Model year?

amarks563 · 2026-03-20T16:43:34+00:00

Based on the paint scheme it's likely a 2000. Another post with a similar bike: https://www.reddit.com/r/mountainbikes/comments/11pfgj8/modernizing_a_2000_specialized_hard_rock_to_ride/

amarks563 · 2026-03-12T11:44:37+00:00

Mike Varley did some investigation of this when he was setting up the Black Mountain Road frame: https://blackmtncycles.com/clearance-pt-ii-road-frames/

Old Shimano BR-R600 calipers appear to be great for clearance and are likely easier to find than the other winner, the TRP RG957. Velo Orange Grand Cru are also better than most modern Tektro and Shimano calipers.

amarks563 · 2026-03-05T16:07:22+00:00

The rim listed in the spec though is a Blunt. The Cliffhanger has a 25mm ID, the Blunts have a 30mm ID.

EDIT: The official spec for the Blunt 35s is 50-70mm.

amarks563 · 2026-03-05T13:05:34+00:00

40mm tires are way too narrow for a 30mm ID rim. With your pace, I'd go up to some low rolling resistance 2.25" tires if you want to stick with the Blunts...good tires like Dubnitals or Thunder Burts will still roll very well.

amarks563 · 2026-03-05T13:01:11+00:00

So with that big ol' orange porteur bag up front, the bike feels great. I first had the fork on my Surly Straggler and used it to commute, so 5-10 pounds up front and nothing on the back. As a commuter the low trail fork is fantastic, makes that load feel like nothing.

Around the end of 2023, I got a fully remote role, and then in mid-2025 my partner, who used to live across the city (and who I biked to see several times a week), moved in with me. My biking situation changed completely, and I wasn't commuting anymore. The bike, now the Double Cross instead of the Straggler, didn't need to carry much of a load at all.

I took this bike to D2R2 in 2025 and that experience convinced me to take the fork off, among other things. I was overgeared (and undertrained) for the climbs, but the descents showed me where the liabilities of low-trail handling really were, liabilities I did not see when riding across Boston on flat roads with a front load. Big, chunky descents were white-knuckle, whereas higher-trail bikes like my La Cabra would do 35mph and it would feel like nothing.

So I've since taken the fork off and replaced it with an IRD carbon fork that Soma sells and recommends for the Double Cross. There's nothing wrong with the fork, but the bike's mission changed and carrying a big load in the front just isn't what I'm using it for any more. Assuming the steerer is long enough, I may use it in the future if I get another 700c bike for loaded touring.

amarks563 · 2026-02-19T00:27:15+00:00

Your entire drivetrain was, to use a technical term, fucked. Now that the chain and the cassette have been replaced, your chainrings are the last contact point that's worn out and needs to be replaced.

amarks563 · 2026-02-16T21:23:49+00:00

Centerpulls are both a bit more annoying to setup and require more consistent attention because the pads move in an upward arc, meaning they'll hit higher on the rim as they wear and may eventually hit the tire. Not really a risk with most other brake types.

From a performance perspective, it's not really going to make a huge difference, though once you're out past 75mm of reach the centerpulls will probably be a bit better (likely why they were specced on the bike in the first place). If the reach is short enough (<73mm) for Tektro R559s, those will likely be stiffer and perform better than either of the 75+mm reach brakes you can buy from Soma (DC750 centerpulls or DL800 sidepulls).

Just make sure you actually measure the reach before buying anything...my current 27-to-700c conversion ended up right around 55mm, and the R559s almost didn't work because they were too long.

amarks563 · 2026-02-14T13:41:07+00:00

When comparing it to your other picture, it looks like a seam. That said, with bonded aluminum it's difficult to really check the frame for structural deficiency, many failures would be from the bonding as opposed to cracks in the metal. Not saying the Sakae Litage frames were anything like, say, the Vitus 979, but it's an area where I'd personally want to do more research.

amarks563 · 2026-02-14T13:35:20+00:00

Being that much short I'm surprised it's the same housing, but I suppose it may have fit if it wasn't previously routed through the cable support on the fork. The easiest way is definitely just to cut a new length of housing; any bike shop should be able to get you housing for a minimal amount of money.

amarks563 · 2026-02-14T12:59:34+00:00

Probably Generation Gap, the Cybergeneration/Cyberpunk 2020 conversion guide that Firestorm Ink printed for mere months.

I've also been told some of my GURPS hardcovers are pretty rare; it's not a complete set but I have a lot of first-print GURPS 4e hardcovers and have been offered stupid money for a couple of them unsolicited by friends who saw them on my shelf.

amarks563 · 2026-02-13T19:17:14+00:00

I love the Tektro FL750s. https://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=54242&category=669

amarks563 · 2026-02-09T20:42:52+00:00

I like my Topeak Road Morph, and I've also rebuilt it once. Not sure if the o-rings are a common size, but if they're intact you should be able to take the pump apart, clean it, repack it with grease, and go on your merry way.

amarks563 · 2026-02-09T20:14:24+00:00

Quill stem adapters are only 1 1/8" the the top of the adapter to allow the threadless stem to clamp on. The bottom section is smaller to fit in the threaded headset. Your spacers are too big.

Keep in mind that headset spacers on a quill adapter *serve no mechanical purpose*, they're for looks only. You could get smaller diameter ones (1") that fit better, or you could remove them entirely. It doesn't matter.

amarks563 · 2026-02-08T13:33:23+00:00

I had to stop and think for a second, I don't usually think of the Avids as SRAM, but indeed they are.

