LordGloom

She's wearing a TAN SUIT too! That's gotta sting.

WIth these old frames it's like you get what you find. Here's another on from a few years ago..

Cool bike!

Dude just search your local classifieds and get an old used steel mtb remotely in your size and just take it from there. Don't get anything new, just tune it up. Don't think about trails, or droppers. Think about casual riding and gravel. Get used to the geometry and have fun. Go out late at night and hop curbs or just sprint. If you grew up riding bikes you'll be surprised at how intuitive a 26er is.

Here is one of my old bikes. I'm glad you mentioned the color. I now have two bikes and no zazz lol.

What do you commute through that you'd need a dropper!? Embrace the quick release! Or you could get the original dropper a Hite-Rite. These old chromoly frames are tanks. The only problem is they have that 80s mtb geometry. I am 5'11 and found I can't go below 19" or above a 22" fame because the top tubes are so stretched out. There is only so much fuckery you can do with stems and seatposts before it gets no good. If you're looking to pick up an old 80-90s MTB go by reach.

You are not wrong about the color. I've had a few old day-glo 80s/90s Specialized MTBs and a 1990 Nishiki Alien. This Rocky Mountain has glitter paint. You can't really see it in the pics. I've only ever seen this paint on keirin frames. It's wild. I was kind of going for a more subdued look with this. I guess I could've made it pop with some cables, but I like it. I've been using a rear rack with panniers on my Rockhopper for years just for commuting. I have a camping trip planned where I'm going to use this front rack, and the fork mounts for everything. And use a 15l saddle bag for my clothes. I don't want to use my cheap rubber rear panniers. I think I'd use a rear rack for a longer trip with some mini bags.