2011 Specialized Hardrock Sport Disc

Giraffoto

I've just taken delivery of my new MTB in a lurid red paint scheme. As I rode it from the shop, choirs of angels started singing, the clouds rolled back so the Sun could shine on me, and a new star appeared in the heavens at the precise moment I typed my PIN in correctly. Women wept and men hung their heads in shame that they didn't own such a bike, despite the shop still having another one in stock (in 17"). That's just a first impression, of course, and I'll report back when I've ridden it a bit more

WebbyM3

No bias what so ever :P

Giraffoto

Well, I've now had a chance to ride the new bike, so it's time for a slightly more informed view. . .

First impressions
The bike is red. Bright red – a shade brighter than the red of my little boy's Islabikes balance bike, and lots of it. Not only the frame but the brake cables, bar stem, rims and saddle rails are done out in the same near-luminous red. So not a bike for fading into the background then. I (obviously) like it, but others may be less keen. The 2012 model offers grey as an alternative if bright colours aren't your thing. Funnily enough, it doesn't look so bright in daylight – maybe it's a comparative thing when you see it in a shop under artificial light.

It's heavier than my road bike, and a lot of that extra weight appears to be in the fork - pick it up by the saddle and it will tip almost vertical.

First ride
The saddle needs a bit of trial and error before I decide whether it's a comfortable saddle or not – it wasn't great for that first ride, but a first ride is where you sort out adjustments like that. The position of the bars seem close to perfect for me on the 23” frame – I'm 6'4” (190cm) tall, and found a good position pretty quickly.
[Edit - it's comfortable, but the bars needed to come back 30mm and become slightly wider)

From the first push on the pedals it seems to zip along – I'd expect the fat tyres and heavier overall weight than my road bike to lead to a slower feel, but there's not much sign of it. The pedals, by the way, aren't the spec items – they're basic Shimano SPD ones instead. The suspension in the fork offers a bit of cushioning and shock absorption to keep things smooth on a bumpy path or when descending a couple of steps (an odd feature of what's marked on the map as a cycle path, by the way), allowing me to control it through quite a tricky combination of steps, bend in the path, going under a low bridge, path less than a metre wide beside a canal and pitch black night. Which, in retrospect, was quite fortunate. How they handle roots remains to be seen . . .
They tyres make a constant moaning noise on smooth tarmac but stop complaining when you get them on mud or grass. The LK pattern of the tread means that the tyres don't walk out of corners when you turn like the very nobbly patterns do – they steer like a road tyre. They grip well on dry surfaces, but are getting out of their depth in thick mud.
The brakes work well and are cable operated (the 2012 model has gone hydraulic) and there's plenty of feel to them. No judder, squeal, fade or drama, just the more you pull the lever, the more you slow down. [Edit - there turned out to be plenty of squeal when they got wet or muddy!]
Gear changing is smooth and near silent, as is the whole drivetrain when you're not changing gear. The gearing ranges from 42f/11r to 22f/32r, which should enable most people to find one they like. On the first ride I only used the middle ring, but then I've never used the small ring on my road bike either. When I get to some proper rough terrain I'm sure I'll use it then.

In summary – My first ride took in some roads around Aylesbury and Tring, a small bit of the Ridgeway over Ivinghoe Beacon and the path beside the Grand Union canal back home again, and the Specialized Hardrock took it all in its stride. For a combination of roads, paths and relatively mild off-road trails, I don't see how you can do better. If I didn't already have SPD shoes I'd even have given the stock pedals a go

andy46

Glad you like it, I had a white and red 2009 Hardrock sport and loved it. Pic's would be nice