Upgrading A Rockhopper

BeenMtb

A While ago I bought myself a Specialized RockHopper Expert. I Am beginning to want to upgrade it a bit but not sure where to start. Here Are the specs, what looks like it needs upgrading?

Fork:RockShox XC30
Front Derailleur:Shimano Alivio, 9-speed,
Rear Derailleur: Shimano SLX Shadow 9 Speed
Shifters:Shimano Alivio, 9-speed Rapidfire plus
Chainset:Shimano Alivio, 3pc, 9-speed
Pedals:Alloy 1pc. body and cage
Front Brake:Shimano BR-M446 hydraulic disc brake, post mount,
Rear Brake:Shimano BR-M446 hydraulic disc brake, post mount
Brake Leavers:Shimano BR-446 Hydraulic Brake Leaver
Handlebars:XC riser bar, double butted alloy
Stem:Specialized 3D forged 6061 alloy
Headset:Integrated 1-1/8" threadless
Rims:Alex RH Disc 26"
Front Hub:Formula disc hub,
Rear Hub:Formula rear disc hub
Spokes:Stainless, 2.0mm (14g)
Front Tyre:Specialized The Captain Control
Rear Tyre:Specialized The Captain Contro

Chunkers1980

What's lacking in it?

supersonic

If you are happy with it, why upgrade? ;-)

But if you were, try a RockShox Reba fork:

http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/f ... forks.html

Much better than what you have, a lot lighter, stiffer and more adjustable.

BeenMtb

Fancy Lending me some money?

cooldad

Hooboy. Calling Yeehaa.

To upgrade something, you need to know what will make it do better the things you need it to do better.

And whether the marginal benefit justifies the cost.

It also helps to have the funds.

cooldad

ps It might be worthwhile working out what you have first.
viewtopic.php?f=40028&t=12872632

omegas

BeenMtb wrote:

Fancy Lending me some money?

So what is your budget for the upgrades :?: and what do you want to achieve.

felix.london

You really need to have a goal in mind i.e what are you trying to achieve?

I have converted my 2006 'hopper to a more Alpine-friendly AM type bike as well as shedding a couple of kg in the process.

This is kind of the order I went (I think);

larger front rotor (180mm)
tyres
pedals
shorter stem (90mm)
fork (Reba as suggested by Sonic)
grips
crankset (SLX dual/bash)
front shifter & mech (Dual SLX)
dropper seatpost (Reverb)
wheels & hubs (ArchEX / Trizoid)
cassette, rear shifter & mech (XT 10sp)
even shorter stem & slightly wider oversized bar
brakes (2013 SLX) and larger rear rotor

Will go tubeless next month and then I'll be done.

waby1234

You're also recommending the bike to others but wanting to upgrade it at the same time... So have you reached its limits?

paul.skibum

Everything on that bike "could" be better but not anything necessarily needs to be better. Depends what you feel are its shortcomings.

And as mentioned if you dont want the price tag associated with the upgrades then why ask?

Fork and wheels are probably your first choices - both are gonna cost. Whole drive train would be another one - alivio works fine but it is the shallow end of the Shimano parts pool.

Bang for buck changes maybe a wider bar and shorter stem might give you something - second hand on ebay would be a cheap upgrade.

Giraffoto

BeenMtb wrote:

A While ago I bought myself a Specialized RockHopper Expert

Where have you been riding it since you got it? How has it felt? Have you at any point thought, "that would have been so much better if . . ."? If you can answer these, you'll know if you need to upgrade