my new bike

fwgx · July 2009

I took delivery of my first bike in over a decade on friday. I haven't ridden since I was at college 9 years ago and have only been about 6 miles on it so far with it being a busy weekend etc. It's a specialized Hardrock Sport 09 and so far I love it. I know it's not the greatest bike in the world compared to a lot around here but it'll do what I want and to be honest I couldn't tell any difference to it and the expensive ones in the shop. The seat is a bit uncomfortable but I think I can reposition it better to help with that.

Now if this cold would go away I can go out and enjoy it!

trekhead · July 2009

welcome aboard
nice bike, forget the weather just go and enjoy

Anonymous · July 2009

Erm, I might be mistaken, but it looks like you may have got too large a frame size. There's not much seatpost sticking out, which tells me the frame might be a bit tall for you, and the seat is at the very front of it's fore/aft adjustment, which suggests that it's also too long for you :shock:

fwgx · July 2009

yeehaamcgee wrote:

Erm, I might be mistaken, but it looks like you may have got too large a frame size. There's not much seatpost sticking out, which tells me the frame might be a bit tall for you, and the seat is at the very front of it's fore/aft adjustment, which suggests that it's also too long for you :shock:

Perhaps, it is a 23" frame, but I am 6'5". It feels nice to ride to me but I wasn't able to try out the 23" frame in the shop but the 21" was a bit small I think.

andy46 · July 2009

i have the exact same bike i've had it about a year now and use it nearly everyday, it's never let me down

get out and enjoy it!

OH NO Dan · July 2009

Nice bike, my mate has an 08 hardrock, its good fun.

fwgx · July 2009

andy46 wrote:

i have the exact same bike i've had it about a year now and use it nearly everyday, it's never let me down get out and enjoy it!

I went out last night in the rain just around the local park doing a few miles. got nice and muddy and really enjoyed it. The saddle is a bit hard and the handlebar grips a bit harsh, but I'm not using padded shorts or gloves.

Also I need to adjust the mudguard up a bit because it was useless so low down! Dunno how well front crud catchers work but may have a look into getting one of them too.

andy46 · July 2009

fwgx wrote:

andy46 wrote:

i have the exact same bike i've had it about a year now and use it nearly everyday, it's never let me down get out and enjoy it!

I went out last night in the rain just around the local park doing a few miles. got nice and muddy and really enjoyed it. The saddle is a bit hard and the handlebar grips a bit harsh, but I'm not using padded shorts or gloves.

Also I need to adjust the mudguard up a bit because it was useless so low down! Dunno how well front crud catchers work but may have a look into getting one of them too.

i changed the grips on mine for some specialized lock on grips and found these much better, i have also just recently got crud catcher front and rear gaurds ( 09 racepack ) and they seem to do the job

andy46 · July 2009

forgot to say i also use spesh bg fingerless gloves so they might make a difference, no padded shorts for me though i've never really tried them.

mikey0303 · July 2009

thats a smart looking bike

fwgx · July 2009

I have since lowered the seat a few inches and moved the seat forward an inch or so from when this pic was taken and it has made it easier to ride, feels a lot less bulky and makes it a lot easier to stand up and ride. The saddle is going to have to get replaced soon I think, it's a bit too narrow and hard on the sides so my bones end up resting on the very edge of the saddle where there is no padding. After 18 miles last night I was very sore.

Anonymous · July 2009

In that case, I still reckon the bike is too big for you. It's definitely a give-away if the seat is even lower and more forwards again.

I was talking to the guys in a bike shop on Sunday, and they insisted I sat on the bike, and they checked it fitted fine before I bought it.
Apparently, they had a 6'4" guy in recently who'd bought a 'large' 21 or so inch bike online, but it didn't fit him at all.
Turns out, even though he had a long body, he had pretty stumpy legs, and so a 17" or 18" frame would have been ideal!

andy46 · July 2009

mine is a 17 inch frame, i'm about 5'9 with a 32 inch leg,don't know if that help's. when i first saw the photo of your bike it looked HUGE compared to mine lol. i also noticed your top tube is a lot more straight than mine. the smaller size frames seem to have a more sloping top tube as long as your comfy on the bike thats the main thing, keep experimenting with seat height, position etc ect

Anonymous · July 2009

Unfortunately, There's a lot of shops that still sell frame sizes based on rider height.

andy46 · July 2009

thats true, when i got my spesh, i bought it from my lbs ( bikesport darlington ) who were very helpful and spent a lot of time with me, but when i bought my scott from evans ( because they were cheapest ) i got the impression that they were to busy or couldn't be bothered :evil: yet i thought these were supposed to be the people to go to after hearing other people.

my new bike

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