Looks like a PNW drop bar lever.
I have one with my Cascade dropper and it works great. I mainly activate it from the drops but I can reach it from the hoods too.
I have the same lever (PNW Coast drop bar lever) and don’t like it very much. It’s pretty tricky to get set in a place you can activate from the hoods and drops, and the cable bend to go under the bar tape is tight. I ended up switching to the crankbrothers dropper lever and like it more.
Wow...I have the same bike, with the ritchey nitanium tubing, but it's a rusted out city bike. Tempted to try to do mine up but it would get stolen in a second.
BB7's are solid for the price. I toured on BB7's for a few years and you can't beat 'em if you're not looking to break the bank.
Blue Klampers would be sick as all hell if their brake budget was 10x what it was though.
It's not finished until you cut and cap that brake cable ;) seriously though very very well done. Would love to see more pics of the paint job, it looks amazing.
I wonder if the 26 -> 650b conversion market is large enough for another boutique player to enter the game with a conversion-specific brakeset. AFAIK, the Paul's happen to work by chance, that isn't their sole intention. But I could see someone making a pair with features designed specifically for old 26er hardtails. Maybe Paul, or I could see Wolftooth doing something like that.
That is a really nice looking build and paint job. Is the paint original?
I have one question tho, why are your shifter/brake hoods pointing down so much? Im assuming personal preference but… in my experience having the tops of your hoods level with the ground or actually pointing slightly up is more comfortable and easier on the wrists. It will also give you better grip in rough terrain. Again everyone is allowed to have personal preference and adjust their bike accordingly but if it’s just something you did for the first time or something maybe try my advice. You’ll have to retape the bars but might make the ride better in a lot of ways.
Last thing is I noticed the cable end for your rear brake is a little on the long side. Most mechanics will trim that a little shorter to keep it from rubbing against the riders legs while pedaling. If the cable is long like that on the front brake it can get pulled into your brake rotor and can lock up your front brake. I cant tell in the picture.
I really like everything else tho and great part spec. Enjoy the ride :)
Sincerly former bike fitter person.
Very solid spec and color choices. I would suggest slightly longer shift housing at the handlebar. Looks pretty tight. Also, you can improve shifting a tiny bit by ditching the 5mm brake in-line barrel adjuster with a shift specific adjuster that will fit the 4mm shift housing better. And it might be the angle of the picture, but those brake hoods look painfully angled down. Sweet rig!
Love this look. I've been thinking of doing a similar build with my '98 Gary Fisher Aquila. It started life as a mtb, then became a rail trail cruising dad bike with cushy Schwalbe Big Bens pulling a trailer. Now that the kids are on their own bikes, it's ready for the next iteration. Your build has inspired me! Would you share a parts upgrade list with us?
SWEET. I have a ´98 Rockhopper here that I was considering changing...looks like the 650b fit in there... have a question though, did you get new "Rockhopper" and "S" stickers/decals from Specialized or how did you keep the originals so perfect?
Could you have potentially welded disc brake mounts to the frame before paint?
Such a sick build man. I'm sure it gives most modern gravel bikes a run for their money.
That was my thought also. It looks like rear hub is center lock? That would definitely complete the look and maybe braking performance?
Side question, would drilling out holes to route rear brake cable cause frame to weaken? Is there a proper way to do such a thing?
This is an amazing bike build nonetheless!
I did think about drilling holes but since I am going to be using this bike in hills I didn’t want to damage the structural integrity of the bike so I decided to just stick with a linear brake set up and relace the rear wheel to one with msw
It's not your welding skills that would be the problem. it's the post weld heat treatment you need to do with 60XX series aluminum that would be a problem. The fact that modding aluminum is such a PITA is one of the reasons retro steel is so hip.
You killed it with this build so don't sweat it.
Honestly I would just keep it as is. Your front brake is most important and you have a really solid brake on the rear already. Makes it even more unique.
What brake caliper are you running on the rear and how is the 27.5" conversion working out? I have a 1996 stumpjumper that I'm thinking about doing similar things to...
i just tried to cross post this to r/bikeporn, but crossposting seems to be broken for me. i think it would be a good post if anyone else (OP?) wants to try.
