the wonginator

all i'm gonna say is specialized hardrock. it's strong, it's the most multi-use. the jack is designed to be a dirt jumper, not a trail bike.


i have a 19" hardrock frame that i'd be willing to let go of, if noone wants it i'll probably just rebuild it as a trail bike. i'm 5'11"-6'. you can see my old built hardrock in my sig.

-=(8)=-

Are you near Vermont ?
I have a mint P2 Im trying to sell........

the wonginator

i'm not sure you know what versatile means...

sherpaPeak

i know, I know......versatile means HARDROCK!!!

-=(8)=-

I wouldnt have posted if I didnt.
Your def is different than mine, obviously.

IAMTB

I say get the Monocog 29. The extra strength that a 26 inch wheel over a 29 inch wheel might matter on paper, but I don't see a lot of difference in the real world. I'm 6'1" 225 and have yet to bend one of the stock 29er wheels that came on my Monocog. And I'm pretty hard on wheels. But ride them both if possible and buy the one that fits and feels the best. Actually you should ride them all and buy the one that fits the best.

the wonginator

not sure how a p.2 is versatile... but hey, to each their own.

another good bike would be a used trek bruiser, i know some ppl that have them an like them quite a bit. they don't make them anymore, but you can prolly pick one up for cheap... the jack killed the bruiser.

Flak

No the Bruiser died of natural causes. It was weak...couldn't survive in the environment.

smurray

At this point I still think I'm leaning towards the Hardrock. I'm gonna try and go find one to test ride tomorrow. The next question is whether or not the disc version of the bike is worth the extra money. While I am on a pretty tight budget, if the disc brakes really make that much of a difference I could probably figure out a way to afford it.

born2bahick

Let's see the 06 hardrock disc had tektro mechanical disc's and the 07 has shimano mechanicals. I can't say either of these will stop you any better than V's But... It's more, the whole "disc ready" package that might make it worth the money, If you are considering upgrades in the future, it might be worth it. My reccomendation would be to jump one more level to the 07 Hardrock Comp disc, with the BB5's. But really Ride the bike first and see if it fit's. Nothing wrong with suggesting to them to make changes for you and ride it again. Shorter stem/longer stem, raise the seat, fix the shifting, or whatever.

smurray

If I could raise my budget by a little bit, and this is a big IF, would I be better off getting a hardrock comp or something like a Gary Fisher Mullet. I think I'm going to go take a look at the Mullet today. I also see they have a singlespeed version which might interest me. Still not sure if I can afford it, but it's worth a look. I wish one of the shops in my area carried the hardrock, but the closest Specialized dealer is about an hour away. That alone is making me sway towards other brands at this point. But if nothing else seems to suit me I'll make the trip.

born2bahick

While you at the Fisher place you can ride some 29er's and 26er's and get a feel for that scenerio, you can also compare the genisis geometry to a standard bike. That would be a lot of fodder to digest for one day! Good luck

subcultro

If you can afford it, id suggest going a little higher up with the hardrock comp or mullet if youre serious about riding a lot. I mean for most people the daily commute can be done on a 50 dollar beater fixed gear. But if you plan on using it for more recreational purposes, dont skimp out on comonents and the frame. You'll just spend the exact same amount in the future to fix your bike up or to get the one you wanted to begin with anyways. Check the 06 closeouts. You can find some monster deals out there.

smurray

Went to the closest Specialized dealer today, I found one that wasn't too far away. The only Hardrock they had was a Hardrock Sport Disc in a medium. I rode it around out front of the shop and liked how it felt, though I'm fairly certain I'll need bigger than a medium. At 6'3" would you think it's safe to say I'll need an XL?

Elton

Gary Fisher Tassajara. Light, can handle being thrown around, and has nice comfy geometry. A friend of mine uses his for all the same things you have mentioned, and it has worked out awsome. The only thing is, you are a considerable amount heavier than he is, so the stock fork may need relplacing... though the lockout option on it is a lifesaver for commuting and climbing (maybe useful for bmx style riding aswell). You could probably find a tass pretty cheap used, or one with lower end components, like linear pull brakes instead of disk for pretty cheap. The bottom line is, unless you'll be throwing the bike over ten footers every day, there's no need for the beefy(heavy) frame on the hardrock, or any of the Kona dirt jump frames. I have a 'stuff', and it's super beefy, and great on the trail, but nearly useless for commuting. You need the height in the seattube.

sherpaPeak

Depending on how it fits....you would probably be fine on a Large. Ride both and see which one makes you feel more comfortable.

