About a month and a half ago I came across a Specialized Rock Hopper Sport that appears to be from the early 90's. Someone had left it on their curb for someone to take it away. So I figured, why not me? I've been looking to get into mountain biking and not wanting to spend an arm and a leg.
Since I have this week off from work, I started some of the rehab work.
Yesterday morning, I replaced the inner tube on the rear tire and replaced both brake cables. Also cleaned the chain and the chainrings and the cassette. Cleaned the rear derailleur as well. In all cases, there was years of dirt and grease caked on the parts. It will take multiple cleanings to clean the cassette fully.
Today, it was time to polish the frame and the wheels. Both had suffered from years of neglect.
Yes, a little bit of metal polish did the trick on the rims. And here's an example of what needed to be cleaned.
Did I mention that the early 90's Rock Hoppers were cromoly frames? They were cromoly frames.
Long story short, the bike cleaned up pretty nice for being 20 years old. But the down side is that there will be some parts that need to be replaced.
Like the crankset...
I'll also most likely replace the chain. This morning I also added a couple of water bottle holders that I found at Wally World (Wal Mart for the non-Americans here) on clearance for about $4.00 each.
I did take it for a test ride today and had a bit of a rough time shifting. But that was most likely because I was riding on a snow covered mountain trail. Where I am in the Nanny State of Minnesota we got a couple of inches of snow last night and into this morning.
So, I'll be scouring ebay to try and find some cheap cranksets and maybe a chain. In the mean time, I'll be replacing the derailleur cables. Those also looked to be in pretty sorry shape.
I'll keep ya posted as this progresses...
Since I have this week off from work, I started some of the rehab work.
Yesterday morning, I replaced the inner tube on the rear tire and replaced both brake cables. Also cleaned the chain and the chainrings and the cassette. Cleaned the rear derailleur as well. In all cases, there was years of dirt and grease caked on the parts. It will take multiple cleanings to clean the cassette fully.
Today, it was time to polish the frame and the wheels. Both had suffered from years of neglect.
Yes, a little bit of metal polish did the trick on the rims. And here's an example of what needed to be cleaned.
Did I mention that the early 90's Rock Hoppers were cromoly frames? They were cromoly frames.
Long story short, the bike cleaned up pretty nice for being 20 years old. But the down side is that there will be some parts that need to be replaced.
Like the crankset...
I'll also most likely replace the chain. This morning I also added a couple of water bottle holders that I found at Wally World (Wal Mart for the non-Americans here) on clearance for about $4.00 each.
I did take it for a test ride today and had a bit of a rough time shifting. But that was most likely because I was riding on a snow covered mountain trail. Where I am in the Nanny State of Minnesota we got a couple of inches of snow last night and into this morning.
So, I'll be scouring ebay to try and find some cheap cranksets and maybe a chain. In the mean time, I'll be replacing the derailleur cables. Those also looked to be in pretty sorry shape.
I'll keep ya posted as this progresses...
