Me: I have been a bicycle commuter since 2001. I started with a late 80s Specialized Hardrock that I bought from a co-worker’s really tall husband for $110. I was riding during the tail end of bike messenger days, which was long before my city painted bicycle lanes that caused bicycle enthusiasm to skyrocket (in America anyway). Consistent bicycling as an adult was new to me. The first mechanic that told me my chain had stretched must have been quite surprised by my disbelief. What, a steel chain? Stop talking nonsense.
I cracked the Hardrock’s frame and bought a Raleigh Pointe, which I liked. I cracked that frame, and bought a Gary Fisher Marlin (probably from the 90s) – I missed the “thumbies”. I cracked that frame. I don’t ride hard, I don’t know why the frames cracked. They always crack on the back drivetrain side (but you probably already know that). I stumbled into “chat groups” and learned that there was some justification to my preference for vintage mountain bikes…I was not alone. Previous to that, I thought people that said they liked a “bike’s geometry” were lost souls making something out of nothing.
I tracked down a 1987 Specialized Stumpjumper for $250 on Craigslist and was disappointed when the seller did not negotiate on price. It had Joe Murray Propulsion and Equilibrium tires and I thought I could sell them and make back some of the $250. I posted about the tires on this site OCT-2014, and broke protocol - so I asked the admin to delete the post. But it is still there.
It was my 2012 move from a tiny place downtown to a house on the border of the city with a garage and basement, that gave me an opportunity to start my first “project bicycle”. I saw a 1988 Rockhopper on Craigslist in MAY-2016 and set out to have it demote my 87 Stumpjumper to #2.
My Bicycle: 1988 Di Nucci Green Rockhopper
My first entry into bicycle commuting was a Specialized Hardrock that I bought from a very tall person. So, I got accustomed to big frames, even though I am not tall. A big frame makes me ride a bit higher and I feel like it is safer because it is easier to see me in traffic.
FRAME: 23 inches (I can’t tell you what Di Nucci Green means…but I guess I know what it looks like)
STEM/HANDLEBAR: I replaced them with (good) stuff that I bought off of Craigslist and a local “co-op” (non-profit with a community mission germane to bicycles). I wanted to sit more up-right.
SADDLE: I ride in comfort on a Brooks B190 Apple Green with copper rivets that I bought in JAN-2017, and yeah…I lock the saddle to the frame. There was an upcharge for the hand hammered copper rivets, but I selected them because I like them on my Stumpjumper’s Brook’s saddle. There was also an upcharge for the color, and Brooks gave me the leftover leather. I recently sent it (with a template) to a horse saddle fabricator, and she exquisitely cut it into a mudflap.
RIMS: Velocity Cliffhangers
TIRES: I once read somewhere that the Schwalbe Marathon Almotion 26 x 2.15 (tubeless) had the lowest rolling resistance of any “wide” tire, so I bought them. The specs are 2.15 inches (5.46 cm) but on my bike the tires inflate to 6.1 cm (2.40 inches) at their widest point.
RACK: I like the Tubus Logo Evo rack, because it positions the pannier backs to avoid being hit by my heels. And I like that it is stainless steel - if it can’t be green, it may as well be stainless steel.
PANNIERS: The “Ortlieb Sport-Packer Plus (Lime/Moss)” are the perfect size for a commuter. I see riders with ONLY ONE of the larger size panniers, and I remember all the wheels that I took out-of-true by transporting lopsided beer/ice to softball games. That’s a rookie mistake, and now I balance the load.
FRONT DERAILLEUR: I changed out the low quality replacement front derailleur that was on the bike when I bought it, with a NOS “SunTour XC 9000” because I was happy with that model on my 87 Stumpy.
THUMBIES: I picked up some “NOS Suntour Index/Friction Thumb Shifters” (I ride with friction), maybe they are XC 9000 - I don’t know, but they match my 87 Stumpy. I found the high quality original Deore Thumb Shifters strained my thumb’s metacarpal (I had to look that up) and they impacted my grip on a softball bat (even though the difference was minimal).
CASSETTE/CHAIN: I ride with a “Shimano CN-HG71 6/7/8-Speed Chain” and “Shimano CS-HG41 Cassette - 7 Speed, 11-28t” – but I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW if there is a better 7-speed configuration!
CRANK: I recently switched out the “Shimano Deore Biopace 28/38/48” with a “SR Sakae SX 170mm 52/42/32 Oval-Tech”. And this is where things start to get a bit weird.
