Upgrading a specialized hardrock

Progster

Hey i purchashed a specialized hardrock 2011 standard edition recently and am looking to upgrade some parts on it, especially the forks because ive been told the suntours that come with it are not good. Could anyone recommend some decent things i should upgrade first, im not too knowledgable with mountain bike parts so im not too sure what to look for. I think i should upgrade the pedals too as the ones on it feel cheap and plastic.

cooldad

Pedals - Wellgo with pins. (MG1 are excellent)
Forks - How much do you want to spend?

Progster

I will probably get some used forks as im looking to spend around £100 preferably lower though

Giraffoto

I also bought a Hardrock Sport Disk a few months ago, and agree about the pedals if you have the stock ones - I've swapped for an SPD pair with a plastic platform on the other side. There wasn't much grip with the originals and obviously no SPD clips. I've got a shorter stem and might look at some different grips, but you might want to give yours a few more months and see what's really "wrong" with it before looking to upgrade anything - an overstretched position in my case.

In the meantime, enjoy getting it muddy and see what wears out!

cooldad

I'd be wary of used forks, especially at that price. If they need a servoce it can cost up to £100.
On One are selling RS Recon Silver at £110, which would be a definite improvement.

El Zomba

Giraffoto wrote:

enjoy getting it muddy and see what wears out!

This is how I ended up rebuilding my Hardrock; one component at a time. One important question Progster: Did yours come with disc brakes or V-brakes? If the later, it will severely limit your choices for forks unless you want to upgrade your brakes at the same time. If you've got discs though, your best bet would be the Recons.

Giraffoto

El Zomba wrote:

. . . I ended up rebuilding my Hardrock; one component at a time . . .

So that I know what to watch out for - what wore out? Also, how long have you had yours and what have you upgraded to by now?

chez_m356

Giraffoto wrote:

El Zomba wrote:

. . . I ended up rebuilding my Hardrock; one component at a time . . .

So that I know what to watch out for - what wore out? Also, how long have you had yours and what have you upgraded to by now?

everything will wear eventually, how fast depends how much stick you give it, but id say the best upgrades are forks and a pair of wider oversize bars and stem, and pedals of course, as for brakes, if you have BB5's, i find them more than enough, no point in changing to BB7's, there still cable, if you want more power just get a bigger disc and an adaptor

clamps81

Got last years one - upgraded as follows :
SLX groupset
Forks - Recon Silver
Brakes : Shimano Deore
Wheels : Superstar XC 430 with superlegerra hubs
Bars : Seom cheap 700mm jobbies
Tyres : Nobby nics

So not a great deal of the original bike left TBH. Brakes and forks make a huge difference. Tyres are an excellent cheap upgrade. The groupset and wheels were both indulgences as there is nothing in particular wrong with the kit on there provided it's looked after, but they both made my life a lot morepleasant - the shifting from SLX was a massive step up and the wheels are really nice and light (and bliny to boot). Bars are a very personal thing.

El Zomba

Giraffoto wrote:

El Zomba wrote:

. . . I ended up rebuilding my Hardrock; one component at a time . . .

So that I know what to watch out for - what wore out? Also, how long have you had yours and what have you upgraded to by now?

Mine started off as a 2008 Hardrock Comp Disc, but is pretty much 'Trigger's Broom' now, seeing as all that's left of the original bike is the frame and seatpost. I can't really give you a detailed upgrade tree, as bits got replaced for lots of different reasons: wear & tear (rear mech, wheels, BB), performance upgrades (forks, brakes) and tinkering (stem and bars). The best advice I can offer is have a go on some other bikes before you decide whether to go upgrading anything and everything, because ultimately you have to love the frame. If, like me, you're a sucker for the frame and are prepared to accept the limitations of it (weight, etc), have at it. If not, save that money that you would have spent on Recons/SLX/etc and buy a new bike off the rack in a year or so instead.

rockmonkeysc

I upgraded a 2010 Hardrock. Best value upgrades were (in this order):
Pedals - Surprising how much better you ride when your feet stay in one place
Forks - Transformed the handling
Cranks - Originals were so flexy that a set of Deore cranks felt loads stiffer & transferred power more efficiently
Wheels & tyres - Originals were heavier than my EX721 downhill wheels but weak as shit. Light wheels make things a lot easier (recomend Superstar XCX wheels for a bargain £130)
The rest I just replaced as it died until I eventually replaced the frame :-)

specialeyes

I've got a fairly heavily upgraded 2010 sport disc. In hindsight it was poor value when I purchased it and it seems the later models have got even worse components on. See my Sig. Just ride it till something breaks. The forks are really pooh though. I will say though the frame can take an awful lot of punishment for an xc frame.

too slow to go

I would start with the contact points first (pedals, tyres, grips, saddle) then after riding the bike for a while see how it is for position (bars, stem) and aftet that look at forks.... Finally upgrade as parts wear out... If it ain't broke and all that

Thats just my opinion tho and a lot of small things can get costly quickly....
Pedals £30+
Tyres £40+
Grips £10+
saddle £20+

supersonic

I'd sell it and buy a Rockrider.

chez_m356

supersonic wrote:

I'd sell it and buy a Rockrider.

