LOOK what I found!

Special ed said:

Wow! I just found on the curb with the trash an olllld Specialized Hard Rock! Steel frame with painted graphics, 1 inch headset, brake cable through the stem, long-arm cantilevers, Shimano Bio Pace SG, 200 SG rear d. shimano 21 speed push/push two-lever pods, fairly nice presta rims (Matrix Single Track ATB COMP) The steel components are rusted to hell, but the frame appears to be sound. I'll check it out in the daylight tomorrow.

Very special, Ed!

It's amazing what people with throw out.....

http://www.cyclingforums.com/t268540-confessions-of-a-binraker.html

😄

Well, it's raining too much to ride, so I spent this morning breaking it down. I'll be able to use the rims, they're actually in good condition. The crank arms are in good shape, but I don't know if I can salvage the chainrings. I'll look on e bay for some. Since they're bio pace, it's not like I can run down to the LBS and pick some up. The frame is in worse codition than I originall thought, but I think with a little TLC, I can bring her back from the brink. This bike looks like it was stolen by someone who didn't know what they had, then just left out in the rain.

Special ed said:

Well, it's raining too much to ride, so I spent this morning breaking it down. I'll be able to use the rims, they're actually in good condition. The crank arms are in good shape, but I don't know if I can salvage the chainrings. I'll look on e bay for some. Since they're bio pace, it's not like I can run down to the LBS and pick some up. The frame is in worse codition than I originall thought, but I think with a little TLC, I can bring her back from the brink. This bike looks like it was stolen by someone who didn't know what they had, then just left out in the rain.

First MTB ever rode was a Hardrock, though I reckon it predated even yours by a few years - this was back in the days of thumbshifters (I say 'back in the days', but I still use thumbies even now!)
Are you gonna bother with biopace rings again? I think I'd be tempted just to go for some nice round ones! 🙂
Have also spent this morning breaking an old racer (nothing special) and filing the drop outs to make my first ever single speed - sprayed the forks this afto - they look well nice.
Aaahh, the joys of tinkering, eh!

I'm going to make my first single speed out of this. What kind of rear hub are you going to do? I've been to Sheldon Brown's site, but I haven't decided. Maybe I'll try to find an old BMX and use the freewheel. Also, will the fork be able to take the stress of a v-brake, or do I need to add an arch?

Special ed said:

I'm going to make my first single speed out of this. What kind of rear hub are you going to do? I've been to Sheldon Brown's site, but I haven't decided. Maybe I'll try to find an old BMX and use the freewheel. Also, will the fork be able to take the stress of a v-brake, or do I need to add an arch?

I think I'm gonna use the old hub that came with it - it's an old threaded one, so I'll remove the extra sprockets and fit spacers as necessary. Chatting to the guy in the LBS though, he suggested using a splined Shimano (I guess like the one on your H'rock), and spot welding a sprocket onto it - he reckons a lot if guys do it that way. (or use Araldite!!). I did have a look at Goldtec track hubs, and one of these might be suitable for you - they do a wide range of widths (up to 135mm), but they're pretty expensive. My main concern (as Sheldon points out) is getting the chain aligned correctly. There's only one way to learn though, eh? 🙄

I've just taken the frame to the local garage for them to weld an extra brace onto the rear seat stays, as these old racers have a tendency to break where the brazing meets the seat tube.
I'll let you know my final decision on the hub, after I've raided the LBS for old bits.

W.r.t your forks - I'd try the V-brakes and see. Just brake gently to start with! 😄