Thoughts on late 90's Rockhopper... possible nitanium frame?
 

Hi,

I just began biking last August and I love it. I have 1991 trek 820 and love the bike. It's a nice firm ride and feels tight. The frame is a little small, so I'm looking for a new one that I can ride in the spring. Aside from that I have a Trek 950, which I paid $50 for that needs a little work to it. I've never really ridden it and I'm not sure if I want to invest the money in that or look for something different.

I've been shopping around craigslist to see if I could find a well priced trek 930, when I came across an older Rockhopper for $130. The sellers think the bike is about 10yrs old, however according to the frame style, it's definitely 1998 or older.

Does anyone have experience with these older Rockhoppers? How would you compare with something like a trek 930 or 950? In the event that this bike is a 98 (which I believe it just might be), those frames were nitanium. Has anyone heard of these? How does that metal compare to the older chromoly Rockhopper/ Trek frames?

Also, any comments on the components of the bike would be great:

Need to sell this custom built 26'' Specialized Rockhopper bike, including
- Specialized Rockhopper direct drive frame
- Sram Srt 600 Grip Shift set
- Shimano Cranks
- Shimano Deore XT/M65T brake
- Vetta C20
- Continental tire
- Profile BOA headset

The front wheel brake is not functional but should be easy to replace.

Thanks!!

Nitanium? Sounds like a portmanteau of "not titanium," which would be accurate. For all intents and purposes, it's a chromoly steel frame. And if we're talking about a '90s Rockhopper with a busted front wheel, I would not be paying anywhere near $130 for it.

+1, For that kind of money, a vintage Rockhopper should be perfect, ride ready. It shouldn't even need a new chain much less a malfunctioning brake. As for a Rockhopper, it's on the same level as the 900 series Treks you mentioned. Nice bikes, nothing special. Careful on these older MTBs. If the fork is a suspension, be sure it's functioning. Old mtbs with elastomer forks that are not functioning well are expensive to repair, that's why some owners are selling them.

Damn man, how nice to see that word used.


Nitanium? Sounds like a portmanteau of "not titanium,"

I keep looking for a frame made of unobtanium.

Yeah, that unobtanium is crazy hard to find!

The rockhopper needs a new front brake pad. The ppl have dropped the price to $120 and I think I can get it around $100, maybe even a little less. I'm not certain that the bike is nitanium but there is that possibility.

There aren't any scratches or rust on the bike and the seller says it rides perfectly aside from the front brake.

It does have front suspension, so I will double check to make sure it functions. Thanks for the tip on that.

I might take a ride by and check it out... but now I'm thinking that if the frames are on par with the trek 900 series, it might just be best to leave it alone. I'm certain that I'm going to get my 950 riding but would love to pick up a 930 along with it and get rid of the 820. I like the older bikes because you can get them cheap and the frames are strong. It suits my needs for now. If I keep riding and progress, then I'll eventually upgrade and drop the money on a better bike.

Thanks!

Nitanium is not a some special metal. It's a steel bike. If you Google Nitanium, it's Ritchey's name for an alloy steel with trace amounts of titanium and niobium. As I said before, I wouldn't be paying anywhere near the asking price for that bike, especially since it needs work. $100 is still way too close to the asking price. I'd leave it alone and save your money and time.

I decided to pass on the rockhopper and tune up the 950. Maybe I'll keep my eyes open for a cheaper 930 as a backup.

Thanks for the advice!