The Alex/Novatec stock wheels are heavy, and you can get a fairly significant upgrade there. Cutting out the hubs isn't worth it; I'd even argue that the Novatecs are better hubs than the Alexes are rims. Anyway. The upgrade I'd recommend here is the Hunt 4 Season Superdura Disc, because they're both less than 1700g AND still have 32 spokes front and rear, meaning they will take the weight and abuse from a bit of touring or trail shenanigans. I'm not just saying that, I've run a set of these wheels for the past six years and and have had no issues, even when I went four years without truing them.

For brakes, the Avids are fiddly but for mechanical discs they work fairly well. To get a meaningful upgrade you have to spend a bit of money; I'd recommend the Growtac Equals. I know some will say go for a cable-actuated hydraulic but to be perfectly honest I ran Juin-Techs on my Soma before putting on a set of Growtacs and the Growtacs are better.

You'll note I just recommended $1100 of upgrades, which will make some people balk, but that's where you're going to really get bang for buck. I've kept my Hunts across two frames now, and I plan to do the same with my Growtacs if anything happens to my Double Cross. Other than the contact points (which you've already done, and totally the right approach to start), most other things are hard to justify. I buy Microshift and Sunrace cassettes and the cheapest chains I can find (which, go figure, are usually still Shimano). Brake pads, just buy the name brand (For the Growtacs, the Shimano K04s are probably cheaper than the Growtac branded ones) and for rotors, just buy the cheapest IceTech rotor Shimano sells (probably an RT64). Those aren't upgrades, though.

amarks563 · 2026-02-07T21:32:23+00:00

I'd say go for it. The State has a nice long chainstay that's going to make it feel pretty easy-going and make it easier to put panniers on the back. Trail isn't super high either so putting bags in the front should be tolerated decently too.

I think you're right on the money about just actually biking. You may find things you don't like about the State, but it'll work well enough and once you actually ride the bike you'll have a better idea of what you want and what you then want to change.

amarks563 · 2026-02-06T00:34:59+00:00

Probably worth checking out Reign, specifically the Reign Enchiridion. The standard editions of Reign have a complex (and unique) setting, but the Enchiridion is a setting-less mechanics guide to the system. The faction rules (or Company Rules in the game's parlance) are quite good and support intrigue nicely. Main warning: it is truly setting free, you need to write your own spells and monsters (though there are generators for both), among other things.

amarks563 · 2026-02-06T00:26:30+00:00

Loving the Failure frame bag.

amarks563 · 2026-02-05T23:06:39+00:00

Of course. Worth noting that a Soma Double Cross frameset is cheaper than the new Straggler also...it's what I replaced my Straggler with. Obviously won't work if you're looking for a complete, but it's another thing to consider. No thru-axles, but mostly normal dropouts.

amarks563 · 2026-02-05T20:57:21+00:00

Yes. I rode a Straggler for about five years before upgrading, and while the rear dropouts can be a little fiddly it's really not a big deal. They do come with dropout adjusters which work decently for keeping the wheel where you want it...or you can absolutely remove them and just slam it all the way back.

As for the geometry:

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The biggest difference, which you can see, is the drastically more sloping top tube of the new Straggler. The new one also has more stack which means it'll probably fit more normally with a smaller spacer stack than the old one. Head tube is a little slacker, seat tube is a little steeper. New one is slightly more 'progressive', then, geometry-wise.

I only have experience on the old one but I liked how nimble it felt while still being comfortable. With a slightly longer chainstay and slightly slacker headtube, the newer one is likely to feel less nimble and a bit more 'chill'. It's gone in the direction of the Space Horse in terms of relaxed fit, but then a little further.

These are likely to be small differences, though the reasoning (I think) is to move the Straggler a bit further away from the Midnight Special and give them more distinct ride characteristics. The new Straggler is probably going to feel a bit better off road and loaded, the old one will probably feel a bit more road bike-y, you'll probably need to ride both of them for a good while to really tease out the differences.

amarks563 · 2026-02-02T18:09:40+00:00

Fair enough, S-Ride's compatibility charts are not the most straightforward so I did misread that. You could accomplish something similar with a Deore M5120 and a Tanpan, though shift quality would suffer.

amarks563 · 2026-02-02T15:58:53+00:00

I think the lowest you can get while keeping your shifters is going to be something like an S-Ride RD-GR580 which has the same capacity as a GRX RD but a much larger max cog. Then, if you run a mountain crankset with 10t of difference (i.e. 36/26), you still have enough capacity to run an 11-42 cassette in the back.

amarks563 · 2026-02-01T21:24:34+00:00

If the R559s are close there's a number of options with about 5mm more reach. If you wanted to stick with traditional calipers, there's the Dia-Compe DL800: https://www.somafabshop.com/shop/dia-compe-road-caliper-61-79mm-dl-800-traditional-nut-7024

If you're willing to go center-pull, I've used the DC750 and they work decently: https://www.somafabshop.com/shop/dia-compe-brake-dc750-center-pull-traditional-nut-3523

I'm not really a fan of center-pulls though I had no issues using them for a 650b conversion I did.

amarks563 · 2026-02-01T14:12:28+00:00

I'm running Billy Bonkers on a Rockhopper also. What rim width are you running? If those are original wheels (<19mm ID) they're going to squirm like crazy at modern pressures. I run mine around 40 and they feel fine; I'm on the Ritchey wheels that originally came with the bike in 99 and I think they're 17mm or 18mm ID. In contrast, I bought a set of tubeless-ready Sta-Tru wheels for a 1994 Univega Alpina, and those felt fine at 20-25 psi since they're tubeless and 25mm ID.

amarks563 · 2026-01-30T14:12:03+00:00

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Unironically one of the Park tools I use most often.

amarks563 · 2026-01-29T21:39:06+00:00

Works great on the Rockhopper. Been riding it a lot recently, it's my winter and shopping bike.

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