a full strip and shakedown (rims truing and hubs servicing a must), the gearing needs sorting and i need to choose some bars. Not that i think it would be a problem on trails but the bike felt kind of heavy round the track so i'm going to look into where i can loose a little weight. Also might try a layback post as i still feel i need to stretch out but don't want to go any further forward on the stem.

Finally, the lock on grips were neither that comfy or period looking plus on the end of wide bars they're playing havoc with my hallway so i'm gonna get some old school ODI's or similar.

cheers

 

[jono1980]

Bit more progress and a new addition to the family...

Sourced a similar vintage Hardrock frameset last week in pretty tidy condition. Unsuprisingly the bottom bracket and seatpost are jammed which'll take some work to get out but all other threads etc look in very good condition. As i owe my dad a bike the plan is to build this up with most the original leftover Rockhopper parts and maybe the Sram X4 gear if the Suntour X1 is beyond use.

Some bits for the Rockhopper that i've picked up for very little, ODI grips, Geax lightweight tubes, Planet X Ti skewers and Easton EA 50/90 bars and stem.

Finally gave the wheels a much needed service. These'll most likely end up on the Hardrock as now that the Rockhopper is starting to see more use i fancy something lighter/newer.

There's a few things i'm after so i'll start a wanted thread, wheels and SS cranks being a priority.

Cheers

 

[jono1980]

Finally got round to looking at the Hardrock frame, unfortunately the jammed seatpost was worse than first thought and had actually been hammered into the seat tube causing a slight swell. Long story short that frame has been abandoned for now but through pure chance this came available for a donor project the same day;

It had been sitting outside for a while and everything on it was well past it's best but on inspection the frame and forks were very good and was the perfect base for the build. This bike was always going to be a bit of a mongrel as part of the incentive was to build a bike for my dad using many of the parts i had lying around;

It's got 8 speed Sram X4, Suntour X1 cranks, Easton stem, Deore rear wheel, Specialized front wheel, bars and saddle. Headset was good enough after a service and the bottom bracket and cables were replaced with new stuff i had spare. To finish it off it's getting the Avid V-brakes and Splashback tyres off my Rockhopper.

Took it for a quick spin and can't believe how nice the ride is, light, and responsive. My dad loves it and once i've got the right tyres on this i'd like to try this on some trails closer to my parents home.

There's updates on the Rockhopper coming but for now i'll sign out with a pick of my next project, a very shaved Rockhopper comp being prepped for a custom build;

Cheers

 

[smiler99]

The paint is so good on these you can treat the rust flat back the paint with some 800 or 1200 grit wet n dry....touch up the scratches and rust marks then flat it again...then polish with a compound or clear coat it. You would be surprised how decent you can get a frame without a full respray.

 

[jono1980]

Good to know smiler99.

Picked up a pair of new Miche wheels for a good price courtesy of another forum member (sold some Rapha shorts to pay for them!), a quick desticker and now there on the Rockhopper (for now).

Here it is in it's current BMX mode, single brake, heavily chopped post, odyssey twisted pedals and some Oury grips;

It's all a bit of a swap-shop at the moment, the Avid V-brakes are gonna go on the Hardrock and the longer Easton stem has gone so i'm back to not loving the riding position. I know wider bars are more popular for rough terrain but for the track and street i have some much lighter Ritchey Force light flat bars and i'm on the look out for something like a 90-100mm Thomson stem to go with it.