I finally decided it was time for a new hardtail. Not that I didn't love my old bike, but it was time for something a little more advanced as I have access to some pretty killer single track and cross country style riding here. I looked at Giant (I had a Giant Sedona long ago that I really liked) but the new models just didn't speak to me, checked out the new Trek X-Caliber 9 which is a very nice hardtail and almost had me drinking the Trek kool-aid until I saw the Specialized Rockhopper Pro Evo 29'er... in "Gloss Moto Orange/Gallardo Orange/Black"...
It was love at first sight. My old hardtail, a 2005 Specialized Hardrock Pro Disc, had served me well and is still in great shape so it was a no brainer for me to stay with Specialized. Specialized was founded in California in 1974 and I'm all about American brands when I can, especially when they lead in innovation and quality. The new Rockhopper EVO 29'er models are engineered with a slacker geometry, and spec'd with a longer travel fork, wider tires, and wider handlebars that feel just right for me. At the time of this writing, this is the top of the line Rockhopper (Insert big ol' grin here).
My local bike shop (LBS), THE BIKE SHOP TEMECULA, is a dealer and had it in stock in an XL frame size. It is important to support small local businesses so establishing this relationship for future service or parts issues locally just made sense for me. I hung out and talked to the staff and could tell right away that they have an outstanding service department so once I came to terms with the price tag - $1430 on sale - I felt like I was making a solid long term investment in health, happiness and sanity.
The bike is LIGHT compared to my old school chromoly bikes at only 28.1 lbs and comes with pretty good gear right out of the box:
As you can see, the parts list is pretty good stock and if purchased "ala carte" would far exceed the pricetag of the bike. This is my first bike with this many SRAM components as Shimano has adorned every other bike I've had save one old Mongoose MTB I had that had SRAM Grip Shifts on it (I loved the old SRAM Grip Shifts FWIW).
Coming from Shimano XT and Deore components I have to say that SRAM has come a long way and I'm absolutely loving their accuracy and smoothness. I know there are many Shimano snobs in the cycling world that turn their nose up at anything non-asian but since SRAM is an American company (founded in Chicago, IL in 1987) and also owns Rock-Shox, Truvativ and Avid they're definitely quality in my book and I'm proud to support them.
One of the first things I had to get used to was that it's a 2x10 - the third chainring was eliminated up front resulting in reduced weight and less overlapping gear ratios. I'm seeing this on many new MTB's where the new hotness seems to focus on 10-speed capabilities and the guys down at the LBS say bikes don’t need triple chainrings, as most ratios are covered with the 20 speeds. Considering most vehicles only have 5 or 6 gears I'd say 20 is plenty and I'm pretty happy with this drivetrain.
Sunrace 11-36 cassette with SRAM X-9 Type 2 10 speed derailleur handles the power
And the brakes... hydraulic disc brakes are impressive to say the least. Stopping "right now" is an important safety concern for an ogre like me especially when I'm screaming downhill like a homesick brick...
Out and about, the bike looks as sharp as it rides
Usually I can't leave well enough alone and modify the crap out of stuff so before changing anything I put several epic rides in to see what, if anything, was really needed.
The biggest thing I found was that this bike begs to be ridden, and the combination of precise steering and super plush action of the Rock-Shox XC-32 air fork and 15 mm thru-hub "Maxle" with the BIG 29 inch X 2.3 inch wheels and tires allow me to eat up rough terrain that would have launched me over the bars on my old 26 inch Hardrock.
The dropper seatpost was low on my like list at purchase time but has proven to be a great feature for not only technical downhill trail sections but also making the bike smaller by easily dropping the seat down for vehicle loading and unloading. Just mash the lever and the seat drops all the way down, mash it again and it comes all the way back up or you can set it right where you like it - a pretty damn cool feature. This bike is a blast to ride in urban and dirt environments and the 29 inch wheels promote a high level of derring-do.
After the first 100 miles or so I added a few things with an eye towards minimalism.
With my big feet, the pedals were too small so I upgraded the pedals with these composite Ravager pedals from the Shadow Conspiracy in Florida - much larger than what the bike came with but lighter and at $20 I think they're a killer upgrade. Having your feet firmly planted is pretty important when it gets rough and since I like to "bike and hike" I'm not a fan of clip-on pedals or the little shoes...
