# Old Stumpjumper help, please!



## Dr. John (May 18, 2013)

Hey guys, I had been on the hunt for an old, steel Mtb to use for commuting/super light touring/general fun, etc. I was looking at an old Bridgestone MB-1 which was amazing but it got snatched up before I could get to it. Anyway, I'm now riding a '95 Stumpjumper which has been a great city bike so far. My only complaint is that the geometry is not super spine-friendly, especially with a backpack on. I sort of bought it on a whim, without doing much research the geometry of these old bikes. The stock stem was enormous, so I changed it out for a modern 90mm Easton stem. Even with that change, the bike is still too long for me. To be honest, I wanted to set it up like a Rivendell with upright bars and a basket. I want to keep this thing because it is a really great, sturdy bike, but I literally can't keep riding in such an uncomfortable position. Does anyone have any suggestions on this? For reference, it is an 18" and I'm 5'7". Thank you.

John


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## Bigwheel (Jan 12, 2004)

Your LBS is jerking you around. Try another one.


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## girlonbike (Apr 24, 2008)

Dr. John said:


> (pics would be helpful!)


eh hem.

Yeah what Bigwheel said. That's ridiculous that they won't help you with bars. What? They only carry 31.8 bars?!


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## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

Do an eBay search for 'high rise stem', you have lots of inexpensive options.
Then find some 25.4 high rise bars (also inexpensive), or something more Rivendell-y if you want. 
You could redo the front end of that bike for $40 bucks and put yourself in a more comfortable position for commute duty.

Don't ever go back to that LBS, they're idiots.


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## Dr. John (May 18, 2013)

Thanks for all of your input. The guy at the shop was actually nice, he just didn't think it would be feasible and/or cost effective to do the work. It may also have something to do with the clamp size on the Easton stem that I installed as well. I'll head over to another shop this week and see if I can find a stem/bar setup that works. I figured I'd check with you all to see if there was a common upgrade to make these old steel mountain bikes a bit more commuter friendly. I know that Rivendell carries a lot of Nitto bars that are super comfortable, so I may just look for something like that and hope it fits with this particular stem.


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## MendonCycleSmith (Feb 10, 2005)

Speaking as a shop? It's our job to help folks do what they want with their bikes. 

Have I done some utterly ridiculous things? You bet. Did I explain the costs, drawbacks, benefits, concerns, etc, in a polite, educative way? Absolutely. 

To say you can't due to cost or what have you, is a lie, be it based in lack of product knowledge, or personal feelings about the changes sought, that frankly, are none of the person behind the counters business. 

Stuff like this really irks me because folks come on line all the time saying LBS's suck, they make huge margins, screw customers, are clueless, just try to sell you a new bike, etc. 

A good shop will not only be nice, but will help you do what you want, and explain the how's and why's. 

31.8 bars is what you want? No problem. That Stumpy's 1" steerer can be shimmed to fit the now ubiquitous 1 1/8" stem. 31.8 bar clamp is on the stem, but you need a 25.4, 26.0 etc bar to make it just right? Gee, they make shims for that too. 

All told, as Rumpfy said, maybe $40 as most of the comfort oriented product out there now, is at the cheap end of the spectrum.

They may be nice, but they are also clueless. And a shop that is so clueless (especially about something as elementary as this), does not deserve your business. Not knowing all about every product, brand, trend etc is one thing, but that's like a green grocer looking at you cross eyed when you ask about the difference between iceberg and green leaf lettuce.....


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## Dr. John (May 18, 2013)

Good stuff, thank you. BTW, I definitely don't think the shop sucks or that they are trying to screw me at all. All of my local shops have always been really nice, cool, professional, etc. I didn't mean to take the focus away from my original goal of finding the right bars and stem. FWIW, I think he was just suggesting that it was going to be really expensive to do once we find the right parts. Sounds like maybe that's not the case. I'll dig in some more this weekend to try to settle on some cool, comfortable bars.


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## 70sSanO (Nov 20, 2013)

If you want to build a bike like a Rivendell then that is what you should do. My younger brother is into the lugged steel frame with a short stem, corvette handlebars, and thumbies.

If the bike is reasonably close to fitting you there is no reason you can't modify it to work. The obvious problem is that the current handlebars are too low and too far away or some combination. Your seat may even be too far back.

The first thing you need to do is figure out where your hands need to end up to be in a comfortable position. This may mean a higher rise stem, as already suggested, and swept back handlebars.

Nothing against bike shops but you really need to go on ebay and find some nice used parts and see how they work. It would be a good idea to learn to do some basic work on a bike. Swapping out a stem or bars is pretty easy and if you can do it, the labor is free.

Who knows,l maybe 5 years from now that Stumpjumper will be painted British racing green and be sporting fenders and a Brooks saddle. At which time you may not want to post pictures.

John


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## girlonbike (Apr 24, 2008)

I don't agree with eBay. eBay is the last place you want to shop when you don't know exactly what you need. 

Get it right the firs time. Go to a different shop.


