Hey everyone! Thanks for stopping by, I’ll drop some research links in the description this evening but for now I hope you enjoy the video! 🫡 looking forward to some over nighters on this over summer 😄
Awesome bike and transformation. Before now, I never knew a Specialized RockCombo existed! I have 2 RockHoppers, both 17 inch, too small for my taste. This is right up my alley. Wish I had one. Love watching and learning. I appreciate the content Toasty Rides, huge fan.❤️🙏🏾
Pretty much! There was a Bridgestone and a few others but none really sold too well back then(although are now widely appreciated). The hybrids took off a bit more in the 90’s though 👌
Cunningham was full custom, but Potts bikes were more freely available. Arguably the father's of the gravel bike, certainly the drop bar mountain bike. Jacquie Phelan has mostly raced on drops. Arguably the French were doing this in the 30s though. Wide tyred bikes, some with very wide handlebars and some of these designed with off-road or certainly poorly paved exploration in mind.
front racks look SO great I have one of those wald baskets in my garage too I never used it because bungie chords will bend the thin wire of the basket but it looks like it was MADE for this bike, will try using mine
Thanks! Nice and simple but works great 👍 love the wald baskets, they do get bent up with regular use/drops etc. I normally use a bag in the basket(that has a couple clips or strap it in). There’s bungee cord nets that work great for these baskets too that act as a cover/restraint/lid 🤙
Very few shops got one! And even then, it sounded like most sat around really. Really cool bikes, they show up every now and then though 👌 thanks heaps! And thanks for watching 🤙
The fork mounted cable stops make the brake feel really nice too 👌 definitely! I try get the most out of them, more so with middle chainrings as they’re hard to find 😓 haha Thanks!
Back in the day (1990) as a courier I put Cinlelli drop bars and road stem on my ‘88 Jamis mountain bike. I put that thumb shifters at the end of the bar drops, on the inside, so they were like bar end shifters. Tires were specialized nimbus 1.5. It was a real pig of a bike, I have to say, due to the weight and long chain stays, but it was very tough, and I made it move at the necessary speed :)
What a nice looking bike! I love the touring cantis and the saddlebag - Had to check out Carradice and you are absolutely correct, for what they offer, those bags are a steal! (as long as you got saddle loops ;) )
Cheers! 🙌 great taste! Big fan of the old touring bikes with parts that are simple but are made to work and work. It’s incredible they can offer such quality at the prices they do! Yeah there’s a work around the lack of saddle loops(they have a bolt on thing) but I love my Brooks saddles so makes things a bit easier 👌 the connection to the saddle feels great too, although a bit of sway with heavier loads off-road so will get a small support for camping. Thanks for watching!
Yeah the bartape took a couple purchases to get right haha. Thank you, it’s a blast to ride! Nice combo of speed:comfort and agility 👌 lovely riding bike, makes me want to try out a CrossRoads but we don’t really have them here 🥲
Just an opinion to keep the steed proper I wouldn’t go threadless just go for a longer reach stem not straight up but out and just at the right comfort level. Great budget pedals that last a long time with the look and feel 👌
Yeah difficult to reduce the flex with a quill stem at this height, would need a tall Nitto 225 stem which has lots of flex too. A custom steel stem might flex less, but quite expensive 😅 Definitely! Love Wellgo stuff, not too flashy but built well 👌
Ole I worked for a specialized dealer in 1989 Specialized blue them out at 270 a piece as a blow out employee price. I had already ordered a Team Stumpjumper at the time so I did not get one.
I agree about Carradice. It is bizarre how affordable they are compared to the quality of some of the boutique stuff around. A canvas Carradice bag will outlast any of the instagrammer bags BY A LOT. Only bags that take more abuse are the old Riv bags that are no longer made thanks to *ahem* an instagrammer killing the factory.
I bought a new RockCombo in 1989. At the time, I was riding a mix of pavement and forest service roads, so I thought it would be ideal for my needs. Specialized had a good idea, but it was poorly executed. I didn't keep the RockCombo for long. I ended up getting a Rockhopper with 26x1.75 (44mm) tires, and it was much more comfortable and capable.
