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4/15/2021

26) 1994 Specialized Rockhopper Sport (Green)

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SPECS

Status:  Sold
Size: ​​19"/48cm
Weight: 25 lbs/11.3 kg
Frame & Fork: Specialized Direct Drive Off Road CrMo Custom Butted

Groupset: Shimano Exage LT (M320) groupset (brakes and derailleurs)
Crankset:  Shimano Altus A10
Wheelset:  Specialized X25 Alloy rims on Shimano Exage hubs with Kenda Small Block Eight 26x1.95 tires

BEFORE

A friend sent me a text that there were two Rockhoppers for sale in Vernon.  I found the ad and went to check them out.  Wow, did I luck out.  I bought these two Rockhoppers (#25 and #26) from a retired German/Canadian couple.  They had bought them new in 1994 so that their German grandkids would have bikes to ride when they visited in the summers.  Later they set them up with cushy seats and high handlebars for their own use but in the end decided to buy e-bikes.  They were sad bikes but they had hardly been used and they were in excellent condition so I knew it would be easy to make them happy again.

AFTER

The rebuild on both bikes went smoothly.  Everything was in such excellent shape and cleaned up beautifully.  New saddles, chains, cables and housing, tires, tubes, grips and brake pads made them like new again.  They both had inappropriate stems, especially the purple one, so that needed fixing.  Good quill MTB stems are hard to find so in the end I gave them both quill to threadless stem adapters with some nice threadless stems I had on hand.  I really lucked out with the stem on this one.  I had this green stem for ages, wondering if I'd ever have a bike to put it on.  It matches this one perfectly!  I love Bike Karma!  It's amazing how well the Exage groupset works.  Both bikes shift so smoothly and the brakes stop the bikes with ease.  These are the perfect bikes for dependable riding around town and on the local rail trail or greenway.

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4/15/2021

25) 1994 Specialized Rockhopper Sport (Purple)

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SPECS

Status:  Sold
Size: ​​20"/51cm
Weight: 26 lbs/11.8 kg
Frame & Fork: Specialized Direct Drive Off Road CrMo Custom Butted
Groupset: Shimano Exage LT (M320) groupset (brakes and derailleurs)
Crankset:  Shimano Altus A10
Wheelset:  Specialized X25 Alloy rims on Shimano Exage hubs with Maxxis Pace 26x2.1 Tires

BEFORE

A friend sent me a text that there were two Rockhoppers for sale in Vernon.  I found the ad and went to check them out.  Wow, did I luck out.  I bought these two Rockhoppers (#25 and #26) from a retired German/Canadian couple.  They had bought them new in 1994 so that their German grandkids would have bikes to ride when they visited in the summers.  Later they set them up with cushy seats and high handlebars for their own use but in the end decided to buy e-bikes.  They were sad bikes but they had hardly been used and they were in excellent condition so I knew it would be easy to make them happy again.

AFTER

The rebuild on both bikes went smoothly.  Everything was in such excellent shape and cleaned up beautifully.  New saddles, chains, cables and housing, tires, tubes, grips and brake pads made them like new again.  They both had inappropriate stems, especially the purple one, so that needed fixing.  Good quill MTB stems are hard to find so in the end I gave them both quill to threadless stem adapters with some nice threadless stems I had on hand.  It's amazing how well the Exage groupset works.  Both bikes shift so smoothly and the brakes stop the bikes with ease.  These are the perfect bikes for dependable riding around town and on the local rail trail or greenway.

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4/12/2021

24) 1995 Specialized Rockhopper

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SPECS

Status:  Sold
Size: ​​17"/43cm
Weight: 25.8 lbs/11.7 kg
Frame & Fork: Specialized Direct Drive Light Cr-Mo Double Butted

Groupset: Shimano Alivio derailleurs and brakes with Grip Shift shifters
Wheelset:  Araya HE GP-710 rims on Shimano Alivio hubs with Serfas Vermin 26x1.95 Tires

BEFORE

Like many others, I've had a lot of respect for the Rockhopper for many years.  It has a reputation of delivering a lot of quality for a decent price.  This one was obviously treated with care and had served its owner well for over 30 years.  It just needed a trip to the spa!

