My RockHopper that now spends it's time tree dodging :-)
SurferEv
Posts: 78
Been on the forum now a few weeks and already met up with a few of you for some good rides but meant to start my 'Your Mountain Bike' thread so here goes...
Well, here it is the morning I was test-riding it.
After adding a few bits to it..
A ride out with bro-in-law and his old bike.
And a spin out the sea-wall.. See, he's gone and ditched the old one and got himself a CUBE :-)
Have subsequently removed the end-bars as felt a bit risky doing downhill woods sections with branches grabbing at the bars, etc... Much better.
Well, here it is the morning I was test-riding it.
After adding a few bits to it..
A ride out with bro-in-law and his old bike.
And a spin out the sea-wall.. See, he's gone and ditched the old one and got himself a CUBE :-)
Have subsequently removed the end-bars as felt a bit risky doing downhill woods sections with branches grabbing at the bars, etc... Much better.
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Comments
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Ev, were you riding in Hockley Woods on Tues night by any chance?0
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I was indeed...
Were you on the swarm of bikes that came arrived in the carpark and we tagged along behind you until we had to split to head over through Cherry Orchard?0 -
Nope I was the guy that came past you at the bottom of the woods. Black On-One Inbred, green/white Fox jersey...What are the chances :shock:
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Hmm... When I took a slightly weird route and you were following the track?
Just a short bit after the little bridge after the fast downhill East edge.
Small world eh?
I had a big fall (my first) later on that evening in the woods over by Gusted Hall lane. All ok though, just some bruising, etc and bike all fine
Do you ride over there much?
PS. please excuse my previous reply.. I just re-read it and noticed it's all over the place, terrible 8)0 -
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Nice one... I just clicked on the link to your steed...
Very similar upgrades done by us both too.. V8's, chainstay guard, etc.. and I've just recently been looking at getting the pair of Cruds in white to put in it when the weather make sit messy 8)0 -
took my cruds of replaced with a neoguard, have changed seatpost and tyres, if you click on the last page you will see them, i have just ordered some RS Reba dual air today also. I have also added a shorter stem, 75mm raceface. The stem is not in the pic yet
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SurferEv wrote:Hmm... When I took a slightly weird route and you were following the track?
Just a short bit after the little bridge after the fast downhill East edge.
Small world eh?
I had a big fall (my first) later on that evening in the woods over by Gusted Hall lane. All ok though, just some bruising, etc and bike all fine
Do you ride over there much?
PS. please excuse my previous reply.. I just re-read it and noticed it's all over the place, terrible 8)
You've popped your cherry with your first stack then...As long as the bikes OK
Yep I ride there a fair bit as I'm Rayleigh based its my local spot. Normally do a Tuesday eve there. Happy to meet up if you fancy it?0 -
Toast - Those Nics look excellent, I've been wondering what to get for mine for when it starts to get real muddy... Brother-in-law has Smart Sam, etc. on his new CUBE.
Fenred - Yeah, woudl be goof to hook up one evening. I stopped and asked that big swarm of bikers whether they were a club and they said they also meet every Tuesday evening outside 'Grips' for a ride-out. Various routes including Hockley, Belfairs / Pound / Tile, Hadleigh, etc..
I'll hopefully be doing Danbury next week on Tuesday or Wednesday, not sure what day yet. But we'll have to meet up on one of the local routes.0 -
Thanks im pleased with the Nics, some people seem to love them some hate them, i think it is all down to personal preference.0
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Oh and Fenred, I meant to ask.....
Why did you ask if I was at Hockley on Tuesday night? Did you recognise the bike 0 -
Yep, as I rode past you and said hello I noticed a shiny new rockhopper and a black bike as you were stood there chatting. I saw your pics and figured there arent too many variables
....Does that make me a bike spotter? :oops:0 -
Haha... I'll have to be careful where I leave tracks for fear of my tread pattern being matched up then....
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Well, was slipping around on the Specialized rubber so ordered a pair of new boots and they've arrived...
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Cheers Dude..
Contemplating putting the red'n'white Specialized grips back on to complete the picture.
Had swapped for the ones with ergonomic padding which is definitely comfortable.. but they just don't go, colourwise...
