# 2000 Specialized Rock Hopper re-build HELP!



## Fr. Bill+ (Sep 24, 2012)

Hello all,
Been away from the game for quite a while, but just before I had to hang it up I bought a Specialized Rock Hopper FSR for dirt cheap back in 2001 (it is a 2000). I have just brought it out of storage as new as the day I bought it (an accident and life issues made me hang up my wheels) and I need some help catching up to the tech. 

I rode it a few times and noticed a couple of things I wanted to change: 

Fork has 3" travel would like 4" to match the rear and help the peddles from bottoming. Dampening was also an issue.

Would like disc brakes, had a scary down-hill day in the rain!

I am not looking to spend a fortune right now, but a friend of mine said that I could make some BIG improvements in, what he said was, "an excellent bike back in the day" and bring it up to speed. 

Here are the spec's, sorry, Forum rules wont let me post the link.

Brake Levers Tektro 
Brakeset Tektro B24 V brakes, Tektro levers 
Front Brake Tektro B24 V 
Front Brake Lever Tektro 
Rear Brake Tektro B24 V 
Rear Brake Lever Tektro 
Bottom Bracket Tange Seiki 
Bottom Bracket Shell Width Unspecified 
Bottom Bracket Spindle Length Unspecified 
Chain Shimano, 1/2 x 3/32` 
Chain Size 1/2 x 3/32` 
Chainrings 22/32/44 
Crankset Specialized Forearm Expert, 22/32/44 teeth 
Front Derailleur Shimano Deore LX 
Front Derailleur Type Unspecified 
Handlebar Specialized alloy 
Handlebar Extensions Not included 
Handlebar Stem Specialized alloy 
Head Tube Angle 70.5 
Headset 1 1/8` threadless Tange TG Aheadset 
Headset Diameter 1 1/8` threadless 
Largest Rear Cog 32 
Number of Rear Cogs 9-speed 
Pedals resin w/clips & straps 
Rear Cogs 9-speed, 11 - 32 teeth 
Rear Derailleur Shimano Deore SGS 
Rear Shock Fox Vanilla, 4.4` 
Rear Shock Travel 4.4` 
Saddle Specialized Rockhopper 
Seat Post Diameter 30.9mm 
Seat Tube Angle 69.0 
Seatpost Specialized alloy, 30.9mm diameter 
Shift Levers Shimano Deore Rapidfire Plus 
Smallest Rear Cog 11 
Fork Crown triple-clamp 
Fork Material aluminum/magnesium, triple-clamp crown 
Fork Travel 3.0` travel 
Frame Angles 70.5 head, 69.0 seat 
Frame Construction TIG-welded 
Frame Tubing Material Specialized A1 aluminum 
Chainstay Length Unspecified 
Fork Rake 4.20cm 
Top Tube Length Rear: 26 x 1.90` Specialized Team Master 
Wheelbase Unspecified 
Front Hub Specialized alloy 
Front Rim Weinmann Zac 19 
Front Tire Specialized Team Control 
Front Tire Size 26 x 2.00` 
Rear Hub Specialized Megaphone Comp 
Rear Rim Weinmann Zac 19 
Rear Tire Specialized Team Master 
Rear Tire Size 26 x 1.90` 
Spoke Brand DT stainless steel, 1.8mm straight gauge 
Spoke Gauge 1.8mm 
Spoke Holes 32-hole 
Spoke Material stainless steel 
Spoke Nipples brass nipples 
Spoke Type straight gauge 
Available Sizes large, medium, small, xlarge 
Brand Specialized 
Component Group Mountain Mix 
Fork Answer Manitou Magnum, 3.0` travel 
Frame Material Aluminum 
Hubs Front: Specialized alloy, Rear: Specialized Megaphone Comp 


I appreciate any help you all can give me, I am anxious to make up for lost time. 


Peace,
Fr. Bill+


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## S_Trek (May 3, 2010)

BikePedia says that is the way it was suppose to be.