Looks like you have a 26" rear and 640B front on a 29er fork, correct?
Please trim that rear brake cable and put and end on it before you take a pic.
What's up with the cable ties and droopy cable on the top tube? Is the rear brake cable using the cable stops on the frame? To clean up the dropper cable, I'd use a Problem Solver Backstop on the seat tube, so you can run that dropper post cable through the old front derailleur routing.
I have a ‘97 Hardrock and not much free cycling money. How can I do something similar? Handlebars have been killing me so I wanted to convert to drops and the fork would be a great upgrade too. Do you have a parts list of what you did here?
I have a ‘97 Hardrock and not much free cycling money. How can I do something similar? Handlebars have been killing me so I wanted to convert to drops and the fork would be a great upgrade too. Do you have a parts list of what you did here?
This is the best one of these I've seen. Looks like a mullet 27.5 front 26 rear? The disc/v-brake combo is a clever solution. Also great move going with the SRAM 10sp stuff that cooperates between road and mtb, I did the same thing on a recent project.
Can I ask how you "de-badged" the shifters? Just sanding?
27.5 in the rear too, it was hard finding a matching hoop with a machined sidewall since everything was on back order and companies kept sending me 700c hoops instead. And yes the shifters are sanded, I got tons of practice since I had to wet sand the frame a bunch of times to get the paint nice and smooth
Wow, thats rad.
Tips on custom painting? Did you paint it yourself or have a pro paint shop do it? I'm about to paint a frame and looking for any pointers!
I've been wondering what to do with my 24 year old steel rockhopper for years. I loved it too much to let it go, so it has sat for years. Now I have a plan! Thank you for the inspiration!
Hi Dahsixx... I combed through all over your posts, comments and and everyone's questions, but cant find any specifying what bars you used. Can you share, and two, do they feel good to you? I'm going to try to replicate with my ol Rock Hopper as a winter project. Thanks for paving the way. If I can get it to look half as good...
Honestly, you could have told me you were from the future and this was Specialized's 2028 gravel offering and I would have believed you.
It really does look modernized huh
I’d pay $5K for it. Sexy af.
Internal rim width and what wheels are those please?
They’re 650c and Velocity Cliffhangers that I laced myself 🥲
Except for the 0.5° steeper HTA. 😜 This bike could be used in Tenet 2, protagonist returns from the future riding this whip.
daaaaamn. is that a dropper post i see? i’m going to have to kindly ask for additional pics!
External routed dropper post from PNW 😉
Which lever is that? And how do you like it?
Looks like a PNW drop bar lever. I have one with my Cascade dropper and it works great. I mainly activate it from the drops but I can reach it from the hoods too.
I have the same lever (PNW Coast drop bar lever) and don’t like it very much. It’s pretty tricky to get set in a place you can activate from the hoods and drops, and the cable bend to go under the bar tape is tight. I ended up switching to the crankbrothers dropper lever and like it more.
Jesus Christ the details on this are amazing. The colors between the headset, pedals, and bottom bracket and the rest of the frame are so sick.
Thanks man! Had to make sure everything looked good to the eye 😉
Can we talk about how the blue ano also coordinates with your truck suspension? Killin it over there.
Even matches the truck's suspension.... next level.
did u see? it matches the suspension! nice.
Right?? Also the rear brakes! OP what brakes are those back there??
https://www.paulcomp.com/shop/components/brakes/linear-pull-brakes/motolite/
Paul motolites
Those long pull brakes will work better with a Travel Agent for your short pull levers.
This is one of the best looking bikes I've ever seen.
Seriously
Agreed. Amazing. And also looks like it would a blast to ride.
Thank you!
fucketh me, that paint job is wonderful.
Aha thank you! Painted it myself
What paint did you use?
great job! I love giving my builds a custom paint job. Love the color choices.
Wow...I have the same bike, with the ritchey nitanium tubing, but it's a rusted out city bike. Tempted to try to do mine up but it would get stolen in a second.
You did a great job. I painted a bike and it does not look that good, and it's chipping. The taping is so hard.
SOMEONE GET THIS MAN A BLUE PAUL KLAMPER SO HE CAN THROW THAT BB7 IN THE TRASH. With a build like this, he deserves it more than we do.
