Project Rockhopper Comp

Is about to commence

Picked this up tonight ....






Thanks to Dirt Disciple for the heads up

Had a little spin on it and it rides lovely, very smooth and surprisingly light... seems tiny compared to my 650b, 20015 Scott of same frame size

Apart from the seat, pedels and front tyre the bike is completely original.

only fault ive found is very slight play in bottom bracket which can only be felt checking with hand movement not when riding !? new bottom bracket required ?

my original plan was to respray a project bike but the paint on this is too good. so after stripping the bike to component parts itll be thorough, wash, decontaminate, possible wet sand, chips and scabs attended to, paint cut, polished and sealed.... cant wait to get cracking

Re:

Awesome! You don't hang about lol.

I think it's a '96 rockhopper and it looks like it's in really nice condition. They are lovely bikes. Really lightweight. Look forward to seeing how the build comes along.

oh, btw, I think the bike may have come with different front and rear tyres originally. So they might both be original even if they don't match.

Re: Project Rocky ....

enc":1u1zhvpy said:

...cant wait to get cracking

Click to expand...

Then you should have bought a Manitou FS
Great looking bike! Old Specializeds ride great.

Re: Re:

ljamesb":9luwrb95 said:

Awesome! You don't hang about lol.

I think it's a '96 rockhopper and it looks like it's in really nice condition. They are lovely bikes. Really lightweight. Look forward to seeing how the build comes along.

oh, btw, I think the bike may have come with different front and rear tyres originally. So they might both be original even if they don't match.

Click to expand...

Nope, I don't hang about !!

Is it a 96 ? Seller said it's a 94. I googled both and images of this bike come up under both years !?

Had a look at tyres and both are specialized branded so you maybe right about them being original .. Both have really good tread but sidewalls look a bit tyred (see what I did there )
It's surprisingly light for a steel framed bike ( will get it on the scales to confirm weight)


Frame: Chromoly, double-butted, Specialized Direct Drive. TIG-welded

Fork: Chromoly, Specialized Direct Drive

Headset: AheadSet - Dia - Compe
Stem: AheadSet alloy
Handlebar: Alloy
Grips: Tomac
Barends: NA

Brakes: Shimano STX SE
Brake Pads: Kool Stop
Brake Cables: Shimano
Cantilever cable hangers: Shimano STX SE
Brake Levers: Shimano STX SE

Shifters:
Front Derailleur: Shimano STX SE
Rear Derailleur: Shimano STX SE
Derailleur Cables: Shimano
Cassette:
Chain:
Cranks: Shimano STX SE
Crank Bolts:
Chainrings: Shimano STX SE, 24/34/42 teeth
Chainring bolts:
Bottom Bracket:
Pedals:

Hub Skewers:
Rims: Specialized Z-23, 32-hole
Hubs: Shimano STX SE
Nipples:
Spokes: Stainless steel x 32
Tyres: Specialized Ground Control
Tubes:

Saddle:
Seatpost: Alloy micro-adjust
Seatpost Binder:

Weight: 25.5

Re: Project Rocky ....

Unlikely to be 1994 with an ahead setup. My money is on 96.

You should be able to get it down to around 23lbs with minimal parts changes. Modern bikes are sooooo heavy.

IIRC that STX chainset has a steel middle ring for starters...

Re: Project Rocky ....

hamster":34l1h669 said:

Unlikely to be 1994 with an ahead setup. My money is on 96.

You should be able to get it down to around 23lbs with minimal parts changes. Modern bikes are sooooo heavy.

IIRC that STX chainset has a steel middle ring for starters...

Click to expand...

Noted, cheers.

Gonna get it on a mild trail later for a proper shakedown to acess what requires sorting and to get get some detailed shots of the frame and components.

Just ordered full set of brake and gear cables. It's my understanding that the bottom bracket cartridge is sealed and cannot be serviced !?
New shimano carts are cheap enough so not sure if it's worth messing trying to service anyway ?

Re: Project Rocky ....

So it was down to the local woods to assess how it rides. Got to say, I am really impressed... its so smooth (that might have something to do with the amount of lube everywhere :roll: )

I found the brakes a bit flakey probably cause ive been riding with disc brakes for a while. My new cables have arrived so ill see how the brakes are with them fitted.

The guy i bought the bike from mentioned the rear mech selector doesn't always index first time and i experienced that ... again, i have new cables to go on though i suspect it may be a shifter issue... are shifters serviceable?

the narrow handle bars take a bit of getting used too but make steering direct, tight and fun on the loose

Frame geometry makes climbing easy but i may swap the straight bars to the risers that came with the bike just to give a bit more height at the front.

Apart from the brakes i absolutely love it

On to some pics from the ride ....

The Good ....

Re: Project Rocky ....

The Bad...

Re: Project Rocky ....

The Ugly ...

Re:

I must admit id never swapped out a sealed bottom bracket before.. with borrowed tools i had a crack at it ... it wasn't to be. It was sure stuck fast

so it was off to see my mate Daz who knows about this stuff

With it being so tight we obviously didn't want to bugger up the splined teeth so the removal tool was locked in place with aid of a lamp bracket :shock: and the crank arm retaining bolt.... all a bit Heath Robinson ....wish id have taken pics of this as for future reference.

Then it was out with the breaker bar.... a 1.5mtr scaffold pole for a bit of extra 'leverage' :shock: Bingo !!!

Couple of bikes from Daz's collection, the first is his daily rider ...