ryansu

I picked up what I believe to be an early 90s Specialized Rock Hopper, based on the color and decals and the Crank is a Deore LX FC-M560 that velo Base dates in the early 90s. It seems to have all Deore LX components, is a Rock Hopper Comp, and the Serial number on the BB is PY232553 as near as I can tell. @T-Mar excellent serial number guide for Specialized seems to only go to about 1989 (Via Giant and Miayata) and the Specialized website doesn't go back before 2008. Would like to see if I can narrow it down to more than "early 90s"

Not sure if this is a clue but the FD is bottom pull like a road bike not top pull and the shift cables run under the down tube not along the top tube like the rear brake cable.

Thanks



Serial #


Rock Hopper Comp

madpogue 

From the catalogs on retrobike, looks like the '91 was offered in turqouise (single color, no fade). It would not have had that stem; looks like someone tried to make a semi-cruiser out of it.

All the years from that era seemed to have downtube shift cables. Just from the bikes I've seen, top-tube shift cabling seems to be the minority. Or at best, it's an even split.

Vintage-Trek has specific Shimano date code decoding, down to the month of the year.

vp1337

1993
https://www.retrobike.co.uk/gallery2/...ec_Bikes93.pdf

madpogue 

'93 colors (rose/olive fade, green/emerald fade) don't appear to match. Ryan - is your bike a single turqouise color, or a fade? Hard to tell with the angle of the sun in pic 3. If it's one color, it's a turqouise '91. If it's a fade, it's a green/emerald '93.

T-Mar

The subject bicycle wears 2nd generation Deore LX which was 1993-1994. 1st generation LX, 1990-1992 used silver crankrams and and silver pivot castings on the rear derailleur, However, since it doesn't have the threadless stem/headset of the 1994 model, it should be a 1993 model. The component date codes should corroborate this. Also, the serial number could be reverse engineered to December 1992, making it a 1993 model.

ryansu

Yeah sorry about the poor picture quality it seems to be one color vs a fade to my eye

ryansu

Thanks @T-Mar! Just got it yesterday so I will dig in on the components to try and find a date code

ryansu

Thanks for the input everyone

aceves 

Hi ryansu,

Here are some pics of my brother's 1992 Specialized RockHopper Comp in exactly the same color scheme. I dated it to 1992 based on my research of similar models. It also has the Deore LX components and the threaded stem. Everything is exactly like yours, except for the RockShox forks. T-Mar dates yours to 1993, and I dated this one to 1992, so it's safe to say yours is either one or the other. T-Mar might be on point with the late 1992 serial number code, making it a 1993 model. Hope this helps.

aceves

katsup

Yours is a 1993 according to Specialized. Notice the color difference and crank arm color.

1992 Catalog


The 1992 alternate color


1993 Catalog

T-Mar

Aceves, any chance that you could get the serial number from your brother? That might increase my confidence in the serial number format, so that I could add it to my serial number guide. I'd also like yo know if the country of origin label states Japan or Taiwan. TIA.

aceves 

Hi katsup,

Good point on the crank arm color.

aceves

aceves 

Hi T-Mar,

I will definitely try to get that serial number and country of origin. Thanks.

aceves

droppedandlost 

Here's two that I dated using the catalogs linked above, both base level Rockhoppers

1992 GZ115415
1993 PZ231586

T-Mar

Thank-you very much for the serial numbers. However, now I'not sure if there were different contractors for the 1992 and 1993 model years, or if the format is more complicated than I originally thought. Are there any country of origin labels?

due ruote 

I also have one of these - same color as OP’s bike.
SN # PR313590
It has a small black/white sticker that says Taiwan, just below the tubing sticker (same location as on OP’s frame, although his doesn’t seem to have the Taiwan sticker).

T-Mar

Thank-you fellow SBI enthusiasts. The initial analysis, based on a very restricted sample size, suggests that the format may be:

?fyxxxxx, where

f is an alpha character designating the fortnight (i.e. A = weeks 1-2, B = weeks 3-4,... Z = weeks 51-52)

y is a numeral indicating the year (i.e. 1= 1991, 2 = 1993 etc.)

xxxxx is the sequential frame number built within the fortnight.

? is unknown at his time. Given the G & P characters, they could represent different manufacturers or an unknown stratifier for a common manufacturer.



ryansu's frame would be be from weeks 49-50 of 1992, making it late enough to be a 1993, which is consistent with the 2nd generation Deore LX.

droppedandlost's 1st frame would be from week's 51-52 of 1991, making it a 1992 model, as he claims based on catalogue matching.

droppedandlost's 2nd frame would be from week's 51-52 of 1992, making it a 1993 model, as he claims based on catalogue matching.

dueroute's frame would be from weeks 35-36 of 1993, which is in the grey area where it could be either a 1993 or 1994 model, though it colour matches 1993.

The 1993 colour differences from the catlogue may be due to the fact that it's German market catalogue.

I'm anxiously awaiting aceve's serial number and the OP's component date code info.

madpogue 

I have an olive/rose fade Comp, I believe from 1993 (per the German catalogs in retrobike), similar to the last pic in post # 10. I'll try to remember to get the serial number when I get home tonight.

droppedandlost 

Sorry, no. Neither bike has one.

madpogue 

Serial number of my olive/rose Comp begins with PY2, like Ryan's. Black 175mm cranks. I have to find my magnifier in order to discern the component date codes. No country of origin stickers. I had the fork out last summer for a headset repack, but don't recall whether the steerer tube bore any CofO info.

Ryan, looking again at the photo in your first post, that does look more like a fade, not just a trick of the light.

due ruote 

The one I have (same color) is definitely not a fade.

madpogue 

What year is yours?

due ruote 

According to T-mar (see below) it’s a 1993.

ryansu

I looked and I don't see one

ryansu

One solid color or a Very subtle fade there is a black slap guard on the drive side chain stay that might make the paint appear darker. Kind of a tough color to capture in a photo but I like it