Frame & Fork 
Frame Construction TIG-welded 
Frame Tubing Material Specialized A1 aluminum 
Fork Brand & Model Answer Manitou Magnum R, 3.0" travel Fork Material Aluminum/magnesium, triple-clamp crown 
Rear Shock Fox Vanilla, 4.4"

I wouldn't change the travel. Maybe stiffer springs?


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## Dion (Oct 22, 2009)

Fr. Bill,

Words of wisdom from a guy who's always trying to polish a turd...

To bring an old bike "up to date" will NEVER get to where you want it. You would be better off saving the money you were to spend on "upgrades", cleaning up your old bike, selling it, and then buying something more modern. 

Yes, your bike was good back in 2000, but now it's a 12 yr. old bike. 

What I've done with my old bikes is get it "running", and then go no further and ride it as an old bike. When parts break, replace them, but don't upgrade.

$500 will get you a modern used hardtail, or even new online. By time you mess with your old bike's suspension, brakes, tires, etc. you would have polished a 12 yr. old turd for almost that. Ride your bike as is, or sell it and get something modern.


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## Fr. Bill+ (Sep 24, 2012)

Thanks for the feedback.

I have seen a few threads on the net, 3 and 4 years old now, of other people who had this bike and started a rebuild. The comments from people who knew the bike "back in the day," were all good and even said it was comprable to current rides (3 years ago) in the $1200 range. The areas they noted as problematic were the same ones I have, 80mm front shock and brakes, and a few said the the rear shock was weak. 

I am faced with the choice, it seems, of spending $XX on a fork to correct the bottoming out problem (I think a 20mm increase to 100mm will not change the geometry too much) or spending ALOT more for a new bike. I see there are some bikes on e-bay and others for around $200, but when I run the specs and check the forums the parts get the same kind of comments as the fork on my Rock Hopper. I don't want to spend $200 plus for a used bike that I will need to spend an additional $200+ on to upgrade because of complaints like the ones I currently have, when I have one of those already. I suppose this would be alot easier if the current reviews of this 12 year old bike were not very good, but they are based on the bikes characteristics. 

So, if I was to replace, say just the fork, what are some recommendations for a 100mm in the $200 range?

Thx. 

I


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

Fr. Bill+ said:


> So, if I was to replace, say just the fork, what are some recommendations for a 100mm in the $200 range?


Used.

For a while, the Tora with the Motion Control damper was the forum's favorite recommendation. I haven't ridden one myself. You might be able to do the Recon Silver new. I wouldn't want to do a fork that didn't give me the option to reduce travel to 80 mm if the longer travel messed with the way the bike rode.

The brakes issue is problematic. There're a ton of disc-only forks now, but your front wheel also needs to be able to take a rotor. This can back you into doing the fork, wheel and brake caliper all at once. If you do this, IMO the BB7 would be a good option - keep your same brake lever, so left and right are still matched, and I think it's the best of the mechanical disc brakes. It's hard to do a worthwhile front wheel for under $100, and the brake's about $60 on the 'net. Cables and housings are cheap, at least.

But let me ask you a question - do you remember the brakes being this bad back in 2001? One of the parts of a bicycle that sometimes ages poorly is the rubber. New brake pads may get you the braking performance you want. If so, do the tires while you're at it. And move up to some wider ones - that's one thing that's gotten a lot better in the last 12 years.

Since brake pads and tires are relatively inexpensive and simple, I would just go ahead and do those. If you still feel that you want a new fork or to change to a different type of brake, now is the time to stop and think about your long-term plans. Upgrading is a slippery slope, and you'll never have a better chance than right now to get out ahead of it.


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## Le Pirate (Aug 12, 2012)

^agreed.

Some new brake pads, lube everything real well, and throw on a new set of tires....Then ride it. That was a pretty nice bike 10 years ago, and I bet it still rides just as good as it did back then. Don't worry if it's not "up to date."

I rode many years with rim brakes and I never died once! 

I'd save up any upgrade money, and buy a new ride later on, if that is what you really want. But I bet you could get a crap load of fun out of the bike you have now.


