Specialized Rockhopper

tolmie

For some reason got my heart set on a Rockhopper 09, my local place sell it for £499 but wont do finance on it since its on sale, they have a Hard rock 2010 for £549, not sure of the difference, should I go for the Hard Rock or does anyone know somewhere that will do the rock hopper for £499 with finanace, also seen scott aspect 45 2010 for £549.

HardrockRob

At the prices you quoted above, the rockhopper should be a no brainer. If you can stretch to that without finance try to. Just look at the price of 2010 hoppers if you need convincing! Good luck

HardrockRob

At the prices you quoted above, the rockhopper should be a no brainer. If you can stretch to that without finance try to. Just look at the price of 2010 hoppers if you need convincing! Good luck

diy

i assume this is a Specialized Rockhopper disc?

£469 - http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Specialized-Roc ... _21024.htm

jndb72

Recently bought one of these myself and can't rate it highly enough.

Cheers

Justin

tolmie

Tredz are sold out of them or else I would have got one from there.

tolmie

Went to my local Bikeshop and got a Specialized rockhopper for £500, get it on Tues.

Lucky Luciano

Does the base model Rockhopper come with disc brake support? I mean do the wheel hubs disc compatible?

diy

To be honest the base Rockhopper is not a great buy - unless you are getting it at around 300-350.. It is significantly down sped from the rockhopper disc.

To convert it to disc brakes, you'd end up spending at least 100 quid.

The Spiderman

They haven`t done the base spec v brake model for a couple of years so the base model for 09 and 10 is disc equipped.

diy

The Spiderman wrote:

They haven`t done the base spec v brake model for a couple of years so the base model for 09 and 10 is disc equipped.

Its still "available"

http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBC ... temId=9253

steelo

The Rockhopper frame (M4 Alloy) is worth the price tag regardless of the kit that comes with it! Remember they were using the same frame for the Stumpjumper 4-5 years ago, the upgrade potential is definitely worth the price.

I can't wait to re-fit my Rockhopper with some lightweight kit for a seriously fast winter XC ride.

tolmie

It was reduced from £599 to £499, its my 1st bike so hopefully I will be happy.
Heres the bad boy and where I got it from http://www.dalescycles.com/2009_Special ... /09rhd.htm

GHill

diy wrote:

The Spiderman wrote:

They haven`t done the base spec v brake model for a couple of years so the base model for 09 and 10 is disc equipped.

Its still "available"

http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBC ... temId=9253

That's a USA model, not available in the UK.

tolmie

Well guys tonight I got my rockhopper, 1st bike since I was about 8. first of all i cant beleive how unfit i am, this bike going downhill is so fast, got my fingers constantly on the brakes. After trying to go up a very slight hill my legs were like jelly, hopeless with the gears just now, hopefully soon I will get better and loose some weight. Im about 13 stone and looking to loose 1 stone.

mac_man

tolmie wrote:

Well guys tonight I got my rockhopper, 1st bike since I was about 8. first of all i cant beleive how unfit i am, this bike going downhill is so fast, got my fingers constantly on the brakes. After trying to go up a very slight hill my legs were like jelly, hopeless with the gears just now, hopefully soon I will get better and loose some weight. Im about 13 stone and looking to loose 1 stone.

Welcome to the club mate :-).

Was in a similar situation not long ago... 1st time out on a bike was a killer and where I live 'The Only Way is Up' as the song goes.

I got my son an early Xmas present of a 2nd hand mint condition Rockhopper. Great bike and really light compared to my Saracen Mantra 3. Only fault I've found (if you can call it that) is that the ride is a bit hard compared to the Saracen. The fork is a bit stiff over the rough stuff.... but that's something to live with compared to how much easier it is on the climbs.

I'm sure it's a bike that will give years of service and be worth upgrading as his skills improve.

Just try not to get put off by the crap weather at the moment. ;-)

tolmie

Cheers mac man, i can handle the weather I think , would totally agree its a hard ride but very fast downhill, going back out tonight.

diy

One thing that makes a big difference is having the seat high enough. a lot of people think you adjust the seat so you can touch the road both feet on tip toes. You actually need it so that you are almost (98%) at full reach with the crank in the bottom position. This roughly means having the seat at about waist height. This will make a big difference to your ability to climb hills.

Radiorat

tolmie wrote:

Cheers mac man, i can handle the weather I think , would totally agree its a hard ride but very fast downhill, going back out tonight.

I have the rockhopper 09 and love it. The ride was a little hard, but you can easily adjust them and babi is it worth it. It wont take much in the way of adjustment and can make a huge difference to how you feel abou thte ride and the level of felt conrol. Enjoy the speed, but some advice is change your tires asap if they are the standard supplied. They are great in the dry, but you will slip n slide in the winter bontrager mud x work well with it.

tolmie

Your right about the tyres, been out in the rain twice with them and they dont feel as if theres much grp, can you post a link to what i should replace them with. My ass is sore with the seat aswell but not been on a bike for about 20 years so guess I'll get used to it.

mac_man

tolmie wrote:

My ass is sore with the seat aswell but not been on a bike for about 20 years so guess I'll get used to it.

Padded shorts are the answer

diy

As someone who often economises on kit (LIDL/ALDI etc) Shorts, gloves and lid are not the places to save money..

A decent set of MTB shorts with decent padding is going to cost 40-50 quid.

WRT tyres you are looking at a compromise...

- high grip in mud and wet conditions = harder work to pedal and higher wear on tarmac
- good grip in wet and track = better rolling risistance, but still poor in really bad conditions.

I'd be inclined to run them for a while and see how you go, you can always drop the PSI down a bit (although increases the risk of puctures). If you do want more grip, then:

Kenda Small block 8 in a 1.95 are good grippy tyres for XC, but not so good in thick mud. But they are ok to pedal.

Kenda Nevega in between are compromise between the twol

Kenda Blue Groove in a 2.1 are good for mud - but harder to pedal..

Go for kevlar beed/folding tyre as they 1 can be folded and 2 are easier to get on and off without the need to use tyre levers (more crap to carry). If you do go for some new ones I'd bulk buy some tubes too as these are consumables and you should always carry a spare + repair kit.

http://www.woollyhatshop.com/view_product.php?id=947
http://www.woollyhatshop.com/view_product.php?id=2648
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=26198
http://www.woollyhatshop.com/view_product.php?id=3291

stuisnew

Might not just be the fact yu haven;t been on a bike for a while, not all seats suit all sizes. try a charge spoon - ony about £20 and get universal praise. WMB winner in the not too distant past if I remember correctly.