Resurrection

I have a friend whose youngest daughter just started riding her first training wheel bike. That is an exciting moment for any parent.

This friend wants to ride with her daughter. She has an old abandoned Specialized Rockhopper stowed away in a barn. I offered to try to bring it back from the dead.

When I first saw it the project seemed hopeless. The chain was completely rusted, and there were spots of rust on every unpainted nut or bolt or part. The rubber handlebar grips had turned to a sticky goo that stuck to my hand on contact. The bike was incredibly dirty. The tires were falling apart.

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But I decided to give it a shot. First I removed the tires and checked the wheels. They spun fairly smoothly and looked reasonably true. I took off the rusty chain. Then I got some rags and brushes and Simple Green and a garden hose and went to work.

Most of the grime yielded to my efforts, and from the ashes the Phoenix emerged looking almost like a bike again. I sprayed Tri Flo on every pivot point on the bike, hoping the shift levers and cables weren’t frozen in place.

I made a quick trip to Lodi Cyclery to get new tires, tubes, rim strips, bar grips and a chain. Back home I put on the new tires, installed the chain and put the rear wheel back on the bike, then checked the shifting. Incredibly the rear derailleur worked fine, at least for a recreational bike.

But the front shifting required more effort. At first it wouldn’t work at all. This old bike uses ‘rapid fire’ thumb shifters, and the front derailleur wasn’t moving. I sprayed everything with Tri Flo and let it soak in overnight.

The next afternoon I gave it another try. I removed the front derailleur cable and clicked the lever into each of its three positions. It pulled the cable as it was supposed to. Next I manually moved the front derailleur through its range of motion without the cable attached. It was very stiff, but after a bit of manipulation it loosed up and started to move more smoothly. I reattached the cable and voila, we have front shifting again! A small turn of the high limit screw and we are good to go.

Next I adjusted the brakes, tightened the headset, and took the Rockhopper for a test ride on Brumby Road. Everything was nice and smooth and quiet. The bike shifted fine and rode along quite nicely. Back from the dead!

Later that evening my friend brought her daughter to pick up the bike. Mom and child are both excited to be able to roll along together. And while I am no great mechanic it was fun to use what skills I have on a project with such a happy outcome. From abandoned in a barn to a place of honor in a garage, a Rockhopper Resurrection!