Mountain Biking - A few questions from someone getting back in the game

Hi Everyone,

I have been out of biking for around 7 years now and have just gotten the urge to get back into it. Back in '97 and '98 I was really into cross-country type trail riding...the spring and summer of '97 was one of the best times of my life and mountain biking was a huge part of that. I'm older now (25 going on 26) and a bit heavier (140 in '97 about 190 now) but also much stronger and more fit than I was when I was scrawny...

My bike is a 1997 Specialized Rockhopper Comp FS, cro-mo frame, Indy XC front shock, LX rear derailluer, shifters, and v-brakes. STX-RC rear hub, and an STX front derailluer. Bike is stock with the exception of flipping my stem over to give myself a much more aggressive stance when I ride. The bike fits great and the frame is in great shape so I really look forward to bringing her back!

The rear wheel is pretty much destroyed and needs to be replaced. The bike has been is storage for the last 5 years and is in good shape, no rust but it is WAY out of tune. I plan on going to the shop tomorrow to have a tune up done. They quoted $50 and that includes labor if any parts need to be replaced.

Issues with the bike:
1) Way out of tune. The front derailluer only goes from the largest chainring to the middle chainring. Brakes run against wheels (could be the wheels need trueing).
2) Front wheel isn't true. It is a Ritchey rim.
3) Rear wheel is wrecked and needs to be replaced. It is a Ritchey OCR rim.
4) I am a lot heavier now than I was when I bought the bike and the shock seems a bit softer than when I bought it. I can bottom it out pretty easily.

I think a lot of the problems will be fixed when the shop gives her a tune up. However I have a couple other problem areas that are a little beyond tuning and may require some part swapping:

Since I need to replace the rear wheel I was thinking of upgrading to an LX hub. Good idea? What price should I be looking to pay? Should I just upgrade the whole wheelset? What brand rim should I stay away from?

The front derailluer has always kind of been a headache, and I was thinking of upgrading that to LX as well. Good idea? What price should I be looking to pay?

Front fork/shock. Should I upgrade the internals on the shock or just ride it as is until I can justify getting a nicer shock? I really have no clue what shocks are good and what are bad anymore.

Thanks in advance for all the input. It will really help my decision making tomorrow!

if you are going to be trail riding again then depending on how much you want to spend will determine what to upgrade to. the LBS can probably get the front der. in good shape.Rhino lites may fit you well as far as wheels. others may have better experience in that area. I got a SET of Sun DS-2 w/Deore 525 disc hubs for under $100 from Jenson USA so there are bargains out there. the problem with discount wheels is they sometimes come way out of true so if you do not want to work on your bike you may be better letting the LBS fit you with the right wheels when they are tuning your bike. if the shop is trustable to you you will not be disapointed spending a few more dollars.you can replace the front fork to one of better quality for just a little more than a new set of internals.that market has changed a lot since 97. I weigh 200pds give or take and IMO that fork will become dangerous if you ride aggresively in a short time( been there on the Indy)

oh yeah, welcome to the forum too!

iamthetas, thanks for the info. Can you define dangerous? What can I expect to fail about the fork? I already have reservations about the fork since it has been sitting around for so long...

If I start riding at all like I used to it will definitely be agressively...what sort of fork should I look into? I don't need to know brand specifics; instead I am looking for mechanical specifics. What sort/level of fork works for a 200 lbs. rider that likes to push it pretty hard. As I said cross-country trail riding is what I like to do.