Specialized bottle cage and new water bottle from Camelback. Aerogel insulation allegedly keeps water cold four times as long as regular sport bottles which is a huge advantage in hot weather riding. Hot water is no bueno on a hot ride so I'd say it was worth the $20.
JANND MOUNTAINEERING is a great SoCal company that's been making bags and accessories here for years. I carried this over from my old HardRock because it just works and carries tube, tools and misc crap when needed while not being too big. The large reflective strip on the back is a plus as it weighs nothing and adds to safety at night.
Another carry over from my old bike is a nice Blackburn air pump to round out my tool kit. Tunes and nav are important too so I searched and found a pretty good inexpensive way to securely carry my iPhone 6 on the bike where I can see it via the Satechi Ride Mate mount for about $25: SATECHI RIDEMATE MOUNT
It was love at first sight. My old hardtail, a 2005 Specialized Hardrock Pro Disc, had served me well and is still in great shape so it was a no brainer for me to stay with Specialized. Specialized was founded in California in 1974 and I'm all about American brands when I can, especially when they lead in innovation and quality. The new Rockhopper EVO 29'er models are engineered with a slacker geometry, and spec'd with a longer travel fork, wider tires, and wider handlebars that feel just right for me. At the time of this writing, this is the top of the line Rockhopper (Insert big ol' grin here).
My local bike shop (LBS), THE BIKE SHOP TEMECULA, is a dealer and had it in stock in an XL frame size. It is important to support small local businesses so establishing this relationship for future service or parts issues locally just made sense for me. I hung out and talked to the staff and could tell right away that they have an outstanding service department so once I came to terms with the price tag - $1430 on sale - I felt like I was making a solid long term investment in health, happiness and sanity.
The bike is LIGHT compared to my old school chromoly bikes at only 28.1 lbs and comes with pretty good gear right out of the box:
FRAME: Specialized A1 SL Aluminum, EVO 29er geometry, fully butted tubesets, ORE downtube, tapered headtube, forged dropouts w/ disc mount, replaceable derailleur hanger
FORK: RockShox XC32 TK, Solo Air spring, 32mm stanchions, tapered alloy steerer, TurnKey damping w/ lockout, external rebound adjust, 15mm thru-axle, 120mm travel
HEADSET: 1-1/8" upper, 1-1/2" lower, Campy style, integrated sealed cartridge bearings
STEM: Specialized 3D forged alloy, 4-bolt, 6-degree rise, anti-corrosion hardware
HANDLEBARS: Specialized, low rise bar, double butted 6061 alloy, 9-degree backsweep, 5-degree upsweep, 15mm rise, 31.8mm
GRIPS: Specialized Body Geometry XC Contour, Kraton w/ gel, lock-on
FRONT BRAKE: Tektro Gemini Comp, hydraulic disc, resin/metallic pads, I-spec compatible
REAR BRAKE: Tektro Gemini Comp, hydraulic disc, resin/metallic pads, I-spec compatible
BRAKE LEVERS: Tektro Gemini Comp, hydraulic, reach adjust, I-spec compatible
FRONT DERAILLEUR: SRAM X5, 2x10, high mount
REAR DERAILLEUR: SRAM X9 Type 2, 10-speed, medium cage
SHIFT LEVERS: SRAM X5, 2x10, trigger
CASSETTE: Sunrace, 10-speed, 11-36
CHAIN: KMC X10, 10-speed, w/ reusable MissingLink
CRANKSET: Specialized Stout XC, 2x10, 2 pc., 24mm spindle, 36/22, anti-corrosion hardware
BOTTOM BRACKET: 24mm BSA for 2 pc. design, 73mm
PEDALS: Alloy, 1 pc. body, 9/16", w/ reflectors
RIMS: Specialized Stout XC, 29" disc, alloy double-wall, pin joint, 26mm inner width, 28/32h
FRONT HUB: Specialized Hi Lo disc, alloy, sealed cartridge bearings, 15mm thru-axle, 32h
REAR HUB: Specialized Stout XC disc, alloy, RCC bearing system, QR, 32h
SPOKES: Stainless, 14g, black
FRONT TIRE: Specialized Ground Control Sport, 60TPI, wire bead, 29x2.3"
REAR TIRE: Specialized Ground Control Sport, 60TPI, wire bead, 29x2.3"
INNER TUBES: Standard, presta valve
SADDLE: Specialized Body Geometry mountain, steel rails, 143mm
SEATPOST: TranzX YSP02 Dropper, infinite adjust, external cable routing, remote lever, 30.9mm, 100mm travel
SEAT BINDER: Alloy, single bolt, w/ dropper post cable routing, 34.9mm
As you can see, the parts list is pretty good stock and if purchased "ala carte" would far exceed the pricetag of the bike. This is my first bike with this many SRAM components as Shimano has adorned every other bike I've had save one old Mongoose MTB I had that had SRAM Grip Shifts on it (I loved the old SRAM Grip Shifts FWIW).
