Usually I ride a motorcycle which is great for my mental health but as a 40 something year old, I decided I need something to help with physical fitness too. So with nostalgia getting the better of me I grabbed what I believe to be a 1992 Rockhopper, perhaps someone can confirm or correct me if I’m wrong. Everything seems to be working quite smoothly but the grips were a little tore up so I threw on some that match the bike colour.
I’m not sure what else I will do with it yet, I plan to use it to ride back and forth to work, around town, some light groceries etc so I will likely only upgrade and/or modify as necessity dictates with use. Having said that, I’m fully open to ideas or suggestions, as well as recommendations anyone may have for a lock (I’m leaning towards a U lock at the moment), as well as reputable brand accessories for bags/panniers etc.
by KrisNoble
4 Comments
Just keep riding. It’s a life style change more than exercise. Ride everywhere if you can. Keep Picking new places to ride to. Soon you will be able to ride far. There’s something special about being able to go super far on just your own power.
For comfort. Seats, grips and pedal all need to be comfy. If you have big feet get big pedals. Big hands get some cushy grips. Also good Tires make a big difference they are well worth the money spent.
gah… i had one just like that. got stolen
Nice bike, I love that colorway.
Not much you really NEED to do, honestly. Some less knobby tires might be better for putting around town, and maybe a less frumpy saddle with a cutout for comfort.
One stupid thing I’d do is to replace the seatpost with a black one. That silver clashes with everything else. My rockhopper had a 30.4mm seatpost which was hard to find so I bought a cane creek 30.4->27.2 shim and a nice-ish FSA carbon seatpost and that was pretty solid setup for a while. I’ve since moved that seatpost to my gravel bike and got a basic Ritchey Zero Comp seatpost still works great.
On top of or beside some of the other suggestions, I’d suggest some sort of rack or bag or basket. Not having an idea of your budget here are some ideas for that. You could go to a bike coop and they might be able to kit you out with something and this would be cheaper. You could buy a new rack (front or rear is your preference) and mount a bag/basket or even an old crate to it, this might cost a bit more. If you’re looking to eventually turn this into a superbike, you might be buying a fancy saddle soon. A brooks saddle has 2 hoops at the back for mounting a saddle bag, if you’re already thinking of a brooks saddle, a saddle bag may be a logical addition, this is a more expensive purchase though. The options for racks and bike mounted bags are vast so defo have a look.
The reason im suggesting this is because having the ability for my bike to carry my day gear/water/jacket/lock was a HUGE game changer for me. No more sweaty back from carrying a backpack – which will happen even on the most chilled ride. Getting your gear off your back and onto the bike opens up so many possibilities to enjoy riding your bike and if you are commuting, help you be a little less sweaty when you arrive at work.
Installing a rack and a basket made me fall in love with cycling!
Hope that’s helpful.