Its been a while and summer is here!

Firstly I'd like ot apologise of rthe distinct lack of updates, summer is here and I've been enjoying it, and the bike. Which brings me to the point of this blog, the Rockhoper. Its changed very little since the partial rebuild, the handlebars have changed, the oringinals weren't quite wide enough for me, and the stem was a bit too high /long.

Whilst tackling a strava segment near me, a small scare of a piece of my anatomy having a almost meeting with the headset / toptube convinced me to change the rear cassette. The gears had been slipping since I bought it, and I had just replaced the chain, hoping to get away with the cassette until the full rebuild over winter. Skimping never pays off!

Now thats been replaced its a lot more pleasureable to ride with out fear, so much so when I recently rode the same segement, I shaved about 2 minutes off my time, not bad and a cheap £15.00 for a 2 minute drop. I wish all upgrades showed this benefit!

now I'm thinking of converting it to a 2 x10 setup or a 3 x 9, I can't decide. I have a feeling the winter rebuild will cost me almost as much as a new bike!

And the proof of why this update is late. This was taken on a foray to visit Chicksands bike park.

For those interested to follow this bikes progress, and mine. Here is my Strava page

Its Christmas!!

Something turned up at my desk today, its medium sized brown and the return address is Chain Reaction Cycles.

Containing lots of Shimano goodies.

Now I'm getting impatient to get home so I can start the build! Just waiting for the bling bits to turn up now. Only another 4 packages to turn up now!

The strip down and inspection

Complete strip down.


The frame has been stripped down back down to component level for a complete inspection. Before I go any further I have to say the bike is a credit to its previous owner, it came apart as if it was new. The only 4 seized bolts were the water bottle carriers.

The condition was better that I expected, only the brakes need a full replacement at this stage. After taking the V cantis off and leaving them overnight in a degreaser bath the pivots were locked solid, so they will be replaced. Next up were the derailleurs, the front cleaned up beautifully and will be reused, the back, an original STX RC one, just needs a rebuild. Lastly the shifters, the left hand one is broken and again will be replaced, but the right will be reused as its still in full working order, which is good, as finding a replacement STX RC unit would have been tough.

The forks seem to have welded themselves into the headset spacers, here starts the chemistry lesson. Steel and aluminum don't like each other. The spacers will have to be cut off, and the forks removed then. For now they can stay as I just want to get out and ride. Speaking of the forks, they are junk and will have to go on the replace list at the end of the season, one of the stanchions has rusted.

The frame could do with a repaint, but its not urgently needed and there are no visible cracks, I'll know more when the frame gets shot blasted in the winter. But These frames were renowned for begin bulletproof and it hasn't had that hard life so I'm expecting a clean bill of health

I must add at this point, I'm not going to spend a huge amount on the bike as I have made a decission to ride it this summer. So when I fall off, as I haven't ridden a bike in over 10 years offroad, if any components get damaged I won't be too upset. This relies on us having a decent summer!

When the season is over, I will strip it again and have the frame powder coated, change the forks and go for an XT or similar groupset. I have a colour scheme I'm working too, and some of the components have already been bought with that in mind.

The shopping list so far:
V canti's front and rear
Gear cables
Brake cables
Grips
Left shifter
Chain
Jockey wheels
4 Ti gold bolts for the brakes.
Brake blocks

Photo's to follow.

Welcome to my blog and project Rockhopper FS. After months of people telling me I need to look after myself better and ending up back in Sports Therapy, I decided to get back into cycling or more specifically mountain biking.

All through my uni years I hankered after a front suspension bike, a Kona to be precise. That was back in the late 90's. After a weekend of trawling Gumtree and eBay, I ended up with a Specialized Rockhopper FS in need of some TLC.

Taken the day I picked it up, a sunny bank holiday in London. A quick ride back from Holborn to Kings Cross terminal told me I made the right choice, it was like being reunited with an old friend.

First job on the list is a complete strip down and clean, I know it will require some new parts, but how many, as yet is an unknown number.