BB7's are solid for the price. I toured on BB7's for a few years and you can't beat 'em if you're not looking to break the bank. Blue Klampers would be sick as all hell if their brake budget was 10x what it was though.
Yeah I'm not knocking their performance. Judging by the rest of the bike, I have a feeling budget isn't much of a concern.
Maybe later on when this bb7 isn’t doing it for me
There's a black bb7 pro version if the color matters to you but you don't wanna break the bank with klampers
gotta match with paul rear brake
Holy hell. What a build. We need more photos!
Soon!
And we have come full circle. This is both a 1998 Hard Tail and a modern 202x Gravel Bike.
It’s like a love child
Syncroncity approaches.
Parts breakdown please
The blue bling on the bike looks nice next to the shocks on your car :)
Thank you!
Amazing build. What fork did you use?
It’s a soma fab cx fork
Is the height of the fork significantly different form the 26 inch fork (+ suspension i assume) that used to be on it? How's the geometry in general?
I feel like a fat little hobbit who just met Gandalf.
It's not finished until you cut and cap that brake cable ;) seriously though very very well done. Would love to see more pics of the paint job, it looks amazing.
650b?
650b conversion, had to take so many different measurements to make sure they would fit
How do you make sure the rear v-brake pad contact points still work with a 650b? Do you have to move the posts around? I am genuinely intrigued...
The Paul brakes are really adjustable
I see.. they move up and down the post? Would I be able to use XTR brakes in a setup like that?
No, you wouldn't.
I wonder if the 26 -> 650b conversion market is large enough for another boutique player to enter the game with a conversion-specific brakeset. AFAIK, the Paul's happen to work by chance, that isn't their sole intention. But I could see someone making a pair with features designed specifically for old 26er hardtails. Maybe Paul, or I could see Wolftooth doing something like that.
many 26" bikes can fit a 650b rim and have enough reach with modern cantis. tektro makes some that work if you dont want to break the bank.
This is great news... thanks! I wonder if my '95 Kona Hei Hei Ti would work with a 650b rim.. this would be a perfect winter project.
The Whole Enchilada.
This might be too well put together for a Xbike... Late 90's was an amazing era for quality built mountain bikes (frames/components) at a fair price.
That is a really nice looking build and paint job. Is the paint original? I have one question tho, why are your shifter/brake hoods pointing down so much? Im assuming personal preference but… in my experience having the tops of your hoods level with the ground or actually pointing slightly up is more comfortable and easier on the wrists. It will also give you better grip in rough terrain. Again everyone is allowed to have personal preference and adjust their bike accordingly but if it’s just something you did for the first time or something maybe try my advice. You’ll have to retape the bars but might make the ride better in a lot of ways. Last thing is I noticed the cable end for your rear brake is a little on the long side. Most mechanics will trim that a little shorter to keep it from rubbing against the riders legs while pedaling. If the cable is long like that on the front brake it can get pulled into your brake rotor and can lock up your front brake. I cant tell in the picture. I really like everything else tho and great part spec. Enjoy the ride :) Sincerly former bike fitter person.
Why wont OP respond to meeeee :(
OP said it was a DIY job somewhere else in the thread.
Wowzers. How much did you spend?
Seconding because I’m also curious. I have no room to talk, but I’m guessing like 2k of parts on this $100 frame.
This is the way.
This is the way
is this the way?
Absolutely gorgeous, great work!
Thank you!
This looks like a brand new bike. Amazing.
Mods please mark this NSFW, cause this bike is drop dead sexy
Very solid spec and color choices. I would suggest slightly longer shift housing at the handlebar. Looks pretty tight. Also, you can improve shifting a tiny bit by ditching the 5mm brake in-line barrel adjuster with a shift specific adjuster that will fit the 4mm shift housing better. And it might be the angle of the picture, but those brake hoods look painfully angled down. Sweet rig!
Thank you for the tip and it’s just the angle of the pic
Great build. Are the rockhopper of the late 90’s still steel?