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## Klurejr (Oct 13, 2006)

Check with your local bike shop for a good deal on forks, sometimes they have last years model hanging on the shelf that they will sell and install for cheap. That is how I got my Rock Shox Revelations for my 2002 Enduro. Yes they are longer than the psylo's that came with the bike, but the change in head angle is not noticeable at all. You might check for a used fork as well.


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## Dion (Oct 22, 2009)

Fr. Bill †

Is this what you have?


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## Fr. Bill+ (Sep 24, 2012)

Dion, 
Yep that's it, great gif image (everything is as the pic, right down to the peddle cages).


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## Fr. Bill+ (Sep 24, 2012)

I am doing a "tune-up" on the bike and am going to ride it for a bit to see how it feels, everything is pretty much like it is a new bike. I have access to a 750 lb spring that may help with the rear tire bottoming, the front 80mm fork is a different issue, that is biggest concern right now. I will let you all know after the tune-up.

Thanks for your help all,
Fr. Bill+


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## Snfoilhat (May 3, 2010)

I had a 1999 Stumpjumper Comp HT that for life reasons was time-capsuled into 2006, the year I started to tentatively get back into riding. Similar enough spec to your bike. I didn't have any friends at the time that rode, and my exposure to the Internet w/ respect to cycling was a tiny fraction of what it is now, so I rode my local, easy trails at peace w/ the old bike and some new tires. Summer 2010 I finally got serious about riding (and wrenching, since Dad wasn't around to keep the bike maintained), entered a couple races, (joined mtbr, woo), and started paying attention to the state of the art. I was lucky enough to have just begun a new job, had some money, and had a '11 on order by August '10 

The point of this ramble is that a late 90s middling-high quality bike got me through almost 4 years of early growth as a rider, at the cost of 2 tires, a dozen tubes, and a six-pack of beer I gave the shop guys in town in exchange for a Manitou firm spring kit they had in a dirty old cardboard box in a back closet. And it made the eventual transition to disc brakes, air-sprung/oil-damped suspension, and wide rims so nice. Good luck!


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## txclimber (May 12, 2012)

The previous poster mentions the firm spring kit. That's what you need to fix your fork on the cheap. Forks that use springs are designed to cover a certain range of rider weight. Outside of that range and you need to change it for a better ride. 

Also, the transition to disc brakes is not a big deal. Don't rush it until you can afford hydraulic disc brakes. That's when the real difference comes in. It's all about modulation.


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## Fr. Bill+ (Sep 24, 2012)

Thanks guys, good advise.

I took 2 good days of hard riding fresh from the "tune-up" at two different parks that cater to mountain biking. It only took me a few miles to find that old familiar groove, so long neglected by the passing years. What a rush! I moved from the green, to the blue to the red trails in no time and was all about pushin myself to see what I and the bike could take.

I met up with a guy on a 2011 Trance, and spent a few minutes dreamin about the 2012 29er he (and I) would love to have. Then he led and I followed through some truly scary switch-back and drops. Aside for a few highly technical spots where he clearly had the better exp and bike, I stuck with him and we both confessed a bit of amazement an hour later when we shot out of the trails for a H2O break.

Bottom line, this was a great bike back in the day and still is. The the tech is old and there is much better out there now (!), but if I can keep up with a good rider 20 years my junior on a 12 year old bike, in must be AOK. 

I will look for the fork stiffner kit you all were talking about. A couple of guys on the trail suggested buying a fork from"back in the day" to match my bike (LOL) just a much better one. Looking for what was the top of the line or close to it fork in 2001/2 that will slap right on and can be had on e-bay for $30-50. That sounded like an interesting idea anyone have that kind of info handy? 

What would have been a good step up for my fork and rear shock back in 2001-2003? I looked on e-bay and there are alot of old forks there for about that much($30-50), it might be a good answer that will hold me over till I can pony up to the Trance or Stump-jumper of 2013!

Thanks again for the help all,

Fr. Bill+


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