General Cycling Discussion - Newb with questions

hi, i'm new here.. so this is my first post. anyway, i have a Specialized Rockhopper Bike and been thinking about upgrading the front forks to the ones with suspension. I saw this one on ebay and was wondering if:
a) will it fit my rockhopper?
b) how is it in terms of performance?

This is the one I saw on ebay. please advise. Thanks!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&category=36135&item=3666976750&sspagename=STRK%3AMEBWA%3AIT

First thing to find out is whether your Rockhopper has a 1 1/8th threadless steerer. Easiest way to do this is, look at the stem (the bit that holds your handlebars on). If it has two bolts on the back, and a bolt on top, it's threadless. If it only has one on top, it's threaded. If it's threadless, take off the top bolt and measure the steerer tube inside, you want it to be 1 1/8th inch. Next, measure from the bottom of the bottom headset cup to the top of the stem; if this is around 180mm or less it'll definately fit (it should be).

If it's a threaded steerer tube, you're probably out of luck. These are mostly 1 inch, but 1 1/8th do exist. If you have a 1 1/8th threaded steerer, you'll need to have an Aheadset fitted in place of the threaded headset (your local bike shop should do this, it's not a home job, They can fit the fork while they're at it).

The fork looks to be pretty good quality, not the best but certainly not bad, more than good enough for your needs. It doesn't have a disk mount, so if your Rockhopper has a disk it'll have to go. But if it has rim brakes (probably V brakes), they'll fit right on (your LBS can do this too if you can't).

First thing to find out is whether your Rockhopper has a 1 1/8th threadless steerer. Easiest way to do this is, look at the stem (the bit that holds your handlebars on). If it has two bolts on the back, and a bolt on top, it's threadless. If it only has one on top, it's threaded. If it's threadless, take off the top bolt and measure the steerer tube inside, you want it to be 1 1/8th inch. Next, measure from the bottom of the bottom headset cup to the top of the stem; if this is around 180mm or less it'll definately fit (it should be).

If it's a threaded steerer tube, you're probably out of luck. These are mostly 1 inch, but 1 1/8th do exist. If you have a 1 1/8th threaded steerer, you'll need to have an Aheadset fitted in place of the threaded headset (your local bike shop should do this, it's not a home job, They can fit the fork while they're at it).

The fork looks to be pretty good quality, not the best but certainly not bad, more than good enough for your needs. It doesn't have a disk mount, so if your Rockhopper has a disk it'll have to go. But if it has rim brakes (probably V brakes), they'll fit right on (your LBS can do this too if you can't).

awesome! i'm gonna have to check that out tonight. tomo is my roommate.. he posted this for me cuz we both have the same bike. cool! can't wait to leave work to check it out!

Another questions, how about seat suspension? i measured the hole in the frame and it was 30mm. so should i buy a seat suspension with a stem that is 28.7mm or should i get one that is 30.9mm? my guess is to go with the smaller one, right? and i've heard people mention about seat shim, what are those for anyways?

Any idea what year your Rockhopper is? I don't think they have been sold without suspensions for a few years now. If it is old it might have cantilever brakes and would not work with this fork. Which do you have? Also, do not expect to do much "mountain biking" with this fork. It should smooth out the bumps a bit, but it will probably break on any big drops.

Edit: Disregard the comment about cantilever brakes above.

Look on the seat post. They usually have the seat tube diameter stamped near the bottom. You need to get the exact size, or smaller and a shim to the exact size.

Why would cantis not work with this fork? They use the same studs as Vs don't they?

Why would cantis not work with this fork? They use the same studs as Vs don't they?

Nevermind what I said earlier. I believe you are right. I got a bit confused when the page said V-brake mounts only. Sorry.

The fork is honestly not a very good one. My gut feeling says don't bother with it. It's travel will be very limited (1-2 inches on a warm day) and the effect on your ride will be hardly noticeable compared to the rigid fork you currently have.

For the seller to say that it retails for $200 is total crap. I checked mtbr.com because that sounded ridiculous for an RST fork. The design is 5 years old.

In my opinion, it's not worth it. You spend $35 including shipping, plus $5 for a star nut, and the change in performance will be barely noticeable. The same seller is offering a couple of Manitou 6 comp forks for $70. While not considered a good fork for hard riding, it will be leaques beyond that RST. It's hardly worth the cost to make the change unless you notice a real difference. If you end up needing a threaded stem, someone else had a RS Judy that will fit for $70. The only concern with either of those two is if the longer travel would make your front end significantly higher, but I doubt it will be enough to worry about.

The fork is honestly not a very good one. My gut feeling says don't bother with it. It's travel will be very limited (1-2 inches on a warm day) and the effect on your ride will be hardly noticeable compared to the rigid fork you currently have.

For the seller to say that it retails for $200 is total crap. I checked mtbr.com because that sounded ridiculous for an RST fork. The design is 5 years old.

In my opinion, it's not worth it. You spend $35 including shipping, plus $5 for a star nut, and the change in performance will be barely noticeable. The same seller is offering a couple of Manitou 6 comp forks for $70. While not considered a good fork for hard riding, it will be leaques beyond that RST. It's hardly worth the cost to make the change unless you notice a real difference. If you end up needing a threaded stem, someone else had a RS Judy that will fit for $70. The only concern with either of those two is if the longer travel would make your front end significantly higher, but I doubt it will be enough to worry about.

as a matter of fact, i was looking at the RS judy one as well. i found some that are pretty decent in pricing.

as for my how old my rockhopper is.. well, honestly i don't know. cuz i got it as a gift from a friend that bought a newer bike. perhaps i'll snap some pics and i'll post it up this weekend. maybe you guys can let me know how old it might be?? hehe :D

Here I posted up a link of on this forum with pics of my bike. perhaps you guys can tell me how old this one is.. thanks.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=48061