What is this pathological hatred of hardrocks you have ? its not always about the best spec, i would imagine anyone buying a hardrock is a relative beginner, and when your a beginner you just see a nice shiny thing that you like the look of, and think i want that, it doesn't matter if it hasn't got the best this or that, its all a learning curve which is part of the fun, and lets face it, someone can spend 2 or 3 grand on a bike and and still want to upgrade this and change that, its about personal choice

cooldad

chez_m356 wrote:

supersonic wrote:

I'd sell it and buy a Rockrider.

What is this pathological hatred of hardrocks you have ?

I think it was an incident when he was very young and used to have a Hardrock as a babysitter. The therapy is ongoing.

El Zomba

cooldad wrote:

chez_m356 wrote:

supersonic wrote:

I'd sell it and buy a Rockrider.

What is this pathological hatred of hardrocks you have ?

I think it was an incident when he was very young and used to have a Hardrock as a babysitter. The therapy is ongoing.

From a fair bit of lurking, I think Supersonic's umbrage stems from the Hardrock being expensive compared to other entry-level bikes (especially the lower-end models), but never ceases to be popular because it's a Spesh. Then again, I also heard that his first girlfriend left him for a Hardrock and he could never truly love again.

Giraffoto

Following last night's ride, I've decided my next upgrade will be a heated seat.

In fact, my next change will be a "downgrade" - according to Shimano's technical docs I can get the optical displays off the gear levers. It occurred to me last night that I'd never once looked at them while the bike was moving, so I'll save the 20 grams or so and put them in the drawer.

supersonic

chez_m356 wrote:

supersonic wrote:

I'd sell it and buy a Rockrider.

What is this pathological hatred of hardrocks you have ? its not always about the best spec, i would imagine anyone buying a hardrock is a relative beginner, and when your a beginner you just see a nice shiny thing that you like the look of, and think i want that, it doesn't matter if it hasn't got the best this or that, its all a learning curve which is part of the fun, and lets face it, someone can spend 2 or 3 grand on a bike and and still want to upgrade this and change that, its about personal choice

I don't 'hate' all Hardrocks, the Pro at £500 is not a bad bike at all. But the Sport, SE and old Comp are not. It seems that they are the bike that is advised to get on many forums at 3-500 quid, but the truth is there are better bikes that don't need major bits swapping out straight away. If it was all about looks, we wouldn't have forums to discuss them ;-). Entry level HRs are more likely to put people off the sport than get them into, mainly because of the clanking excuses for forks they bolt on them.

Entry level bikes are all about the fork (provided of course the bike fits). There are no bad frames anymore. But lots of shocking forks.

Merida make Specialized. Merida make Decathlon. The Decathlons are better value, better performing and hence why they come highly recommended.

Giraffoto

supersonic wisely wrote:

. There are no bad frames anymore. But lots of shocking forks.

I'm no expert on this since I've only ever ridden on one suspension fork, and it's the stock one on my 2011 Sport Disk. What would you think it is worth upgrading it to? I'm guessing you'll rule out the £1000+ models, but I'd be interested in your opinion.

El Zomba

cooldad wrote:

I'd be wary of used forks, especially at that price. If they need a servoce it can cost up to £100.
On One are selling RS Recon Silver at £110, which would be a definite improvement.

This.

EH_Rob

The Recon is great value at that price. To go significantly up from there (which might not be worth it given your current bike) you'd probably be looking at a Reba, but you might be better off saving the cash and putting it towards either more upgrades or even a new bike in 12 months time?

chez_m356

supersonic wrote:

chez_m356 wrote:

What is this pathological hatred of hardrocks you have ?

