rockrider 9.1 - good reviews

danlightbulb

Hi all,

Just thinking about my next bike as I've outgrown the rockrider 5.2 I bought 6 months ago. I'm weighing up my price point really as I want a bike that will last me.

I am very tempted to get the £500 RR8.1, but then I also had a brief go on a mate's full susser yesterday and it felt very smooth. So I'm wondering whether I should just jump straight to a full sus rather than buy the RR8.1 and it only last a year before I outgrow it (or maybe I won't outgrow that one I really don't know).

The RR9.1 has a 4.5 star review on here, but there's not much about it otherwise. The review does say that it could do with a rear shock lockout, and I am concerned about it sapping the power on climbs.

I've never had a go on a 'good' hardtail, so I'm comparing the full susser I tried to my basic RR5.2, bound to feel good! Would there be a huge difference between a good hardtail and a full susser like the 9.1? And would the lack of rear lockout prove to be a serious pain?

Thanks

styxd

What do you mean you've "out grown it"?

How old are you? Im assuming you must be in your teens if you're still growing. Perhaps it would be better to buy 2nd hand if this is the case, since you wont lose much money on it

Twelly

Yep, what he said if you are young and still growing.

Alternatively, change the bars and stem and adjust the saddle and seat post to try and prolong the use of the current bike until you are a bit older and can settle on a bike that will fit for life.

If you do decide to get a new one though - What kind of riding will you be doing? I would go hardtail over full sus unless my riding/riding style demanded it as you will get more for your money with a hardtail and a simpler piece of machinery.

cooldad

I don't think he means physically outgrow.

Twelly

cooldad wrote:

I don't think he means physically outgrow.

Nothing to suggest he doesn't in the original post...

cooldad

TwellySmat wrote:

cooldad wrote:

I don't think he means physically outgrow.

Nothing to suggest he doesn't in the original post...

danlightbulb wrote:

So I'm wondering whether I should just jump straight to a full sus rather than buy the RR8.1 and it only last a year before I outgrow it (or maybe I won't outgrow that one I really don't know).

Suggests to me.

snowjho

i've got one (RR 9.1) and I love it. It will bob a little climbing but if you sit in the saddle and pick the right gear its minimal and no worse than my friends stumpy with brain technology. I don't miss what I have never had! If I had a rear lock out I wonder if I would use it. I rarely see my friends who have them reaching down and locking out the rear suspension.

Its an unbelieveable bike for the money.

apreading

Which is best though - the RR9.1 or the Boardman?

danlightbulb

Lol i should have been clearer, I meant outgrown it in that my riding has improved beyond the capabilities of this bike. It shakes me to pieces when I ride the trails and the forks hardly have any give in them, plus the brakes aren't good enough so I hold back on downhills. I need something better now, in hindsight should have spent more in the first place but didn't know if I would stick to it.

TwellySmat wrote:

If you do decide to get a new one though - What kind of riding will you be doing? I would go hardtail over full sus unless my riding/riding style demanded it as you will get more for your money with a hardtail and a simpler piece of machinery.

At the moment I mainly ride cannock chase, and I know I could go faster if the bike had better brakes and forks. I do however also want to start riding trails like Llandegla, Brecon etc, although this will be much less frequent. Having never ridden these trails I don't know how they compare to Cannock. I want to start getting a bit of air too, a few opportunities over Cannock to do this but I hold back due to lack of confidence in the bike.

Twelly

I think you would notice a big improvement with either the 8.1 or 9.1 so its up to you whether you want to spend the extra for the extra bounce at the rear.

The 8.1 is a very capable bike and wouldn't be out of place among more expensive bikes.

You will have more fun on either of them but my money would go on the hardtail.

styxd

Lol i should have been clearer, I meant outgrown it in that my riding has improved beyond the capabilities of this bike.

Really?

You've been mountain biking for 6 months.

I think learning to ride properly would be a better investment. Try a skills course.

cooldad

styxd wrote:

Lol i should have been clearer, I meant outgrown it in that my riding has improved beyond the capabilities of this bike.

Really?