CHAIN RINGS: Over the years I have gravitated towards Biopace, though I am not sure that my Specialized Hardrock was Biopace equipped (back then I didn’t care). Sheldon Brown has good things to say about Biopace. I liked my 28/38/48, but I found the 28 to be too small (I barely used it, since I stay on the tarmac). I bought a SR Sakae 28 Oval-Tech, and realized it was just about identical to the Biopace 28, except that it was oriented differently when installed on the crank. Then I found a NOS 32 SR Sakae Oval-Tech (74mm bcd). I knew there was a Biopace 52, and 42 that were 130mm bolt circle diameter. I could not find a Shimano crank with a 130mm bcd AND a 74mm bcd. But I found a nice one from SR Sakae and I had my mechanic install the Biopace per Shimano’s intended orientation, and adjust the 32 Oval-Tech to match Shimano’s orientation. I bought Shimano Biopace literature on Ebay and I tested my 28 Biopace to finally understand what Biopace is. I do NOT think my drivetrain is all that different than round chain rings, but what the heck - you only live once. I put on the chainguard because…as you guessed…I was happy with the (Biopace) chainguard on my 87 Stumpy.
STEER STOPPER: I like this (the thing on my stem that drops into the cradle below to stabilize the front wheel) because it makes it easy to put my bike into my wife’s Honda CRV when we travel separately and meet up somewhere. There are even limited situations where it is easier to park with the front tire having been stabilized. Check it out at steerstopper.com, it is high quality.
FENDERS: My workday starts at 6:00AM, and it is dark and dangerous to ride that early (cars barely adhere to traffic laws). So, I take my bike onto a commuter train in the morning; I still get to ride 12+ miles home in the afternoon – consistently riding both ways would be challenging at my age. I wanted a custom size shorter back fender so I could “stand my bike up on the back tire” when sharing an elevator in the train station, or jam it to the back of the train to make room. I got stainless steel fenders, custom sized from Gilles Berthoud. Vincent, the gentleman that sold me the fenders, rode in “Concours de machines (Technical trial): 30 juin/1/2 juillet 2017, Ambert” – I don’t know what that is, but I am guessing that it is pretty cool.
OTHER STUFF: I like the bottle cage (cool design - does not rattle) and water bottle because they are stainless steel. I ride with a lot of lights (even on my fork) because I ride on the street. But I am blessed that a big part of my ride is through a park that, post COVID, is now closed to vehicle traffic. To keep prepared, one forward facing light is rechargeable, and one (not pictured on its mount) takes disposable batteries. I ride with a GoPro mounted to my helmet, because it has a positive impact on my interactions with cars.
THANKS for reading!
I cracked the Hardrock’s frame and bought a Raleigh Pointe, which I liked. I cracked that frame, and bought a Gary Fisher Marlin (probably from the 90s) – I missed the “thumbies”. I cracked that frame. I don’t ride hard, I don’t know why the frames cracked. They always crack on the back drivetrain side (but you probably already know that). I stumbled into “chat groups” and learned that there was some justification to my preference for vintage mountain bikes…I was not alone. Previous to that, I thought people that said they liked a “bike’s geometry” were lost souls making something out of nothing.
I tracked down a 1987 Specialized Stumpjumper for $250 on Craigslist and was disappointed when the seller did not negotiate on price. It had Joe Murray Propulsion and Equilibrium tires and I thought I could sell them and make back some of the $250. I posted about the tires on this site OCT-2014, and broke protocol - so I asked the admin to delete the post. But it is still there.
It was my 2012 move from a tiny place downtown to a house on the border of the city with a garage and basement, that gave me an opportunity to start my first “project bicycle”. I saw a 1988 Rockhopper on Craigslist in MAY-2016 and set out to have it demote my 87 Stumpjumper to #2.
My Bicycle: 1988 Di Nucci Green Rockhopper
My first entry into bicycle commuting was a Specialized Hardrock that I bought from a very tall person. So, I got accustomed to big frames, even though I am not tall. A big frame makes me ride a bit higher and I feel like it is safer because it is easier to see me in traffic.
FRAME: 23 inches (I can’t tell you what Di Nucci Green means…but I guess I know what it looks like)
STEM/HANDLEBAR: I replaced them with (good) stuff that I bought off of Craigslist and a local “co-op” (non-profit with a community mission germane to bicycles). I wanted to sit more up-right.
SADDLE: I ride in comfort on a Brooks B190 Apple Green with copper rivets that I bought in JAN-2017, and yeah…I lock the saddle to the frame. There was an upcharge for the hand hammered copper rivets, but I selected them because I like them on my Stumpjumper’s Brook’s saddle. There was also an upcharge for the color, and Brooks gave me the leftover leather. I recently sent it (with a template) to a horse saddle fabricator, and she exquisitely cut it into a mudflap.
