Mountain Biking - 2011 hardrock sport dissapointment :(

the front shocks suck...i used to have a 07 sport disc and it was much better.....i can bottom out these shocks so easily.

any affordable recommendations on some firmer shocks? and how much would it cost a lbs to install it(ballpark range?)


thanks for the help....ive had the bike for two days and the shocks dissapoint...im 235 pounds btw if that makes a difference...thanks

What might help is telling us what fork is currently on it.

No use us recommending a Tora, if you have a Recon, just for example.

Also, explain how you have it set up. It actually be a set up issue (i.e. not running enough air pressure, too soft a sping) as opposed to being a crap fork.

The stock fork on a Hardrock Sport is likely to be crap. But honestly, I doubt the stock fork on the '07 was much better. You need a heavier spring. But then again, a cheap fork will still be a cheap fork.

wait you can just upgrade the spring?..sorry im ignorant when it comes to upgrading bikes

and heres the kind of shock it has:SR Suntour SF11-XCM-V3-29-DS-MLO, 80mm, 1pc. alloy lower, 30mm Hi-Ten stanchions, coil/mcu spring w/ preload adj., spring assisted seals

wait you can just upgrade the spring?..sorry im ignorant when it comes to upgrading bikes

and heres the kind of shock it has:SR Suntour SF11-XCM-V3-29-DS-MLO, 80mm, 1pc. alloy lower, 30mm Hi-Ten stanchions, coil/mcu spring w/ preload adj., spring assisted seals

It's a coil fork, so yes, you can swap the spring to a firmer one, providing the manufacturer makes one.

You could almost definitely get a firmer spring for it. But it may be worth the money to just go ahead & upgrade to something better, if you have the money to spare. Blueskycycling.com has better deals on forks than any other websites I've been able to find. Ebay & craigslist are also good places to look.

You should have noticed this on the test ride when you bought it. If it's doing it now, then it was doing it then.

If you can actually find a proper "heavy spring" for such a neutered fork...it probably still won't perform to your liking b/c the cheap'o damper will rebound harshly. Be careful on cobbling something together. I've seen guys install some home-brew aftermarket springs (oversprung) on a cheap fork and it blew the top cap off. I wouldn't suspect a Suntour to have a killah CNC'd top cap...my wife's is Delrin.

At 235lbs, I'd say save a little bit of money and snag a Tora Coil fork or even one of the Marz DJ's. (not terribly expensive)


You can't expect to pay entry level prices and recieve a mid-level performer. Cheap/Light/Tough...pick two. (I'm so tired of that statement, but it's true)

You can't spend $440 on a bike at your weight and expect magic...so replace the fork w/ something decent. Keep an eye on your spoke tension and don't slam those wheels into any curbs. Put some blue loctite on your crank bolts before they come loose and you lose a crank arm in the middle of your ride and have to walk back to your car.

I find it hard to believe any bike below 500 dollars would have an even "sub par" fork. The fork on my bike I've been painfully tolerating until now. It's an 08 Diamondback Response Sport, rocking a Spinner Edge 4 120mm fork. Very bad, IMO. It compresses, though, absorbs some bumps, etc, so I put off getting a new one as long as I could.

I just bought a new fork, and it should be in this week. I'm having the LBS install it, which their rate is 40 dollars flat rate, which includes anything needed to be done on the front end. Cutting the tube, installing headset, installing fork, swapping wheel (and in my case, the tire to a new wheel), re-aligning front brake, etc. Basically a ton of basic crap I could do on my own, but I never cut a fork before and I DO NOT want to screw it up. But anyway, 40 bones flat rate @ my LBS gets the job done.

Ya never know...some of those bigger Spinner's would probably be okay for the OP. (Ammo, I think) It's not super-smooth, nor is the damping terribly effective, but it will take a pounding...support 235lbs...and doesn't have a harsh top-out.

I do agree though...you can't expect much from a low level component.



Just wondering Roast...did you buy the part online? My LBS will install anything they sell you for free. Sometimes it offset's the cost of on-line savings. They will also lower prices if I tell them I can find it somewhere cheaper on the .net.

The Spinner I had wasn't even usable until I took it apart and put new grease in it. I finally disassembled it after it stopped any travel, only to find out the "grease" that came from the factory was more like glue than it was a lubricant. Once I lathered everything in some slick honey lube, things were much, much better, however there's literally zero rebound control on it, which makes for a noisy (and kinda crappy) biking scenario when you're hitting bumps and small jumps all day long.

Yes - I bought the fork online. The bike shop would have given me a discount on installation charge if I bought the part through them, but it was a bit more expensive (markup, I suppose) and wasn't in stock, so I got it online and figured the cheaper fork price + full installation charge is probably pretty = to full fork price + cheaper installation charge.

my bikes wasnt under 500 it was 500..its the sport disc......so far ive read that i should look into the tora coil fork... will that bottom out like the suntour ones do?.....i just got back from markham park and every just it bottomed out...im very dissapointed ive only had the bike for three days :(....my 2007 hardrock sport disc came with rockshocks...i think that was the brand..and they said rst on the side...they never bottomed out and were much better....i dont have that bike anymore....its ashame that they put worse parts on the newer bikes....btw is there any specific size shocks im looking for or will any tora coil fit? thanks

My mom has the Tora Coil on her Myka & it's lasted her 2 years of moderate use. Plus I've road her bike a few times & when I ride it, I ride it hard. It's a great fork, best you can get for the price.

Also what you mentioned above was a 80mm fork. What type of riding do you do. If your riding has rock gardens and small drop offs that 80mm will bottom out more than a 100mm or 120mm shock. If this is the problem, then this should have been identified by your LBS once you told them the type of riding you do. This is just something else to consider. Good luck and hope it works out for you.

i do trail riding and jumps...like under 6 feet ramps....so does everyone recommend the tora coil? there on ebay for under 200?..

