Mountain Biking - Bike Day! (56k warning)

That's right! Today was Bike Day! Picked up the Rockhopper Comp Disc I've been eyeing for some time and I'm very happy :D

Got a good deal on it too (cash is king). After the final test ride i decided the 17" felt too small, but knew that the 19" was too big. So we talked about it and we ended up doing a straight swap on the stock 60mm stem for a 90mm Ritchey Comp stem and that solved the fit problems as well as leaving me with a nicer stem. Still have the risers which i swore i was going to swap out for a flat bar, but i decided to try them out for a while before i dismiss them outright. Wasnt too keen on the stock 2.0 tires so i swapped them out for a set of 2.3 Kenda K-rads and will be picking up a set of real knobbies in a few days.

Overall im very happy with the bike. Bought all the accessories and gear i wanted (CO-2 pump, cartridges, helmet, saddle bag, patch kit, multitool, tire levers, tube etc) while staying well under budget. Want to give a big thanks to all you guys for all the great knowledge i've picked up on here, and thanks to all that answered my questions over the last couple of months. Without you guys, I'd probably be putting around on the Giant Yukon i was looking at last year. :)

Pics, must include pics!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v489/F14K/bike3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v489/F14K/bike5.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v489/F14K/bike4.jpg

First attempt at a wheelie in about 7 years -

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v489/F14K/bike6.jpg

Sloppy, awkward, somewhat ******** these days, but can still do it for about 30 feet :p -

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v489/F14K/bike7.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v489/F14K/bike8.jpg

Now im REALLY looking forward to getting down to the trails and getting the thing filthy :D

Ehhhh, too shiney. :D


Congrats on the new bike. It's always fun when a new bike comes to live with you.

I have the same bike and recently got it too heh, I like it very much :)

Check my sig, new high res picture added just now!

right on! i've got an '05 and i really like it. and you say you got a good deal on it, so that makes it twice as sweet! my only suggestion would be to ditch those pedals soon. my experience with them is that as soon as they are exposed to any moisture what so ever, they become stupid slick to the point of being dangerous. :eek:

I have the same bike and recently got it too heh, I like it very much :)

Yeah i kind of expect to see alot of them on the trails. But by the time im done with mine, it'll be anything but a carbon copy of someone elses :)


right on! i've got an '05 and i really like it. and you say you got a good deal on it, so that makes it twice as sweet! my only suggestion would be to ditch those pedals soon. my experience with them is that as soon as they are exposed to any moisture what so ever, they become stupid slick to the point of being dangerous. :eek:

Yeah i noticed that too. No real spikes to speak of.

Good stuff Flak, makes me want to upgrade my rig. When you make it back down to Australia we will have to go for a ride (or two).

yummy
congrats on the new ride!

nice bike flak, congrats. i cant tell for sure from the picture, are those BB7's or BB5's? (i think they are bb7's)

nice bike flak, congrats. i cant tell for sure from the picture, are those BB7's or BB5's? (i think they are bb7's)

They are BB5s, or at least they should be, my bike came with them.

Alas! They are but BB5's. They stop me quite well (granted it was dry and 75). We'll see if they get upgraded eventually, im thinking they probably will be.

Love the pics. Nice bike.

nice! :)

Nice bike. Just ditch the dork disk and you'll be set. :D

Nice bike!

Alas! They are but BB5's. They stop me quite well (granted it was dry and 75). We'll see if they get upgraded eventually, im thinking they probably will be.


I don't think the issue with the BB5's is as much about power as it is about fine tuning, adjustment and modulation. They should provide plenty of power once they are broken in, even in the slop and the wet.

and I must say..damn that is one fine looking bicycle.

Very nice looking bike, looks like it's ready to win a few races. As for the wheelie, I'm jealous. I can't ride a wheelie more than 10 - 15 feet to save my life.

Very nice Flak.

I like wheelies. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v246/pinit/smileys/cool.gif

Cool bike! What kind of pedals are those? I want a nice set of platforms for my Cake. I'm just not ready for clipless on some trails yet!

They are just the stock no name pedals. Comfy in the dry, but as mentioned above, dont look like they will be very good in the wet. Rounded teeth on them, nothing to really grab.

They look good. I bet a file would fix that little grip problem!

I love it when you guys post pics of bikes that make the bike look better than the bike brand's site does. Theheehe

They are just the stock no name pedals. Comfy in the dry, but as mentioned above, dont look like they will be very good in the wet. Rounded teeth on them, nothing to really grab.

Yes indeed, I was very dissapointed with these pedals, they slip a lot when wet, I'm definitely getting some nice pedals soon.

Whew, just got back from her maiden voyage. Went for a ride in the local metro parks, nothing major, but was pleasently surprised to find some unoffical singletrack running parrallel to the bike path that was quite twisty and interesting. It zigged and zagged through all kinds of stuff along the river, criss crossing all over the place. Small little kickers in places, logs to hop over, good fun little trails. Made for a fun first ride, much better than the paved stuff i thought i was going to have to ride on. Lets take a quick inventory.

- Sore arse? Check. Lets hope thats me not the saddle and i get my arse broken in soon (ok that sounds terrible when i read it back :eek: )
- Disgustingly unfit? Check
- Sore legs? Not yet, still in the 'feel like jelly' stage, but they were burning before :o
- Log hop? Not so well anymore (read: cant do it these days) so that needs work.
- Looking super cool riding no hands? Check. (Bike is really well balanced and likes going straight)

All in all, im afraid im going to have to downgrade myself from 'intermediate rider' which i used to be, to 'experienced beginner'. Still looking forward to going to some of the 'real' trails on the outskirts of Cleveland on my next day off. Need to work on those skills before the next forum ride. (that's right mtnbiker66, get to planning it! :D ) The bike did well, smooth shifting, good braking, nimble handling, and well balanced. I suppose the fork was good, don't have enough experience with suspension to know really. I'm disappointed in the "lockout" which really isnt a lockout if you ask me, but it gets close. When you soften the motion control its nice over the bumps, very plush and a far cry from the rattle of my old rigid. Need to get some knobbies, the k-rads just didnt cut it offroad. Before i headed out i had my brakes swapped over. Front brake on the left just didnt feel right, damn backwards americans :p

Tell ya what though, i missed it. Good to be back :)

how much did you get teh rockhopper for again? thanks :)

lokk in to a set of geax tiers the sturdy@2.1 in the rear is my favorite