KiwiAmerican

Hi There! (New to the forum, forgive me)
I just came across a 93 Hardrock that is in pretty good condition. I was wondering what tips anyone has for an inexpensive restor. I know I’ll need new wheels at some point as the spokes are beginning to rust. I also need to get a quill adapter, bar/stem to lower the bars for better handling. Any other advice? I’m new to the mtb restoration game. Only a bit of road experience. Any help would be greatly

bikemig 

I'm a big fan of older MTBs. I'd start by sinking as little money into this project as possible so hold off on the quill adapter until you know this bike is a keeper and you know that you need a different bar/stem set up.

Start by overhauling the bike. That means new ball bearings for the headset, bottom bracket, and hubs. Also you will want to replace the consumables (gear and derailleur cables, brake pads, tires, and chain). At that point, just ride the bike and see what if any other changes you might want to make. This is a nice bike but it's likely not worth sinking a lot of money into it. Vintage MTBs tend to be inexpensive.

Korina

Welcome! You'll find lots of useful info (and even more opinions) in the Classic & Vintage forum; we love old mountain bikes.

KiwiAmerican

Awesome! Will do. I appreciate it. Glad I found this community. I've not done BB or hubs before so it should be an experience. Is there a "best place" to get those bits and pieces in your experience? Thanks again!

rosefarts

My first mountain bike, the one in got at 13 and it changed my life, was a Hardrock probably '91.

These are available at pawn shops and second hand stores for under $100 pretty regularly.

It's a good solid bike. I bet the wheels are fine. I wouldn't worry about rust on the spokes until they break. If the rims are straight, just ride.

Is it 200gs Biopace? Pretty reliable.

Replace the consumables as mentioned. The bearings may only need cleaned but they literally cost pennies. I prefer mineral spirits over simple green for cleaning. With either, wear gloves, it dries and cracks my skin.

Have fun and just ride it.

dedhed

https://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/

MY "TEN SPEEDS - Home Page

ramzilla

I completely disassemble a bicycle down to the bare frame for restoration. (The only thing I don't take apart is the spokes off the rims). Then, clean and polish each part. Put it all back together again with new grease & ball bearings, cables, cable housing, chain, brake pads, rim tape, tubes, tires, seat, grips or bar tape and, whatever else needs to be replaced. New wheels will make the biggest improvement in any bike rebuild project.

KiwiAmerican

Thank you all so much! I’ll start this weekend on disassembly, cleaning, and replacing bearings to start. I plan to ride it over the next week to see how it goes from there. Possible next steps will be upgrades to bars and wheels. I really appreciate the links and knowledge from experience. You guys and gals rock 💪🏽

Batstar

Lots of sage advice from the experts here. I was also new to the resto game when it came to recently refurbishing my Trek and still have a lot to learn. How are you set for tools? Basic stuff like allen/torx and open wrenches I had lying around. Other bike specific tools I sourced cheap locally, from the web or borrowed from friends. BB wrench, crank arm puller, cassette removal tool, chain whip, pedal wrench, etc…just to name a few. Something to think about if you are considering a complete overhaul. A bike repair stand isn’t an absolute must but will save you from turning your bike upside down and from constantly bending over.

As mentioned above, Park Tool is an excellent website to refer to particularly the videos.

Take your time and most importantly, have fun!

2cam16

Congrats! Decent model. I've owned a few from various model years. Do consumables first. If it's the right bike, then move up to your mods. One day you'll end up wanting more than the bike can handle so be prepared for a more modern bike.
Post pics!

Wilfred Laurier

I would recommend not 'upgrading' anything that isn't acutely in need of replacement. If your spokes start breaking then replace the wheels, but trying to 'upgrade' will send you into a incompatibility spiral with that old bike. It likely has a 3x7 drivetrain, and the likes of those haven't been seen on decent quality bikes for over 20 years, so replacing one part at a time will be very difficult. Further, the bike was decent quality to begin with, so if you get the bearings cleaned and properly reassembled, and put new cables on it, there is not much you can do to actually make it 'perform' better. Keep it running smoothly and save for a more modern bike if this one doesn't meet your needs - although it almost certainly will.

Wilfred Laurier

Update and correction: the '93 Hardrock came with a freewheel rear hub, instead of the more modern 'freehubs' design. Freewheel hubs are much more prone to bent and broken axles, so if you can find a 7 speed freehub wheel, that would be a smart 'upgrade'.

https://www.bikepedia.com/Quickbike/...spx?item=42145

dmark 

Don't assume the spokes may need replacing. If badly pitted they may but they may clean up nicely by rubbing them with crumpled up aluminum foil. I've cleaned several wheels spokes of surface rust this way.
There is nothing wrong with old spokes but stainless steel survives neglect much better.

Korina

+1 on the "incompatibility spiral" (brilliant term!). Been there, done that, got the t-shirt bill. I do like my 3x7 drivetrain in hilly Arcata; those low gears get me up them. I ❤️ my granny gear.

Darth Lefty 

A 90's Hardrock shouldn't suffer any incompatibility problems at all. Replacements exist for everything on it at similar quality level.

Viich

100%, as long as you're careful when buying replacements to get a replacement and not an 'upgrade'.
7 speed freewheel still works great. I use it on my winter / rain commuter - best part is that chains and freewheels are very cheap. Important for a bike I ride in the salt.

alcjphil

Current practice for mountain bikes is to raise the bars for better handling. I had a 1998 GT LTS mountain bike that I updated. I went to a fork with a bit more travel and I raised the bars. The bike came alive for off road riding. Obstacles that would have put me over the bars previously were easy to overcome. In general, older mountain bikes were more geared to road riding position than what has been found to work better for current bikes. Lowering your handlebar may well make handling worse, not better

KiwiAmerican

Awesome. I got into the hubs and headset to clean the beats and they sure needed a makeover. Thanks for the bar tip. I’m just not used to the position after being off the mountain bike for so long I guess. I took it out today and had a BLAST! I do feel as though my reach could be extended a bit. Not sure how I can fix that. However, I’m loving that I came across it and being off-road has been a blast so far. Cassette and derailleur are in good shape so I’m not having to do too much there. I really appreciate the constant feedback. You all are great!

Korina

KiwiAmerican we need more posts from you so you can show us your bike!!

KiwiAmerican

After trying to upload a photo several times I now see what you meant lol. I'll get on it!

KiwiAmerican

After replacing bearings, switching out to flat bars, new bar ends and grips (with a splash of yellow to match the graphics) she's fit as a fiddle! It has been a blast being back on open fields and dirt tracks. Thank you all! I'm sure I'll do more tinkering in the future, but now that it rides well I don't want to stop! Here's a pic I snapped quickly today (forgive the dirt and poor photo quality). Cheers!

KiwiAmerican

Toe straps to come. I have some mnt pedals but only 1 pair of shoes (and they are road shoes). Hopefully I'll get some proper mnt bike shoes in the near future.

Korina

Sweet! And never apologize for dirt. It shows you're riding your bike.

KiwiAmerican

She rides well! This is how it will stay for the moment. I just found another Specialized online for 40 dollars (an early RockHopper in blue, yellow, and purple) so here's to starting the process all over again!

Cleatus21

I just bought this exact bike off ebay from a bike charity in Scotland. Coming to me in the post.

Frame looks good and seems to have most of its original parts but will need to give it a check over when it gets here. Do you have any tips for this particular bike? Anything to look out for? Any component recommendations? Or any useful resoruces?

I really want to find the Specialized brochure for this year to see what it looked like originally. Somebody found me a German one but the picture was small and I wasn't sure it was the same model.

Look amazing by the way. Can't wait to see mine.