1989 Specialized Rockhopper - Vintage Mountain Bike Teardown & Service

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I had a request from this weird, cat obsessed, bike mechanic from Ireland; Do you reckon you could find a nice old MTB for me?
So I did. (Note: I will not do this for everybody!)
Here's a 1989 Specialized Rockhopper bought for a fairly cheap UK price... soon to be heading to Ireland. It turns out it's a fairly pricey to ship a bike across the sea/border (£150+) so we were working on logistics when this whole lockdown happened.
While it's in my garage I thought I'd strip it down, give it a service and see what's what before Edel has her way with it. Here's the results.
Oh and also follow Edel @ SkullCityCycles on Instagram

[@splashpit]

Why spend thousands on a new gravel bike when you can trick up an old ridged MTB !

[@MonkeyShred]

Very true!

[@ElverGalarga-zt3uo]

I own a 90s rockhopper too and trust me this things are no joke

[@delmonti]

Torvi is such a talkative cat!

[@scotthughes29]

You could almost hear that bike say ‘thank god, someone who cares’ !!! Great job

[@TedMcCarthy95]

Sexy bike, keep up the good work. Love your video 👍🏼. Keep safe 🙏🏼

[@davidgriffin8717]

Good video with straightforward review of basic refresh with a problem or two encountered along the way. This Rockhopper seems identical to an '89 Diamond Back Ascent EX I had.

[@joesbloggs660]

Hey MonkeyShred another great vid from you,many thanks for posting all those you have made thus far,please keep them coming,for me they are a relaxing way to spend an hour or two on youtube,they are up there with the best.

[@MonkeyShred]

Thanks Joe, Glad you like them!

[@liamkeefe4440]

That jockey wheel is a ninja star.

[@timetravelfilms727]

Cool - I've never seen spiked jockey wheels.

[@MonkeyShred]

80s tech is CRAZY

[@joen3992]

To remove the rust spots on the frame. I use WD40 and a scotch bright green pad. Then match the colour and use a thin pencil paint brush and touch up. Then I spray the inside of frame with a rust proof oil. Great build.

[@MonkeyShred]

Good tip there.

[@rickyfox67]

nice i just picked up 89 Rockhopper at an estate sale still all original wasn't use that much it seems unlike that one you got i need tools to fix bottom bracket tho and clean it

[@mumenraider]

Hey I got the same bike last week for a gravel bike project . And there are f scratches, 3-4 rust spots. Other than that the paint looks great . What should I do for the rust spots and scratches ? Paint them only or there is some other options?

[@MonkeyShred]

If you want to cover up the rust spots I'd definitely recommend sanding them back and treating the spots first.

[@event4216]

These are amazing bikes, especially for those who either have had 'em back then or just have a clue. It's so funny to hear, hey, how can you ride on those 26" wheels, you must die spinning 'em. They barely realize these are different bikes with different geometry, seeing only wheels.

[@nicospaarkogel8846]

Hey, long shot but do you know what the rear hub spacing was on this?

[@Herbybandit]

For one horrific moment I thought you were putting the old brake blocks back on! 😱 and the number of drive side bottom bracket cups I’ve had to replace due to them cracking along the bearing contact point is unbelievable!

[@MonkeyShred]

Oh really? I don't think I've seen that myself yet!

[@Herbybandit]

No? If you get a bike that's been used with a slack loose bearing type bottom bracket, take a good close look at the inside of the drive side cup you might find the cup cracked.

[@laurentduchene3755]

Hello, I am currently repairing my first Rockhopper. I need to replace the steering bearing (visible at 11min20s in your video) I can't find the replacement part! Can you give me the reference of the bearing to buy ? Thanks Congratulations on your work Laurent (FRANCE)

[@MonkeyShred]

They should be widely available! eBay has lots in either bearing form (caged) or as a complete new headset

[@aceboogie8986]

monkey shred iam fan of your videos for life thanks for sharing 👍👍👍 hope all is well during these messed up times peace

[@Pythonassum]

those old jockey wheels are some pointy bois

[@wishnuwardhana6583]

Hello brother, nice bike, I like it...How do you do...from Indonesia.

[@vekoner1724]

How much just the frame of that bike?

[@ryanoldeheuvel2158]

Love the old school MTB videos

[@yardsalecycles]

The vintage bike computer was a nice touch

[@clarkedevin]

Smart idea on using the bolt, washers and nut to secure the wrench to BB cup and get it off. I’ll have to remember for future.

[@MonkeyShred]

I always find now that if I can bolt the tool to the BB - I do! Makes the job so much easier

[@lorcanmaher9249]

Loving the synthwave!

[@AndrogyneMichinaga]

There is a KZbin channel called NomadsTrails that does videos about around the world bike touring. They recommend old cromoly steel frames for building a 26 inch wheel touring bike. They recommend Specialized frames amongst a few oyhers. The cromoly steel can be welded, if they have a big problem on tour and it's strong.

[@treestandsafety3996]

Nice style of vid! I'm somewhat addicted to late nineties Rockhoppers. Had to learn to fix it for my courier job, and thanks to new courier jobs, I still do!

[@MonkeyShred]

Late nineties? Cor that's a bit modern ;)

[@treestandsafety3996]

@@MonkeyShred Aye, I was a bit late to the cycling thing in late 90's Liverpool. The 97 Rocky I originally bought was the best bike I ever rode. Just bought a 21" 1998 one after being a bit frustrated with the 19" size of other 98 I bought. I prefer them to the 2016 Rocky I used to have. It's something about the feel of the last of the steelies, I guess...

[@treestandsafety3996]

If ya get one, watch out for the original seatpost..I've two fail on me already!

[@M3LTUP]

Music is very 80s. Where is Crocket and Tubbs ?

[@garethgoldsmith9605]

Was mountain LX manufactured by shimano? Or a separate company?

[@vpcogworks]

beautiful outcome!

[@UknownWorlds]

The music is awesome. I replayed the video twice for the tune ha ha!

[@StoccTube]

Love it

[@jonathandougherty3677]

Can anyone recommend a source to change a suspension for to a ridged fork? Specially a Specialized Rockhopper like this.

[@MonkeyShred]

There's lots of used parts around on eBay, or even specific Facebook groups for vintage mountain bikes.

[@Br4m76]

Only few people care about the old bike like this, the rest deem it as a tool. I found an abandoned Trek 800. Greetings from Indonesia.

[@MonkeyShred]

True! They're alwayts the owners to look for as they usually sell cheap!

[@gaddmeister]

Confusing as the way it comes across is that it's the same bike you did 2 years ago? Having watched them all I have realized it must be a different bike?

[@MonkeyShred]

It's the same model, but a different bike. I sold my Rockhopper restoration and bought a Rockhopper Comp (yet to be restored) while this one I bought for a friend in Ireland and thought I'd check it over before we worked out the expensive shipping.

[@alm5693]

I just got my grey 89 Rockhopper back from a "tune up" today. It received tons of use in the early 90's, but I bought a house in '96 and other priorities meant it hung in my garage for over 20 years. It's stock except for the the seat and stem, the tires and unfortunately the 7 step Shimano Mountain LX shift lever which somehow had all of it's pins sheared off by an unsupervised student intern at a school-run bike shop. The shop that I took it to last week had a box full of older shifters and the owner thought he could find a close if not exact match. Turn out that bike has a special hard-to-find variation of Shimano LX shift lever that snuggles in with the brake housing. If anyone has some advice about where to find a replacement shifter lever for this bike, I would GREATLY appreciate a comment here. I love this bike and would like to restore the proper original shifter.

[@MonkeyShred]

Was it Mountain LX? You may be able to find them floating around on eBay. If you check for a part number you can search for that. It’s usually made up of XX-XYYY where X are letters and Y are numbers. For example your crankset might have a code FC-M350. Brake levers could be BL-M350. Shifters on their own could be SL-M350 and integrated shifters and brake levers could be ST-M350 etc etc

[@alm5693]

@@MonkeyShred Thank you and yes, it was Mountain LX. I posted an ad with a picture locally, got a few replies, but not the correct shifter. I'll check Ebay again. I'll see if I can find the part number on the brake. Can I assume that the shifter would be the same number with an SL prefix?

[@MonkeyShred]

@@alm5693 it should be although the M550 generation of Deore LX had inegrated shifters that were ST-M050/M060 instead of using the SL-M550.

[@MonkeyShred]

@@alm5693 there’s a rough set on eBay Uk for £18. Item 185830766911

[@MonkeyShred]

@@alm5693 or item number 285205590459 which look in good condition but are £60.

[@아우빠]

May I ask you if this 1989 rochhopper frame is "weaker" than say reynolds 501? I ask because I'm restoring a 1989 bike like this which is nor columbus nor reynolds nor anything but it is in a good state and I worry if all the time is worth it if it turns out a "brandless" frame like this might be not as "strong". The main triangle tubes are "shaped" "to be stronger" as I understand. I know a "brandless" frame like this is heavier (size 21'', 6lbs) but is it "weaker" too because it's not butted?

[@MonkeyShred]

I honestly have no idea, sorry.

[@아우빠]

@@MonkeyShred no worries, looking forward to your next video

[@retrobikechannel2599]

Now that's a thorough service!

[@Stormflyman]

A brilliant vid and I am delighted to have found you @monkeyshred .I have the same bike ( with a stuck seatpost) , swapped for something a few years back and I have been meaning to take it to the shop for a price on making it roadworthy. I have never done any fixing on bikes but your vid has me thinking of buying a few tools and having a go. If only I could play this in slow motion lol.

[@MonkeyShred]

You can play it in slow motion ;) It would be very jittery though. I did a 3 part series on the same model with a full restoration a couple of years ago. That might help you a bit more? The seat post was stuck too and boy was that a fight!

[@Stormflyman]

Brilliant , I'll have a look for the restoration project. Your vids are absolutely fantastic, thanks.

[@leradicideglialberi]

I love those mtb!

[@fahmiothman]

What do you use to clean n polish the frame?

[@MonkeyShred]

Muc-Off and T-Cut generally.

[@joannelouiserodriguez5966]

Nice looking bike love retro bikes own a fair few but they do come with there problems lol

[@MonkeyShred]

Especially if the seat post hasn't been moved since the 90s :(

[@joannelouiserodriguez5966]

@@MonkeyShred yea i bean there myself it's not fun for sure just watched your holdsworth replica one love it m8

[@smuthitam]

Apa speda tipe mtb ini bisa di bikin roadbike....

[@MonkeyShred]

Something about if you can make it a road bike? I've put 700c wheels and calipers on an old MTB before so that's some of the way there!

[@paulinfrancis]

What are the name of the ace synthwave tracks? 👌

[@MonkeyShred]

AH! I didn't link them :( A Farewell by Future Joust / Come 2gether by Ooyy / Follow the trail by Future Joust

[@321bytor]

...shout out to White Sho...oh, wrong KZbinr...

[@MonkeyShred]

I don't understand?

[@321bytor]

@@MonkeyShred Flossy Carter,does tech reviews, his cat regularly makes an appearance in his videos...it's one of his catch phrases...

[@ZER0value]

noisy torvy

[@MonkeyShred]

MOOOUUUUWWWWW

[@sebaglock]

Torvy mauuuu mauuuuuw

[@MonkeyShred]

She's a chatty one!

[@fudk_off1312]

paid 20 bucks for an 88 rockhopper comp all original. bullmoose bars pull the whole thing together

[@aceboogie8986]

You lucky sob 20 bucks !!! I would take that deal all day long congrats and enjoy your purchase. 👍👍👍

[@fudk_off1312]

@@aceboogie8986 the guy i bought it from gets donation bikes from the local police station and had a storage unit full of bikes. so he didnt really know what he had

[@aceboogie8986]

@@fudk_off1312 to most people its just an old crappy bike but to guys like us their gold congrats again on your find i have a few oldies also a 1997 giant iguana a 1996 giant atx 890 with a campagnolo stheno wheelset and a 1999 cannondale super v500 all the bikes are all original and all were bought for bought for a hundred or less the giant iguana needed a new seat and front derailleur i got that one for free anyways happy to to chat about bikes with you for a minute have a good day

[@MonkeyShred]

I've got a Comp sat in my garage that I paid roughly the same for. :) All original too

[@aceboogie8986]

@@MonkeyShred iam still waiting to find mine people down here sell them for prices iam not willing to pay i saw two 80s rockhoppers maybe a month ago and the guy was asking 400 for one and 500 for the other or something like that anyways thanks for the videos and hope all is well take care man peace