You've been mountain biking for 6 months.

I think learning to ride properly would be a better investment. Try a skills course.

Why? Seems quite reasonable to want to upgrade from entry level. I've met quite a few fairly new riders through here, and they've got good pretty quickly, and wanted to to change bikes.

bennett_346

+1 nothing wrong with that as long as he is prepared to actually ride harder terrain faster on it, otherwise may as well stick with the old one.

cooldad

Once again, without having to spell it out, if you read his earlier posts that's exactly what he says.
Anyway, my bike is much more capable than I am, so what. I'll ride what I want. Nothing wrong with having or wanting a nice bike - you don't have to be able to extract every last ounce of use out of it.

bennett_346

Yeah, but i've seen people who have been convinced that spending more money will make them confident to ride harder terrain then have got it out and still been scared, resulting in no improvement except an empty wallet. It's all well and good to say you will but will you actually?

snowjho

bennett_346 wrote:

Yeah, but i've seen people who have been convinced that spending more money will make them confident to ride harder terrain then have got it out and still been scared, resulting in no improvement except an empty wallet. It's all well and good to say you will but will you actually?

Pretty much why i went for 9.1, i almost went £1600 on trance x3 but the brain took control. I still may one day get a fancier bike but for now the 9.1 is more than enough. My hardtail is no where near as good as the 8.1 but i sure enjoy the rear shock for the traction it gives. The singletrack down is so much fun and im quicker too (uphill aswell). I look at the amount of travel the rear shock has gone through after a ride and im greatful its there!

danlightbulb

bennett_346 wrote:

Yeah, but i've seen people who have been convinced that spending more money will make them confident to ride harder terrain then have got it out and still been scared, resulting in no improvement except an empty wallet. It's all well and good to say you will but will you actually?

I appreciate your point bennett. Maybe I was a bit poor in my choice of words saying i'd 'outgrown' the RR5.2. Its a decent bike and does fine on the follow the dog but less well on the monkey trail due to the more rutted ground. I guess I won't really know whether I'll be faster on a better bike or not, but how else to find out except by buying one?

The main point I was making though in this thread is that whatever I get now needs to be a long term thing, I can't afford a purchasing mistake hence my questioning about the value of going for a full susser now and whether the 9.1 would be a better buy than the 8.1 as I honestly don't know and have no way of finding out except by asking here.

supersonic

The Rockrider 5.2 is a nice entry level machine - designed for milder xc and trails. It does have a few limitations - if riding stuff harder I would also think about changing it, or upgrading the fork.

danlightbulb

supersonic wrote:

The Rockrider 5.2 is a nice entry level machine - designed for milder xc and trails. It does have a few limitations - if riding stuff harder I would also think about changing it, or upgrading the fork.

Id have to change fork, brakes (for hydraulics) and wheels (for disc brakes), making it not worth it. I could probably sell it for half what I paid for it and put that towards an upgrade.

How do I make the decision whether a full sus would be worth it, bearing in mind I want this next bike to last at least 3 years.

supersonic

By testing them. If you can't, then is not easy. A good hardtail will be better than a poor FS. And vice versa. What is your maximum budget?

danlightbulb

If I buy a hardtail then I will probably buy the £500 RR8.1 as I don't see enough improvement in spec to go much more than that. Then I was also looking closely at the £800 RR9.1 (but was hoping to catch a sale). So I guess my absolute max would be £800, but as I said I was hoping to catch a sale too.

I wasn't even looking at full sus until yesterday. I had a quick go on a mates full sus (not on proper trails) and it felt really nice. It was a £2k bike though.

supersonic

There are £800 hardtails better than the RR, especially reductions and sales. A quick look around and you have XC bikes like this:

http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.p ... Suspension

Which will be lighter, and has better parts.

