88 rockhopper on eBay....

[Spinsterboy]

Frame has *adopts husky voice "seen some things out there"
Small
Got some strange gubbins near the crank?

https://ebay.us/m/WviTtA

 

[gtturbo]

It's a 1989 model although it would have been available to buy in 88. The strange part you mention near the crank is a U brake. Note that it has no brakes mounted on the seatstays as you would normally expect to see.

 

[XTSTIMAN]

 

[CTK]

Quite battered but looks great in that small size.

 

[gtturbo]

It is actually smaller than the seller suggests. The catalogue says that only the 15" had a U brake that year.

 

[markoc]

Something about the seatpost/seat tube doesn't look quite right, or straight. Hs aaaallll the seatpost so wouldn't take much to have bent.

Proper survivor spec though, that could tell some tales.

 

[Spinsterboy]

Feel like there is probably 2/3mm of post inside the frame....

 

[Repacker]

These all had U-brakes in 1988 ; the catalogue says that the 15" frame model had 24-inch wheels, which does not appear to be the case on this model.

Seat post is hopefully inserted only a few mm in the pictures, else its somehow been bent.