how far would you upgrade a rockhopper?

dubcat

Hi

I have a 2010 rockhopper SL (the basic one). I have already upgraded the forks even though the ones it came with were doing the job perfectly fine. So, yes this was a shiney new bling upgrade /sigh. Anyway, i was just wondering how capable the rockhopper frame is. How much is it worth upgrading?

Yes I know that it is cheaper to buy a fully built bike day one. However, upgrades allow the bike to be improved over a period of time... or when existing components fail etc. Realistically my next bike will be a full suspension all mountain / single track type of bike. I was thinking at this point I would convert my rockhopper in to a full on xc bike for my monthly evans xc rides that i do. However, would that be worth doing with a rockhopper or is it too big / beefy / heavy / whatever and i would be better off just selling it? I was hoping not to have to sell it as resale values are terrible but if it is not worth upgrading then i will...

By the way - i have only had the bike a few months so all of this is just speculation and conjecture for the future... just wondering what your thoughts are.

Dub

AndyOgy

Pretty much nothing about mountain biking makes financial sense. I too have a Rockhopper and the frame just seems to work for me. So I shall continue spending a fortune on upgrading the parts on it, whether necessary or not.

Please tell me that the forks were Reba's? Or Recon's, at least?

benpinnick

The rockhopper is a very capable frame, thats a pretty good weight and capable of being upgraded. I would be happy to upgrade as far as XT and top of the range forks.

cooldad

Once you start doing gnarrrrly 50' drop offs and the like things will break so you just upgrade as you need to. You can save up for the bits while you are recovering in hospital.

popstar

Rockhopper is perfectly fine for Black graded trails. Many rockhoppers are used by juniors for racing, it's really that good and inexpensive. the next bestest upgrade after Reba's would be to chuck away those Avid Juicy's for a Formula RX brakes.

And the ultimate upgrade would be a skills course with Jedi at www.ukbikeskills.co.uk. Amen.

dubcat

Hehe yes I know about Jedi and the skills course. I will take a course with him in the new year. I won't upgrade anything on my bike until I have taken that course. However, you guys are kinda misreading my post. I was wondering how far the rockhopper can be taken as an XC bike!.

When and if I ever get the GNARRR disease you all have i will upgrade to full suss to satisfy it. I was just wondering if rockhopper can become a very good XC bike if upgraded the right way in that direction.

Also - i just want to say that i am literally only asking for the fun of it. I don't plan to make any changes for a long time.

dubcat

AndyOgy wrote:

Pretty much nothing about mountain biking makes financial sense. I too have a Rockhopper and the frame just seems to work for me. So I shall continue spending a fortune on upgrading the parts on it, whether necessary or not.

Please tell me that the forks were Reba's? Or Recon's, at least?

Yes I got Reba's They are shiney and stuff.... I am not experienced enough to recognise any performance benefits.. they do make me happy and warm on the inside though which is good

AndyOgy

Dubcat wrote:

AndyOgy wrote:

Pretty much nothing about mountain biking makes financial sense. I too have a Rockhopper and the frame just seems to work for me. So I shall continue spending a fortune on upgrading the parts on it, whether necessary or not.

Please tell me that the forks were Reba's? Or Recon's, at least?

Yes I got Reba's They are shiney and stuff.... I am not experienced enough to recognise any performance benefits.. they do make me happy and warm on the inside though which is good

Good man!

Even if you can't feel the performance difference, they're nearly 1kg lighter than the Darts.

I got made redundant before I upgraded the forks, so I'm still stuck with the heavy but functional Toras. Possibly the only Toras in the world with XTR disc brakes bolted to them.

dubcat

Sorry to hear sbout your redundancy mate. Hope you get something soon.

AndyOgy

Dubcat wrote:

Sorry to hear sbout your redundancy mate. Hope you get something soon.

Cheers matey. I'm now working again, just not earning nearly as much as I used to. Money aside, my new job is far better than my old one ever was. I'm now a Cycling Instructor and I teach bike maintenance classes.

Problem is that the job is pretty seasonal. Not a lot of people want to ride their bikes this time of year.

getonyourbike

I've got to agree with the others. I you want to pedal, get an mtb. If you don't, get a moto x

cooldad

getonyourbike wrote:

I've got to agree with the others. I you want to pedal, get an mtb. If you don't, get a moto x

Wrong thread - did you mean that horrible electric thingy?

cooldad

The frame is good, so it could be upgraded to an excellent bike, but a lot of us are less competent than the bikes we ride.

mbflow

does anyone have any webs were i can get good light gear cheap coz i got a coyote nd its quite heavy. I am only 13 so i havnt got loads to be ohnest

Anonymous

Good choice on the Rebas, I have a pair, love them.

When I upgrade I think about the life span of what I'm buying, as in will it be suitable for my next bike.

Things like saddles and handle bars, drive train and brakes probably will be, so it's worth spending the money on good kit you can carry through to your new bike/frame.

Forks may not, but as long as you look after them seem to fetch pretty good prices second hand.

