Ranger Dan

I'm basically a road bike guy, but I live in a rural area surrounded by gravel roads, so I've been looking for a basic XC mountain bike to ride on the gravel. I know little about mountain bikes, soI'm not sure that I made the right choice, but yesterday I bought an old (late 1990's, frame made in the USA) Specialized Stumpjumper. The frame and paint are in excellent condition. Components include Deore XT front and rear derailleurs, Deore XT crank, White rear hub, Titec seatpost and Mavic 117 rims. On the downside is that it is not a suspension bike, and it has a Softride suspension stem. The brakes are cantilevers.

Given that the bike is admittedly outdated and is mainly going to be used just for riding on gravel roads, is it even worth considering upgrading the stem and forks or other components? I've been riding road bikes for years and do all my own maintenance, but this is my first mountain bike and I'm not really familiar with the various component lines, suspension forks, etc. Suggestions?

I paid $100 of the bike -- I hope that wasn't too much, but it's a done deal now. I would have preferred a more modern bike, but there isn't much of a used market in mountain bikes in this area and I didn't want to put a lot of $ into this project.

xfimpg

Nope. I wouldn't put a penny into it, especially if you're only using it for gravel roads, and it's not a full suspension, which is what you want if you get serious about mountain biking.

dminor 

The only thing I might suggest is to find a 'regular' stem cheap if you can. Suspension stems are evil creations which you will thank yourself for deep-sixing.