They say Old Stumpjumpers can make good All-rounders...

[James Warren]

...and some bidders probably think so:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230374249630&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:US:1123

(I was one of those bidders and wouldn't go that high. Maybe I would have if I didn't have stout bikes already. But that is a really nice frame.)

[eflayer]

think the one i had recently was more vintage than that one on ebay.
mine had the two plate fork crown. the steering geometry on that
thing was really whack and not really suited for much of anything.
hopefully the one on ebay is later and they upgraded the geo to work
better.

On Sep 14, 4:02 pm, James Warren <jimcwar...@earthlink.net> wrote:
> ...and some bidders probably think so:
>

> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230374249630&ssPag...

[rcnute]

I picked this up locally for $225 or so with the goal of making it
into something Atlantis-like. Paying more, might as well go Surly.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30684316@N08/3921989102/sizes/o/

[David Sprunger]

I have an '84 Stumpjumper, which is a lugged frame that still boasts
the twin-plate fork. According to the Specialized Stumpjumper book,
the early frames were made by Toyo. The attention to detail on my
frame is impressive.

[cm]

I think most old suspension-less mountain bikes make great All
Rounders. Most people I run into touring have an old mountain bike
converted to All Rounder. I am not too sure about how the geometry
changed from the early 80's to about 1997 (when it became almost
impossible to get a high quality suspension-less bike), but I
converted several of them from that time period into AR's and they all
work great. I currently have a 1996 Trek 930 that I bought new in the
box in 2006. The key is to buy it WAY bigger than they would have
sized you for when it was new. Lugs vs non-lugged is much less
important to me when I am going for value-- condition and spec is much
more important. Almost everyone I know is a new stem, new tires, new
h'bars away from a great AR--oh yeah, and fenders, cant forget the
fenders.

I think this is brilliant:

http://cgi.ebay.com/BRAND-NEW-NISHIKI-CASCADE-MOUNTAIN-BIKE-BICYCLE_W0QQitemZ160361421102QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMountain_Bikes?hash=item255649192e&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14#ht_1179wt_958

I know, tinyurl, but I wanted people to know it was ebay.$259 for a
new full LX bike with thumbshifters? That is grand-- of course it is
also tiny-- but I got my Trek from the same guy-- he must have a
warehouse of old mountain bikes. The Trek was top-notch and as good as
he claimed.

Cheers!
cm

[Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery]

The older Stumpjumpers had slack angles that can seem "really whack"
if you're coming off something more conventional... But once you get
the feel for it, you realize that these bikes can roll over just about
any reasonable surface without deflecting from a straight line. I use
mine mostly in the winter, and have ridden it both geared (2x8) and as
a fixed-gear. It has super long chainstays (47 cm), so pannier/heel
clearance isn't an issue for me.
It's in classic mtb mode now, but it'll probably go back to this soon:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/twowheelflight/2928495702/

[JL]

To bring this back around to Riv content: there is something I have
been wondering. Don't these older MTB's, have high BBs? One would
think that would adversely effect loaded handling. I am wrong in
assuming that? Riv touts the benefits of a low BB for improved
handling. I don't expect old mtbs to be Rivendells but I know we all
like their geometry (in one way or another) How do the two compare?

[Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery]

My SJ has a very high BB, which makes for good fixed-gear and
cornering pedal clearance!

[Marty]

Here's a whole world of MTB conversions to sift through for those
thinking along these lines. A nice old Rivendell was uploaded recently
- anyone here? Mr. Cranky?

http://www.flickr.com/groups/1058357@N23/pool/

Cheers, Marty



On Sep 15, 9:19 am, Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery <thill....@gmail.com>
wrote:

[Rick]

Thanks for the photo, Jim, I'm going to try the dirtdrop w/ my '90
rockhopper.

[Dan McCuaig]

Bottom-bracket-driven handling differences are actually much more
noticeable when bikes are *un*loaded. Load up some rear panniers and
front low-riders, and you do enough to lower the bike's center of
gravity that an early MTB will feel almost as stable as a similarly
loaded Riv, certainly when at cruising speed. It's when you stomp on
an unloaded (or high-loaded) bike (i.e., starting, accelerating,
climbing) that you really feel the difference between a high bottom
bracket and a low one.