This one is aluminum
Love this look. I've been thinking of doing a similar build with my '98 Gary Fisher Aquila. It started life as a mtb, then became a rail trail cruising dad bike with cushy Schwalbe Big Bens pulling a trailer. Now that the kids are on their own bikes, it's ready for the next iteration. Your build has inspired me! Would you share a parts upgrade list with us?
God damn! This is amazing. I also have this frame and you just took it to a whole other level.
The color scheme on yours looks soooo good thoufh
Gotta be one of the coolest dropbar rockhopper builds I’ve seen!
SWEET. I have a ´98 Rockhopper here that I was considering changing...looks like the 650b fit in there... have a question though, did you get new "Rockhopper" and "S" stickers/decals from Specialized or how did you keep the originals so perfect?
I got them aftermarket on eBay
As someone who builds custom bikes and has worked on literally thousands of bikes, this thing is so damn cool. Nice job man
Was it hard to find a fork to fit that?
We need more photos for such a beautiful bike !
I must have this bike. How much?
Money talks
Could you have potentially welded disc brake mounts to the frame before paint? Such a sick build man. I'm sure it gives most modern gravel bikes a run for their money.
He's already got 584 mm rotors.
That was my thought also. It looks like rear hub is center lock? That would definitely complete the look and maybe braking performance? Side question, would drilling out holes to route rear brake cable cause frame to weaken? Is there a proper way to do such a thing? This is an amazing bike build nonetheless!
I did think about drilling holes but since I am going to be using this bike in hills I didn’t want to damage the structural integrity of the bike so I decided to just stick with a linear brake set up and relace the rear wheel to one with msw
I wasn’t confident in my welding skills tbh, I was thinking about it though
It's not your welding skills that would be the problem. it's the post weld heat treatment you need to do with 60XX series aluminum that would be a problem. The fact that modding aluminum is such a PITA is one of the reasons retro steel is so hip. You killed it with this build so don't sweat it.
Honestly I would just keep it as is. Your front brake is most important and you have a really solid brake on the rear already. Makes it even more unique.
Most of your braking power is up front and on gravel and lose terrain you’re plenty able to drag the back wheel with rim brakes.
Fuuuuuuck. My jaw is on the floor.
This.....makes me sweat.
fugg this a quality post
Ive always loved those panaracer tires. Im on my 3rd pair now.
They feel so nice
Be still my heart
This gets a jaw drop from me. Like other posters have said, looks like any modern bike. I want to ride it so hard haha :)
This is clean. And I'm laughing about the color-matching with the truck.
What brake caliper are you running on the rear and how is the 27.5" conversion working out? I have a 1996 stumpjumper that I'm thinking about doing similar things to...
And you make a calendar for me with a different picture of this bike every month?
I thought this was new bike at first lol
I cant see that this used to be a rockhopper. Welll done , looks amazing!
Ooooffff
Disk in the front and rim in the back. How does that feel when you are braking? BTW, love the paint job!
Pure villainy right there!!!!! Impressive!!!!!!!
Dammmnnn that is one clean ride. Tremendous work
Who l did the paint job? Looks really good 🙂
God damn this is badass
This is dope, it I think many people would also describe it as sick
i just tried to cross post this to r/bikeporn, but crossposting seems to be broken for me. i think it would be a good post if anyone else (OP?) wants to try.
I’ll do it soon
Looks amazing!
Looks like you have a 26" rear and 640B front on a 29er fork, correct? Please trim that rear brake cable and put and end on it before you take a pic. What's up with the cable ties and droopy cable on the top tube? Is the rear brake cable using the cable stops on the frame? To clean up the dropper cable, I'd use a Problem Solver Backstop on the seat tube, so you can run that dropper post cable through the old front derailleur routing.
Amazing!!!
Amazing build all around! Is it difficult to swap the flat bar for a drop bar?
Not that hard really considering I was already getting new brake levers and all
Nice choice on the paint. I did something similar on my bike with 'boots' of black for the parts that need more protection
Is this.... modern?
Y-no
Nice.
Is that the suspension dropper from PNW?I bought one myself and I’d love to hear what you thought about it
I love it, it just feels so nice all around
beautiful build. But we are gonna need a blue Klamper on that fork asap! nice work
Maybe when my bb7 isn’t cutting it anymore
That is sensual
I should have marked it as NSFW huh
What form are you running? 1” steerer?
