1995 Specialized Rockhopper - Retro MTB Restomod
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- čas přidán 29. 06. 2023
- Picked up this 1995 Specialized Rockhopper in a rough state at my local recycle centre, and transformed it into a rad vintage MTB commuter!
Frame: '95 Specialized Rockhopper
Wheelset: Unbranded disc compatible alloy 26"
Tyres: Maxxis DTX Tan Wall 26x2.15" - amzn.to/3PCjg76
Stem Adaptor - amzn.to/3ptn003
Saddle: Trek Bontrager
Crankset: FSA Dyna Drive
Chainring: 34T oval narrow-wide
Pedals: United Plastics
Grips: Silicone - Jak na to + styl
Good times, I had a 91-93 Rockhopper. I couldnt be happier I got such a cool bike back in the day.
That's awesome man! Such nice bikes
Nice work! I picked up one of these old Rockhoppers with front suspension for $10 at a garage sale. The bottom crank bearing was shot but was rusted in place. Even the local bike shop couldn't remove it. Seat post was also rusted into place so I stripped the bike and reused the parts on another project bike. Then sold off the balance of parts.
Nice mate! Shame the frame couldn't be recovered:(
so rad! looks like a fun ride
It's an amazing build
that turned out nice, the tan walls are perfect for it, thanks man, great stuff
Cheers! Really happy how it came up!
Nice video! I got a 95 Rockhopper Comp from my brother-in-law. He got the frame from a distributor and built it up with cool stuff from the shops parts bin. Too small so it’s a display piece with 90’s anodized components.
Oh man that sounds awesome!
A great video. Many thanks.
Appreciate the feedback!
Cool build. Love these 85-96 pre suspension mountain bikes. It’s somewhat like my mods to my 86 Rockhopper and a current one I’m working on for a 93 Scott Superslope. I guess CZcams algo knows I have a 86 RH because the only place I’ve mentioned it is in a CZcams comment so your vid popped up in recommendations.
Your crank and chainring choice is interesting and I’ve used the same tires DTH 2.15. 2.3 inch don’t fit my frame and the 2.15 is a bit tight so rear frame width must have gotten bigger in the 9 years. Going 1x from a 3 chainring is another similarity, or did 95 RH have 2x7/8/9?
Here’s a couple of parts for future reference that work with these bikes and their geometry:
Jones Loop HBar. That’s what I put on my 86 Rockhopper, tons of hand positions, a revelation. If you want a bit more rise they have a Riser version the Jones Loop 2.5.
Best budget rear derailleur Shimano M310. It has oversized Jockey wheels and is an underappreciated component cause it’s cheap. It works great with the cassettes on this era bike.
Great job bringing what looked like a bit of a mess back to life. I've just done the same thing with a Specializes Hard Rock turning it into a 1 x 8 and it looks nice. Put on some Billy Bunker tires which gave me a hard time fitting to the rims. Also need to work on the shifting as it's not going through all the gears.
Awesome mate! Sounds like a great project. Thanks for the compliment!
nice way to hammer in that stem handle bar combo
Gotta do what you gotta do. Stem adaptor was poorly manufactured. That was even after flaring the stem open to fit the adaptor
nice looking bike. i have it too. it's lightweight and fun to ride.
awesome dude! Love it :)
So cool!
Nice build, I still ride my 1992 MTB off-road, fully rigid aluminium framed bike shop build, with Mavic 231s with Maxxis Ardent/ Minion DHF, Rolls saddle, Pace/ Renthal RC130s, and with the 1st ever Deore LX 21 spd 1991 g/set but with the 1989 Deore II/ DX Thumbies, I want to convert to a 1 x at some point, with 8 spd then I can keep my thumb shifters as they do 8 spd too via a "secret" extra click, an 11-42 on back to replace the 12-32 and a 32 narrow/ wide to replace the 22/32/42 triple
Man, sounds like an awesome build!
I just do my old mtb almost the same. great video!
Cheers!
today i put the maxxi 26x2.3 .....looks amazing@@conroe_au
Nice...very cool
Cheers!
ahhh! nice score, nice build! one thing that ground my gears was when you hammered the stem onto the threadless adapter. could you not loosen the bolts and slide it down?
