Over on the iBOB list, there's a summer challenge to buy a bike for less than $200, spend less than $200 fixing any issues, and then ride it at least 200 km. I had an idea to pick up a '90s hybrid for this, but a lack of choices in my size combined with unresponsive sellers left me at a loss. I didn't really want another old mountain bike, but sometimes you have to go where the market takes you:
This bike had been sitting on FB marketplace for quite a while, but the seller was responsive, and we quickly arranged a meet up. We were both early, always a good sign. A quick spin through the Napa parking lot, and $125 later, I had my new summer ride.
I can't quite find the same color in old catalogs online, but based on the components, I'm guessing it's a '95 or '96 Specialized Rockhopper FS, A1 aluminum frame (edit: maybe a '97, based off image searching). It doesn't have the cachet of the Stumpy, or the vintage cred of the old steel frame, but I'm happy with my purchase:
The tires are shot and will have to go, but the STX 8 speed drivetrain works fine. And I really like these old Specialized Strongarm cranks:
I'm generally a steel guy, but I love these chunky aluminum welds and gussets. Is the M2 Stumpjumper really any better? I'm skeptical. And a free bottle cage!
The Rock Shox Quadra wasn't a great fork even in 1995. The seller had replaced the MCU bumpers, so at least it moves up and down. The last Quadra I had in a free bike had mostly dust for the elastomers.
Shimano canti brakes with rock hard, 30 year old pads are also on the replace list:
Luckily, I can go shopping in my parts bin:
- Performance and Nashbar tires ($10 each estimated value)
- NIB Yokozuna V brakes ($7/wheel when Soma had them at 65% off)
- Avid Speed Dial levers ($20?)
- A handlebar I didn't actually end up using ($10)
- A new stem, not shown, to try to get that bar up a little ($10)
- new pedals, very worn Shimano M520 clipless. I've been trying to ride flats on my mountain bike rides lately, but this kind of bike demands clipless. I think these were only $25 new on blowout, but call them $20 now.
So that's about $95 of my $200 upgrade budget.
Side note: in cleaning up the bike, I tried this Dawn Power wash as recommended by YouTuber BikeFarmer. It doesn't seem to work nearly as well as my typical Honda spray cleaner/polish (I work for Honda, but I just buy the cleaner at retail... it gives me an excuse to go and visit the motorcycle shop)
And here it is after a relaxing hour or two in the shop:
A new, wider Salsa bar with 17* of sweep is a lot more comfortable, but still mostly preserves the vintage look (another side note: this bike is vintage, and I am old... I remember wanting the equivalent Stumpjumper at Bike Source back in the day. I'm less snobbish now). A taller stem brings up the bar a bit. The grip shifts work as well as they ever did. At least I didn't have to replace the cables; that's a pain on these things.
New brakes are strong and smooth.
I didn't even need to tune the shifting at all.
I added some accessories so I could take a spin around town and drop off some books (10 miles down so far). The bar is a lot lower than I'm used to, which keeps me pedaling hard to keep the weight off my hands. It was a fun ride! Honestly more fun than my recent Jones build. Cheap and cheerful for the win... at least until I get it off road, when I'll likely be reminded just how old school this geo is.
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