Dans Specialized Hardrock.... STOLEN!

Dan Dare

I got my Hardrock Disc last August as I wanted to try and improve my fitness and get back out and about on a bike, something I hadn't done since passing my driving test many moons ago

Original Spec list from new can be found here. This is what it looked like on the first ride the day I got it



The reflectors went after a while, but the pedals went straight away and were replaced with DMR V8 flats.

I use the bike to commute daily as it's only 3.5 miles each way and I picked up a Cateye Vectra wireless computer after about a month. I also used the bike to commute throughout the recent snow we had.



After a couple of outings at Delamere and Ladybower in the Peaks I decided the mechanical disc brakes had to go and picked up some Avid Juicy 3's which were a big improvement

Delamere last autum



I also picked up an MTE P7 Torch for night riding as the cateye lights I had were not too bright. I used the old reflector brackets to fashion a clamp to mount the P7 on the front bar 8)



Thanks to Missmarple I also picked up one of these Veho Muvi copies off the bay. I've only tested it locally so far in the snow but it seems to work great! http://vimeo.com/8655468

After a while I realised I needed better front forks so I picked up some Rock Shox Tora Solo Air 318 and had them fitted. They're much better than the Suntour forks I had on and I can also lock them out.







Recently tested them out on the Marin Trail 8)





The latest addition is some lock on sunline grips and a new chain (plus a new cassette after I found that the new chain didn't like the old cassette )









Oh and I replaced the original specialized LK fast trak with a Panaracer Rampage



Thats all for now!







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The Big Cheese

Good work, an entertaining read as well.

That's always the trade off when purchasing a new bike, do you buy the basic model, see how you get on with it/MTBing and upgrade as and when bits wear out/are not suitable. Or spend £2-300 more on a bike that doesn't need upgrading/but you may not get into it.

I think you did it the right way. You now have it how you want it. Good upgrade choices and in the right placed for once, you havn't spangled it out with pointless bling first off

Some folk spend £40 on grips and seatclamp, when they should be puting better tyres on, or a decent chain etc....

Anyway, as before. Nice ride and I am glad you're enjoying it 8)

Dan Dare

The Big Cheese wrote:

Good work, an entertaining read as well.

That's always the trade off when purchasing a new bike, do you buy the basic model, see how you get on with it/MTBing and upgrade as and when bits wear out/are not suitable. Or spend £2-300 more on a bike that doesn't need upgrading/but you may not get into it.

I think you did it the right way. You now have it how you want it. Good upgrade choices and in the right placed for once, you havn't spangled it out with pointless bling first off

Some folk spend £40 on grips and seatclamp, when they should be puting better tyres on, or a decent chain etc....

Anyway, as before. Nice ride and I am glad you're enjoying it 8)

Cheers You're right about the trade off, when I was looking at buying one I just couldn't justify spending 7 or 800 quid on something I may only use once or twice a month and possibly get bored of after a few weeks! As it turned out I use the bike nearly every day and I definatley won't be getting bored of it anytime soon I was aware that I was buying what was essentially an entry level bike, but at the same time not exactly an Apollo from Halfords I gave the standard bike a fair chance but as I found some parts just weren't up to the challenges I threw at them. I'm at a point now where I feel alot more comfortable pushing on down through fast singletrack at the likes of llandegla and Gisburn. I think half the fun is modding your bike. I reckon when I do get a more expensive hardtail or full sus I'll still end up changing parts but that's a while off yet!

specialeyes

Nice one! I like the colour, Shame you only get a couple of choices per model, mines the red and white sport disc but i really liked the all white from the 09 hardrock.

Are the juicy's much of an improvement on the bb5's, good for 1 finger braking???

Great looking frames aren't they but i bet it will be the only original part left soon lol!

Paul 8v

Nice, how are you finding the P7 Flashlight? I was thinking of getting two for mine as it's still cheaper than a normal bikelight! Is it bright enough for fast off road riding?

Dan Dare

specialeyes wrote:

Nice one! I like the colour, Shame you only get a couple of choices per model, mines the red and white sport disc but i really liked the all white from the 09 hardrock.

Are the juicy's much of an improvement on the bb5's, good for 1 finger braking???

Great looking frames aren't they but i bet it will be the only original part left soon lol!

Cheers I like the black, it's got a satin finish too 8) I was looking at the sport disc when I got mine, I fancied the red and white one but I was already going above the budget I'd set myself for the bike with the standard disc!

Mine came with Tektro Novelo mechanical disc brakes so I can't comment on the BB5's but the Juicy 3's are good for 1 finger braking and don't fade over the course of a ride like my mech's did. I used to have to adjust them on the trail! The Juicy 3's were a piece of pi55 to fit too and cheap, I picked them up on ebay brand new front and rear for £90.

Paul 8v wrote:

Nice, how are you finding the P7 Flashlight? I was thinking of getting two for mine as it's still cheaper than a normal bikelight! Is it bright enough for fast off road riding?

