2010 rockhopper (now rigid)

philcube

Hi all,
thought i'd post some pics of my 2010 rigid rockhopper,
spec as follows-
frame- 19" rockhopper m4, in matt black with grey decals.
fork- exotic 445mm aluminium rigid by carboncycles.cc
drivetrain- shimano deore/ kmc x9
brakes- tektro auriga pro
wheels- spesh stout hubs/ alex rhd 26 rims (red spoke nipples)
tyres- panaracer fire xc pro
handlebars- easton ea30 straight bars, with spesh overendz p2 bar ends
grips- spesh body geometry lock-on
head spacers- hope red
seat clamp- hope red (allen key)


first pic from 2010, new from the shop, swapped bars and grips straight away

and how it looks now-



(plastic disc on cassette now removed)


thanks for viewing.

buzz1

I like those Exotic forks, gonna get some carbon ones for my Orange.
Bike looks sweet
by the way, what length did you get?

andy46

Very nice, do you notice any flex in the forks?

I'm thinking of doing my first build once I've got my road bike, and was thinking of a hardtail with carbon forks. I got the idea after seeing a Boardman Urban mtb in Halfords.

philcube

hi buzz1,
thanks for the comment, the forks are 44.5cm axle to crown.
they are designed for bikes with 100mm suspension forks. they are shorter than a sus fork when stood side by side, but after you factor in the suspension sag, theres only a few mm difference.

70\ʹspenguin

can i ask why you got the alloy and not the carbon?

philcube

@70's penguin,
i chose the alloy mainly because of the price (£70 alloy vs £100 carbon), having spent most of my money on christmas prezzies for other people!
also the weight difference isnt that much really, when you consider they replaced a 2.3kg set of dart3 sus forks (the alloy rigids weigh 0.9kg)
also, the matt black finish goes better with my r/hopper, but that's just personal preference i suppose.

70\ʹspenguin

Fair enough. I just thought there may have been a technical reason. I have the carbon ones and they cost me £84 and they are fekkin awesome! A light front end sure makes it feel nicer

buzz1

philcube wrote:

hi buzz1,
thanks for the comment, the forks are 44.5cm axle to crown.
they are designed for bikes with 100mm suspension forks. they are shorter than a sus fork when stood side by side, but after you factor in the suspension sag, theres only a few mm difference.

Thanks for that philcube, cant wait to get them on there.
Will also post some pics when done

buzz1

70\'sPenguin wrote:

Fair enough. I just thought there may have been a technical reason. I have the carbon ones and they cost me £84 and they are fekkin awesome! A light front end sure makes it feel nicer

I need the 1" steerer version and just my luck they're not discounted, still £125!!!

andypaul99

That is one very good looking bike indeed - not sure id like to ride it with the rigid forks for any great amount of time but i could look at it all day

philcube

cheers andypaul99,
i find that if i run the front tyre at a slightly lower pressure than normal, it takes the harshness out of the ride. my first outing on them was leisurely riding round the bridleways/woodlands of east yorkshire, rode for 2.5 hours without any discomfort.
also, the climbs are a breeze now

jayson

I like this alot, looks very sleek and purposeful

Dubzy

Loving this. Cool looking bike

buckmulligan

Nice bike! But how on earth have you kept those godawful pedals?! As soon as the get the tiniest bit of rain or mud on them, it's like trying to pedal on blocks of ice. My balls still hurt just looking at them!

philcube

@ BuckMulligan,
regarding the pedals- they will be the next upgrade, they are looking a bit shabby now, and the bearings are running a bit 'rough' (no clicking or creaking though). i know what you mean about them being a bit slippery in wet conditions.
i wear adidas samba trainers for riding (no fancy cycling shoes for me!) which have a 'jagged' sole pattern moulded in quite soft rubber, and they seem to work for me, i woulnt want to risk riding these pedals in 'flat' soled footwear.
sounds like you had quite a bad experience with them, nowt too major i hope!

luv2ride

Very nice indeed! After seeing the new Boardman hardtail urban bike, and your stunner I now know what I'm going to do with my old black 2008 Rockhopper frame . Will go for the carbon forks though, together with a double chainset if I can pick one up cheapish...

Bring on the January sales!