[eflayer]

when I had mine I took it to Riv and there was quite a stir seeing
that old vintage bike. I asked them about the geo and the steering.
Grant measured the angles and the trail and to a man, they said one
way to improve the steering was to consider a much larger tire or even
a LARGER WHEEL. I tried bigger tires and that did improve steering
some, but not enough to have me keep it in the herd.

[rinjin]

JimT at Hiawatha sold me a fine silver '83 Stumpjumper Sport that has
become a good AR for me. Not quite as pretty as an Atlantis and maybe
not quite as versatile, but pretty close for my purposes.

I've used it with drop bars and fenders and racks, but its current
incarnation involves the lovely Rivendell Bullnose bars, Paul's
Thumbies, and Big Apples. Good for casual trail riding, cruising with
the kids, etc. I'm a sucker for the biplane fork crown, variants of
which I now have on FOUR bikes (a '94 RB-1, a Rawland Sogn, the SJ,
and an early 80s Univega mtb set up as an XtraCycle).

Photos of the SJ here:
http://tinyurl.com/lb3w84

Shown alongside the newest member of the fleet, the 2009 Stumpjumper,
in a couple photos. 26 years of evolution.

Brian
Park City, UT

On Sep 14, 5:02 pm, James Warren <jimcwar...@earthlink.net> wrote:
> ...and some bidders probably think so:
>

> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230374249630&ssPag...

[Dan McCuaig]

I bought a NOS 1989 (I'm guessing) Rockhopper from the same guy. Was
as advertised (although the build quality wasn't great -- it was an
"early Taiwan" frame). It was a nice package -- drivetrain (48-38-28
almost round Biopace in the front, 13-30 seven-speed in the back) and
brakes were Mountain LX (levers were Exage); hubs were Specialized-
branded Suntour/Sansin sealed bearing; rims were Araya. The bits
limiting its all-rounder potential were: short chainstays (really
couldn't go bigger than 2.0 in the back, and definitely would have to
go skinnier with fenders) and high bottom bracket. I ended up passing
it along (for what I had into it) to a student whose bike had been
stolen, but I seriously considered Xtra'cycling it.

On Sep 14, 11:57 pm, cm <chrispmur...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> I think most old suspension-less mountain bikes make great All
> Rounders. Most people I run into touring have an old mountain bike
> converted to All Rounder. I am not too sure about how the geometry
> changed from the early 80's to about 1997 (when it became almost
> impossible to get a high quality suspension-less bike), but I
> converted several of them from that time period into AR's and they all
> work great. I currently have a 1996 Trek 930 that I bought new in the
> box in 2006. The key is to buy it WAY bigger than they would have
> sized you for when it was new. Lugs vs non-lugged is much less
> important to me when I am going for value-- condition and spec is much
> more important. Almost everyone I know is a new stem, new tires, new
> h'bars away from a great AR--oh yeah, and fenders, cant forget the
> fenders.
>
> I think this is brilliant:
>

> http://cgi.ebay.com/BRAND-NEW-NISHIKI-CASCADE-MOUNTAIN-BIKE-BICYCLE_W...

[JoelMatthews]

Speaking of which, anyone see this new Cyclofiend Working Bike entry:

http://www.cyclofiend.com/working/2009/wb112-cooperdragonette0909.html

Not sure if Cooper visits the board here. If so, along with saying
what a great bike this turned out to be, I want to point out that the
'Brooks style" saddle appears to be a very nice Ideale and as such
probably has collectible value.

On Sep 14, 6:02 pm, James Warren <jimcwar...@earthlink.net> wrote:
> ...and some bidders probably think so:
>

> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230374249630&ssPag...

[Zac]

Hi-
Yeah, I'm an admin for the Nub City Wheelsters, MTB converted to
touring rig group. My pal Jake converted his old Rockhopper to a
loaded touring rig last summer and this group was born out of his
experience. Thanks to Jim T. for linking to us. Come one come all!

