It's spring...yeah I have an old...1994 Rockhopper that I am hoping to convert into my commuter bike. I am thinking of putting on some skinny tires, fenders, new seat, a light, and a computer. I am a little confused on wheel options and other components. Any ideas or thoughts? Thanks

Old rockhopper should work just fine. Not the fastest beast in the fleet, but will take a beating which I would prefer in a commuter (given you are not going 20 miles one way everyday). The upgrades you have suggested seem fine. Heck, the computer is even a luxury to many. You will want to consider some sort of pannier, rack trunk, backpack, messenger bag option for carrying stuff though.

Holy cow, that's my wet weather commuter rig almost exactly: 1993 or 1994 rockhopper, narrow tires, fenders, lights. No computer, this is not a fast bike, so I'd rather not know, you know?. This bike is all original components, everything is on the verge of wearing out. Chain worn, cogs worn, bottom bracket creaks. Ok, I did have to get new brake pads after the city sanded the roads.

Anyway, good luck!

There are no less than 5 older Rockhoppers parked in the two bike rooms here at my work during the week (I think 7 at peak times), and all of them are set up as dedicated commuters.

Ditto. Mine's a '94 Rockhopper that I used to use as an MTB.
Anyway, as for the question: highly recommend Continental Town and Country tires. They roll like slicks in the center, but the inverted tread works well on loose and bumpy stuff as well. Not exactly skinny, but not huge like 2.1" treaded tires.
Wheels get the cheapest you can. They're just going to wear out anyway from sanded/salted roads.

Ari

Cool! Thanks for the info. Now that i know i am not too crazy i will start the conversion. I thought it would at least be worth a try to resurrect the old bike and see how i like it before i spent a bunch of $$$ on a new bike.
-T

I picked up a late 80s or early 90s Rock Hopper at a garage sale and I use it mostly to pull my kids' trailer Then I added a rack and grocery bag panniers and it makes a great commuter/errand-runner/utility bike. I like the open panniers because it's easy to throw in a shoulder bag or backpack. It's not my main commuter but the one I take when I have to carry a lot of stuff.

Here is my 87 or 88 rockhopper set up as a fixed gear commuter. Great bike, I'd ride it across the US tomorrow, given the opportunity.



More pix here:
https://www.rykoala.org/brooks-trekker/

I think skinny tires are over-rated, I am loving my Big Apples. (I was just briefly pondering my happiness w/ those tires riding in this am actually)

I think this is a good point. Mine have Kenda Breakers, which are very similar. I'm always pleased with the cushy ride.

Mine's not a rockhopper, but an early 90's Rincon which is pretty close. Here is my old school MTB turned commuter darling:

What model Rincon is that? I'm very familiar with Specialized and Rockhoppers, but not so much with Rincon. I'm always on the lookout for a good, solid, suspensionless mountain bike to turn into a commuter or tourer.