New to bikes for the most part, my son started riding with a youth cycling group this summer so I bought a road bike to ride with him and now have the bike bug.
We live next to a good network of gravel trails and I want something between my new road bike and my old mtb, then I saw this Rockhopper today for $20. Just picked it up without much of a plan.
What would you guys do with this bike?
by Null_Lama
5 Comments
If it were my bike:
Fork will likely be in rough shape – I would throw a nice chromoly rigid fork on it with some bosses for accessories accessories
New saddle of your preference (what do you like on your road bike?)
New cables and housing (white housing would look pretty slick here)
New handlebars (either wider flat/riser bars or something that sweeps back a bit – I love moustache bars, personally.
New pedals (something with replaceable screw-in nibs)
Then I’d ride it like hell and see if I want to keep the current 3×7, or upgrade to a 1x setup.
Great pickup, really like the frame!
Cut the lock off and inflate the tires 🤣
Honestly though, I’d take I for a spin and she what creaks! if the suspension is shit I’d recommend taking it to a shop for service. The majority of the time you can diagnose and fix what’s wrong with a test ride and a set of Allen keys.
Whenever I buy a used bike off marketplace I fully strip and clean it to get an idea of what I’m looking at, but here’s a list of what I suggest checking for.
Is the chain rusty? Filthy?
How worn are the brake pads?
Are the tires cracked/rotted?
Is the seat post movable/loose?
Are the grips rotted/loose?
Do the pedals spin freely?
As for what to do with it, that depends on what you want to do with it, but I reccomend new, wider bars for sure. Ive never found the narrow mountain bike bars of yore to be comfortable.
Have fun!
That frame is damn clean. Good find
For $20 that’s a pretty good deal. Enjoy.
Do your thing. A great find.