1988 Specialized Rockhopper

drcarlos":2k5umokz said:
Wasn't it the comp that got deore.

Carl.

Yep!

GroteFoto-RRFBXTOE.jpg
 
That's looking pretty good, under all that grot and grime there's a nice bike waiting to be ridden again. :)
 
Thanks for all the comment guys, and for making a newbie feel welcome.

Trebz: it was your rockhopper thread that came up while searching google images for them that led me to this site.

Stumpjumper1990: thanks for posting the 88 catalogue - nice to see what it would have originally looked like when new.

I wouldn't have had the foggiest whether it was Exage or Deore that it would have originally been fitted with - i presume you're talking about the gear change mechanism, i don't know what the correct term is for it.

I'm i little nervous about getting stuck into this as it's not something i've done before but i'm sure i'll be ok once i get going!
:roll:

The frame seems to be more covered in like an oily, greasy dirty residue rather than just dirt. I have some water based Jizer degreasent that i'm thinking of using on it, would this be ok? I don't really want to risk damaging paintwork or decals. The paint has got a fair few small rust spots here and there, but from what i can tell it should look a lot better with just a clean and a polish up - from what i've been reading on here "patina" is the term from the worn, weathered, well-used look??

I guess as it looks like it's been stood for so long, i'd be best to strip out and regrease things like the crank, headrace / steering bearings, wheel bearings and the like as well as oiling control cables.

I guess it would really benefit from a full re-spray but i don't want to go that far at the moment, just get it clean and rideable. Not sure exactly when i'm gonna start yet, and it'll probably be slow going, but I will post pics as i go along, and any advice would always be welcome.

Been having a good nose round the site over the past few days - and seen some lovely bikes (not that i have a clue what most of them are! not really having much knowledge at all on MTB's) and really clued up people who know their stuff!


:)
 
Good to hear my post brought you here and has served you well so far.

A little advice from me before I pop off to bed, make sure you do a little reading before starting the servicing process and make sure you have the right tools for the job otherwise you may ruin the original parts. Do not force anything whilst taking the bike apart, be patient and seek advice if you get stuck.

As for the initial cleaning, I use fairy liquid in warm water and a car cleaning mit for starters. When you get further into the job and start stripping it to component level you will need a few more suitable products for cleaning and polishing. Post here if you need ANY advice at all, you will find that there are a lot of very well qualified members lurking around waiting to throw good advice at a newcomer.

If you need advice on lubricants and grease's let us know.

Forget the re spray. Leave it as it is.

Over all make your goal one of riding and enjoying the bike, not keeping it in the shed and drooling over the quality of the restoration job.

Bikes are meant for riding remember ;-)
 
Thanks for the wise words, Trebz.

I'm also a keen motorcyclist, so have lots of oils and tubs of grease lying around to be able to use on this project - i service and work on my own motorcycles to a point, just a little nervous as never really worked much on push bikes.

I want to get it as nice as i can from the condition it's in now, spending as little as possible. Budget rideable resurection - thats the plan. :)

But i don't mind spending time and elbow grease on it!
 
Have a look here to see the Retrobike areas: http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=235001

Then go here and say 'Hello' to your new Retrobike neighbours: http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=45

Get the bike sorted and hook up with them for some local riding. I'm sure one of them will help out with some local hands on assistance if needed.

Don't go too far with the 'Restoration' work for now, get the bike usable and safe then get out there and ride it :) There will be plenty of time to pull parts off for servicing and polishing. :)
 
Thanks for the tips Trebz. My plan is to get it clean and functional for starters,
and do a few gentle rides to start with and ease myself into two wheels with "pedal power" (i'm not as young and as fit as i used to be by a long way!). Also picked the missus up a cheap mtb a while back so she's hoping to get out too.

Got a bike rack for the car, but need to get a few bits that it's missing so can travel with the bikes to places in the future as well. :)
 
Well, i made a start on it today. I knew that seatpost was stuck - so made trying to get it out the first job. About an hour of "gentle coaxing" first with a rubber mallet, a bit of frustration, some choice words then followed by a few gallons of WD40, a bit of wiggling and some heavy duty whacks with a proper
hammer it finally started to free off.....

It was pretty well seized in there, the top of the seatpost suffered some battle
scars, but nothing too bad - the grooves where you pivot the seat to adjust it were fairly worn but still hold the seat tight so it should be ok to use.

I'm glad i can now adjust the seat height - about 15-20mins into the job i started to think i'd never get it out!

The seatpost seems to be alloy but had quite a bit of rust on where it had fused itself to the steel inside the frame, so i cleaned it all off with a wire brush followed by some fine steel wool. Here's a few pics -

CIMG1495.jpg

CIMG1496.jpg

CIMG1498.jpg

CIMG1499.jpg

CIMG1500.jpg

CIMG1501.jpg
 
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