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Thanks! I almost pulled the trigger on a HardRock when I was looking for a 90s MTB frame! HardRocks have such good paint jobs. Can’t wait to see your build.

Re: Helpful build list. While I did a lot of research online, ultimately I got the best suggestions when I was talking to the guys at the LBS. Parts bought at LBS here cost on an average 25-30% more than online but I value their advice a lot so it’s worth it for me. This is my first build so I got a lot of input on how to put the bike together. Shout out to guys at The Peddler Bike Shop in Austin TX!

The Tektro Levers I used are from an older failed Rockhopper conversion. They’re linear pull so they should be fine with V brakes (open to be corrected. They seem to work great for me). They’re Tektro RL520.

If I didn’t have these levers on me, I would most likely have gone with cantis since I love the way they function and look (I was looking for a good looking bike as well).

Hope that helps.

Haha, tis okay. We're all jealous of your score, and that great choice of bars and tires.


How about these pedals, in white? I rode singletrack with them on my mountain bike. They worked great before I switched to clipless pedals.

Edit: I also own a set of these which cost about twice as much, but are very well made and great value for the money. I think they're as nice as $100+ MTB flats. I think either the black or grey ones would look nice on your bike.

Thanks! I've been having a blast on this thing.

I put this 90mm stem on it. I mainly chose the shorter stem to accommodate the drop bars. I think the stock stem was a little longer than 110, but i'm not sure. The bike definitely turns a bit quicker. I prefer the handling with the shorter stem.

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TIL what "cold setting a frame" is. I'm on what i think is the original wheelset. I think i like this frame too much to experiment on.

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I kept as many components as i could. that's also the original drivetrain i got with the bike (minus the chain and shift levers). The bike was in relatively great shape when i got it.

I scored this Rockhopper for $50! Now I’m looking to modernize pretty much the whole thing. Please critique my build list below. Would you get anything different, or better, or maybe anything else that would be better value? Did I miss anything? Do you think all of this will work together? It will be my adventure bike for bike packing, gravel, off road touring.

FOMTOR 25.4 stem 60mm 35 Degree Bike Handlebar Stem Riserhttps://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07G71CZG6

UPANBIKE Road Mountain Bike Bicycle Stem Riser Adapter 1 1/8" φ22.2mm https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071LLR8PR

Action 1-1/8" W/Adjuster Black Cable Hanger Fronthttps://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XCSKWCQ

KMC X9L 9 Speed Chain Gold Coatedhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B0789HPV7M

Wheel Set 26 x 1.5, Mavic x M117, Deore M530 9Sp Hub, Blk SS Spokes, 32Hhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B0033H53VI

Shimano Deore 9-Speed Mountain Bicycle Rear Derailleur - RD-M591https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003OWPRLI

Maxxis DTH 26 X 2.15 60A Kevlar Blackhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B004XIT4YS

XCSOURCE MTB Mountain Bike Crankset Aluminum Bicycle Crank Sprocket and Bottom Bracket Kit 170mm CS400https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LWXUV7I

RaceFace 104mm Single Chain Ringhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D3FG6ZW

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Edit: Adding Shifters and Cassette

SHIMANO Deore SL-M590 9-Speed Shift Lever
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IKVJF8Y/

JGbike Sunrace 8 9 10 Speed MTB Cassette 11-40T 1 Wide Ratio Including 22mm Extender - for SRAM Shimano-Type splined freehub Body
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MRLWHEO

Just through Amazon. Get something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002I7K5KS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_fceBDb8Y9KDY0

Then something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073QHQHPB/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_4eeBDb2YYTRZJ

Then some spacers, how thick depending on where your chainline falls.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007HOI6F8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_NheBDb9NZ1JFR

You may also need longer bolts, depending. You can definitely find all manner of videos on YouTube, many of which were made by people that know what they’re doing a whole lot better than I do.

New Rear Wheel - had a 6 speed before so had to get a new wheel to fit the 11 speed and just shoved it in there to spread the dropouts.

New rear mech, cassette, shifter, chainring, and chain SLX m7000 - may or may not be real Shimano.....

New Crankset and Bottom Bracket - came wrapped in chinese newspaper. But.... it all works wonderfully!!!

Hah. Looking for concrete answers?

Buy these. https://www.amazon.com/MKS-18092030213-Sylvan-Touring-Pedals/dp/B000MXOLAK/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=mks+sylvan+touring+pedals&qid=1569467532&s=gateway&sprefix=mks+s&sr=8-1

Not so sharp that she’ll dump you for getting them but still really grippy.

Nice classic look that would nice on a road bike.

If you stick with Cantilever brakes (I did) then I would suggest this tektro fork mount cable hanger instead: https://www.amazon.com/Tektro-Front-Cable-Hanger-Black/dp/B006GHDRYC/ref=asc_df_B006GHDRYC/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312111916046&hvpos=1o3&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9209235087896262264&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=t&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1020929&hvtargid=pla-568555982053&psc=1
I bought one like the one you linked to, but returned it for the post mounted one. More stable and easier to mess with. But you will need to get a longer mounting bolt. I just took it to ace hardware and they found me the right bolt for a buck or two.

Thanks! This stem adapter and this cable hanger.

Sunlite front rack. Pretty cheap. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002MKHR7A/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_KS8ODbNSVXK56

Thanks, that stem really is working out well for the drop bar conversion. It also has a hole for the brake cable, but if you want a barrel adjuster might want to go with one of these hangers instead (which requires a spacer to work with that stem, so I learned...)

please take the comments seriously. It is very, very dangerous to ride as pictured. It's pretty damn easy to tumble and get a bar in your femoral artery. You'd bleed out in minutes. I think these would look great and are cheap as hell. These bar ends would retain your gripless aesthetic while providing the comfort of not taking a fucking core sample when you inevitably fall.

Sunlite Gold Tec. Mounts right to the canti bosses on your fork, as well as the fork crown. Solid little rack for cheap.

This Shimano 6sp freewheel cluster is a good option for your driveline in terms of durability and shift quality. No real need to go to 7sp as the incremental difference isn't worth the added strain on the rear axle (7sp freewheels place extra loads on the rear hub/axle assemby).

its this cheap one. works OK with the Wald 137 for groceries or my backpack. Don't think I would trust it for anything very heavy

I went with these:https://www.amazon.com/Wald-Fender-Flared-972-26-Chrome/dp/B001AYJEN4/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=flared+fender+26&qid=1572716803&sr=8-3 and theres a ton of room, could probably fit 2.5" if your frame has room. They are crazy heavy though, and sturdy as a result.

https://www.amazon.com/Sunlite-Gold-Tec-Front-Rack/dp/B002MKHR7A

If your fork has a fender mount hole (though the steerer, below the crown), you can use a fork mount derailleur hanger instead of the above the headset orginal version. I used one on this bike

I saw a video where the guys suggested this!

Profile Design Threadless Size Converter (1" - 1 1/8") https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0028N14GQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Z0ODDbC2E345N

Amazon

It’s legit Cinelli in lots of colors.

You're gonna need a saddle bag to dangle this off of:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009PUR72/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_f..ADbQWDW2RN

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002MKHR7A/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 this is the one I got.

Poor man's Nitto for sure.

Here's a set with Mavic for a little more than $100. I haven't shopped wheels for a couple years, but there was a time when everyone was blowing out rim brake Deore wheel sets. A deeper search would probably turn some up. That said, the Mavic/Deore wheels would cost a good $180 in parts. All ya gotta do is seat the spoke heads and tweak the tension. I'd prefer Sun rims over Mavic. Last I checked they can take about 15kgf more tension as the alloy isn't as brittle.