Oh cool! Yeah sounds like people were overall unhappy with it, but it rides great for me! Not as capable as a mtb but much better off-road than I expected haha. The Rockhopper is a lovely bike too, was yours the 89 Rockhopper too?
@@toastyrides Part of the problem for me with the RockCombo was that drop bars don't work well for me, especially on rough terrain. And the Specialized rims had bad seams, that would cause the brakes to grab. Sanding the rims didn't help. I think my Rockhopper was a 1990 or 1991 model.
Bitchin ! Rare as hens teeth and horsefeathers in these parts to, and I'm IN the land of Specialized...literally....and have had hundreds of bikes and only have had 1 of these ...was a really fun bike too !
Thank you! Oh woah, yeah they didn’t make many and found it hard to sell! Really fun bikes, was yours stock dropbar? A few have been converted by now, but I think they make great dropbar bikes 👌 the stock bar didn’t fit me well, but will keep it so if I sell it the next owner can have it “close to stock” 😎
Wow absolutely stellar build. Gotta leave that stock fork and quill stem on there just for aesthetics alone. I have an old Kestrel CSX frame I should make into something like this.. what length towel rack is it. 666mm too goofy?
Thank you! Yeah I’m torn, I’ll take it on a couple trips to test it out and see how it feels. Should be bare-able but I might make an alternative camper build that’s more of a resto-mod with some modernisation 🤔 9 speed even maybe! It’s the 630mm one, I’ve had wider dropbars and it didn’t feel as great for long periods. But my Ritchey Venturemax in 52 at the hoods felt great width-wise. Which is similar to the middle width TowelRack 👌 the 666 still would’ve been narrower than my “too wide” dropbar but decided to go with as close to what felt right to me 😄
Haha it isn’t that loud when approaching! It has a nice buzz for the rider though 🤤 I’ve definitely heard road bikes with louder hubs-for whatever reason 😅
Been failing at clearing out bikes 😂 haha good to be here though, have way too many projects to get through. Any bike genre/style you wanna see next? 🤔
I don't know why, but i just can't stand the visual combination of drop bars and those old touring stems. Somehow my eyes see drop bars and requires everything to be slammed for it make sense aesthetically. 😅
![Quando Rondo - Grow Up [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/8zFnCg3BO4Q/mqdefault.jpg)
Hey everyone! Thanks for stopping by, I’ll drop some research links in the description this evening but for now I hope you enjoy the video! 🫡 looking forward to some over nighters on this over summer 😄
Nice resto-mod and video. I appreciate the "no music" and a voice over is always preferred. Thanks.
Awesome bike and transformation. Before now, I never knew a Specialized RockCombo existed! I have 2 RockHoppers, both 17 inch, too small for my taste. This is right up my alley. Wish I had one. Love watching and learning. I appreciate the content Toasty Rides, huge fan.❤️🙏🏾
One of the first production gravel bikes probably
Pretty much! There was a Bridgestone and a few others but none really sold too well back then(although are now widely appreciated). The hybrids took off a bit more in the 90’s though 👌
Cunningham was full custom, but Potts bikes were more freely available. Arguably the father's of the gravel bike, certainly the drop bar mountain bike. Jacquie Phelan has mostly raced on drops.
Arguably the French were doing this in the 30s though. Wide tyred bikes, some with very wide handlebars and some of these designed with off-road or certainly poorly paved exploration in mind.
Sweet build really nice! That Chris king hub sounds like a air raid siren 🚨
Thanks so much! It does! 😂 couldn’t put my finger on it ha, that clip when speeding up/going down a hill definitely sounds like it, good ear 👏
Nice idea with the front cable stop, as long as the rack brace is stiff enough. Like the bag and front basket.
Woow, what a cool vintage gem! Specialized was early on the gravel scene :D
I really like the rake cable stop in the rack. Well done.
The 7 speed with the Chris King is indeed hilarious 😂
Was chuckling to myself as I ordered it 😂 still cracks me up, might have to throw on an XT one if I find one tidy enough 🤷♂️
beautiful as always! love that rack securing idea with the gear cable. well done!
