[PaddyFahey]

Hello,

I just bought an older Rockhopper frame, not sure of the year (see attached pic). Now I need to build it into a full bike. I've never done this before, so I need suggestions for components. I'm not looking to restore it, but I am looking to build a fully-rigid 1X7-9 bike to ride singletrack with. I can't buy high-end components, but I don't want to put crap on there either. I guess I'm looking for stuff that needn't perform the best, but won't break or wear out easily. I don't have a specific budget, and a lot will depend on whether I can get used parts. I'm under no illusions that this will save me money. I'm doing it for the fun of it.

I'm thinking of a Nashbar rigid fork ($45), but I need suggestions for pretty much everything else:
- Headset
- Stem
- Bars
- Wheels
- Tires
- BB
- Crankset
- Cassette
- Derailleur
- Shifters
- Brakes (I'd like a disc up front, but assume that I can't have a disc on the back).

What would you buy? Entire shopping lists welcome.

Thanks,

Paddy

 

[lewisfoto]

Well you certainly can't go wrong with Shimano, cheap, reliable, available (like my ex)

I always look for a parts donor bike that has about 75 to 90% of the parts I need. Though a mid 90s Rockhopper is not the usual frame to transfer parts to, its likely that your donor bile will be every bit as good as the Hopper, but as you say it is the journey and not the destination on this one. This frame is most likely designed for a suspension fork so keep that in mind when choseing a rigid counterpart. And yes you will be stuck with V brakes, or cantis, in the back.

 

[PaddyFahey]

"not the usual frame to transfer parts to" = "why the hell is he doing this"?

Thanks, a donor bike is a great idea. I often see cheap bikes for sale around here, but they're often not my size. I got the frame for $20, so that, plus a halfway decent donor bike, plus some parts, might turn out OK.

I think the Nashbar fork is suspension corrected. I'll check.

 

[DFA]

And yes you will be stuck with V brakes, or cantis, in the back.

I don't see a cable hanger, so unless he's good at fabricating/MacGyvering, it looks like he's runnin' Vs.

 

[mik_git]

yer gunna need a multi tool, cause it has all the allen keys...pick that up first.

 

[PaddyFahey]

Yes, I forgot about tools. That's going to cost too.