The light is the brightest torch I've ever owned. It lights up the paths on my commute really well, I've not taken it on any singletrack at night yet but I have taken it through some local woods and it works very well so 2 would be even better! There is this vid on youtube that shows the sort of light it produces http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFcjQWeAhiQ
One thing I noticed is the brightness does tend to drop off after about 30 minutes on full power (light also gets hot unless you're moving! ) and noticeably drops off after 45 mins to an hour, but I have 4 batteries so 2-3 hour night rides would be possible 8) I may get another one to mount on my helmet.

Paul 8v

Cool, they're even cheaper frm that american site Supersonic said about, I could actually afford two for the bars and one for the helmet from there!

Splottboy

The farm you will see on the Marin, near the lake where you took the photo, could have been yours for a few hundred grand a few years ago.
Closer to a Million now!

Nice bike, great shots...

lappymatt

hey dan im from warrington too

wheres that you ride, i see fiddlers ferry in the background? if you fancy a local ride let me know.....

nice bike

Dan Dare

Splottboy wrote:

The farm you will see on the Marin, near the lake where you took the photo, could have been yours for a few hundred grand a few years ago.
Closer to a Million now!

Nice bike, great shots...

Cheers, oh and I can imagine it would be expensive, it's got some awesome views!

meta55matt wrote:

hey dan im from warrington too

wheres that you ride, i see fiddlers ferry in the background? if you fancy a local ride let me know.....

nice bike

Hi Matt cheers, yeah that's Fiddlers Ferry in the photo!

This photo was taken here



It's an old landfill site that is now a nature reserve, it's also where I tested the mini DV camera out in the snow.

And last weekend I went over the Mersey on the bridge by the tip and was trying to get down to Runcorn and then cross back and return to Warrington via Spike Island but I was stopped by a 7ft spiked fence and a massive padlock! I've been told it's not normally locked either :evil: Anyway that was where this photo was taken



It's not the most challenging of rides but it's good for a blast when I can't get out to Wales or the Peaks/Gisburn







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Dan Dare

Well, after falling off in the Peak District last Saturday, a video of which can be seen here, I've replaced the Specialized Fast Trak LK on the front as it was less than useless in the mud. It had been on since I bought the bike last August, and has done over a 1000 miles, so to be fair it was due for replacement anyway! I went for a Nobby Nic from Merlin cycles, ordered it yesterday and it arrived this morning!



With that and the Rampage on the rear I should have a bit more grip in the dirt, although I doubt it will stop me finding a way to stack it





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specialeyes

might get one of those myself, great price from merlin and my fast trak lk's are like semi slicks now :shock:

Dan Dare

Fitted a Neoguard this week, seems to work well so far, I noticed far less spray in my torch beam on a rainy commute home. I'll test it out in the mud tomorrow as I'm off over to Llandegla











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Paul 8v

I'm not a 100% sure on this as I've never owned any Nobby Nicks but is your front tyre on the wrong way round? Might make things a bit easier tommorrow, hopefully no Ben, Beeen, Beeeeeeeeeeeen like on the video lol

Dan Dare

Paul 8v wrote:

I'm not a 100% sure on this as I've never owned any Nobby Nicks but is your front tyre on the wrong way round? Might make things a bit easier tommorrow, hopefully no Ben, Beeen, Beeeeeeeeeeeen like on the video lol

There is a 'Rotation---->' direction arrow on the tyre wall, I thought it might be better for braking the other way around but I just stuck it on as the arrow shows, it worked ok at Llandegla though, no spills today The neoguard worked well too there was far less mud on my face at the end of the trail Here is my video of todays ride http://vimeo.com/10487347

jakeeeeeee

love the bike
how much does it weigh :?:

Dan Dare

jakeeeeeee wrote:

love the bike
how much does it weigh :?:

Cheers I have no idea how much it currently weighs, I've seen a stock figure quoted of 14kg (30.8lbs) but I don't know what size frame that is for and also I've changed the forks,brakes,pedals,stem,bars, seatpost and tyres since I bought it. I can't see it being much more or less than that though, I don't have any scales to hop on at the moment either.

I got a delivery from Merlin today It was a Race Face stem, low riser bars and a seatpost. They were all supposed to be the Ride XC stuff but I got an email telling me they'd oversold the stem so I could have the Evolve one instead at no extra cost. Anyway here are a few pics..

The old stuff





The new stuff 8)







I also got some DMR 'Terror pins' for my V8's which are longer than the old ones and alot more grippy (and probably alot more likely to shred my legs ). Had some trouble getting some of the old pins out so they had to stay for now.



I think next on my list will be a Charge Spoon saddle and then that should be it for a while!