Thank you! Yeah nice little safety tip there 👌
front racks look SO great
I have one of those wald baskets in my garage too
I never used it because bungie chords will bend the thin wire of the basket
but it looks like it was MADE for this bike, will try using mine
Thanks! Nice and simple but works great 👍 love the wald baskets, they do get bent up with regular use/drops etc. I normally use a bag in the basket(that has a couple clips or strap it in). There’s bungee cord nets that work great for these baskets too that act as a cover/restraint/lid 🤙
Great looking bike.👍
Specialized is the predominant brand that sells in my area… and I have never seen one of these, or heard of it. Super cool, and nice build!
Very few shops got one! And even then, it sounded like most sat around really. Really cool bikes, they show up every now and then though 👌 thanks heaps! And thanks for watching 🤙
Love this build ❤
Thanks! 🤩🤙 love riding it, simple cruisy fun. Just the way bikes should be 💕
Rad! Love that front housing stop and rescuing the chain ring👏👏
The fork mounted cable stops make the brake feel really nice too 👌 definitely! I try get the most out of them, more so with middle chainrings as they’re hard to find 😓 haha
Thanks!
I love both colours these came in, but i have to be honest yours wins it for me!
I’ve grown to love the white a bit more now it has the pink bartape 👌 that’s good!
Love the bike!! Great job on the build. Awesome retro vibes. That hub sounds fantastic.
Thank you! Really stoked with how it turned out, yeah a nice retro focused build but a couple worthy upgrades 😁👌
cutie bikee ❤ love that suntour ratchet shifter, and that Chris king buzz. cool vid as always
Thank you! 🥹 I love the Suntour ratchet shifters, in all shapes! Barend shifters are really nice to actuate, too. Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
Back in the day (1990) as a courier I put Cinlelli drop bars and road stem on my ‘88 Jamis mountain bike. I put that thumb shifters at the end of the bar drops, on the inside, so they were like bar end shifters. Tires were specialized nimbus 1.5. It was a real pig of a bike, I have to say, due to the weight and long chain stays, but it was very tough, and I made it move at the necessary speed :)
Nice looking bike that.
Thanks for posting
Glad you liked it, thank you! Really like how it turned out 🤙
What a nice looking bike! I love the touring cantis and the saddlebag - Had to check out Carradice and you are absolutely correct, for what they offer, those bags are a steal! (as long as you got saddle loops ;) )
Cheers! 🙌 great taste! Big fan of the old touring bikes with parts that are simple but are made to work and work. It’s incredible they can offer such quality at the prices they do! Yeah there’s a work around the lack of saddle loops(they have a bolt on thing) but I love my Brooks saddles so makes things a bit easier 👌 the connection to the saddle feels great too, although a bit of sway with heavier loads off-road so will get a small support for camping.
Thanks for watching!
Great build inspired me to build something similar
Pretty nice colour matching and cool build😎Enjoy riding it👍🏻
Yeah the bartape took a couple purchases to get right haha. Thank you, it’s a blast to ride! Nice combo of speed:comfort and agility 👌 lovely riding bike, makes me want to try out a CrossRoads but we don’t really have them here 🥲
Great job as always, love It! Thanks.
Very nice!
Thanks! 🙌
Fantastic!
Thank you! 🤙
very nice!
Campandgoslow 👍
Perfect sticker for this rig 👌
Just an opinion to keep the steed proper I wouldn’t go threadless just go for a longer reach stem not straight up but out and just at the right comfort level. Great budget pedals that last a long time with the look and feel 👌
Yeah difficult to reduce the flex with a quill stem at this height, would need a tall Nitto 225 stem which has lots of flex too. A custom steel stem might flex less, but quite expensive 😅
Definitely! Love Wellgo stuff, not too flashy but built well 👌
I like it! I like it but I had to wince 😬 when you laid it on the ground on the drivetrain side!
Thank you! Oh dang, have you damage your derailleur putting it driveside down? Never had any issues, but I do tell kids to put it driveside up haha
Ole I worked for a specialized dealer in 1989 Specialized blue them out at 270 a piece as a blow out employee price. I had already ordered a Team Stumpjumper at the time so I did not get one.