The 9.1 is a great bike though, but will be somewhat heavier still.

danlightbulb

Its nicer looking and take the point on the weight, but apart from that I don't think I would really benefit from paying that much for a hardtail, there doesn't seem to me to be enough of a difference in spec to justify it. With the full sus, I can see where the extra money is going, with that Giant I sort of can't see where the extra cash is going.

supersonic

You are wrong, I have to say! The fork is over a pound lighter - this makes a marked difference when lofting the front end up. Also being air sprung you can dial into your weight. The frame is also half a pound lighter, and is better crafted. SLX shifters and XT rear mech shift more smoothly. The wheels are lighter too. Add it all up and it makes a difference.

I don't see why you should spend less if you have the budget and want a hardtail, there are plenty of better ones.

Also this:

http://www.bike-discount.de/shop/k1830/ ... ml?mfid=52

Has a Reba up front!

Sure the 8.1 is a great bike for the money. It is better than most others for the same price. But simply put, there are better for more money that, when added up, will result in a lighter, smoother ride.

danlightbulb

The truth is supersonic, that I don't know what I want. I want to upgrade and think I'll benefit from it, but don't want to waste money buying something I'm never going to get any additional benefit from. Its a hard decision for me, maybe Id be better off just waiting until it becomes more clear in my mind. Thanks for your input tho.

leaflite

The best thing to do would be to identify what parts are holding you back, and also what you want the bike to be/ride like. Then buy a bike that does those things.
You dont need a full suss for cannock chase-I have been happily riding my hardtail around it for quite a while. However, it would take the edge of the braking bumps and probably allow you to go slightly faster on the bumpier downhill sections.
You need to decide whether its worth the extra weight, loss of pedaling efficiency and slightly worse spec to obtain this.

danlightbulb

leaflite wrote:

The best thing to do would be to identify what parts are holding you back

Fork and brakes primarily. I can live with 24 gears or not having the smoothest shifting in the world, but definitely fork and brakes.

leaflite wrote:

You dont need a full suss for cannock chase-I have been happily riding my hardtail around it for quite a while. However, it would take the edge of the braking bumps and probably allow you to go slightly faster on the bumpier downhill sections.
You need to decide whether its worth the extra weight, loss of pedaling efficiency and slightly worse spec to obtain this.

And I honestly don't know the answer. What I do know is that the next bike I buy HAS to last me for at least 3 years and be suitable to riding cannock chase every week or so but also to go to wales on every once in a while on longer rides and more mountainous terrain. Its still going to be trail centres like llandegla or brecon beacon but I want to get my skills up on the black runs at cannock and move on to the black runs on these welsh trails as well.

I know I don't need a full suss for cannock, but its the other trails I'm thinking about as well. Cant have one of each unfortunately!

On a separate note apparently there is a 2012 RR9.1 coming out as well although I haven't been able to find a pic of this. I tried one today in the shop and its heavier than the 8.1 but obviously round the shop I couldn't really tell anything.

chez_m356

cooldad wrote:

Once again, without having to spell it out, if you read his earlier posts that's exactly what he says.
Anyway, my bike is much more capable than I am, so what. I'll ride what I want. Nothing wrong with having or wanting a nice bike - you don't have to be able to extract every last ounce of use out of it.

exactly this, the way some people jump on here with there opinions, you would think the op was spending there money not his own

styxd

The truth is supersonic, that I don't know what I want. I want to upgrade and think I'll benefit from it, but don't want to waste money buying something I'm never going to get any additional benefit from. Its a hard decision for me, maybe Id be better off just waiting until it becomes more clear in my mind. Thanks for your input tho.

Do what he suggests. get a good quality hardtail for your money. Spend the remainder on a skills course, you'll get more out of it.

matt@theforce

Are you able to hire a decent Hardtail/FullSuss from a trail centre and try them on the same trails so you can compare?

This will give you a rough idea on what to expect from each style of bike.

I've never ridden at a Trail Centre but ride harsh trails in the Peak District and ride both my Full Suss & my Hardtail on the same routes, both have their merits and offer a different riding pleasure.

leaflite

matt@theforce wrote:

Are you able to hire a decent Hardtail/FullSuss from a trail centre and try them on the same trails so you can compare?

Swinnertons allow you to rent some full sussers for about £30, but you need to book in advance and the rental bikes are quite different to the rockrider-different suspension designs and higher end parts.