Wheels are a great upgrade, so I choose Hope Pro2 hubs knowing that if my next bike needs different axles I can just convert the hubs quite easily. I spent quite a lot on my wheels, but I know they should be good for at least my next bike.

mbflow

any tips guys i know you are on about a totaly different subject but i am struggling weather to look for new forks or a new frame but i need it cheaper coz i dnt have that much money so if u have anything to help that would be great.

dubcat

Mbflow why don't you start a new thread with a suitable title? Way more people will respond to your question then

I hope you don't think I am being mean. I am trying to be helpful

Atz

popstar wrote:

the next bestest upgrade after Reba's would be to chuck away those Avid Juicy's for a Formula RX brakes.

Not to disagree with my friend popstar but I've got (or recently had), Juicy 3,5,7s and also a set of Formula RX and they're all good. You don't need to upgrade the brakes really as you're a ways from the limits of the ones you have (which aren't Juicy anything, as the SL comes with Tektro brakes).

Personally I'd rag what you have until it starts to feel like it's limiting you (or until you want something shiny) and replace bits that break. You'll soon get an idea of what you enjoy riding and then you can buy a new bike (or upgrade) as is appropriate. That way if you actually want something lighter weight for more XC style riding then you can buy for that or if you want a bit more robust stuff you can buy that.

popstar

Rockhopper with Reba's is one of the ultimate XC bikes around in this town. I don't even know of any other existence rather than Rockhopper. They are that good, value for money I s'pose. However, once and if your riding change don't be afraid to ditch your bike off the cliff for the new shiny 'new style' bike.

I did it, but deep down I kinda regret it. Well at least my trusty Rockhopper is in good hands.

dubcat

I love both xc and trails. Was hoping the rockhopper could be turned in to a dedicated xc bike with enough advantages over the dedicated trail bike I will buy in a year or two that I keep it around for xc rides. Oh well... As I said it was just me speculating. Will look at it again in the future...

popstar

Oh, ATZ put it better than me. That e-forum bit@ing advice is tricky, shame on me for suggesting extreme* components upgrade. But hell yea, it all depends on your riding style and preference. Never did I ride with Tektro brakes, can't comment on them. Even then Avids are good brakes, but certainly no match to Formula's! Fact.

But personally if I had a rockhopper Reba n Formula's would be the first upgrades followed by replacing those cheesy wheels. Providing that my style is more of thrashing bike around rather than high speed smooth riding.

XC and Trail ridi g is the same thing.

dubcat

I thought xc was more bridleways and trails is more like surrey hills and afan etc... My bad

popstar

No no no, bridelways fire roads are for ladies. But riding/climbing them is no bad thing at all, gives plenty of chance to talk to other people around.

Smooth terrain could be ridden on rigid bike, never mind doing it on rocket style acceleration munching any bumps reba rockhopper. It reminds me of hooligan style Jack Russell dog, so light and nimble but the downside to it all could be the fitness or the luck of.

cooldad

Dubcat wrote:

I thought xc was more bridleways and trails is more like surrey hills and afan etc... My bad

It all gets too confusing with all the terms. The distinctions become blurred. I think we do mainly cross country, with a bit of all hill (you can't really call the SH mountains).
Popstar once called it knarrr cross country I think, or something like that.

Atz

dubcat was fine uphill (better than me anyway) and just needs more practice when it goes downhill. Genuinely impressed that he pushed past a personal fear despite having a fall or two earlier in the day.

cooldad

True enough, we've all stopped at the top of steep drops. Not all of us have got back on and ridden down. Still plenty on our regular rides I take the chicken runs. It does get easier though.

popstar

Atz wrote:

dubcat was fine uphill (better than me anyway) and just needs more practice when it goes downhill. Genuinely impressed that he pushed past a personal fear despite having a fall or two earlier in the day.

That makes me worry, am I the only one pushing the bike uphill these days? Admit I became lazy these days climbing fitness wise but hey ... rezpekt to climbing machinnnnnes.

Mebbe I should start riding hardtails again.

dubcat

You guys are too kind . Thanks to you lot i had the best days riding and was made to feel very welcome! I spent all day at work thinking about how I am going to take that big roll in on Barry knows best without stopping next time... All i thought about all day is getting back out on my bike.

Legs are burning after two days of riding.. Which is a good thing

cooldad

popstar wrote:

Atz wrote:

dubcat was fine uphill (better than me anyway) and just needs more practice when it goes downhill. Genuinely impressed that he pushed past a personal fear despite having a fall or two earlier in the day.

That makes me worry, am I the only one pushing the bike uphill these days? Admit I became lazy these days climbing fitness wise but hey ... rezpekt to climbing machinnnnnes.

Mebbe I should start riding hardtails again.

You're getting soft. Soon I'll be riding behind you shouting GO GO GO...

Shaggy_Dog

Upgrade tyres, fork, pedals, brakes, wheels, cockpit, frame, gears in that order.

Stuff like tyres and drivetrain will need replacing anyway due to wear so upgrade as you service the bike.

The fork will be holding you back as it's flexy and has very basic damping, not to mention weighs a ton.

Have you considered using clipless pedals? Real opinion divider on here but I know a lot of people who have made the jump and immediately improved.

A lot of weight can be shed from the wheels and tyres, a fair bit from the fork and finishing kit. You will notice very little benefit from upgrading the gears.

Rockhoppers have decent geometry so the only likely upgrade you'll make frame wise is going to full suspension.

Atz

Shaggy_Dog wrote:

The fork will be holding you back as it's flexy and has very basic damping, not to mention weighs a ton.

As he said, he's already moved up to a Reba