balindamood

When I worked in a bike shop in the mid to late ‘80s, my boss at the time had a Specialized Rockhopper which was several years old at the time. I remember it because it is the only one I have ever seen with Suntour derailuers, bull moose handlebars, and it was an odd dark blue.

In looking at what I believe to be the most complete historical resource on the subject:

https://www.firstflightbikes.com/specialized_specs.htm

I see that 1986 was the first model year for the Rockhopper and it does not match my description above. I have an ’86 red Rockhopper to boot.

Well, yesterday I rescued a Rockhopper from the trash heap that is identical to my old bosses; blue, bull moose bars, Suntour drivetrain, reasonably complete (except the pedals and seat). The specs match the 1985 Stumpjumper except the frame is not lugged (like the ’86 Rockhoppers). The steel sticker, though marred, is clearly not the same as the ’86 either.

Is it possible they rolled out some Rockhoppers out in ’85 before the ’86 model year???

T-Mar

Rockhoppers were indeed available in 1985 and ithey were equipped with with SunTour Mountech derailleurs and bull moose bars, and the frames were lugless and blue. Serial number?

g-funk

I have an 85 Rockhopper. my first real mountain bike. All the prior bikes were homemade 5speed BMX bikes. I won the Rockhopper Race on it in 1986 I was the only one in my age group, but I won a 12 pack of beer for being the first finisher on a Rockhopper, unfortunately I was 11.

Anyway it's a sweet bike, nice find.

balindamood

Indeed. Component date codes are mid-1984. I'll check the serial #,

knzn

Here is mine. According you your chart, and mine being a RockHopper "Comp," it should be a 1988 model and DiNucci Green or White/Blue. Mine is a slate grey though. Hmm.

balindamood

Ser# 5071585
G0385

Not sure what this means.

I can probably restore it with what I have except there is a fair amount of rust on the handle bars. I doubt that these are going to be easy to replace.

jgedwa

I know I am going to get yelled at for this, but I have to say it:

Take that kickstand off that Rockhopper! Don't make the old girl wear that around town.

jim

T-Mar

It's a Giant manufactured frame from March 1985.

epicurean

Here's an '86 Rockhopper I picked up last year. It was all original save for the saddle and wheelset.

knzn

Great looking bike. I think I would like a set of bars and stem like yours on mine.

epicurean

Thanks knzn. Oddly enough, I also picked up a gray Rockhopper Comp that looks a lot like the one you showed a few posts back. Here it is:

knzn

Hey, that IS my bike. I changed the saddle, tires and grips on mine. You really scored two neat bikes.

thebankman

Old steel S bikes are my absolute favorites to look at and ride. Here is mine, it looks to be a similar year to the last gray frame, Direct Drive Offroad tubing. Based on the parts and a "license registration" sticker on the seat tube that I've removed, it is a 1988-89. Only remaining parts are the stem and seatpost. This one was abandoned on the street with a rusted chain and some broken parts.

If anyone has more pics of steel Specialized mountain bikes, please post them up here! There needs to be more cataloging of these bikes on the web. Firstflightbikes is a good start for sure!

caloso

Here's mine, doing commute duty. I think it's an '89 or '90.

bigbossman 

Here's a Specialized Stump Jumper I handled last year. I believe it was an '89. Sold it to a guy that was an absolute fanatic about early Stump Jumpers.

sunburst

Can anybody tell me what year this one is? I got it with the original components, hardly ridden, and made some minor mods to make it a commuter. I really like the ride - very well balanced and responsive.

cobrabyte

Anyone know what model year this one is? ::Been trying to figure it out for a while:: thanks

rufus

that's got to be at least a 1991, as that's the year they changed the Specialized name decal to look exactly like the corporate logo. same with the gray one just above your post. Sloping top tubes were 1990, graphics changes were a year later.

My catalog from 1992 shows a Rockhopper Comp that looks exactly like your red one.

rufus

It looks like there might be some tiny writing after 'Rockhopper'. If it's a Rockhopper Expert, it's from 1993. More likely not, as the crankset looks more like that from the Rockhopper Sport, whuch was available in Purple Metallic, but I don't have a pic of it.

rufus

I've misplaced my 1995 and 1996 catalogs, but just from the way the graphics look, I'm gonna guess it's either of those years.

markk900

Rather than replace check out getting them rechromed.....it might be cheaper than you imagine (and certainly faster than waiting for them to show up on evil-bay). I've had many "hard-to-find" small pieces done for motorcycle restorations and a good plater can do an amazing job with rusty bits.....

thebankman

92? Thank you! My red Rockhopper is a Sport model.

Did the Sport or Ultra or whatever sub-level model these bikes were signify a change in the actual frame? The Sport was probably the bottom of the barrel in terms of components, but the frame is very light and strong. With an ENO hub and a few added parts this has turned the bike into a very neutral, instinctive handling trail bike.

rufus

My bad. The '92 Rockhopper Comp was actually Orange. But that year's Sport did come in red, although the catalog pic was purple. So I think your red is indeed a '92.

The frame should be the same throughout the line, the different levels would just signify better component spec. In 1992, there was the base Rockhopper, the Rockhopper Sport above that, and then the Comp at the top of the Rockhopper line.

Gonzo Bob

You sure that's an '89? I thought the U-brake died a quicker death than that - I thought it was used on MTBs for only two years, '87 and '88. I could be wrong, though.

bigwoo

Gonzo Bob,
I've seen them up until 1990 on Specialized...And GT did it till '92

Here's my 1991 w/ full Suntour X-Press, again

https://