Steel Rockhopper Upgrade Advice Wanted

[noworktoday]

I come to the font of all retro MTB wisdom....

I have a lovely old '95 steel 20.5 inch Spesh Rockhopper which I love but which is looking a bit tired what with its Avid V brakes and its old old pace elastomer fork. The only original bit left on the bike is the frame - and in my view it's a great frame. It has a threaded headset. It has been underused in recent years as my attention has been elsewhere but it is still a better mountain bike than I am a mountain biker. The only thing I yearn for after riding more modern bikes is better and more consistent brakes...

I have a bike2work scheme on which my max is £1000

I have a choice to make. Buy a new (steel) mountain bike or buy a 'sportive' style road bike for my tarmac thrills and upgrade (outside the bike2work scheme) the 'hopper.

The upgrade dream: I'd like to fit a modern disc compatible suspension fork, get a disc mount (ideally brazed on though I understand bolt-on is an option) for the rear, get new disc compatible wheels, get it resprayed, fit discs brakes and get another 12 years use out of it.

I'm thinking modern 80mm travel forks would work but the headtube maybe a problem as the forks will expect aheadset these day. What are my options there?

Is it a stupid idea which will just open up a world of pain and hassle or is it a go-er?

Anyone one else trod the path before?

 

[noworktoday]

Okay I can get the frame repainted and disc mounts on the rear from a reputable frame builder for less than £150.

But I'm thinking that for now the shopping list needs to look more economical like

ebay a decent Pace fork that's disc compatible and has long enough steerer
Get LBS to fit aheadset to frame/fork
ebay a pair of Avid Speed Dial levers (optional - I assume my existing Avid SD 2.0's would work with cable discs?)
ebay Avid V brake on the back (maybe even an arch rival if one comes up)
ebay new front wheel with disc hub or get existing Mavic 517 sup rim rebuilt with front disc hub at LBS
Avid BB7 (got them on my road bike v. nice) for the front
no major surgery involved, avoid cost of new rear hub, run it like that for a while, if happy strip it and repaint.
If not, then look at some form of disc adaptor like a "Brake Therapy" if still available or get disc mount brazed on.

Does that sound like a plan?

 

[mtbfix]

You will get a lot of bike for £600-£1000 these days. Putting a modern fork on your old Spec. will slow the handling with the extra length and you are replacing so much stuff I'd recommend a whole new bike with appropriate geometry, good forks, discs, etc. and keep the Rockhopper for a project bike.

 

[nimbus]

I too have a steel Rockhopper which has been through numerous 'upgrades': 8-speed gears, v-brakes, aheadset, risers, suspension forks (Pace, then Halson). Luckily I kept all the old parts and am in the process of restoring it to something like original condition.

If I were you, I'd use the bike to work scheme to get a new bike with all the features you want - discs, suspension forks etc. Consider one of the modern Rockhoppers even; they have a great spec for the price.

Then use the money you've saved from the scheme and invest it in retro parts for your old 'Hopper

p.s. this thread needs some pictures.

 

[CAS]

Yep, keep it in the spirit of the original. A friend helped me to upgrade my "slime green" Rockhopper -in this case this meant putting new rigid forks on, thumbies, shiny red bars, red Flite saddle etc.

I think it made it more fun to ride, lighter - looks striking and always gets looks and comments.

Can't find a picture at the moment unfortunately but if I can track one down I'll post it.

 

[noworktoday]

p.s. this thread needs some pictures.

will see what I can do to capture the old bird on camera, not sure I'd ever want to convert her back to stock rigid fork canti braked awfulness though I still have all the original bits I think.

All the upgrades were done with contemporary mid late 90's kit, Mavic's on LX hubs, XT mechs, LX chainset, gripshift + 8 speed XT cassette, naff Yeti grips, DX pedals and she still runs on Conti Double Fighters. I love a proper 90's crud catcher and crud guard with ali struts to complete the look.....

she is a real period piece, essential got put in the shed several years ago and ignored whilst other pursuits took over, yet on Sunday we kept up with everyone on their modern stuff and, as it was dry and I have a decent under rotation braking technique, out braked a few as well.

So the consensus is strip her down; get her repainted (where can I get spesh transfers from?) and rebuild her as an example of the golden age of mass produced classic steel framed MTB's and get something new to ride on cycle2work

P7, Boardman Hardtail Pro, EBC shadow mountain are current MTB shortlist...

 

[nimbus]

Good man. A friend is trying to get a P7 on bike to work but has had problems with availability.

Re decals, mid 90s ones should be reasonably easy to find, the man to ask is gil_m. He is also going to make some of the older (late 80s) 'Miami Vice'-style decals for me.

 

[Anthony]

The Pace fork (RC35?) may be old, but it is still a well-regarded fork and will suit the Rockhopper's geometry far better than a modern fork. There is a member on here, justbackdated, who specialises in the renovation and maintenance of old Pace and he will be able to make it as good as new again for you, if all I've heard is true.

The later RC36 is a more capable fork, it's true, but it's also longer so it would detract from the handling in some respects. If your rims are sound, I would have thought your braking would be limited by your tyres rather than the Avids, but then I'm a lot smaller than you so I guess there is a stronger case for discs on a size 20 bike.

 

[noworktoday]

It is an RC35 and despite its age it works fine, the elastomers have not (yet) decomposed and the Pace grease inside was clean and the right colour when I popped the legs before Easter. would love to know that I could replacement elastomers if I needed them though.

My major problem with the brakes is inconsistency; always has been. great in the dry and "what rim brakes?" in the wet... it was ever so I think despite pad changes etc.. It's what happens when a big bloke goes downhill on a big bike in the wet.

but if bike scheme gives me a new MTB, and a trip to Evans and Halfords has convinced me that a medium sized Boardman Pro hardtail is most likely the way to go, then why shouldn't I keep the repainted 'hopper for sunny dry Sunday afternoons?

 

[Anthony]

With your existing set-up, the two best ways of improving the brakes in the wet without resorting to discs would be either Maguras or a ceramic wheel and ceramic-specific pads. I shouldn't really say it I suppose because I have a Hope/517 Ceramic front wheel for sale at present, but I hope others will soon correct me if I'm gilding the lily.