Hey guys,

Today I stopped buy a bike shop in search for my first mountain bike. They didn't have the one I wanted (a Specialized Hardrock Sport Disc), but they did offer to order me any Specialized mountain bike. Looking on their website, I noticed that they had the Rockhopper on sale for the same price as the Hardrock I am looking at. Should I buy the bottom of the line Rockhopper, or get the top of the line Hardrock with disc brakes.

Also, I am whiling to go up a little bit in price as well. Are any of the more expensive Rockhopper well worth the money? The Rockhopper Comp Disc is on sale for 680, which is something I would buy if it was worth it. Thanks.

I just bought my Rockhopper Comp Disc...and I love it.

I replaced the pedals, tubes, and am working on replacing the tires for my specific trail that I ride weekly.

If your confused about which bike to buy...ask for a printout of the bike setup. This should show the components that each bike comes with...front/rear shifting components...brakes...cranks....front fork.

From there...you can go online and research each specific component. Pay attention to the cost of the component, and where it lines up on the quality scale.

best of luck...

funny you say that, someone else gave me similar advice. after researching components, its seems like the hardrock sport disc and the rockhopper and similar. The rockhopper has a better frame and rear deralliuer, but the sport has better breaks. Do you think the much better brakes are more valuable then a slightly better frame? Thanks.

does the hardrock have mounts for disc brakes if you want to upgrade in the future? i tend to think that the better frame is the way to go. you can always replace components as they wear out/break...but replacing a frame is quite an ordeal.

Thanks. Ill be ordering it from the shop at the end of the week, and I think I will probably go for it. On another note, the Giant Boulder that I am using as a rental is having some problems with the front deralliuer. It seems to have trouble switching quickly, and sometimes knocks the chain off the gear. The back deralliuer works fine, so I guess its a quality difference? The Hardrock and Rockhopper both seems to have a week front deralliuer, do you think its worth replacing immediately?

It could be a simple issue of adjustment that could fix your rental. I think you should ride it how it is after purchasing it...have things adjusted by the shop you purchased it from. When it breaks, replace it.

Alright. My bike shop now has the 2011 models of the two bikes I am thinking of. The Hardrock Sport Disc 2011 is the same price as 2010, but the Hardrock is 80 dollars more, so I think it might have some differences. Can you confirm or deny this?

Some stores set up their bikes with different components than what the bike came with from factory. Without the spreadsheet in front of me that shows exactly what is on which bike, it's hard to say.