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jay12

that looks great. very nice of merlin to do that

Dan Dare

jay12 wrote:

that looks great. very nice of merlin to do that

Cheers Yes it was good of them to do it at no extra cost, I paid £49.99 for the Ride XC bars, stem and seatpost bundle and the evolve stem is £40 on its own! I've dealt with them quite a few times recently and I can't fault their service.

jay12

Dan Dare wrote:

jay12 wrote:

that looks great. very nice of merlin to do that

Cheers Yes it was good of them to do it at no extra cost, I paid £49.99 for the Ride XC bars, stem and seatpost bundle and the evolve stem is £40 on its own! I've dealt with them quite a few times recently and I can't fault their service.

cool. btw how many times have you been to delamere now?

Dan Dare

jay12 wrote:

cool. btw how many times have you been to delamere now?

Not been there since last year now, if I'm taking the bike in the car I usually go over to Llandegla or the Peaks TBH. I'll probably be over there a few times over the summer though, might even ride there!

Dan Dare

I've changed my OE seat for a Charge Spoon, there was nothing wrong with the seat I had but I just like the look of the Spoon. I reckon this will be the last of the upgrades for this bike, I really fancy a Trek Fuel Ex 8 so spending any more on this would be a bit silly. I'll be keeping this for a while yet though and I'm happy with the way I've got it now which is the main thing

Old seat



New Spoon (I angled it down a bit more after taking these photos)





Probably a combination of the upgrades and my skill level improving but the bike feels so much better than when I first bought it last August! Just need a bit of summer now 8)

chrischris1315

what size frame do you have and how tall are?

chris

blazeNblue

Thats a good looking bike mate, and decent read-up! ive just ordered a new bike should be here soon hopefully.

Dan Dare

chrischris1315 wrote:

what size frame do you have and how tall are?

chris

Hi, I am 6ft tall and it's the 19" frame.

blazeNblue wrote:

Thats a good looking bike mate, and decent read-up! ive just ordered a new bike should be here soon hopefully.

Cheers, I'm waiting on a delivery myself - a new wheelset






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Dan Dare

I was woken up a bit too early for my liking this morning but I wasn't complaining when I signed for the package



Had the Haribo for breakfast



It was all going smoothly until I came to fit my 7 speed cassette onto the hub which is I assume a 9spd hub - A spacer was required which I didn't have. After a trip to the LBS and £3 later I was sorted.



All done



The wheels are the Subzero XC/AM set from Superstar components and are a much better quality than the wheels that came with my bike. I replaced the original wheels as the rear in particular had become very stiff. If you lifted the rear end up and span the wheel it would barely complete 2 revolutions before grinding to a halt. I had stripped the bearings and re-greased everything but it didn't really help, they had to go. The new wheels spin freely so hopefully I won't be sweating quite as much when I get to work now!


I went camping in the Lake District last weekend and while I was there I did the North Face trail at Grizedale forest. I had a hangover and I was all over the place, even more so than usual I managed to end up jumping myself and my bike into a stinking bog, you can enjoy this moment from 2:34 onwards in the video here . Here are a few photos taken further down the trail







Still enjoyed it though!





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Dan Dare

Just replaced my rusty old QR skewers with some nice new ones from Superstar 8)

thesim1990

Looking good. Money well spent IMO.

Dan Dare

I've had a bit of play in my bottom bracket for a while now so I decided to sort it out. Ordered the BB and tool from CRC and it arrived Saturday so I got on with fitting it...



Cranks off



Old BB



Out



New one in



Done



Things didn't go smoothly though. I had ordered a 68x113mm BB and when I removed the old one it was a 68x118mm one , I fitted it anyway as it was only 5mm out, right? I never got to find out if it would've made a difference as firstly I cracked the plastic part when tightening it up and then strripped the thread on a crank bolt putting the crank back on :oops:

A trip to my LBS, well 3 of them to be exact, and I sorted a new BB in the right size and new bolts for the cranks, a £25 lesson learnt. It all went smoothly from there on in and I was happy with my play free cranks

One of my DMR V8's had also developed a very annoying clicking sound so I stripped it down and cleared all the old grease out before rebuilding it and thankfully it cured the click!

Went out for a ride today, just my local 16 mile loop, mostly tow path and river bank, and managed to get bitten by some chavs dog It bit my foot as I passed them fishing on the canal. I had seen the dog as I approached and although it was very big and looked friendly enough (I don't have a fear of dogs) it wasn't happy with me riding past and lurched forward chomping down on my foot. I only noticed it had hold of my foot when it pulled it off the pedal, and I reckon it must've got a mouthful of DMR V8 at the same time as it didn't hold on for long (them terror pins came in handy after all!) I carried on only looking back to give a disapproving shake of the head to the chavs.






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gezzs

Interesting read. Thanks. I've just ordered a 2011 Hardrock Disc - same idea as you - try it and upgrade if I like it. Good to read about the parts you changed.

Enjoy!

whistleblower

A nice looking biike and the continuous upgrades are great. I would be looking to upgrade my bike later this month. The things that I am planning on upgrading would be the pedals for the time being. Perhaps next year I would replace other things.