I recommend it, but not from ebay. They're on blueskycycling.com for $150.

I recommend it, but not from ebay. They're on blueskycycling.com for $150.

ok thanks a bunch ill be looking into it!!!

so basically id order this if i get this fork..i have disc brakes
http://www.blueskycycling.com/product/6182/39/Rock_Shox_Tora_SL_Fork_Disc_Only_2009.htm

Yeah that's the one I would get. The Tora 302 Coil is a little cheaper & has disc & v-brake mounts, but it has 120mm travel & might cause a geometry problem with the way the bike is set up. The SL is 100mm so it's a little closer to what your bike came with. I don't know for sure though. Maybe someone with a little more experience altering & upgrading bikes can answer that one.

is 100 mm of travel good enuff? theres some with up to 130mm of travel
http://www.blueskycycling.com/search.php?search_key=tora+coil

You say you're doing jumps on sub-6' ramps. So are you doing 5.5' jumps? 4 foot? Your bike isn't made for that. I recommend you stick to trail riding or take the bike back and buy proper equipment.

The Tora is a good fork for riding trails...and a good match for your bike. I don't think your bike is a good match for you.


You should'a bought a Komodo or a Five-O.

well not 6 feet... maybe 4 feet to 4.5 max.....and when funds are avalable ill look into upgrading my ride

Quick question: Is there anything other than the geometry of the bike that would make a Hardrock better for XC than freestyle, or vice versa with the Komodo? It sounds like this guy does similar style biking to me. I most stick to the trails, but occasionally my BMX roots grab hold of me & I do a little freestyle riding.

the reviews seem preety bad....im willing to spend a lil under 300 for a fork...is there another fork for a little higher price you would recommend?

links to bad revies :http://www.mtbr.com/cat/suspension/2007-forks/rockshox/tora-302/PRD_414388_1550crx.aspx

most say that it flexes with disc brakes and squeks

Samb: By freestyle...you mean flat land, freeride, xxx xxx?


Something like a Komodo, Five-O, Kinesis Pha5e, Norco shore, Banshee Scirocco...friggin tough as nails. Slacker geometry. Maybe shorter stays on a few...making it easier to manual, style out, flick'able...whatever ya wanna call it.

Reason I rec a Komodo is b/c it's prob. the only frame I haven't broken, hahaha. Extra gusseting at high stress points, more clearance for the nads if you tank a jump. These are bikes that will stand the test of long-term abuse.


Sure man...you can take any bike over a jump. Sometimes several times. If it's not designed for it...and you're a normal-to-clyde size guy such as myself...it will eventually fail.

Another reason I recommend such a thing is b/c the OP would buy a complete bike...not just a frame. Thus, these bikes would have the "lumberjack" componentry to match the frame. You don't wanna buy an XC bike and throw a PIKE on it and go jumping. You need the whole package.





Alex...I'd say just grab a Tora and ride trails with it. Don't abuse it or you will find yourself spending time off the bike due to component failure. When you get another $400-500 bucks, grab a bottom feeder Komodo on sale at Jensonusa.com or something. You'll be able to beat the piss out if it and have your trail bike for its intended purpose.

ok ill probably get the tora then...and whats a komodo?

nvm i used search lol

I'm kind of tempted to get a more freeride style bike. And by freestyle, I mean dirt jumps, normally with landing ramps. Sometimes without. Never anything bigger than my old GF Wahoo has been able handle so far though. I do mostly XC though so I guess I really just need to find a LBS that sells that style bike & sit on it, give it a test ride. If it feels like it would be comfortable & light enough, I may just go with a Komodo. I like the idea of having a frame that won't crack on me, because I don't like using phrases like "taking it easy" to describe my style of riding, to say the least.

ok ill probably get the tora then...and whats a komodo?

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/chelboed/Progression%20of%20a%20Komodo/komodo.jpg



1. I mean dirt jumps, normally with landing ramps...
2. I may just go with a Komodo...
3. I don't like using phrases like "taking it easy" to describe my style of riding, to say the least.

1. The landing ramps are called transitions.
2. Not a bad choice, but I think you are to the point where you should consider building a ground up PIMP ride.
3. Excellent!

1. Sorry, my days as a little BMX jackass have given me a bad biking vocabulary:p
2. I've been looking into a ground-up build. I've had so many potential jobs that fell through that right now, any sort of new bike is just a fantasy. But when I get a job that's probably the direction I'll take so I can have everything just the way I want it.
3. Excellent except when I do things that are above my bikes capabilities, reminding me that to progress without going completely broke (from repairs & replacement parts), I'm going to need to invest in a better ride.

To the OP -

Lose about 50 lbs.

Yours Truly,
junkyard


p.s. Learn how to spell "disappointment".

I have Tora Coil with adj. travel on my Surly 1x1. It is a cross country fork not a Dirt jumping fork. At 235 lbs, I put in the heaviest spring and it works just fine for me.

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h28/chelboed/Progression%20of%20a%20Komodo/komodo.jpgUh, I think you laced up your front hub off-center.

To the OP -

Lose about 50 lbs.

Yours Truly,
junkyard



p.s. Learn how to spell "disappointment".

ASS! i know i need to

I have Tora Coil with adj. travel on my Surly 1x1. It is a cross country fork not a Dirt jumping fork. At 235 lbs, I put in the heaviest spring and it works just fine for me.

thanks im looking into that ill be going to my lbs to see what they can offor me

I have Tora Coil with adj. travel on my Surly 1x1. It is a cross country fork not a Dirt jumping fork. At 235 lbs, I put in the heaviest spring and it works just fine for me.

thanks im looking into that ill be going to my lbs to see what they can offor me