Might swap them before this evening's ride and see how they go.0 -
can you post a full spec of what the bike now has as i also have rockhopper and un decided weather or not its worth upgrading or getting new bike given im unsure how much this frame is worth compared to lets say buying new "boardman"London2Brighton Challange 100k!
http://www.justgiving.com/broxbourne-runners0 -
Blabla...
In terms of component build-spec, It is standard Rockhopper SL 2010
http://www.mountainbikereviews.org.uk/specialized-mountain-bike/specialized-rockhopper-sl-2010-mountain-bike-review-hardtail/
I've basically been accessorizing and minor upgrades..
Pedals swapped to DMR V8s
Added bottle cage
Changed grips to Lidl specials (but maybe changing back foe aesthetic reasons )
And the latest upgrade which are the tyres above - Schwalbe Nobby Nic on front and Racing Ralph on rear
I feel I will probably upgrade the forks at some point as I'm starting to notice their 'entry level' feel compared to other higher spec units but I think I have chosen the right bike to get started on and upgrade as I go. (only because I got it hardly used second-hand from someone I knew, if buying new I would have pushed as high in spec as I could reach)
Cheers,
Ev0 -
Decided to go back to the Specialized grips for colour co-ordination and will try them out again on next ride.
Hopefully I prefer the feel of them. Was starting to wonder whether the comfort of the others was actually making me grip the bars a bit awkwardly anyway..
Anyway, here's the result.. Much better I think
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nice bike
I have the same one but with red V8's
Also considering upgrading the forks particularly after a spin round llandegla last week probably a set of Rebas0 -
HIya Guys,
Jumped on the thread to check out the Rockhopper and it seems as though you're local as well (small world).
Coincidently, I've a 2009 Rockhopper Pro and just splashed out on a Camber Expert.
I ride with a bunch of guys on a Sunday morning, start at Belfairs, through the various woods upto West wood and then onto The Downs and back into Old Leigh for a cuppa.
I'm thinking of a trip over to Hockley Woods in the next few weeks, any tips on where is best to ride there, any obvious trails, etc? I've not been there since I was a kid (a fair few years ago) :-)
Cheers,
Ninja0 -
Sorry, I almost forgot.......
Nice Rides and it also seems like we've gone for V8's all-round. my RH sports a nice white pair and the Camber a polished silver :-)
I'll get some pics up soon.
Ninja0 -
how do you find the new tyres im still on the standard tyres my epic come with and i dont find they give me much confidence so might have to make a change0
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Tyres on the Camber?
I've changed the front for a High Roller as it washed out far too easily and I found it as grippy as a bar of soap. The rear seems to be holding up and no thoughts of changing it just yet.0 -
Thanks for the comments guys
I've been away in Denver, Colorado for the past week so have been itching to get back in the saddle. Managed to get out today for 8 or so miles (Jet-lag is a killer).
SBD, Don't know if you were asking me about the tyres (due to me only fitting them last week) but they're a great improvement over the standard Specialized all-rounders. Nobby Nic on the front gives so much more grip and thus gives me loads more confidence through the corners, with the Racing Ralph doing a good job out-back too. Very happy I made the change.
Ninja, are you riding this Sunday morning? I regularly do Belfairs, Pound, Tile, West, etc..
Also did Hadleigh Downs for first time a couple of weeks ago.
And Grove wood, across fields / woods up and across to Hockley is another favourite of mine Another guy on this thread (FenRed) seems to ride Hockley a lot so maybe we could hook for a spin round the various good routes through and around there?
Cheers,
Ev0 -
What sizes did you go with on the nobby and racings?
I have the Comp SL in white 0 -
2.25 front and back
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how is the mud clearance and handling?0
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When you say Mud Clearance do you mean the tyre not clinging on to the mud?
If so, they seem good, although I haven't put them through serious mud yet. But the wet stuff I did go through last week didn't seem to clog up too much on them.
Handling, well they seem fine but please remember I've only been doing this MTB stuff for a couple of months so very steep learning curve for me. Probably not the best source of technical product feedback as I only have my very limited experience to gauge by.
Cheers.
Ev0 -
By clearance I meant the gap between tyre and frame - particularly on the rear. In practice when it is muddy does the mud that is sticking to the tyre catch on teh frame, then slow you down. I've yet to ride my bike in mud (its been dry this year hasn't it) andd was thinking of tyres for the winter with more grip!0
