bwgan

Hi guys 'n gals,

I used to mountain bike years ago when I was in school (92ish) and loved it. I then went off to uni and had my pride and joy stolen and never replaced it. A few years ago (05) I walked the dog around one of my routes and it got me thinking about mountain biking and what a good idea it would be to take it up again. So when there is no surf instead of sitting around the house miserable I could go biking again. I bought a Specialized Rockhopper from my LBS, and the guy told me it was all singing and all dancing, disk brakes and susp forks standard!!!! V brakes had just come in when my bike was pinched!

Due to a problem with my back I haven't been able to ride it much. I have since been given the nod by the dr and have beed out and about on my bike. What a pile of cr*p!!!! The forks have 100mm of travel, bollo*ks! The forks can be adjusted harder and softer, again bollo*ks. I hadn't noticed but the brake levers are V brake levers operating disks (non hydraulic) and they too are bollo*ks, me old canteliver system was better. And the gear shifting is not as fast as I would like it.

Now, my dilema is I can upgrade the bits without the missus noticing, but if I came home with a different bike I'd get a beating.

I've been checking things out in a few stores and on ebay and forks seem to range from 50 quid to 600 quid!?! Last time I checked RockShox Mag 21 were the best! I'm 6'2" and weigh about 14 stone. What forks would be better that the pile of sh1t on it at the moment? Looking around the 100 - 150 quid mark. Brakes that stop relatively quickly would be nice, but not with a hefty price tag? The brake levers and gear shifters are one unit.

What is the difference between short and long cages on rear derailures?
The bike is 8 speed, what models would make a good match?
If I went for Deore (whatever) would it be worthwhile changing chainset while its all off?
Don't get me wrong, I'm not loaded, just would like an overall plan, and don't want to go back to the lying ponce who sold me the 'all singing, all dancing' bike to ask him for his worthless advice.

Ahh, frustration vented!!

If you have read all of this then hank you very much

Bwgan!

sherpaPeak

oh boy...you are all over the place.....

your description is a bit vague...so, I will use my assumptions to answer your questions.....

first dont get mad at me....making opinionated/biased remarks is my hobby...I specially enjoy it when the receiving soul is an unsuspecting Brit (assuming again)....

Scenario ONE:

Your bike may just need a tune up. it was sitting for a while, so all the cables and stuff got lose....take it to a bike shop and get a good tune up (some time bike shops offer cheap tune up, often they dont do anything on the bike). Also, your fork may need some tune up to...and basic cleaning, oil change and lubing....

A good tune up should also take care of the shifting and braking problem...I could not figure out if your bike has V-brakes or disc brakes. If you are using V-brakes, you may need a set of brake pads - Try Koolstop V-brake pads (I think thats the correct name, I am too lazy to look up, sorry).

If you are using disc brakes and its old, try some new Avid BB7s or some Hydro disc brakes (depending on how much you can spend).

some pointless remarks:
- if you get a new cassette its better to get a new chain too.
- Rockhopper is a nice bike, so, if you take care of it, it will treat you well
- its better to know what you are getting (in a bike) before you buy it. for the money, rockhoppers are pretty decent bikes....if you wanted more bling-bling you should have spent more in the first place.....your ignorance is not your bikes fault...

Scenario TWO
- if I understand you correctly, I think you are itching to buy a new bike. so be it, BUY A DAMN NEW BIKE....and this time research and ask question before you buy it.....

- I understand the wife factor (I have a 80% completed All-mountain rig sitting in my garage, completely and carefully hidden from my gifl friend). So, sale the rockhopper, and use the money to get a new bike. the process may work this way. it involves some "innocent" acting though. You sale the Rockhopper without telling your wife…...may be on ebay or a local bike listing or web sites etc. (several of my local LBS help selling old bikes if you buy from them)....you can use their network to advertise for the bike....

now once you have sold the bike......one day you come home with a bewildered look.....when your wife asks, tell her that your bike got stolen..........and then its up to you to make a compelling case for a new bike.......(ask for advice, if needed)

so, by the time she unwillingly accepts the idea, go and get your self a new beauty from a different bike shop....problem solved.....

Warning!!!! Dont put your wife in a situation where she has the control to say yes or no.....just mention the possibility of a new bike in passing......in several episode....like, I could really improve my fitness if I had a bike (she has vested interest in that)...then oh there is a research out that says biking improves the quality of life.............then, I just stopped by at the local bike shop and they had some really nice bikes for dart cheap...they are literally giving away last years models.....its crazy....and finally, once you bought the bike......I was not going to buy it, then, the other customer in the bike shop looked at the bike and was going to go for it, so I had to make a quick decision......(she would want her man to win)......I now I should have told you beforehand, but the situation was just like that....and I quickly thought that you would not mind me nurturing my ONLY hobby, cause you care for me......but (and this is the final touch).....if you want me to I can return it to the bike shop (in passing, they would probably only issue store credit for this, cause the item was last year's close out.....

i think it may work for you....there you go……..now everybody know I am a conniving cheap bastard....

sherpaPeak

by the way, you are welcome...

never

I just quickly looked at Specialized's UK site...which Rockhopper do you have that has 8 speed and mechanical discs?

Terrapin Ben

so what's the difference between short and long cage derailleurs? i have been wondering this myself for sometime.

jimx200

About an inch and half. Sorry. I prefer the long cage as it seems to be a more positive shift. I'm sure a short cage thats properly adjusted is fine too. I mostly see longs on our hardtail riding gang.

bwgan

Yeah, this is the bike. It has V brake levers operating mechanical disks.

bwgan

Sorry, its not a rock hopper, its a hardrock.

Think a new bike is out of the question here!

never

Oh, Hardrock...that makes more sense.

BTW, that's how all mechanical disc brakes come...with a V-style lever...they're both cable operated so what can you expect?

mcoomer

I have a Hardrock that came with Tektro mechanicals, Gila RST fork, SRAM SX4 shifters and X7 ( I think ) derailleurs, and crappy tires. From eBay I picked up Juicy 5s, Reba Team fork with remote lock-out, 990 cassette and 9 speed chain, and an X0 derailleur. From my LBS I picked up new X9 shifters, Mavic Cross Land wheels, and Kenda Nevegal 2.1 USTs. I spent way more on the upgrades than I did on the bike, a mistake I didn't make on my next two, but that Hardrock is a blast to ride now.

So, yes you can do it through upgrades at your own pace and fool the wife. Or you can show that you wear the pants in the house and buy yourself a new bike. I've been married to the same women for nearly 18 years so I know that I haven't worn the pants for some time now and that's why I did mine through upgrades.

Hope that helps and if you buy a new bike and the wife throws you out you can fly to Seattle with your new bike, ride some awesome singletrack, and crash on my couch.

Mike

Terrapin Ben

i spent about a thousand dollars upgrading my hardrock this summer. i loved it. but on an all xt drive train, 9spd cassette, new chain, reba fork, new saddle, new stem, new tires, raceface northshore cranks, new xt pod shiftrs, avid levers. i put a lot into. after it was all said and done, i just bought a new frame. now i am almost done completely building up a new bike. wish i would have just bought a new bike to begin with and saved myself a whole lot of money. but i wont lie. building up a bike to my exact specs and wants has been awesome. i am more than happy with how the project is turning out. good luck!

MattP.

https://bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=265339