Here's my stumpy, or Nubster as we refer to them.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/garycaribou/3019651239/in/pool-1058357@N23

Cheers,
Zac Stanley

[Zac]

Sorry, thanks to Marty for linking to us.

On Sep 15, 11:39 am, JoelMatthews <joelmatth...@mac.com> wrote:

[CycloFiend]

If you are going to pursue this, I'd pay careful attention to angles and
measurements. There was considerable variation in spec's on early mtb's and
much changing from year to year. It also varied by coast as well. A number
of east coast builders (Chris Chance, for example) tended towards shorter
wheelbase and higher bb's, as they wanted root clearance and tight quarters
maneuverablility.

Stuff from '83 varied tremendously from '87, and the same to '91. My
Montare ('83) has 44" chainstays (and I've never measured the bb drop - will
do when it's built back up) and had the looooong wheelbase of the first
Breezer/Schwinn Excelsior SF Bay Area era. But, the builders were certainly
all paying attention to the others, and ideas (chainstay mounted u-brakes,
for example) tended to catch fire and then die.

I rode the Montare as my mtb into the mid-90's and it still handled rutty,
steep descents easier than a plush cadillac on a smooth highway.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cyclofiend/2474020800

For those folks interested in a broader discussion of early mtb's, there's a
"Vintage ATB" list (search VATB on yahoo groups) run by First Flight Bikes -

http://www.firstflightbikes.com

http://mombat.org/

--
Jim Edgar
Cyclo...@earthlink.net

Cyclofiend Bicycle Photo Galleries - http://www.cyclofiend.com
Current Classics - Cross Bikes
Singlespeed - Working Bikes

Send In Your Photos! - Here's how: http://www.cyclofiend.com/guidelines

"That which is overdesigned, too highly specific, anticipates outcome; the
anticipation of outcome guarantees, if not failure, the absence of grace."

William Gibson - "All Tomorrow's Parties"

[Jim G]

I had an '85 Stumpy Sport that I built up into an all-rounder:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimg/146591937/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimg/251981201/

The one time I actually rode it off road (fire roads, 2nd photo) it
was kinda fun, but it made a pretty poor city bike IMHO. It was quite
heavy, and the slack angles made for EXTREMELY twitchy slow-speed
handling with lots of wheel flop. I'd intended it as a bike for my
wife, but those issues were deal-breakers for her, so this one didn't
make the cut.

-Jim G

[Ken Mattina]

Here is my 87 Bianchi Grizzly.  I bought it on craigslist from a guy who had been hanging it in his garage for over 20 years. My guess about 20 miles on it.
 
http://picasaweb.google.com/ken.mattina/BianchiSuperGrizzly#

 

 

--
Where did the spring go?
Where did my hormones go?
Where did my energy go?
Where did my go go?
Where did the pleasure go?
Where did my hair go?

-- Ray Davies

[EricP]

One way to look at it. After a year (or sometimes two) the
Stumpjumper geometry would "trickle down" to the Sport, then
Rockhopper, then Hardrock. My circa 1991 Hardrock is pretty close to
a 1989 or 1990 Rockhopper. Of course, my Hardrock is totally re-done
so it is comparing apples to oranges.

All this is funny as from 1984 to 1986 I rode a mountain bike as an
all rounder when commuting to college. Really was the best way to
deal with snow and ice in winter. Once rode in a blizzard that
basically shut down the Twin Cities. The few folks that were out
usually had say something about seeing a guy in a parka riding a bike
in that weather. (Yes, most were of the "you're a nut" variety).

Of course, could argue that my Atlantis is set up like an ultimate old
mountain bike. Good for anything.

Eric Platt
St. Paul, MN

On Sep 15, 2:13�pm, CycloFiend <cyclofi...@earthlink.net> wrote:

> Cyclofi...@earthlink.net
>
> Cyclofiend Bicycle Photo Galleries -http://www.cyclofiend.com

[Beardpapa]

Great job, Zac!