ICEN

I was looking to buy a brand new bike, mainly for riding around town, exercise, fun ect. I plan on doing most of my riding on the streets, this means I will be going of curbs quite a bit, going over some gravel depending if I am onside of a road which has gravel due to cars kicking them to the side of the street, and I plan on sometimes going on light trails. I am often going up/down hills either on the side of the road or on the sidewalk which can sometimes have cracked sidewalks which I assume is the reason I should not be getting a road bike if I want to do all these things.

My neighbor that moved but still visits his old home goes riding and is more into the sport then me, I was talking to him and he asked me how much money I was trying to spend on a bike. I told him at the least $300. He replied and told me that I should try to save up to around $500 and get a Hard Rock Specialized bike that has disk brakes. Pretty much I was just in a conversation about biking. He recommended that I should get a mountain bike even if I am riding around town because of the curbs, ect and it being able to do everything.

Now obviously my neighbor that moved knows more about bikes then me since he owns expensive ones, I have never herd of a hard rock mountain bike before so after I went inside my home I was looking them up to see why my neighbor recommend that brand. I noticed that I can buy a hard rock for around $400-$500, some are $450 others are like $550.

Basically I am asking how good are these bikes, I am looking for a reliable bike, one that will work 5 years later assuming I keep it clean and take care of it. Is my neighbor right in recommending this bike.

I was really only trying to spend around $300 but I guess I can manage to get up to around $450 or $500 possibly.
I asked him what I would have to do to maintain the bike and he basically told me just lube the chain and clean it with a towel is all I really need to do, he was going on about how disk brakes are better, and that if I get this bike I will notice a difference compared to the bike I am riding on now (Which is a old Walmart bike ) (FYI I did tune up my Walmart bike so it was at least ride able and does everything).

How good are "Hard Rock Bikes" ?

NormanF

They're Specialized's entry level bikes. Not on the same level as Specialized's top of the line Stumpjumper and mid-level Rockhopper.

I'd get a 29er like the Marin Muirwoods 29er with disc brakes which does everything since you have both a hybrid and an MTB in one bike. The cost of the 2013 model on Amazon are around $450. There are only a few left in stock.

jimc101

It's not a Hard Rock bike, its a Specialized, Hard Rock is the model, of which there are 4 different version in the 2014 range.

for a MTB lasting 5 years, if using on the road, it should last, if used off road, you will be lucky to not have replaced almost the complete bike within 5 years, off road riding is hard on a bike.

no1mad 

People have been riding Hardrocks in the manner you're describing for 20 years.

That being said, pick your routes to where you can avoid both heavy traffic and riding on the sidewalks as much as possible.

SkyDog75

Specialized sells good bikes. They're on par with Trek, Cannondale, Giant, and other high-quality brands you'd find in a good bike shop. The HardRock is one of Specialized's mountain bike models. They're plenty reliable, if you take care of them. You don't need to baby them -- decent mountain bikes are built to be ridden -- but you should keep them maintained.

Riding on streets doesn't necessarily mean going off curbs and such. Road bikes are designed to be ridden on the road, not sidewalks, so curb jumping isn't a necessity. But if you think you'll be going off curbs and riding trails, your neighbor's suggestion of a mountain bike is definitely appropriate. It's not like a mountain bike can't be ridden on a street, too.

I think your neighbor was also spot on with the suggestion to save up a bit more than $300 if you want a new bike. If you want a good $300 bike, your best values are used bikes. Just a bit over $300 gets you into new bikes like the Trek 820. A few more bucks gets you to something like the Specialized HardRock. These and comparable bikes are definitely a cut above sub-$300 bikes.

My recommendation is to drop by a few local bike shops, find some people who'll listen to how you'll ride and what your budget is, and let them give you some options.

ICEN

I will stop by the nearest bike shop and see what they have, just curious, do any of you recall the price point on a hardrock, what is the common prices that I should be expecting. I mean, I guess some bike shops might price differently but I was just curious if any of you remembered what the prices typically are on one of those bikes.

Also I don't purposely ride on sidewalks, its just that sometimes if the side of the road is too think and I feel like I am too close to traffic I will go on the sidewalk until I can get back on the road.

no1mad 

Specialized has the MSRP of their models on their website. Here's the Hard Rock page- Specialized Bicycle Components

ICEN

Cool, would most bike shops carry most of those Hardrock bikes or would do most bike shops only choose for example a select few.
What I am saying is, is it likely that a bike shop would have all of those $450-$700 bikes (Hardrock) or do most bikes shops not carry a variety of them but rather a certain price point.

no1mad 

Bike shops carry brands that they have agreements with and then typically stock on the floor those models that they feel they have the best chance of selling. Even if they carried the full line of any given model, like the Hard Rock, it's doubtful that they would have every available size built up for test rides.

Retro Grouch 

For putzing around town a mountain bike with slick tires is hard to beat. If you can find one that doesn't have a suspension fork, that would be even better.

SkyDog75

It's not easy to find a new mountain bike with a rigid fork these days.

But that aside, I agree with you. I've got a '97 Cannondale M300SE that I use for riding around with my kids. It was an entry level mountain bike, but it's ideal for riding around town or following the kids on dirt trails through the woods or along the river. It would be a great bike for the original poster's purposes. I'm glad I found that bike... it was still in its factory sealed shipping carton when I bought it two years ago.

xenologer

you don't need disk brakes, and steel suspensionless hard/rock/hoppers from the 80-90s are better than the new ones, especially for what you're planning

FLJeepGuy

I'll second this. Specialized built some amazingly rugged mountain bikes around this time. Keep an eye on Craigslist for a mid-90s HardRock, RockHopper, or StumpJumper and you should be able to pick one up for considerably less than your $300 budget. I just sold a nearly new condition '97 HardRock GX Sport for $140 and have a '95 HardRock Ultra still in my garage. I had a hard time parting with the GX Sport and may end up keeping the Ultra just because it looks so good and rides so nice!

no motor?

I don't know how good the new ones are, but mine is about a 2000 and will probably outlive me. I bought it when I started riding again in 2005 and it's been my only bike since then.

Artkansas 

I think this is about a 1988 Specialized Hard Rock. It was a freebie. Great bike. It's my goto commuting and utility bike for 9.5 years now. I've ridden it 70 miles in a day, and can still visit some trails on occasion.

FLJeepGuy

Love these bikes... Here's mine, a 1995 Specialized HardRock Ultra in "Black Cherry" paint: