McBTC

One of the first, purchased new, red and has been hanging from the garage ceiling for the last >20 years. I took it down yesterday.

I bought it new for my spouse back in the day so it's small for me without some changes. I don't want to sell it so, I'm thinking about taking it to a bike shop for cleaning and to change a few parts to make an upright cruiser for a 6'3" rider.

Any parts suggestions? I have no problem with the cranks being 170s (I wouldn't mind 165s). Could it be as simple as a taller seat post, high rise handlebars and longer shift and brake wires?

bikemig 

Nice bike but it will need an overhaul after 20 years. Other than that they are easy peasy to mod.

2cam16

All depends on the size of the frame in relation to your height. If it's really small for you, you may have to change the seatpost and/or stem.
20 years of sitting will need some overhauling depending on what conditions it was stored in.
Check tires for cracks. Tubes could be history too.
Probably the chain too depending on how much riding was done to it with it's present chain.

escapefoot

Hey, I have one of these.

Its at my local bike shop getting redone (after sitting for 20 years in my shed as well) so I can start riding again (after I have been sitting 20 years as well )

post some before and after pics

I will as well when I get the bike back

McBTC

Small but heavy...

escapefoot

nice

how do you like the higher stem

McBTC

The seat post is easily removed-- it's a 26.4mm. I checked the web and noticed long posts are readily available. However, talking to a bike mechanic at a shop I know can easily do this sort of work, he thought it wouldn't be optimal in that a 26.4mm / 300mm post isn't very strong and probably would bend under me.

McBTC

Just swaging it, compared to my road bike setup, I'd be making up the difference between ~33 inches from the BB to the top of the saddle on my road bike with exposed seat post/saddle height of 33" less ~18.5 inches (BB to the top of the seat tube on the Rockhopper) or ~368 mm, which probably is at or just beyond the max extension of a 400 mm seat post. It's probably doable but probably more of a nostalgia-driven project than a sensible workaround.

2cam16

Yeah after seeing the bike pic, I had a feeling it was going to be close given your height.

woodcraft

I had one of those. Always hated the straight bars,

so that's the first thing I would change.

Philphine

the last bike i built at the co-op was this bike, and i think about this size, only white with red lettering. i changed it to a single front chain ring, red cable housing they had around the shop and red tires just because i got them cheap, and added a luggage rack also. i figured it would make a good city bike. it wasn't there the last time i was there, so hopefully it's working well for someone.