oldsrocket1965

Would a 90s era mountain bike with cassette be able accept modern cassettes and crank components? Do they change sizing on bike components so that they become obsolete? Is it difficult to find parts to keep them going?

dr1445

some were built with 7 speed freewheels, some were built with 7 speed cassette only freehubs and some were built with 8,9,10 speed cassette capable freehubs. plus you can run a 7 speed cassette on a 8,9,10 unit with a spacer. modern cassettes, and freewheels will fit. google sheldon brown cassette for more details. the front crank should handle 7,8,9 speed cassettes

nfmisso

Parts are available. Niagara and others stock 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 speed cassettes.

My 1993 PDG 70 has the original crankset and BB with a new KMC x8.93 chain and 12-28 8 speed cassette (new wheels).

Our 1994 Trek T50 has the original crankset and BB; new middle chain ring after it the original was damaged, new wheels, new RD, 11-34 9 speed cassette, original FD.

dedhed

90's vintage most likely many newer things will fit if you know what to get.

Jeff Wills

Maybe. No. No.

Darth Lefty 

You can definitely still get everything you need for a 21-speed mountain bike, if you want to keep it the same and keep it going. If you try modernizing it, you will run into limitations.

oldsrocket1965

Did 90s specialized 21 speed mountain bikes come with freewheel or cassette freehub? Or does it depend on model? Hardrock, Rock hopper, Stumpjumper, etc.

reshp1

Rear axle frame spacing, rear freehub cassette vs freewheel, shifter vs derailleur compatibility might all be issues. Might not be. Might be best if you tell us exactly what you have.

oldsrocket1965

Don't have anything yet. I'm looking for a 90s mountain bike with rigid forks that has a freehub with 24 speed or 21 speed. Avoiding freewheel based on research. Basically looking for something with a modernish drivetrain that can be maintained or upgraded. The late 90s Rockhoppers seem like they may be what I'm looking for. But I don't know what other bikes are comparable. Looking for something that can be enjoyed without doing much but also upgraded in the future.

exmechanic89

There are lots of great 90's mtbs, you have a lot of choices. And parts arent a problem most of the time, I know - all my bikes are 80's and 90's mtbs and I ride a lot. Also if you find a bike in decent shape there shouldnt be too much too replace over time unless you're really bashing the bike around on technical trails. For light trail and street riding you wont have a lot of problems.

As far as 'modern' components, remember that while there have been some improvements, many of these are simply changes. 21 speeds is probably more than you'll ever use depending on the terrain you're gonna ride, so changing components just to add speeds is often a waste of time, imo. And while disc brakes work very well, so do rim brakes.

90's Rock Hoppers are nice alright, as are Diamond Back Apex mtbs. Also Trek made a lot of great bikes during that period - the 930, 950, 970, and 990 are all great bikes. Even some of their lower # models would probably work well, too. Really lots of great models and brands during that time period..

bikemig 

+ 1. By and large, parts will not be an issue with these bikes. Also not a big deal to spread the rear triangle from 130 mm to 135 mm if you want to run a more modern drive train.

Tim_Iowa

As long as the frame is steel, yes, it's easy to spread. Don't spread a 130 mm aluminum frame.

Look for bikes with 8-speed rear cogs; they will be 135 mm wide and you can put an 8, 9, or 10 speed cassette on that hub. But, like others have said, you can still buy new 7-speed cassettes. I just rehabbed an '89 GT Avalanche (21-speed) for my kids.

Avoid bikes with weird headset sizes:
1" threaded is still widely available, as is 1 1/8" threadless.
But 1" threadless and 1 1/4" threadless (Gary Fisher, commonly) are really hard to find parts for.

And you already know to avoid old suspension forks. They're heavy and work poorly compared to new, and almost always need a rebuild.

If you look for older bikes (late 80s - early 90s), you'll find higher-end bikes (Stumpjumper, Paramount, etc) with rigid forks. The later you get into the 90s, the high-end bikes all came with shock forks, leaving you to look at the lower-end bikes (Rockhopper, Schwinn, etc). You can always find a modern rigid fork (Surly has plenty) but that adds to the cost.

Because of the front suspension trend, '88-'92 are my fave years for vintage MTBs.

Bill Kapaun

Depends on if early 90's or not.
Some early 90's models were equipped with Suntour drivetrain parts which are a bit problematic to obtain.
IF Shimano, no problem to upgrade or maintain.
Some early Shimano were Uniglide cassettes, which will be problematic to some extent. The earlier, the more problematic.
Later ones can have a newer style Hyper Glide free hub installed. A Uni Glide will have the smallest cog threaded on.

Shimano Cassettes & Freehubs

nfmisso

Mine extends to '93 - the last year for lugged frames on Trek 9xx series and 750 models. '94s had TIG welded frames.

fietsbob

Anything with horizontal dropouts, 135 wide is ready to retrofit with a Rohloff hub

vertical dropouts add the chain tensioner to the kit.

whole MTB drive train range is in the Hub only need a single ring crankset and brakes.

Tim_Iowa

Yep, I always keep an eye out for those lugged Trek 9-series bikes. They're just about the last, quality, mass-produced lugged MTBs. They make great bikes for commuting, touring, or just riding around.

I bought a 950 for my little sister a couple years ago.

LesterOfPuppets

Replacement parts are still pretty easy to come by. Some upgrades may be tougher. If you want a new high end fork, for instance, I think we're down to one or two NICE straight steerer 1-1/8" 26" xc forks. Gonna have to go used pretty soon.

bikemig 

I like suntour but it's a mixed bag. You're dealing with the second hand market for suntour cassettes; if the bike came with a freewheel, then you have more choices if you don't mind friction shifting.

bobbyl1966

My trek 830 antelope is had 7 speeds freewheel with index shifters. I put wheel with 8 speeds cassete and 9 speeds shifters i try find wheel fit 9 speeds.

LesterOfPuppets

I don't think there are many 8-speed freehub bodies that won't do just fine with a 9-speed cassette on 'em.

bobbyl1966

i need try one 9 speeds cassete and see if is working. My mountain bike i ahve put road bike crank 52/42 and 7 speeds cassete 13-26 but now i think i try crank 46/36/26