I can see that you are pretty much settled on Hardrock.....But if I were you I would also consider the following options:

Kona Shred '06 model.....good frame and nice forks at this price point.
Kona Blast or Cinder Cone '06 models........few weeks ago my local Kona dealer had a Cinder Cone for $519....good buy at that price.

Lastly: why not an Iron Horse: if I were you and if could figure out my Iron Horse sizing (go to a iron horse dealer and ride some of theif hardtails) I WOULD DEFINITELY GET THIS ONE. Better fork, drive train and over all set up than the Hardrock.......I would imagine that size 19 would fit you....

https://www.rscycle.com/s.nl/it.A/id....=7&category=56

born2bahick

Good find Sherpa! that's a lot of bang for the buck. Normally i would think a freeride hardtail a little much for a commuter, But with BMX riding under his belt....... Well for all intents and purposes this may be just perfect for him.

MichaelW

Most of the Hardrocks come with threaded eyelets for a luggage rack, this is a big deal on your only, general purpose, do-it-all bike.
Eyelets will not detract from curb-hopping ability, off-road handling or all-round fun but they do allow you to haul a huge amount of stuff in panniers whether that is books, groceries or touring kit. Specialized Rockhoppers were, for many years, the first choice for expedition touring MTBs.

subcultro

Indeed, the iron horse does look good. It has a little more of a relaxed geometry than a straight up dirt jump bike, but still has what looks to be a solid frame. A decent compromise for wanting a commuter and something that can take abuse.

smurray

I'll go take a look at a local Iron Horse dealer and see what they have to offer.

Also, as for the Hardrock, I don't think I'll be able to ride both the large and the XL. The shop only had the medium in stock, and while I didn't ask I assume they won't order both sizes for me and let me choose which I want to buy.

the wonginator

i'm 5'11-6' and the Large is a little big for me (19"). I would think that a large would fit you perfectly. only way to know is to test it though.

smurray

In case it matters at all, my inseam is 34". Well that's at least that size I buy my pants in, and they seem to fit me alright

smurray

Well, I'm now the proud owner of a '06 Trek 4900. I drove out to the shop intending on buying either a Hardrock or Rockhopper. The guy at the shop convinced me the Rockhopper would be better, so I was all set to buy an '07 baseline Rockhopper. Right before I paid he remembered they had an '06 Trek 4900 for sale for the same price, but better components including disc brakes. Even though I hadn't really done any research on the Trek's I took his advice and went with it. He said usually he recommends Specialized because they have a tendency to have better deals and because he races for them, but he swore the Trek was a much better deal.

Anyway, just it home and took it for a couple spins around my parking lot. Seems pretty nice. One thing I noticed and I'm not sure if it's normal or not, but when I I change gears to the point where it's on the biggest cog in the front, I can hear a little noise when I pedal hard. It seems to only happen when it's on the biggest gear and only when I'm standing up and pedaling down with my right foot. Is this normal? This is my first geared bike so I don't know what, if any, noise they should make. The shop had one of their tech's go over the bike before I left to make sure everything was as it should be, so that leads me to believe that the sound is normal.

santiago

Congrats.

Make sure you are not putting too much stress on the chain by forcing an improper angle. What that means is never be on the biggest chainring in the front while being on the biggest cog in the back (maximum outboard in front, maximum inboard in the back). The same applies for the opposite.

smurray

Thanks, I'll go check it out now. Not sure where the back cog was when it was making the noise. Also, how strong should these disc brakes be stopping me? Should they be throwing me over the handlebars if I slam on them, or not? Cause right now I can pretty much clamp down on the front brake and it will stop and the front shock will compress some, but it doesn't lift the back wheel up. On my old BMX bikes I couldn't do that without flipping the bike. Is this just because it's a bigger frame, or are the brakes not gripping well enough?