Mountain Bikes....

Here's some of my rides that I've built:

 

Yeah Its the $1700 bike...... But its at Goldens Bike shop on South College in CharterBank

 

I wish I had a rear suspension set up like that, mine's really built for a pneumatic spring, not the air spring I have on it.

 

Here's my ride,I built it up last summer.I'd like to switch out the SID rear for a Fox and add a set of hydro brakes at some point.

 

I got my 2010 Hardrock a month or so and I LOVE IT! $550 brand new and I would recommend it to anyone

 

The hardrocks are good bikes. A tad heavy, but sturdy as hell and worth the price.

 

Mine isnt to bad. Its the aluminum frame so the weight was cut down alot. Very steardy, I do a bit of off roading and jumps and suck and its absolutely awesome. Only regret, I shoulda got yellow

 

My gf has a hardrock, I ride a rockhopper. The difference in weight is apparent to me when I hang them up in the racks. But you are right, they are studry.

 

What have you noticed in the differences in the Rockhopper vs the Hardrock?

 

Costco has some nice bikes. Have you checked there? They're about 300.

 

Frame wise, different grade of aluminum, the hardrock seems to have thicker heavier aluminum. Frame geometry is a bit different, rockhopper seems a bit more rigid to me.

Components are probably the bigger thing. Rockhopper came with crappy components, but slightly less crappy than the hardrock. They come with the same shocks, so no difference there.

Don't get me wrong, the components work just fine, but they are certainly weak points if and when you decide to upgrade. I have had some pretty gnarly wrecks on my rockhopper and have been impressed with its durability. The Hardrock hasn't been wrecked or abused, so not sure how to compare it, at least on the long term.

Both are good bikes, but if you are going to put it through abuse, I would recommend the Rockhopper on experience with it alone.

 

Just get the rockhopper, maybe even the 29" wheel one if you can afford it. The hardrock is just a recreational level bicycle, regardless of spec level. The rockhopper or just about any hardtail in the $600-1000* range is what you should look at if you don't want to be severely limited by your equipment when you are actually riding trails.

*Disclaimer: I work at a bike shop, so I instinctively tend to upsell people to that price level for a "Mountain Bike". It's for your own good!

Edit: And don't even think about buying a new full suspension bike for less than 2 grand. Hell, shoot for that sweet spot of $3000 and you'll generally get your best bang-for-buck. Anything costing less will be a heavy, glitchy, and generally underwhelming ride. That means you will have to pay more in the long run to ride the bike you wanted to ride in the first place.

 

what about specialized's new wundervaluebike... I think its called the pitch?

 

The Pitch is a nice bike; very capable on downhills and not too bad for climbing. The Stumpjumper will not be quite as proficient as the Pitch going downhill, but will climb like a cross country race bike.
Just depends on what you are looking for in terms of your riding style. Either way those are two very versatile bikes for a good value at their price points.

-Max

 

agreed.

and I was a bike mechanic for a bit. so I know a few things...LOL

 

For kicks & giggles.

I really thought you'd get a kick out of this picture.

My set-up

This was me yesterday. Hope you all are enjoying the great outdoors.

 

Why do you mount on the roof? I have the bike brackets that go on the cleats and they work great.

 

That I am. I just recently bought me a 08 Gary Fisher Ferrous for 1/2 price.


and a pic of a deer I rode up on.

 

I've actually got a cleat too. I had a bed cover, so I would use the top for convenience. When I load the back for vacations, I'll put the bike on the top.

Very nice bike. At least you're using it. Good for you. Happy riding.

 

Thanks. I'm definitely using it. I managed to take my first spill just the other day...was not a bad one but sure did scare the hell out of me.