I don't 'hate' all Hardrocks, the Pro at £500 is not a bad bike at all. But the Sport, SE and old Comp are not. It seems that they are the bike that is advised to get on many forums at 3-500 quid, but the truth is there are better bikes that don't need major bits swapping out straight away. If it was all about looks, we wouldn't have forums to discuss them ;-). Entry level HRs are more likely to put people off the sport than get them into, mainly because of the clanking excuses for forks they bolt on them.

you do realise that was just a jest? but yes, i agree with you completely, but aren't most entry level bikes fitted with these kind of forks regardless of make? and i didn't say it was all about looks, but they are important, people tend to buy what they think looks good, when i bought mine, the guy in the LBS even pointed out a few that were IHO better, but i liked the look of the HR, so i got it, and it was good enough for me at the time, as i have improved, so has the bike evolved, and to be honest all this is irrelevant, its not a what bike should i get thread, the ops already got it, were just giving him ideas of how to improve what he has, without the expense of buying a new bike

Progster

El Zomba wrote:

Giraffoto wrote:

enjoy getting it muddy and see what wears out!

This is how I ended up rebuilding my Hardrock; one component at a time. One important question Progster: Did yours come with disc brakes or V-brakes? If the later, it will severely limit your choices for forks unless you want to upgrade your brakes at the same time. If you've got discs though, your best bet would be the Recons.

My current brakes are v-brakes because i got the standard edition, i would like to upgrade to hydraulic discs at some point but couldnt afford to do that right now. i wasnt aware that forks are only limited to v's or discs, how do you find out if particular forks are functional with V's?

Progster

What about these forks? http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=67884 i see that it says "Brake Mounts: Post Mount Disc Brake and V brake bosses" so i assume they are compatible with both discs and v's?

EH_Rob

Yep you got the brake compatability thing as far as I know.

I think these forks are the replacement for the Dart, which wasn't very good, but I've got no experience with these forks.

cooldad

Those are probably no better that what you have on at the moment.

El Zomba

Progster wrote:

El Zomba wrote:

Giraffoto wrote:

enjoy getting it muddy and see what wears out!

This is how I ended up rebuilding my Hardrock; one component at a time. One important question Progster: Did yours come with disc brakes or V-brakes? If the later, it will severely limit your choices for forks unless you want to upgrade your brakes at the same time. If you've got discs though, your best bet would be the Recons.

My current brakes are v-brakes because i got the standard edition, i would like to upgrade to hydraulic discs at some point but couldnt afford to do that right now. i wasnt aware that forks are only limited to v's or discs, how do you find out if particular forks are functional with V's?

Buggrit. To keep running your V's, you need forks that have bosses to attach them to. Most modern forks won't have them, and those that do will be bottom end like the ones you found on CRC.

If you've really got your heart set on swapping out the forks, one option may be a pair of Rock Shox Tora 302s. They don't make them anymore, but you may find some old stock for cheap on the net if you hunt around. Be warned though: The jump from a fork with 80mm travel to 120mm may well be enough to ruin the geometry of the bike, which could get you into a whole heap of trouble.

At this point I'd reccomend that you save your money for now and wait until you can afford some disc brakes at the same time as the Recons, otherwise you'll be throwing good money after bad.

Giraffoto

cooldad wrote:

Those are probably no better that what you have on at the moment.

That's very useful to know - it lets me see where in the range mine fit in, which is a bit tricky since I've never seen them sold as a separate item. Now that I've read this thread I'm going to start thinking about the forks - it's good to know that I have options for when they wear out/seize/collapse etc.

Incidentally, the one review in that CRC link describes them as being better than a seized pair that he took off, which isn't saying much. . .

chez_m356

El Zomba wrote:

Progster wrote:

My current brakes are v-brakes because i got the standard edition, i would like to upgrade to hydraulic discs at some point but couldnt afford to do that right now. i wasnt aware that forks are only limited to v's or discs, how do you find out if particular forks are functional with V's?

Buggrit. To keep running your V's, you need forks that have bosses to attach them to. Most modern forks won't have them, and those that do will be bottom end like the ones you found on CRC.

If you've really got your heart set on swapping out the forks, one option may be a pair of Rock Shox Tora 302s. They don't make them anymore, but you may find some old stock for cheap on the net if you hunt around. Be warned though: The jump from a fork with 80mm travel to 120mm may well be enough to ruin the geometry of the bike, which could get you into a whole heap of trouble.

At this point I'd reccomend that you save your money for now and wait until you can afford some disc brakes at the same time as the Recons, otherwise you'll be throwing good money after bad.

dont forget, if he wants to upgrade to discs he would need wheels with a disc hub too

cooldad

An option for V brakes is to find some old RS Judys or something, which are decent if they've been looked after, and cheap.