ofajen

RetroBike has a scan of the 1985 catalog and there is a RockHopper. That was the first year according to at least one thread on BF. However, that RH did not have a U-brake of course. Sounds like mine must be 88.

Otto

JacobLee 

Yeah, that was my memory, too. I must have been looking at a catalogue scan with a page missing. They probably left out the Street Stomper, too. My buddy had one of those.

ofajen

While I’m at it, here’s an update: I converted the RockHopper back to single speed today! I’d been doing rides in only the 42/16 just to make sure I was gonna be ok with it. 😊

Otto

JacobLee 

87 Hardrock cleaned up real nice. Had some Club Roost Cross Terra tires that I bought in 93 for my 87 Jamis Cross Country, so it’ll be a ride down memory lane.

intron

nice clean refurb. Love the matched stem.

JacobLee 

Thanks! Everything is original except for the tires and rear derailleur cable. It was fun to go through it.

JacobLee 

Why don’t more people shoot bikes from this angle? Doesn’t that just make you feel good?

madpogue 

Cables don't really count as not being original. They're consumables. Counting them would be like saying a classic car is not original because it has new fuel in the tank.

Beachbum0

then when i put them.( cable’s), on i should not mention? I should not of mentioned the tires ether because they are consumables also. And what about the brake pads? Im new to this site so I don’t know the proper way to show my bike. After all the forum said “show us Your mountain bike” .
I just thought that new tires, cables, paint , decals, and anything else I did would be note worthy. Like taking the steering shaft bearings apart as well as the sprockets and cleaned them of old grease and packed them. Oh, am I boring you. Sorry

JacobLee 

I understand the distinction, but I think it’s kind of cool when you can disassemble a 33 year old bike and the cables are still in good enough shape to re-use. The rear cable had been kinked really sharply and I couldn’t get it back through the derailleur loop, so I used a new one.

It’s funny, but going through this bike reminded me of just how consumable my mountain bikes were in the 80’s. Those components got used up quickly. Lots of broken parts.

madpogue 

Oh don't worry, there's nothing official about how you post your bike, or the work you do on it. It's fun to mention the maintenance/upkeep stuff. I just meant that the OP's bike is still very much "original", cables and tires and such don't take anything away from that.

Think of it this way -- that bike could be used in a "period" movie and it would fit right in. I just noticed, even the dork disc is not yellowed.

JacobLee 

Oh, that was me, the OP responding, and you know, your comment made me think about my originality claim. I think I was wrong! I remembered the markings on the shifter housing and I hadn’t really thought about it, but the front shifter housings must be newer:



Plastic ferrules, aren’t those shimano sis? The rear loop looks original:




So, yeah, who’s to say. Plenty of entertainment to wonder about it, though!

beicster 

That looks so good I am now going to have to do a better job of cleaning mine up. Just fantastic.

Markeologist

That is an absolutely horrible analogy....gasoline is not a part or component, never has been, never will be...its more akin to the air in the tires. Furthermore, in the classic car world original parts including tires, spark plug cables, fans belts etc are highly prized if a concourse restoration is your thing.

2old

Twenty years of riding bliss with this GT Zaskar (clearly not very vintage and only reporting because it was the last year for GT bikes to be manufactured in Santa Ana - my current hometown - in the US). Maybe getting ready for sale to let someone else enjoy it.

JacobLee 

Thanks so much! I probably went a bit overboard, but that red paint hypnotized me. I forget which of the ol’ pros on this forum recommended it, but the purple Simple Green Pro HD does magic on aluminum parts. Now, they’re all just going to get gunky again!

fvernon

Coming along!

Korina

I'll say! Those are some wild bars, and how many pizzas can you fit on that rack??

VtwinVince

Just finished this time capsule '88 Ascent Comp, all original except for cables.

fvernon

All the pizzas

madpogue 

Well yeah, the fuel analogy was an exaggeration. Fuel LINES might be a more appropriate one. I doubt that restoration a RUNNING classic vehicle would be devalued by installation of fresh replacements for the flexible fuel lines.

Original automobile tires and spark plug cables might be of some more value if they can be directly associated with the vehicle. But with few exceptions (e.g. the "fat" brake cables on some early MTBs), cables are pretty-much generic; when these bikes were built, they would have been sourced by multiple suppliers. Who's to say what cable should be considered "original" on a restoration, could anyone even ascertain what original cable such a bike would have had?

Markeologist

Not trying to pick on you madpogue but roller cam below rear chain stays and cantilever on front fork were the standard in mid-to late 80s. Here is my 85 Fisher Comp that I have owned since new. The Fisher and Ritchey Comps of this era are what set the standard and were copied by everybody. Those are REAL Bullmoose bars too, also copied by the mass market.

intron

wow. Super nice! Any history on the bike. And can we get some more pics?

madpogue 

"Standard"? Of the chainstay-brake bikes I've seen, the vast majority have had rear U-brakes. But that's just what shows up here in the midwest.

bOsscO

Even without the front rack and swept-back handlebars, this bike is a beauty.