Hardrock Sport Disk 2011

Giraffoto

Bought in September last year to celebrate my mid-life crisis:



Note the SLX rear mech - I think it's meant to be an Acera, but it came with the SLX instead. My guess is that Specialized were in a hurry to get the last few 2011 frames out of the door but they didn't have the right components on the shelf, so someone grabbed one from the Rockhopper line instead.
The pedals are cheap and cheerful SPDs with a platform on one side, supplied and fitted by the LBS.

I've added . . .

- Lights

- The front Crudcatcher

- Lizard Skins frame and headset protectors

Since this picture was taken I've changed the stem for a shorter one (70mm) and fitted thicker grips. I'm now saving my pennies for a pair of TF Tuned forks because so many people have said I'll notice the difference

tarbot18

fick me thats er red .... nice bike though and shouldnt think you ll need lights out on the trail think well see you coming :-)

Giraffoto

tarbot18 wrote:

fick me thats er red .... :-)

I don't see any point in buying a bike for your mid-life crisis and not making it obvious. I'd always gone for subtle colours before, but there's something about the red/red/more red scheme that I couldn't resist. Plenty of people must disagree because the 2012 version is grey

tarbot18

I swing between understated black stealth look and liking the cube look at me thing .
As long as you like it doesnt matter what anyone else thinks although does make us feel better when other people like our stuff !
I think manufacturers like to dramatically change the colours of a bike year to year so we notice it my sensor is completely black ,this years model all white !

chez_m356

is that a 21" frame? a pair of nice black "keeping with the colour scheme" recons would fit nicely on there, nice one on the rear mech

arigold

too much red!!!

Giraffoto

chez_m356 wrote:

is that a 21" frame? a pair of nice black "keeping with the colour scheme" recons would fit nicely on there

It's 23" - now I have a shorter stem it feels just right. Funnily enough, it was black Recons that I was considering, with an upgraded spring for an 85Kg load

chez_m356 also wrote:

Nice one on the rear mech

I can't take any credit for that - but it does look nice and it shifts beautifully

and arigold wrote:

too much red!!!

Close your eyes - I bet you can still see it

chez_m356

Giraffoto wrote:

chez_m356 wrote:

is that a 21" frame? a pair of nice black "keeping with the colour scheme" recons would fit nicely on there

It's 23" - now I have a shorter stem it feels just right. Funnily enough, it was black Recons that I was considering, with an upgraded spring for an 85Kg load

i was going to suggest white at first, but maybe not, mine seem to perform fine with what i assume to be a standard spring carrying a "cough cough" 100 kg load

Giraffoto wrote:

and arigold wrote:

too much red!!!

Close your eyes - I bet you can still see it

of course you had to take the pic with snow on the ground to make it stand out even more

EyesintheSky

Too much silver? I do love the all red theme though, it's different. But in a good way...

Beardface

Great bikes these, and very red indeed!

Rather than TF tuned forks, why not just go for a set of Rebas or something similar? You'll notice the difference between those and the forks at the moment (suntours?) massively. Then, when they need a service after a year or so, get them TF tuned/Push'd.

Then, you'll have an extra few quid to play with for some other shiny parts

concorde

I'd ditch the red rims but like the rest of the redness

Giraffoto

Stav wrote:

Great bikes these, and very red indeed!

I couldn't agree more!

then, Stav wrote:

Rather than TF tuned forks, why not just go for a set of Rebas or something similar?

A good question. The main one is cost - I'm thinking at the Recon level rather than Rebas, and I can get these set up for my weight and fully tuned for less than a set of Rebas straight out of the box. Factor in postage and packing, plus the time without my forks and it makes sense to get the "right" forks right now.

but Concorde wrote:

I'd ditch the red rims but like the rest of the redness

Sir, you are a Philistine
In actual fact I've not been that fussy about retaining red bits - the new stem is black and the bar ends (when I get round to getting a set) probably will be as well. As will the forks, and let's face it, the saddle rails will be a challenge when it comes up for replacement. But the rims? That might be a step too far. I'd even try to get a set of basic black or silver rims powder coated in the right shade of red when it came time to replace them, I'm that bad.

On the subject of upgrades, how high spec is it worth going to? I'm not a downhill racer, would Hope wheels elevate me to the ranks of "all the gear and no idea"? They look very appealing, and I'm already planning my next mid-life crisis in a couple of years.

Beardface

Hope wheels would make you sound faster

Instead of hope, have a look at superstars wheels.. great value for money, choice of colours etc.

Both hopes and superstars have pretty quick engagement and both will probably be lighter than what you have now, so you'll potentially roll faster. http://superstar.tibolts.co.uk/

Anyway, if you do get some hopes/ss wheels, you can take them with you if you decide to change bikes etc. That's generally what I do.

Good shout on the recons, that makes sense

Also, a final note - even if you are 'all the gear, no idea' - does it matter? There are sooo many cyclists out there that fit into that category *waves*, so just upgrade as you please. Each time you get some gear, you get more of an idea

EyesintheSky

I vote for the Superstar wheels as well, you can get red rims, spokes, nipples and hubs if you really want! They're decent quality for what you pay. Superstar also offer a 2 year warranty on all products, including yer wheels 8)