Mountain Biking - New Bike, New Rider

Hi there,
New to the forum, new to the sport and I just bought a bike. I got a 2003 Specialized Hardrock Pro Disc and while it may not be the hottest rig out there; the price was right and I think it's pretty alright. Spec's @ http://www.specialized.com/SBCBkModel.jsp?minisite=10081&spid=5822&JServSessionIdroot=vqjdm2atob.j27001 Let me know what you think of all the components and the route I should take on upgrading. (oh ps I bought the bike used for a better price then I was expecting to pay and I want to upgrade a little.) Most of my riding will be fairly easy local trails and a little urban assault on some stairs and what not, but I do have a cabin out in the Canadian Whiteshell area that has some nice stuff that'd be a little harder for a newbie. I'm also a heavy rider at 6'1", 240lbs and the Judy TT 100's on the front end seem to be a little soft for a guy of my build. but maybe I just wasnt tweaking it right or something. Anyways long story short let me know where you think the weakness' lie in m components and the route you think I should take. Thanks alot and cheers.

haha...FORK...before I even got to your weight...I was thinking fork upgrade....that's where I'd be headed.

How much money do you want to spend on upgrades?

The fork would be a good place to start.

I suggest riding it for a while and then consider upgrading to some cycling specific shoes and some clipless pedals.

Then...who knows. See where your riding takes you. What I mean to say is after a while, you'll find out if you're more into one aspect of riding over another.

. Anyways long story short let me know where you think the weakness' lie in m components and the route you think I should take. Thanks alot and cheers.
Yeah the fork is a DEFINATE weak point

Hence why the new HR Pro Discs are not spec'd with RS Judy's. Not that the MZ Comp is that much better, but it doesn't take much to be an improvement over a Judy TT.

okay so the fork is a definate. I'm definately going with some new clipless pedals and shoes. What about the other components ? derailleurs/chain rings/crank etc. I heard the crank is a big weakness in the HR Pro Disc. Any truth to that statement ? Sorry to be such a noob here guys but ya gotta start somewhere.

Yes, the X-forge cranks are are low-end. FSA V-drive Extremes are good, but they're probably about $130 with chainrings, $60 without. Plus, you'll need a new bottom bracket if you replace the cranks, the nice ones are almost all ISIS, and the hardrocks have square taper. A bottom bracket should be around $40.

What's involved with swapping out the BB with my Shimano LP-28 square taper setup? If the crank and BB are weakness' I definately want to get rid of them.. especially if im switching the pedals on the crank and the chainrings anyway.

okay, I think I got the BB and crank situation figured out but correct me if im wrong please. My current BB is a 68mm shell and 113mm spindle utilizing a square taper setup. If I want to upgrade the crank, most cranks seem to use the ISIS system or I've seen some "X-Type" setup's on raceface's product line. I need to purchase a new BB that matches the 68mm shell and 113mm spindle matching the crank ie. if I purchase a crank that is ISIS I need to purchase a 68/113 ISIS bottom and the ISIS crank of my choosing. Correct ?

Sounds right. I had the LBS order me a BB, and I bought some FSA V-drive cranks off ebay for $98. Also some Poverty Peddler pedals for $25 shipped from Danscomp.com.

They bought a RaceFace bottom bracket, and they ordered it so they got the right size. It is a 68x113.

All in all, I'd recommend this setup, the FSA cranks are a lot nicer than the truvativs. The pedals are larger than the stock ones, and most likely have better grip (removable/replacable pins too).

I would do some rides with it to see what you like and don't like. After that, go from there. If you like your Judy TT, then keep it. If you like the other things, then keep them! I think we all get a little gear crazy in this, the off-season.