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## Dr. John (May 18, 2013)

A friend of mine has a 1993 MB-1 on which he constantly swaps out bars and such. I'm going to cruise by his garage this weekend and see if we can find a stem/bar combo that will work for me. He said that he's got a positive rise stem and some mustache bars that may do the trick. I'm definitely looking forward to making this thing more comfortable for me. I have to say, it has been a really nice bike thus far. Super solid up hills, swallows up rocks and potholes on the street and generally feels very stable. I just need to get it dialed in! Thanks again for the input and I'll update when I get everything changed out.


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## THE ARS (Sep 14, 2011)

The bike is too big.

You need a 15 or 16. Maybe 17, maybe.

Even with a stem and bars that won't be a good city bike, you need a shorter top tube and some nut clearance.

Not sure why everyone is shitting on your shop, that bike doesn't fit. It's really not even close.

Good luck.

EDIT: You can MAKE it fit, but too much sweep is going to make the steering goofy. Get something the right size and save yourself a lot of aggravation.


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## rangeriderdave (Aug 29, 2008)

I have to agree 5'8" and a 17" frame,it seems like the frame is too big for you. You can do some of the things suggested and maybe move the saddle forward ,but if the frame is too big ,you will never feel comfortable on it.


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## ish (Jun 17, 2009)

The bike might not be too big for him. He might have a shorter than normal torso.

For the type of riding that is being discussed, 1980's MTB geometry tends to work better than 1995 MTB geometry.


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## girlonbike (Apr 24, 2008)

ish said:


> The bike might not be too big for him. He might have a shorter than normal torso.
> 
> For the type of riding that is being discussed, 1980's MTB geometry tends to work better than 1995 MTB geometry.


Exactly!



THE ARS said:


> The bike is too big.
> 
> You need a 15 or 16. Maybe 17, maybe.
> 
> ...


Before being an ass about it, there were 1) no pictures and 2) no reason for us to assume that the bike didn't fit. He's only riding it around the city with a basket for heavens sake. He didn't mention that his junk was dangerously close to the top tube. He only mentioned that his back hurt and he wanted to have an upright bike. So, we were collectively mentioning the small problem that he actually detailed and even that was not very descriptive - some sort of handlebar/stem sizing issue which we still don't know for sure what the issue is. We are assuming it's the 31.8 issue but the OP has not even stated if that's what happened.

So before berating the entire forum for trying to help, try not to be such an ass about it and realize we work with what we have.


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## Bigwheel (Jan 12, 2004)

*Next?*


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## THE ARS (Sep 14, 2011)

A 1985 Stumpjumper might fit.

A 1995 Stumpjumper will not.

Not ever.

If you don't know a _large_ frame doesn't fit a _small_ man you have no business giving advice.

The original post says he is 5'7". With an 18" frame. From 1995.

You guys can buy 50 bikes that don't fit and hang them on the wall.

Great.:thumbsup:

That's not how it works when you have to use it.

Anyone shitting on this shop needs a foot in their ass because you don't know what you are talking about. You couldn't turn a wrench anywhere outside a walmart.

Take care.

I'm sure Girl will delete this so as not to hurt any feelings.


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## hollister (Sep 16, 2005)

THE ARS said:


> A 1985 Stumpjumper might fit.
> 
> A 1995 Stumpjumper will not.
> 
> ...


You didn't think this through

And it shows.


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## THE ARS (Sep 14, 2011)

How so?


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## tductape (Mar 31, 2008)

Ha, I forgot about reputation until I saw those three red bars.


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## colker1 (Jan 6, 2004)

I hope GOB does not delete it.. cause it's too funny to read.


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## girlonbike (Apr 24, 2008)

He's fine. Not over the line in my book! 

An 18" bike is never a large bike to me. 19-20" starts creeping up there. The people with 22" bikes, yes, large.


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## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

hollister said:


> You didn't think this through
> 
> And it shows.


Haha! His rep is about as good as his advice.


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## MendonCycleSmith (Feb 10, 2005)

Sounds like he might own or work at the shop in question if you ask me....

18", vintage regardless? Not too big for someone that height. Perfect? We can't say, no pics, very little info beyond the fact that it's already in use, and hurts his back.

Sounds like a recipe for a boner stem and either some swept back 3 speed type bars, or a riser hybrid type, done, happy rider, I see it all the time.


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## Dr. John (May 18, 2013)

MendonCycleSmith said:


> Sounds like he might own or work at the shop in question if you ask me....
> 
> 18", vintage regardless? Not too big for someone that height. Perfect? We can't say, no pics, very little info beyond the fact that it's already in use, and hurts his back.
> 
> Sounds like a recipe for a boner stem and either some swept back 3 speed type bars, or a riser hybrid type, done, happy rider, I see it all the time.


Pretty sure that's how I'm going to set it up. I definitely dig riding around town on an old, steel mtb. FWIW, the guy at my local shop was nice, patient, didn't try to sell me unnecessary parts, etc. He was just letting me know that it may be expensive, especially relative to the cost of the bike, and that parts may be hard to match. Whether he was exactly right about that I'm not sure, but all of my local shops are great, and this one is no exception.