Oh woah that’s too cheap! Yeah that’s fair, those Team Stumpys were awesome rigs 😎👌
19:58 product of Indonesia😍
I agree about Carradice. It is bizarre how affordable they are compared to the quality of some of the boutique stuff around. A canvas Carradice bag will outlast any of the instagrammer bags BY A LOT. Only bags that take more abuse are the old Riv bags that are no longer made thanks to *ahem* an instagrammer killing the factory.
They must be extremely efficient! Very impressive, as the quality is top tier 👌 most definitely! Those old Riv bags were beautiful!
@@toastyrides Half my bags (and everyone else's) seem to be made by a lady called Sue. I reckon she can churn them out faster than you can blink!
Very cool. 👍👍
Thank you! 🙌
I bought a new RockCombo in 1989. At the time, I was riding a mix of pavement and forest service roads, so I thought it would be ideal for my needs. Specialized had a good idea, but it was poorly executed. I didn't keep the RockCombo for long. I ended up getting a Rockhopper with 26x1.75 (44mm) tires, and it was much more comfortable and capable.
Oh cool! Yeah sounds like people were overall unhappy with it, but it rides great for me! Not as capable as a mtb but much better off-road than I expected haha. The Rockhopper is a lovely bike too, was yours the 89 Rockhopper too?
@@toastyrides Part of the problem for me with the RockCombo was that drop bars don't work well for me, especially on rough terrain. And the Specialized rims had bad seams, that would cause the brakes to grab. Sanding the rims didn't help. I think my Rockhopper was a 1990 or 1991 model.
Bitchin ! Rare as hens teeth and horsefeathers in these parts to, and I'm IN the land of Specialized...literally....and have had hundreds of bikes and only have had 1 of these ...was a really fun bike too !
Thank you! Oh woah, yeah they didn’t make many and found it hard to sell! Really fun bikes, was yours stock dropbar? A few have been converted by now, but I think they make great dropbar bikes 👌 the stock bar didn’t fit me well, but will keep it so if I sell it the next owner can have it “close to stock” 😎
Wow absolutely stellar build. Gotta leave that stock fork and quill stem on there just for aesthetics alone. I have an old Kestrel CSX frame I should make into something like this.. what length towel rack is it. 666mm too goofy?
Thank you! Yeah I’m torn, I’ll take it on a couple trips to test it out and see how it feels. Should be bare-able but I might make an alternative camper build that’s more of a resto-mod with some modernisation 🤔 9 speed even maybe!
It’s the 630mm one, I’ve had wider dropbars and it didn’t feel as great for long periods. But my Ritchey Venturemax in 52 at the hoods felt great width-wise. Which is similar to the middle width TowelRack 👌 the 666 still would’ve been narrower than my “too wide” dropbar but decided to go with as close to what felt right to me 😄
❤
Nice work👍🏻.....did you say they did a 700c version of this bike?
Perfect
Thank you! 🙌 I agree
Do you really need a bell when you have a rear hub filled with angry bees? 😄
Haha it isn’t that loud when approaching! It has a nice buzz for the rider though 🤤 I’ve definitely heard road bikes with louder hubs-for whatever reason 😅
Drivetrain side up when laying down the bike! 😂
No harm done apart from you and someone else winced at it 😂
20 k subs get in
20k is crazy! 🤯 thanks so much for being here 😁🤙
Why get rid of the pedal reflectors? 😅
The holy grail of proto gravel biking.
Especially for a Specialized nerd! 🤓 never thought I’d own one, so stoked I do now
I restored a super Elliot meteor from the eighties
Rad! 👏
where u been dude
Been failing at clearing out bikes 😂 haha good to be here though, have way too many projects to get through. Any bike genre/style you wanna see next? 🤔
@@toastyrides retro commuter for sure.
anyway dude glad to see you back
What clear coat
I just used some dulux Duramax, but 2k or 2 part clearcoat is harder and works better if you can find it 🤙
I don't know why, but i just can't stand the visual combination of drop bars and those old touring stems. Somehow my eyes see drop bars and requires everything to be slammed for it make sense aesthetically. 😅
Sweet build anyway! Love that front rack on the brake bosses.
💯💥
Thanks! 🤙