AFTER

Wow!  That plum paint restored beautifully!  This bike was a pure joy to work on.  Everything came apart and went back together with relative ease.  Not only did the derailleurs and brakes clean up nicely but I was really impressed with how well they worked as well.  It's hard to believe that it's over 30 years old!  I really wanted to keep those original Specialized tires.  They had lots of tread left.  Unfortunately, they had dry rot around the bead so had to go.  The only problem with the bike was a small dent in the toptube.  Other than that, it's now like a new bike.  This bike is ready to make someone happy and serve her/him well for another 30 years.

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4/11/2021

23) 1996 Specialized Stumpjumper A1 FS

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SPECS

 Status:  Sold
Handmade in USA
Size: ​​18"/46cm

Frame: Specialized A1 Premium Aluminum
Fork:  RockShox Quadra 21R

Derailleurs: Shimano Deore XT rear and LX front with Grip shift SRT 800 X-ray shifters
Brakes:  Shimano Deore LX brakes with Dia-Comp 7 levers
Wheelset:  Mavic 221 UB Control  rims on Shimano Deore LX Parallax hubs with Maxxis Pace 26x2.1 Tires

BEFORE

I know.  You're wondering, "Why did I buy an aluminum bike?"  Look at it.  How could I resist?  Except for the pedals, it's completely stock and almost looks like it's NOS.  I'll replace the pedals, repack all the bearings and clean everything up and it will be like new.

AFTER

This Stumpjumper was obviously ridden very little and in excellent condition, making it a joy to rebuild.  The groupset polished up with ease.  There is hardly a scratch on them.  The crank arms look new with the S decal still intact.  This is usually one of the first things to wear off.  I replaced the pedals with a nice set of Well-Gos from the 90s and painted the cage yellow to match the bike.  I had a set of Kool Stop brake pads in yellow and put those on as well.  The bearings were in excellent condition and all repacked with ease.  The forks had a few scrapes on them and they were dull but they polished up nicely and every scratch and mark disappeared.  The seat as the "Designed in California" decal, another thing that usually gets worn off soon after a few rides.  The grips are the original S Works grips and in 'like new' condition.  There was no need to replace them.  I was tempted to keep the original tires on it since they still looked like new and had the nibs on them but there was some dry rot around the beads.  I am so glad I went with a brand new set of Maxxis Pace X-C tires.  The yellow Maxxis logo matches the bike perfectly.  In the end, I replaced the pedals, brake pads, cables, tires and tubes.  Everything else is original.  Buying this bike will be almost like buying NOS.  

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4/7/2021

22) 1990-93 Kuwahara Cascade

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SPECS

Status:  Sold
Size: ​​18"/46cm
Frame & Fork: Tange Infinity MTB Tapered Double Butted CR-MO Tubing
Groupset & Brakeset:  Shimano Deore DX
Wheelset:  Ritchey Vantage Sport rims on Shimano Deore DX hubs with Kenda Small Block Eight 26x1.95 Tires

BEFORE

When I find an early 90s bike with full Shimano Deore DX, I just can't resist.  DX is becoming my favourite vintage MTB groupset.  It's solid, works well and looks great.  The paint on this one was still in pretty good shape and the bike had been maintained pretty well so I new this would make a nice rebuild.

AFTER

This Cascade had lost its DX brake levers and shifters at some point and came with XT brakes and shifters.  Luckily, I needed those for another build and had an extra DX brake/shifter combo for the right (rear).  I just needed to find one for the left (front) and luckily I found someone in Edmonton who shipped one to me.   The original long stem and flat bars made for a terribly uncomfortable ride.  I added a threadless adapter, a new stem and new bars.  What a difference that made!  I was so happy with this build!  I took it for a couple long rides and had trouble wiping the grin off my face.  The Infinity tubing felt great and gave a smooth ride.  The new bars and stem created a comfortable position.  The shifting was crisp and it stopped extremely well, especially for cantilever brakes.  It's hard to believe that the bike and its components are 30 years old!    I better sell this one quickly because I'm tempted to keep it.  It's a perfect errand, coffee, grocery, rail-trail or greenway bike.  Someone is going to love it!

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