SamSpade1941 

So at lunch I am on offer up when I run across an 85 Stump Jumper complete with Deore Deerhead goodness for the grand total of $15 . So I told the poster I would take it and picked it up after work.

I know vintage MTB's do not typically command the value of vintage road bikes, but I think I did OK here .

Here it is I thought I would share what I thought was an awesome find for a real good price.

9volt 

You did more than ok

Sir_Name 

Yeah, that’s a great score, enjoy! What are the plans?

ryansu

I found an 86 Miyata trail runner for $40 last year I thought I done well - you have exceeded that, well done!!

SamSpade1941 

Im really tempted to do a drop bar conversion and install a modern drive train... Problem is this bike is probably more valuable left in original trim and restored.

SamSpade1941 

Thank you and FWIW I had actually been looking for a Miyata Trail Runner or Univega Alpina before I found this.

coolkat

The tides are turning--around here that's worth more than most vintage road bikes. And for good reason! Beautiful bike!

jetboy 

i am all about the old mtb now- only bikes I look at nice score!

SamSpade1941 

OK I was giving the Stumpjumper a once over getting an idea of what all needs attention during the overhaul. The wheels are horribly out of true , and it appears this bike was used to jump one too many stumps. The upside is that the rim braking surfaces appear to be in great shape so im not sure the bike was rode all that much. Most of whats on the bike is more dirt, dust and grime as opposed to rust so it will clean up well.

Still torn on upgrading it to a more modern drive train and doing drop bars basically going all Rivendell on the bike or putting it back original. I think a lot of that will end up being determined by the shape of the hubs though.

jetboy 

does it have a tubing sticker? just wondered what the sport got as it evolved. I have the 83 supumjumper sport which is straight chromo- I love it but it does weigh like 35lbs or something ridiculous.

SamSpade1941 

According to the Specialized catalog for that year its Tange double butted tubing through out.

wrk101

Not so sure. Its the Sport model, rather than the "real" Stumpy. Still has value, but not nearly as much. Parts have value regardless, so if you update it, you should do quite well moving those parts to others.

Hudson308 

These tall ones hold their value well, as they're not very common. My advice is to clean it, lube it, tune & true it, slip on some 80psi Kenda Kiniptions and ride it. Seriously.

Those are my plans for this '85.
P1013139.jpg

The Golden Boy 

Drive side pix.

Drive Side Pix.

DRIVE SIDE PIX.

You're not a n00b. Do it right.


It looks like that bike has most of an M700 XT group on it. I LOVE the brake levers. They're the most reassuringly solid levers I've ever used.

One of the nifty things about this bike- is the lugged unicrown fork. Keep in mind, when the unicrown was new- there were people that thought that it wouldn't be strong enough for the stresses- so they devised a lug and brazed the fork arms into that. IMO- it looks super cool- if you know what you're looking for- otherwise it just looks like a unicrown fork.

1987 Schwinn High Sierra by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr

High Sierra Fillet Brazed by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr



Of course, this made it also really cool that the old Stumpjumpers had the old bi-plane fork crown as well- so the old Stumpys always had really cool, unique fork crowns.


If you've got the Suntour XC RD- IMO- it's better than the M700 Deerhead.

SamSpade1941 

Yes its almost all deerhead except for the cranksett ( Specialized ST-2) and hubs (Specialized ) according the catalog specs.

I see if i can take a pic later but its raining right now...

I am still giving thought to modernizing the drive train with 9 speed equipment , depending on if i want to keep or sell it. If i sell it it will end up going back 100% original .

The Golden Boy 

Remember DRIVE SIDE in the future!

It gives more of an idea of what's actually on the bike, what's been replaced and more stuff to "ooh" and "ahhh" over.

I go back and forth about my Stumpjumper (I've got an 84 Sport). It's an outrageously cool bike- I don't ride 'off road' much at all- paved and unpaved trails only- but my hands are giving me problems before 10 miles. Mine used to be my commuter- and I love all the trademark things about it- the biplane fork, the bullmoose bars, those effing awesome brake levers... What's neat to me is that I know mine had a Mountech RD on it stock. The rear derailleur and rear wheel have been replaced with stuff from around 1993. My guess is the Mountech took a ****, took out the rear wheel and that's when they were both replaced. It's one of those things that tell the story of the bike before you got it- and it goes with the reputations of the bike and the equipment on there.

2cam16

Nice score! I'm mostly a purist specially with older mtb's so keep it stock, IMO.

jetboy 

I also had the hand problem- I switched to extra thick silicone grips- and this has helped a lot. i'd probably still feel it if I rode 20 or 30 miles, but now a 10 mile ride on my 83 is just fine. part of it is probably just getting used to it as well. oh, i also sometimes ride "no hands" to take a break. its such a slack beast its not a problem unless climbing. avocet touring seat is not hard on the rear either-

endoftheisland

Wow, great score. I'm a buyer if you want to let it go!

tonyfourdogs

What a find! Nice one mate - it's on my list of bikes to look out for since I cought the vintage mtb bug with my 91 Marin.

As far as upgrading it goes, first and foremost it's there to be ridden. But maybe the caveat is don't do anything you can't easily undo (cold setting the frame for example might be a step too far) but installing drop bars is a no-brainer if that's how you prefer to ride.

It's in pretty good cosmetic condition for the age. I always seem to spend as long treating rust as I do anything else on my vintage bike refurbs.