RIMS: Velocity Cliffhangers
TIRES: I once read somewhere that the Schwalbe Marathon Almotion 26 x 2.15 (tubeless) had the lowest rolling resistance of any “wide” tire, so I bought them. The specs are 2.15 inches (5.46 cm) but on my bike the tires inflate to 6.1 cm (2.40 inches) at their widest point.
RACK: I like the Tubus Logo Evo rack, because it positions the pannier backs to avoid being hit by my heels. And I like that it is stainless steel - if it can’t be green, it may as well be stainless steel.
PANNIERS: The “Ortlieb Sport-Packer Plus (Lime/Moss)” are the perfect size for a commuter. I see riders with ONLY ONE of the larger size panniers, and I remember all the wheels that I took out-of-true by transporting lopsided beer/ice to softball games. That’s a rookie mistake, and now I balance the load.
FRONT DERAILLEUR: I changed out the low quality replacement front derailleur that was on the bike when I bought it, with a NOS “SunTour XC 9000” because I was happy with that model on my 87 Stumpy.
THUMBIES: I picked up some “NOS Suntour Index/Friction Thumb Shifters” (I ride with friction), maybe they are XC 9000 - I don’t know, but they match my 87 Stumpy. I found the high quality original Deore Thumb Shifters strained my thumb’s metacarpal (I had to look that up) and they impacted my grip on a softball bat (even though the difference was minimal).
CASSETTE/CHAIN: I ride with a “Shimano CN-HG71 6/7/8-Speed Chain” and “Shimano CS-HG41 Cassette - 7 Speed, 11-28t” – but I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW if there is a better 7-speed configuration!
CRANK: I recently switched out the “Shimano Deore Biopace 28/38/48” with a “SR Sakae SX 170mm 52/42/32 Oval-Tech”. And this is where things start to get a bit weird.
CHAIN RINGS: Over the years I have gravitated towards Biopace, though I am not sure that my Specialized Hardrock was Biopace equipped (back then I didn’t care). Sheldon Brown has good things to say about Biopace. I liked my 28/38/48, but I found the 28 to be too small (I barely used it, since I stay on the tarmac). I bought a SR Sakae 28 Oval-Tech, and realized it was just about identical to the Biopace 28, except that it was oriented differently when installed on the crank. Then I found a NOS 32 SR Sakae Oval-Tech (74mm bcd). I knew there was a Biopace 52, and 42 that were 130mm bolt circle diameter. I could not find a Shimano crank with a 130mm bcd AND a 74mm bcd. But I found a nice one from SR Sakae and I had my mechanic install the Biopace per Shimano’s intended orientation, and adjust the 32 Oval-Tech to match Shimano’s orientation. I bought Shimano Biopace literature on Ebay and I tested my 28 Biopace to finally understand what Biopace is. I do NOT think my drivetrain is all that different than round chain rings, but what the heck - you only live once. I put on the chainguard because…as you guessed…I was happy with the (Biopace) chainguard on my 87 Stumpy.
STEER STOPPER: I like this (the thing on my stem that drops into the cradle below to stabilize the front wheel) because it makes it easy to put my bike into my wife’s Honda CRV when we travel separately and meet up somewhere. There are even limited situations where it is easier to park with the front tire having been stabilized. Check it out at steerstopper.com, it is high quality.
FENDERS: My workday starts at 6:00AM, and it is dark and dangerous to ride that early (cars barely adhere to traffic laws). So, I take my bike onto a commuter train in the morning; I still get to ride 12+ miles home in the afternoon – consistently riding both ways would be challenging at my age. I wanted a custom size shorter back fender so I could “stand my bike up on the back tire” when sharing an elevator in the train station, or jam it to the back of the train to make room. I got stainless steel fenders, custom sized from Gilles Berthoud. Vincent, the gentleman that sold me the fenders, rode in “Concours de machines (Technical trial): 30 juin/1/2 juillet 2017, Ambert” – I don’t know what that is, but I am guessing that it is pretty cool.
OTHER STUFF: I like the bottle cage (cool design - does not rattle) and water bottle because they are stainless steel. I ride with a lot of lights (even on my fork) because I ride on the street. But I am blessed that a big part of my ride is through a park that, post COVID, is now closed to vehicle traffic. To keep prepared, one forward facing light is rechargeable, and one (not pictured on its mount) takes disposable batteries. I ride with a GoPro mounted to my helmet, because it has a positive impact on my interactions with cars.
THANKS for reading!
