Cadd

txaggie44, aren't those two sites contradicting each other?

Leisurewheels states that the RH is equipped with Deore & Deore LX
Mikesbikes states that it is equipped with a smooth-shifting Sram SX-4/SX-5 24-speed drivetrain.

Am I missing something?

Callaway

The pro disc '06 RH:

FRONT DERAILLEUR Shimano M-510 Deore, 34.9mm clamp, bottom pull

REAR DERAILLEUR Shimano M-570 LX

SHIFT LEVERS Shimano M-510 Deore SL
https://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkM...keTab=techspec

Habeas Corpus

Okay, I'm new to mountain bikes, but not new to bikes. BMX Dirt 8+ years ago, so it's been awhile. So I did what you suggested as far as going down to my LBS and getting on some new bikes. The guys down there are cool but I can't seem to get a real good answer out of them. Here's the deal I am going to commute on the bike. I will be riding down stairs, small concrete drop offs 12" to 24" high. As far as mountain riding. I will be going up and down the mountain. I need an all around decent bike. My LBS carries only Specialized stuff (which is fine from what I've read), and it's the only one for a hundred miles.
Any suggestions for a bike that could take that kind of punishment.... or am I misjudging what the hardrocks and rockhoppers can take?

slowchris

I just got an 05 Rockhopper back in July & friekin' LOVE it. At first I really wanted something w/ disc brakes but then a friend asked me what I needed disc brakes for (me being a newbie & whatnot) & commented that disc brakes would just be more complicated & harder to repair if something went wrong. My LBS knocked $50.00 off the price & threw in a water bottle & a cage & I was all set. I didn't expect it but this bike has gotten me totally hooked on the sport. Rockhopper all the way. No doubt.

Habeas Corpus

I was kind of worried that the rockhopper wouldn't be able to take me commuting... I do go down stairs small jumps on concrete. I ride full throttle from point A to point B... I was just sort of worried that the bike couldn't handle it.

C Law

Probably specialized hardrock line of you are combining commuting with 2 foot drops. That would be a standard and correct answer.

Others know more about each model and its pluses and minuses.
Hardrock comp disc looks swell
If you can spend more maybe look at the rockhopper line

Juniper

2006 Trek 820

My son is a poor college student whose bike was crashed/thrashed by a 'friend' he lent it to. He wanted a bike to ride to school, cruise around downtown and do a little light off-road with. I told him what to look for and gave him some names but he made the decision. His budget was a tight $250. He bought a 2006 Trek 820 for $230 and the LBS threw in a few trinkets (gloves and water bottle).

I've always had a preference for Kona and Specialized (my personal rides) but I will have to admit the Trek 820 appears to be an amazing amount of bike for less than $250. It wouldn't be my ride but I'm not on a $250 budget. The components are lower end Shimano, Bontrager, etc but they function reasonably well and can always be upgraded. The frame is straight and appears well designed. The paint looks good, too, as does the overall scheme of the bike.

We rode some mild off-road and then through a section with roots, loose sand, steep hills and small rocks; no air bigger than a curb, of course (the bike is clearly not made for that). I rode the bike and found it well balanced and straight tracking. The components do not run as smooth as higher-end and will need upgrading at some point but this total bike sells for less than half of the price of many of our forks!

All in all, I found it to be a surprising amount of bike for the price and, if he takes care of it and upgrades some basic parts as he goes along, it looks like it will serve him very well for what he wants to use it for. Good job on this bike, Trek!

lunalover

KHS rosks thats what I have and love it.

Mountainclimber

I just got my rockhopper and it has brought a whole new meaning to bike riding. Excellent bike! By far the best in this price range in my opinion.

Cadd

Hey Mountainclimber, can you get me the specs? What year? Which model? What gruppo?

Thanks.
Congrats!

Mountainclimber

Its an 05 standard rockhopper.

https://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=9339

antiloop

your missing the fact that one is in the uk and cost ($850USD) and one is in the usa with the standard base model pricing..

bobflyer

i would recommand a GT avalanche 2.0 HT for starters.. thats the best buy i could find in singapore..

JohnnyCool

Great thread and great stickies guys - very worthwhile information.

I'm looking for specific recommendations for my situation. I'm primarily a roadie. I do a 40 mile RT commute 2X's a week and ride our road tandem with wifey at least once a weekend. We ususally go 30- 40 miles on our rides. So the MTB will be #3 in line. I have a park with some trails near my house so I hope to get over there at least once a week and bang around. I'm in So Cal, so there's lots of large parks with great trails. I hope to get to those once or twice a month. This bike's not going to see a ton of use hence the more moderate investment.

I want to ride primarily single track, technical type trails and want to be able to go fast and hard. I'm 43 - way to old to freeride or DH But I'm also well insured so I will take some adrenaline surging risks. I'm 6'2", 240 (and dropping) with a 34" inseam. I feel like a need a really strong frame so that if I do hit a jump or a drop I don't have to worry about breaking it.