Coming from Shimano XT and Deore components I have to say that SRAM has come a long way and I'm absolutely loving their accuracy and smoothness. I know there are many Shimano snobs in the cycling world that turn their nose up at anything non-asian but since SRAM is an American company (founded in Chicago, IL in 1987) and also owns Rock-Shox, Truvativ and Avid they're definitely quality in my book and I'm proud to support them.
One of the first things I had to get used to was that it's a 2x10 - the third chainring was eliminated up front resulting in reduced weight and less overlapping gear ratios. I'm seeing this on many new MTB's where the new hotness seems to focus on 10-speed capabilities and the guys down at the LBS say bikes don’t need triple chainrings, as most ratios are covered with the 20 speeds. Considering most vehicles only have 5 or 6 gears I'd say 20 is plenty and I'm pretty happy with this drivetrain.
Sunrace 11-36 cassette with SRAM X-9 Type 2 10 speed derailleur handles the power
And the brakes... hydraulic disc brakes are impressive to say the least. Stopping "right now" is an important safety concern for an ogre like me especially when I'm screaming downhill like a homesick brick...
Out and about, the bike looks as sharp as it rides
Usually I can't leave well enough alone and modify the crap out of stuff so before changing anything I put several epic rides in to see what, if anything, was really needed.
The biggest thing I found was that this bike begs to be ridden, and the combination of precise steering and super plush action of the Rock-Shox XC-32 air fork and 15 mm thru-hub "Maxle" with the BIG 29 inch X 2.3 inch wheels and tires allow me to eat up rough terrain that would have launched me over the bars on my old 26 inch Hardrock.
The dropper seatpost was low on my like list at purchase time but has proven to be a great feature for not only technical downhill trail sections but also making the bike smaller by easily dropping the seat down for vehicle loading and unloading. Just mash the lever and the seat drops all the way down, mash it again and it comes all the way back up or you can set it right where you like it - a pretty damn cool feature. This bike is a blast to ride in urban and dirt environments and the 29 inch wheels promote a high level of derring-do.
After the first 100 miles or so I added a few things with an eye towards minimalism.
With my big feet, the pedals were too small so I upgraded the pedals with these composite Ravager pedals from the Shadow Conspiracy in Florida - much larger than what the bike came with but lighter and at $20 I think they're a killer upgrade. Having your feet firmly planted is pretty important when it gets rough and since I like to "bike and hike" I'm not a fan of clip-on pedals or the little shoes...
Specialized bottle cage and new water bottle from Camelback. Aerogel insulation allegedly keeps water cold four times as long as regular sport bottles which is a huge advantage in hot weather riding. Hot water is no bueno on a hot ride so I'd say it was worth the $20.
JANND MOUNTAINEERING is a great SoCal company that's been making bags and accessories here for years. I carried this over from my old HardRock because it just works and carries tube, tools and misc crap when needed while not being too big. The large reflective strip on the back is a plus as it weighs nothing and adds to safety at night.
Another carry over from my old bike is a nice Blackburn air pump to round out my tool kit. Tunes and nav are important too so I searched and found a pretty good inexpensive way to securely carry my iPhone 6 on the bike where I can see it via the Satechi Ride Mate mount for about $25: SATECHI RIDEMATE MOUNT
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