I think the U brake on the chain stay came in '87.

I think you are correct.
The serial number is G0735054, the 7 probably indicating the year of manufacture (1987).
Thanks for catching that. (And, ofgit, too.)

My current 1990 RH with Exage push-push shifting feels really smooth and accurate and hasn't given me any problems in the year that I've owned this bike. My original 1990 RH that I rode throughout college didn't give me any problems either. Maybe I've been lucky in my experience with Exage but it seems like a fine groupset to me. Compared to the Sram Force group that I'm using on my modern road bike and Ultegra 6700, Exage with rapid-fire shifters feel really smooth.

Here is an early 1985 Specialized Rockhopper I purchased new in May '85 from the LBS in Fort Collins, Colorado. I was a new grad student there and needed a commuter/campus/town bike that would, incidentally, get me into the foot hills around northern Colorado. Over the past nearly 30 years it has served me well in various activities including trail riding, gravel grinding, commuting, grocery shopping, pub crawling, baby carrying -and now, in its latest iteration - a town bike, repeat with grocery panniers and steel basket. And in serious need of "refurbishing".

Serial #5074327
G0385 (March 1985)

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Riding fun in the Boise foothills in its "mountain bike" persona.

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As dug out of the shed in 2009 (after being there for years) in its commuter persona.

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The components are all original except tires, grips, and cables. My intent was to keep all of the original components and the bike in stock, "vintage" condition. It was stripped to the frame, and the head, bottom, and hubs were disassembled, cleaned, and repacked. I was even able to keep the original bearings (except bottom bracket bearings) as they were in such good shape.

Some shots of the reassembled components.

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^ those Boise foothills have some fantastic trails. A few years ago I was coming to Boise for work every 6 weeks or so and would bring a mtb to ride there. Lots of fun.

The current "look" of my '85 Rockhopper. This is the "official" photo from the 'Bike Builder's Gallery' in Boise last May. This is before being refurbished, but is how it rides now. Usually, with grocery panniers on, and I love the basket! I think I'm turning Grant Petersen...


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I hear the Ellensburg area is good riding. BTW - I had an early 70's Gitane road bike that I road to near-death in the '70s until it was stolen.

Welcome. I like how you've got your Rockhopper stet up Looks like a Nitto front rack with a basket attached? I've been watching an '88 Rockhopper on CL. The price is going down slowly. Guy lives a ways away though.

How does it ride?

Thank you for the welcome. Yep, a Nitto rack (that attaches to the brake bosses) with a Weld wire basket zip-tied on. Totally functional. It rides like a dream, especially after the addition of the Big Apple tires, and "refurbishing". I just put Big Apples on a second bike, and am seriously considering them on a third! $40 suspension! I'm a fan boy.

Thanks ofgit! Peugeotlover had me doing frantic Google searches for an '85 U-brake. I don't remember them that early. I was also going to say 1987, as that was the year I worked in a bike shop and bought my first mtb. Everything that I can remember that year had chainstay mounted U-brakes...the Fishers, GT's , the Bridgestone I wanted to buy (though I see now that the MB-1 apparently had rear cantis.)

As for Suntour being crappy back then, I don't remember that. It was pretty well regarded stuff and worked very well.

Slightly off topic. What saddle came stock on a 1988 Rockhopper Comp? Was it an Avocet? Thanks.

Thanks for sharing! I'm going to check the serial number on my recently acquired RH tonight--I'll bet it's not far off this one.

Our bikes probably new each other in the factory... Amazingly close serial numbers!

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Tail of two saddles
 

'87 RockHopper came with a gel Vetta Italy saddle, very comfy.

'88 StumpJumper came with a Specialized saddle, imagine that, their own saddle.
It, too, is a fine saddle, you forget you are even sitting down after a while.


Rockbopper, good story.

I pulled my old Specialized bike out of storage to ride with my gf around the neighborhood until I can get her on the trails. Someone had broken into my storage unit and stole the front wheel off the bike along with another loose wheel and some auto tools. I found a very clean hub on ebay last week so i will have some wheels laced up soon.

I bought this bike new back in the mid '80s and I would have sworn it was a Rockhopper, but I took the vinyl stick-on decals off within the first few days of owning the bike. Now I am not sure if its really a Rockhopper or a Stumpjumper as someone suggested. I havent changed any components except for the stem if I remember correctly. The alloy bar is from Specialized and came with the bike. The alloy seatpost is a 'Japan Strong' piece.

The shop where I bought the bike is still in business so I will take it by there once I get it cleaned, polished, and lubed, and see if the owner recognizes the model.

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that might be an 85 stumpjumper sport
1985 Specialized Stumpjumper Sport- Mtbr.com

1985 was the year the RockHopper was rolled out, as one level below the StumpJumper Sport (and at $400 vs. $500).

The following year, 1986, the Sport model was dropped, and the RockHopper acquired nearly all of the higher-end features of the retired Stumpjumper Sport model.
Upgrades adopted from the Sport model included DB tubing, Wheelsmith spokes, full M700 XT (friction) componentry and the anodized model of Specialized touring crankset.
The welded-only (no bikini crown) fork and sloppy frame welding stayed onboard on the '86 RockHopper, but the componentry was almost entirely high-end.

Great photos of you in the desert, Rockbopper! Those were great bikes and are still.

1987 saw broad use of the new S.I.S, 6-speed XT gruppo, which was a very big deal in the upper-end range MTB market.

The under-chainstay brake was widely applied in '87, and these can be tricky to service (pivot spring adjustment in particular) but can work extremely well in clean conditions when the straddle cable is shortened. The cable path is very direct and with only the front length of cable housing to add any flex to the rear brake's heavy-duty (1.9mm) cabling.
Often these same vintage of bikes will also benefit hugely from a crown-mounted cable housing hanger as a way to all but eliminate front brake judder (due to steerer flex feedback into the tensed cable).

Thanks for the info, dddd! I did pay $400 for my bike and it was around '85.

I was gifted a Specialized Rockhopper Sport (garage sale find for $5). The pic in the snow on page 1 is the closest I've found on the internet. Mine is rideable, but has lots of stickers, dirt, grime, and rust on it, so it's going to be a fixer upper to some extent. The closest clue I have to my vintage is a stamp on the stem that says 22.2 Taiwan 90-1.

Wondering if this is a collectors item to be restored as vintage, or it's going to be used as a commuter/fun bike. It's got Suntour drive, with plastic brake handles that I'm not too fond of, but the shifting looks like fun.

Evaporust & Mothers Aluminum Polish are good clean-up products.
Any car polish will enhance paint.

Identification number on bottom of bottom bracket; first none-zero digit is usually the year built.

I sold this '88 Rockhopper last weekend. The bike was free and I spent $3 for some parts. I completely broke it down and rebuilt it.

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Any idea on what year this bike is? Rockhopper sport

Semi-Organic Rockhopper Super-Mule
 

Here's mine. I think it's a `91, but not 100% sure on that. Configured for grocery-getter duties, I love that sturdy steel frame. I've updated the drivetrain a bit.

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Brifters on this bike finally wore out, and I didn't want to put any more money into it so put it on Craigslist. Some guy driving 100 miles away to see it so I had to see, and sure enough there are a lot of fans of these bikes. I think this is from 1991, that is when my buddy and I graduated from high school and he gave me it when he moved across the country.

Thinking now I should have kept it.

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Can you let me know the frame size? Is it a 16.5" or 18"?