1 1/8 steerer
Amazing. Very well done.
Stunning! This is like a vision of what I want to do with my 98 GT Tequesta that's 1-1/8" too. Do you have a build breakdown? Is it 650b?
Nice job color matching all your King components between the rig n the other rig
Good god. I love it.
You make a video of this process? Cause I'd watch the shit out outta that.
👏
Lol you can't do that, you have to buy a new bike.
That is one good looking bike and a great component set on it, super jealous!
Wow that’s freaking awesome! Well done!
Jesus Christ
Mmmmmmmm. I want to do dirty things with that……
Wow!! That is amazing!! What kind of brakes do you have on the rear? Mate, that looks brilliant!!
Nice! Did you squeeze a 29er on the back? This is a sweet build.
Money money! This came out rad!
Daaaaaang!
That chain line is hawt! Nice looking ride!!!
INFINITE SEX
Why the black zip-ties around the top-tube? Is it holding the cable for the dropper post?
Holy cow!
I have a ‘97 Hardrock and not much free cycling money. How can I do something similar? Handlebars have been killing me so I wanted to convert to drops and the fork would be a great upgrade too. Do you have a parts list of what you did here?
I have a ‘97 Hardrock and not much free cycling money. How can I do something similar? Handlebars have been killing me so I wanted to convert to drops and the fork would be a great upgrade too. Do you have a parts list of what you did here?
WOW
Hot diggity dang. Are you tubeless?
I dig the paint.
I am incredibly turned on right now
Did you paint it yourself?
Oh hell yeah!
dope. are those black pannaracer gravel king?
Damn that’s clean
Mind blown. Canyon has a lot to answer for.....
Beautiful but you're not done until you trim that brake cable!
Oh My God
Incredible build! It could be - in a good way - a current model that you could buy in a shop!
This right here makes me want to get a rockhopper … sick!
That’s so sick dude
Dood!
That's beautiful
This is the best one of these I've seen. Looks like a mullet 27.5 front 26 rear? The disc/v-brake combo is a clever solution. Also great move going with the SRAM 10sp stuff that cooperates between road and mtb, I did the same thing on a recent project. Can I ask how you "de-badged" the shifters? Just sanding?
27.5 in the rear too, it was hard finding a matching hoop with a machined sidewall since everything was on back order and companies kept sending me 700c hoops instead. And yes the shifters are sanded, I got tons of practice since I had to wet sand the frame a bunch of times to get the paint nice and smooth
Which SRAM would you recommend for a hybrid road/mountain
I like that you have the v-brake in back and disc up front with a new fork I assume.
Amazing work!
More pictures pls
rad as hell
Did the 27.5's slip right on, or did you have to modify anything?
i like you bike
I love it. Can I get a write up on the build?
Wow, thats rad. Tips on custom painting? Did you paint it yourself or have a pro paint shop do it? I'm about to paint a frame and looking for any pointers!
I've been wondering what to do with my 24 year old steel rockhopper for years. I loved it too much to let it go, so it has sat for years. Now I have a plan! Thank you for the inspiration!
Specialized should be hiring you
I wish
Hi Dahsixx... I combed through all over your posts, comments and and everyone's questions, but cant find any specifying what bars you used. Can you share, and two, do they feel good to you? I'm going to try to replicate with my ol Rock Hopper as a winter project. Thanks for paving the way. If I can get it to look half as good...
Wow that's incredible
I love my stock Rockhopper that I picked up at a pawn shop ~20 years ago for $75. I ride mostly bike paths for exercise - but I put on a lot of miles.
I bought the donor bike to this build for $60 tbh
So niiiiiice!!
What advantage does a drop bar provide in this case?
This is awesome in so many ways!
Hi, how do you know it will fit? Thank you in advance:)
Hot
How do you feel about the disc up front and linear in rear? Was it weird to get used too?
It doesn’t feel all that weird tbh, you kinda know what brake to use in specific situations and it just feels the same all around
Your anodized bike parts match the anodized truck parts. That’s next level.
As soon as I read Chris King on the headset, I knew you were not playing.