Spec's of what I think I need:
Hardtail
22" or XL frame (steel? 6061?)
deore components
Non-disc brakes
Good front shock

Specific models that seem to fit (looking at '05s since I can get a good deal):
- Secialized Rockhopper
- Trek 4800 (I almost don't want another Trek, although I love my 5200, I don't want to be a trek groupie)
- gary Fisher GED (My preferred LBS has a great deal on the GED - $700. A bit over my budget but that certainly seems like a killer deal. I know this is considered a freeride bike. Does that mean it woudn't work well for what I want?

Any others...?

Thanks for your suggestions.

txaggie44

Hey I don't know if any of ya'll will be as lucky as I, but as you may know I had an '06 Specilaized Rockhopper on order in Fort Worth. Well as of last friday it still wasn't in. I headed up to the bike shop to see what the deal was and they made me an offer I couldn't refuse. Another customer had cancelled their reservation on a 2005 Rockopper Comp (Manitou Splice, Sun Mach IV's, Deore all around, jet balck, awsome) 10 minutes later I walked out the door with a $700 dollar bike for only $560!!!!! It's probably not worth $200 more than the standard $500 rockhopper, but at only $60 dollars more how could I refuse. This bike is awsome. I put over 40 miles on it over the weekend on singletrack trails and around town. Compared to my old trek '00 4500 this thing is like uprgrading from a Pinto to a Porsche. It is a true pleasure to ride. So might be worth your time to ask around your LBS about last years models they might be wanting to give you a deal on.

PS. another reason I was convinced to go for the '05 comp is that on the 2006 base model rockhoper Specialized switched out the derailers from middle of the road Shimano(2005 model) to the bottom of the barrel SRAM derailieurs for '06 off the hardrock line. The mechanic at the shop said I would be in every other week for a few months having the SRAM's adjusted before they died an ugly death. At 40-50 miles a week he said he would be extremely suprised to see them last a year.

Cadd

My buddy just got an '06 Rockhopper (base model) with an SRAM SX-5 RD. I'll let you know if your wrench's comments apply to him.

jvhuse

I am going to be getting a new bike this weekend. I think I have settled on a Specialized Rock Hopper, but will also be looking at the HardRock too. Anything I should look for? Should I spend the extra for an 06 or just go with an 05? I will be mostly using it to get around school, but i hope to start riding trails and stuff like that for exercise. My current bike is a 45 dollar wallyworld POS. It has served me well actually for the past few weeks, but it is not long for this world. My philosophy was that I would see if I actually used the bike enough to justify spending a bunch of money on one, well I love riding around campus so now I wish I had just gone for a good one. O well. I will report back, I hope they have them in stock, I want to ride this weekend (fall break whoohoo!)

desertlove

How is the 04 Haro xls r3? They are 499 at my lbs and its the only full suspension bike that i was considering in my price range.

the wonginator

Full suspensions under 1g at least are $hit. and if you plan on buying a motobecane that is list price 1g don',t it's wroth about 250 at best.


EDIT:

after looking at it on the Haro site https://www.harobikes.com/2004/xlsr3/ IMO it actually doesn't look bad at all... we need a pro opinion on this

desertlove

Thats what i was thinking, because im pretty much sold on the Hardrock or Rockhopper but i wouldnt mind a full suspenion and this bike doesent look to shabby.

tau

Hi everyone,

i just moved to UK to study and had to leave my GF Marlin at home. But there are lots of great tracks around here so i thought of buying a bike. Unfortunatelly i don't have too much cash to spend so it needs to be a budget bike. From the bikes available here i have chosen 3 that, i think, fit the best my style of riding, and had quite decent reviews.

These are:
Giant Rincon 2006
GF Advance 2005
Specialized Hardrock 2005

I'm riding mostly in the city and on dirt roads, but sometimes like to ride on a little rougher terrain.

Which do you think will be the best for me?

cal

The SR forks are rubbish,I,ve got the pairie breaker and had to replace the forks with Rock Shox. Seals are no good, and their's no rebound dampening.

valbowski1980

There are plenty of well kept used bikes up for sale, it just takes some effort to find one. If you are too lazy to look one up and get some POS from Walyworld then it's your own damn fault.

depraved_tuna

I'm looking to buy my first bike and have a question:

I can get a 2005 GT Avalanche 2.0 w/disc from a local shop for around $520 with tax. What's the concensus on this bike? Is that a good price?

bidaci

Curious as to how this thread turned out. Quite honestly those of us looking for bike under the $500.00 mark are not, or should not expect to be getting high end equipment. I myself bought a 2004 Trek 3700 hardtail that works for my intended purpose, to see if I truly will like mountain biking. Being a roadie convert, I ride mostly singletrack and fireroads with my 3700. I wanted to give mountain biking a try and didn't want a big initial investment for a test. I am fully aware that if continue down the rocky paths I will need to upgrade or replace this bike. So for my purpose this bike is perfect for me.

That being said, it is important to know what to look for in this price range for decent componentry. Can we get back on topic?