I lucked out once. $75 at a local pawn shop. All original, including the chain lube. Look familiar? (Wait, I lied; I lucked out twice, finding a pair of Axiom panniers in nearly new condition on CL for the ludicrous price of $20.)

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...3e2552f317.jpg
A Princess in the Marsh. No frogs.

Yeah, but I think this might be better than the Rockhopper for less than half the cost.....The stem is sort of sloppy, but comfortable. This is one of my best bike finds. Amazingly not yet two years ago. Seat is a Selle just not pictured. I paid around $26, and just added the seat. Specialized tires were perfect. Might go with the same tire for the rear since two years of riding has wore it down a bit. I would have preferred this bike in the purple version although it would have half the value it has being classic celeste.
Still like those purple Rockhoppers.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d8bc2d9b68.jpg

Who can argue with lugs?

Here’s my ‘88 Rockhopper comp. This belonged to my grandpa and was gifted to
me when I was in college. I think what I appreciate most about it is the canvas that is. Originally I added the very skinny SR ‘randnner’ bars and used it commuting. Most recently, I had Crust towel rack bars with gran compe levers, suntour bar ends, RTP tires, and front and rear racks. That was a fun touring bike but redundant with my Wilde Dream
Engine.

And now it’s this. Maybe not everybody’s cup of tea, but I love the look (beauty is in the eye of the beholder, after all!) and a few short rides have convinced me it is a lot of fun.

This is my first time using Paul brake levers and a front Neo-Retro. The levers agree with my hands, as do the the suntour power shifters, my favorite. Probably a story for a bother thread, but I bought a 1984 Fuji Boulevard for $25 because it had these shifters. And then I realized, that is also a pretty cool bike. Really a wary hybrid, a la the Trek 850 of the day, but will eventually turn into a single speed cruiser.

It’s all fairly anachronistic, but a lot of personal favorites. The cyclone derailleurs, AT crank, and power shifters work beautifully with the new Nissen cables and housing. The green housing might not be for everybody, but I like it. I lucked out and found these XTR 950 hubs laced to Mavic 717 rims last fall. The Simworks Super Yummy tires are really fun for the trails around my house. I was going to buy a silver Daija seat post from Velo Orange, but then I realized the brown brooks and black post match the black and “peanut butter” sidewalls of the tires nicely. The Simworks Bubble tires work well and the VO drillium chainrings are a little over the top. I’ll replace the Nitto T cage with an R sometime, as the T cage is not a great fit for the Bivo bottles.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2597ac659.jpeg
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Here's where I'm at currently with this rockhopper. Found a shorter stem with more rise, put on some wide swept bars I had lying around. Get's me to a super comfy posture. Put on some Billy Bonkers 2.1's. What a difference in the ride! These tires are oh so grippy, smooth and fast. Oddly, they make the bike feel much less twitchy and more relaxed. I had not expected that. I got some Shimano thumb shifters on the way. Don't care for the grip shift.

The parts I took off are near mint. I was thinking I could sell them to recoup some money that I am sinking into it. It occurred to me that maybe I should keep the parts stashed for down the road, just in case I wanted to restore it to original. The only reason I can see for doing that really is if I was selling it and the originality somehow significantly effected it's value.https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e25374e805.jpg

To quote Bill the Cat, 'THBBFT!' Don't hoard parts because you might need them "someday"; if you like the bike where it is, then keep it there and sell the parts to someone who will make use of them now.

Gorgeous build, BTW. What bar is that?

Thanks. The bars are the Sunlite Elson Roadster.

Nice; mine is a Velo-Orange Tourist Bar.

I finally noticed; did you convert it to threadless or did it come that way?

It was made that way. That is part of why I wanted it. I tried some of those conversion on other bikes and was never really thrilled about the outcome. Mostly a visual thing.

I have been riding the Mongoose more just because of 700C VS 26 Inch (I love the color of the mongoose). Still the Bianchi was a great find for $28.

There has been a decent paint frame with somewhat rusty forks Univega Rover Sport sitting in the thrift for three days. Green and black. Even if it was perfect it would be but ugly.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7a3154612.jpeg
Short rockhopping with the dog tonight

I need to put those on my Mongoose....

Cute dog. And that green is killing me.

Love how you matched the dog to the bike. Well done! :D

I promise not all my bikes match Max!

Here’s the view from the cockpit on our way to the trails. I lucked out finding these Nitto wavie bars local and used. I like them. I’m having so much fun with this bike’s newest iteration.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b9ef3cb3e.jpeg

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1cf1112336.png
Made some small changes to the fit that made a big difference in comfort. I liked the bike but didn't enjoy riding it. Angled bar grips down, stem lowered 1/2" and saddle forward. Now some weight is on my hands, about like riding on the hoods of my road bike.
Surly open bar with stock stem. Limited choices for quill stems because of the less common 1 1/8" size.
Sunlite front rack with wald 137
Microshift Advent RD 9spd 11-42, original FD with Shimano 22/30/40 crank
Budget tires 1.85" Michelin, considering getting nicer 2.0-2.15"
Likely will lose the rear rack, may add a small seat bag.

All original 85' with 24" wheels.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...95c70658e3.jpg

Anyone want to take a stab at dating this poor RockHopper? Assuming the stem and seat post aren't stuck, $25 seems a decent price. It's at least two sizes too big for me, but I have a soft spot for good old bikes, even if they're projects. Of course, now it's been rained on.


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...6d87465791.jpg
"Save me!" it cried.

Probably 1991/1992, it has tange tubing, you will have to treat the rust with rustol in the seat tube, head tube and bottom bracket. Probably a repaint if you want to restomod it

Thanks. Actually, I think it needs more soap and water and Goo Gone than paint. The crucial things are the stem and seat post. Maybe I'll go check it out tomorrow.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...3ced82bc1.jpeg
My Rockhopper had been on the shelf for a little bit while I tried to figure out its mysterious ticking noise. I tried everything except for the bb because I had somebody else install it. Until today! I removed and then reinstalled the bb. Only one ride with Max, but so far, no creak!

Awesome bike! I’ve always liked it that original color.

We'd all love to see a pic of the whole bike; I like the color.

I've heard of people driving themselves crazy trying to find what was ticking, only to eventually figure out it was the ends of their shoelaces hitting the cranks.

Here is the whole bike. I changed the pedals to MKS lambda and the crankset to a VO. Those were efforts to find the tick! In that process, I realized the suntour cyclone front derailleur had a crack, so it got replaced with a Dura Ace I had laying around. More bling. I’ll probably keep the VO crankset but put the bubbly pedals back on. Less words, here’s the bike.


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...aed367d64.jpeg
Knock on wood, but still no tick has returned since the bottom bracket reinstall.

Found this Rockhopper Comp 92'? Has 7speed LX group.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e54610c980.jpg
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