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## 70sSanO (Nov 20, 2013)

From you bike shop's perspective... the ability for him to supply "new" parts for a 1995 bike may be hard. Your ability to find good used, even NOS, parts may not be that much of a challenge. But you will have to educate yourself.

As for size, I'm not going paper chase the differences between 1985/1995 mfg sizing. But I do know that in 1985 the sizing was probably center to center. Somewhere in the 90's mfgs went to center to top of seat post. While this is pretty meaningless dimension, I do understand that with fork length increases and more severe tt angles, ctc diminishes and becomes just about as meaningless. All that said, the reality is the 1985 18" ctc would have a higher standover than a 1995 18" ctt.

John


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## MendonCycleSmith (Feb 10, 2005)

Dr. John said:


> Pretty sure that's how I'm going to set it up. I definitely dig riding around town on an old, steel mtb. FWIW, the guy at my local shop was nice, patient, didn't try to sell me unnecessary parts, etc. He was just letting me know that it may be expensive, especially relative to the cost of the bike, and that parts may be hard to match. Whether he was exactly right about that I'm not sure, but all of my local shops are great, and this one is no exception.


I hear you, and I'm off my soap box, but I still find it hard to come up with any way of thinking that this stuff is either hard to find, or pricey.

I can grab any of my suppliers catalogues, and this is all under their "basic" level stuff, as in, heavy, simple, and cheap. Nothing rare, or hard to source, or for that matter, pricey at all. I guess I'd suggest they get a caliper, open the catalogue, and get you some actual pricing


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## THE ARS (Sep 14, 2011)

You're right.

What would I know about being 5'7" and raising the bars on a mid 90s MTB?



You're trying to take food off of a man's table when you don't know what the **** you are talking about.

The advice he was given was correct, an 18" bike does not fit.

It will never fit.

I am right and you are wrong.

And that is all there is to it.


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## THE ARS (Sep 14, 2011)

girlonbike said:


> He's fine. Not over the line in my book!
> 
> An 18" bike is never a large bike to me. 19-20" starts creeping up there. The people with 22" bikes, yes, large.


You ride an 18?

You sure?

Looks like a 15 to me.

Maybe I am blind.


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## girlonbike (Apr 24, 2008)

THE ARS said:


> You ride an 18?
> 
> You sure?
> 
> ...


haha! great logic.


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## THE ARS (Sep 14, 2011)

That's not your bike?


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## datmony (Jul 12, 2012)

GOB - What contis are those?


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## Shayne (Jan 14, 2004)

datmony said:


> GOB - What contis are those?


LeaderPro and Cross Counrty combo I believe


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## datmony (Jul 12, 2012)

My favorite tire combo of all time. Ran them on my MB1 for years and years. Currently have that same combo on my Super Grizzly.......


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## Fiskare (Sep 5, 2008)

70sSanO said:


> If you want to build a bike like a Rivendell then that is what you should do


That's it. There are lots of bars with lots of rise. I like Avenir Circas, and Riv Albatross', dimension makes a few too that are a bargain, plus the stuff from Velo-Orange (mostly knock offs of old designs), plus Harris Cyclery and a thousand other places. I have both a mid 90s Stumpy and an 84 Stumpy (sport). They both work well for townie use - it's all about the fit and the cockpit.


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## Fred Smedley (Feb 28, 2006)

I'm 5'10.5" fit a 19" 95 stumpy just fine , @ 5'7" , a 18" and this bar should be just fine. Nitto Bosco Bar, Cromo dullbrite 55cm x 25.4 - 16240


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## Uncle Grumpy (Oct 20, 2005)

THE ARS said:


> The advice he was given was correct, an 18" bike does not fit.
> 
> It will never fit.


Body proportions?

Flexibility?

Top tube length?

Differences in frame geometry?

Differences in how various companies nominally size bikes?

Sorry, but it's not as easy as just saying that an 18" bike won't fit a person of 5'7".

I'm not going to go so far as to say "I'm right" and anyone else is wrong, just that it's not a simple mathematical equation.

Grumps


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## colker1 (Jan 6, 2004)

It's a town bike which the owner loves and can be easily changed to fit better. He won't be racing or riding technical singletrack.. There are thousands of bikes ridden just like the OP wants.. Btw 29ers brought down the small zippy ideal bike notion.


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## sbsbiker (Dec 1, 2007)

I want a Pic of this bike and owner(mostly bike), what good is this thread without some Stumpy-porn?


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## CS2 (Jul 24, 2007)

sbsbiker said:


> I want a Pic of this bike and owner(mostly bike), what good is this thread without some Stumpy-porn?


Agreed.


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## girlonbike (Apr 24, 2008)

I asked way up there. I gave up.


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## Sizzler (Sep 24, 2009)

This should inspire you:
<img src = "https://images.craigslist.org/01212_bl87ZQ6iaPQ_600x450.jpg" >


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## Uncle Grumpy (Oct 20, 2005)

^ Now that's a comfort bike position. Though when cabling the rear derailleur you'd need to source a tandem cable. 

Grumps


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## Berkeley Mike (Jan 13, 2004)

I'm with THE ARS on the bike being too big at 5'7', especially of that year, especially if he wants it to be more upright.


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