Haha I knew people wouldn't rate that 😂 unfortunately the stem adaptor was oversized and the stem wouldn't fit without "encouragement" ;)
@@conroe_au haha, Yeah that disturbed me slightly, but I've had the same issue, I sanded my adaptor down with an electric sander until it fitted better lol
Noticed you stuck with the square taper bb. I picked up an 89 hardrock in perfect working order a few years back and have built up the bike around the stock drivetrain just because I thought the 3x7 was endearing. Now I'm looking at replacing it before I ruin it with more technical riding and want to go to a hollowtech bb with new cranks for a 1x. Any advice on maintaining the chainline when switching out everything? Will any mtn crankset work as long as I use the spacers correctly or do I need to find a crankset with a specific offset?
More or less, yeah! I've built similar with hollowtechs before. I assume you'll have a 68mm bottom bracket shell so get the right bottom bracket and standard cranks, not the uncommon boost spacing ones etc and you should be right. I've often run a single ring on triple ring cranks so I have the adjustment of using the 2nd or 3rd ring position too
great build!! I also have that same bike. What is the size of your stem adaptor? Thanks😊
That's awesome! It's a 1" quill to 1-1/8" Threadless adaptor
Where did you get that angled connector for the front brake cable hangar? I need one of those!
Came from AliExpress if I remember correctly!
is that steel frame or m2 composite?
Steel :)
Please more of this kinds of builds but bit more modern bikes
Cheers! I will try
Nicely done. Install bar ends after grips maybe a bit easier?
Cheers mate! Actually with the ESI style silicone grips they recommend the bar ends first, I suppose cos they're only 22.2mm OD and helps create an air pocket under the grip to slide them on. They're moreso to save core-sampling your stomach than holding the grips on :)
@@conroe_au Ah well that makes sense. I usually seal off the other end of the bar with my thumb on my bmx bikes. Didn’t notice the diameter of the bar end.
Did you put 26's back on or do the fatty tires make it look 650bish? Recently got an old rockhopper and was wondering how well they would fit (clearance wise, not brake wise)
Just 26" on this one :) I did a 650b conversion on a GT, but did a disc conversion as well which made it easier to deal with the brakes. Love it!
@@conroe_au Pretty Sweet. Thanks for the info dude.
Both tires look wobbly as heck spinning 😂
Hahaha yes they are, and I was slightly embarrassed, but not enough to bother fixing it 😂
@@conroe_au great job none the less!
@@manfrommontreal Cheers!
For $35 I would of bought two lol
I want to update my old 93 Bianchi ocelot.
Sounds awesome! Keen to see it!
What's the dimension of stem (length)?
Good question. Probably 50-60mm
@@conroe_au many thanks, bye
Looks earlier than a 95 model, I'd guess 91/92 because of the Cantilever brakes
Oh really! Interesting. I'd googled a few years and found a handful of them in this spec and colourway listed as 1995 but you could be right!
@@conroe_au looks exactly like the one I got new in 1995 and still have. I need to restore it!
@@annullrich9884 that amazing! Keep me updated on restoring it!
Why did you swap the front brakes from the left lever to the right?
That's just how bikes in Australia are set up :)
@@conroe_auit's the same way round where the traffic drives on the left. Front brake is on the right. Where they drive on the right the front brake is on the left. I live in the uk and us and have all my bikes setup with front brake on the left (US & EU) so I don't inadvertently pull hard on the front brake and end up on my face in the road after going over the handlebars!
what size are those tires? I would like to mount them on my early 90's hardrock
They're a 2.15". Would have loved to put the 2.3" version on!
@@conroe_au thanks, I have to evaluate if 2.3 can interfere at the rear, I think they are ok at the front, eventually we can differentiate.
@@claudio_calcagno nice! All the best with the build!
what kind of BB used?
Good question! It would have been whatever I had on hand. I have a number of spares like that sitting around in boxes :)
Came out nice but I can’t believe someone would fit a front mudguard using self tapping screws.. that’s criminal.
Horrible hey 😭
Rust lovers unite, hahahahaha.
You can trust in rust!
just throw it in the trash