Sharpshin

This summer I chanced upon a mint '95 RockHopper in a pawn shop.

Here it was after I added a rack and a couple of hand-built 36-spoke wheels I had, the original "7 speed" grip shift is actually click indexed and works fine with an eight speed cassette....

'95 Specialized.jpg

This bike is long, with about a 1 1/2" to 2" longer than average top tube, that and the low set bar put me in a forward posture, so I added a more upright (40 degree?) stem.

bike 1.jpg

That worked fine but the relatively short, flat original handlebar left me no room to attack mirrors, I had on hand a longer handlebar with a moderate rise so I added that along with a couple of bar ends to give me a place to add mirrors and such. Wasn't intended to be permanent, just a stopgap until I got the geometry and parts worked out

bike4.jpg

Looks a bit odd, sorta like the front legs of a water scorpion, and I have never had a bike with a "comfort" riser bar before. Certainly it gives a more upright riding position. Felt odd at first but on my daily 12 mile round-trip commute I'm finding the more upright riding position greatly aids one's field of vision, and I actually notice details I hadn't before even though I've been riding that same route for a few years. Sure makes keeping one's head on a swivel to watch for cars easier too.

Probably helps that I am a tortoise rather than a hare, a mere 10mph being my target average speed. I do find the wide and high bar, in combination with the long top tube, gives the feel of lots of room when riding. I'm liking too riding on 2.00"+ tires at 65psi. When one is rolling at a moderate 10mph, the perceived differences in rolling resistance between different tire widths and pressures don't seem all that noticeable. I do like the perceived agility of 26" wheels in combination with that wide footprint.

I added the widest fenders I could squeeze in (SKS P65) set as far above the tires as possible, thus far they have proved excellent in the rain and at the same time when ridden off-pavement do not bind up with the sort of mud I commonly encounter.

So far the saddle hasn't been a problem, even though I'm still on the original 20 yo stock saddle.

Mike

geoffs

glad it works for you but if it were me I'd be pointing the saddle up a bit so it's level. Being in a more upright position means a lot more pressure on the saddle and you act like a sail when there's a headwind.

fietsbob

level the saddle, flex your hips, back , to reduce the nose of saddle pressure..

sloping saddles create problems with your hands you are trying to cure with the handlebars.







.....

cyber.snow

If you are trying to reduce pressure on your peranium area (I think that is what it is called) and you want to sit up straighter, you might want to try leveling the saddle and decreasing your reach.

52telecaster

i love upright position as well. my neck doesnt bend as well as it used to.

cool bike man!

staehpj1

Folks can and should do what works for them, but...

For the same reasons you list I have always preferred the same aero posture (bars 4-5" below saddle) for my touring bikes as my road bike. If anything when I am on a long tour, riding all day for weeks or months at a time, I am more conditioned to the bike than any other time and therefore less likely to mind an aero posture. That posture along with riding fairly fast (fast for me at least) results in greater saddle comfort and a healthy happy back. Riding upright means that not only is your weight on your butt, but road shocks go right up your spine.

gl98115

Nice bike. I had the exact same year and model bike that I used as my commuter for the past nine years until it was stolen two weeks ago.

One thing to watch out for is the crankset, as the standard Alivio crankset was recalled by Shimano for a tendency to break. I can confirm that it was a problem.

https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/1997/CP...le-Components/

Sharpshin

Thanks for the advice all, and apologies for not responding sooner, my times is austere and I cut off wifi at the house, just now I'm at McDonalds.

Thanks for the heads up on the crankset, a 22/32/44 Nashbar rig is in my near future.

Furthest I've rode this bike in a day so far is 40 miles, no problems so far.

Good point about lower back impacts, I will say I still have some forward lean and am not flat-out sitting on the seat. Mostly I perch on '89the back end of that old-tech 23yo stock Specialized saddle. Currently it wears a DryRider rain cover 24/7 on account of the vinyl is cracking on the original saddle.

Love the Brooks on my regular touring road bike (worked-over '89 Schwinn Voyageur) but your basic Brooks B17 (??) saddle like I got is about an inch narrower at the back end than the old Specialized.

I'm wondering if I'd be better off on this bike with a Brook's Flyer saddle, the ones with the sprung back end. Might help protect my back from occasional unexpected slams. I wouldn't want any bouncing "pogo" effect howeverwhen pedaling on account of those springs.

All thoughts appreciated.

Happy Feet

Pretty sure the Flyer is just a B17 on springs so the width will be the same.

I have a B67 which is sprung and also another sprung saddle and I find them to act as natural tachometers (of a sort). If the cranking is too slack I start to bounce and that tells me to shift up. Works like a charm.

52telecaster

i have a flyer and it is stiffly sprung, just the thing to take the edge off. it is exactly the same seat as the b17 with the addition of springs.

djb

tis true.

I bought a used one on a whim while buying another used seat, mostly because I find it looks really neat, and initially as a very light fellow, I found the springs too stiff. After riding it for a while, it gradually softened up just enough that now after maybe 1000km or something on it, it works fine and I can feel it doing its suspension thing. Given that I am probably 50lbs or more lighter than most average guys, and even more compared to big fellers, I can't speak for the wallowing or bouncing effect, but as this fellow said, it does take the edge off sharp hits.

However, they do weigh a ton, well, 2 pounds give or take. I guess if you were going to be riding over very rough pavement or dirt roads in backroads Whereverstan, it could help on a trip, but on the flip side, using wider tires at lower pressures combined with a regular B17 has worked wonders for me on rough pavement on a trip, and using lighter tires and a lighter seat probably saved me 3lbs on my bike (easily a pound for a lighter seat, and a pound each if you go with heavy tires like Marathon Plus's or something).

oooooor, you do like me, buy one and if you dont like it, sell it. In my case, I didnt sell it because its like a work of art, especially with the brass rivets, but then its now ended up on a bike turned into my commuter and it works fine, so its being used regularly.

Sharpshin

Folly, thy name is Sciatica!

I commuted for months on that setup with no problems at until I hit an unexpected jolt at the end of May, felt it in my lower back at the time, didn't meet sciatica until the next morning. Hardly slept for a week, hobbled around most of the summer.

So anyhoo.... my bike look like this now, bar set even with the saddle. Sciatica ain't returned so far.....

djb

looks like you changed the crankset out to a FSA model, isnt that a 50/39/30? The inner shapes look like a fsa one to me.

re back issues, dont know if you pay much attention, but often just a 5psi less pressure in tires can make that diff of how jolts feel, with really no speed diff.
Those look like at least 1.75 or maybe 2in tires. On my touring bike with 2in x26, even loaded up I run 45 rear and 40 or 42 front, and I figure that weight is about what you are unloaded, so play with pressures to see how it rides and see what pressure is best for reducing , taking the edge off jolts. My tires are more flexible ones that what these may be, mine are Supremes, so they have a nice ride to them--but no matter, getting that sweet spot of pressure with any tire will help for your hopefully not to return back issue.

bobwysiwyg

gorillimo