Another beginner bike
Written: Feb 16 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great Frame
Cons: Heavy, Poor front shifting
The Bottom Line: The extra cash for the better parts on the Rockhopper comp would be money well spent, as the frame is truely exceptional
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| green's Full Review: Specialized Rockhopper |
Specialized Rockhopper
For me, the $500 mountain bike has a special a value, it is more than a bike, it is most peoples first real bike; the bike that gets you hooked. This is a huge responsibility for such a modestly priced bike. The experience that the rider has on a $500 bike will be the difference between Sunday mornings spend golfing or ripping through trees on their favorite piece of singletrack. The big question when talking about the 2003 Specialized Rockhopper is: Will it get you hooked.
When it comes to mountain bikes Specialized is no spring chicken. The first company to recognize the importance of the mountain bike, Specialized produced first affordable production mountain bike in 1981, the Stumpjumper, sparking a revolution in the sport. Since those humble beginning specialized was amongst a core group of companies that brought mountain biking from the back woods into the mainstream. The word is heritage and they have no lack of it.
As for their bikes Specialized has takes a considerably different approach to the design of their bikes. Whereas most manufacturers make a top level product and then find ways to make it cheaper, Specialized develops each of their bikes individually, to fit the needs of particular groups of riders. The Rockhopper is the title bike of Specialized’s series of mountain bikes for beginning and intermediate riders. Much of the feel of the rockhopper comes from input from riders just starting out, and not as much from their world cup racing team. From my experience the biggest hurdles that prevent people from becoming hooked are climbing and comfort. In terms of addressing these issues Specialized hit the nail right on the head. Here is how they did it.
Unlike many other ‘value’ oriented mountain bikes, the best feature of the Rockhopper is its frame. Made completely of double butted A1 aluminum the frame comes in about the 4ish pound range. Double butting describes a tube that uses a thicker wall at the joints than in the middle, thus providing excellent strength in the welded regions while still keeping the frame light. My favorite part of the Rockhopper frame are the chainstays, the two smaller tubes that reach from the crank to the rear axle. Heavily manipulated to make them as stiff as possible, the chainstays are nearly identical to those used on Specialized’s top of the line S-Works frame. The frame is nicely rounded out with a replaceable derailleur hanger and an attractive set of gussets at the head tube.
Geometry wise the bikes stands out from the rest of the specialized line. The bike is set up with a shorter cockpit, the distance from the saddle to the handlebars, and what I find as inordinately high handlebars. It is clear that specialized is addressing the comfort issue here, but I think that they might go a little far. The good news is that this can easily be addressed by removing a few of the almost two inches of spacers under the stem, especially for the smaller sizes.
Most entry level bikes won’t blow you away with the way they ride, and the Rockhopper is no exception. The handling is very steady as you pilot the bike sitting high above the wheels. The riding position is commanding and confidence inspiring, allowing the rider to easily make modifications to their line without getting too sketchy, of course this comes at a cost. The high stature of the bike makes dedicating into high speed carving turns a bit sketchy. Of course high speed handling is not exactly the biggest priority on the beginners list. What sets the Rockhopper frame apart is the way it climbs. The stiff chainstays and sticky tires keep the rear wheel hooked up and driving the rider forward. For a beginner bike this is a golden feature, turning the most daunting part of riding into a manageable challenge.
Hooray for the frame. Now what? Well you know those teen movies where they do the whole Cinderella theme, there is always that nerdy girl who is nothing but a supermodel wearing glasses, overalls, and a gigantic backpack: that pretty much sums up the Rockhopper. Great core, but the whole image is skewed by the stuff hanging off it. I won’t beat around the bush, this is one heavy bike. Between the Axel fork, Alex rims, no name hubs and really cheap crankset the bike tips the scales above thirty pounds. I should note that this is not that out of line with other bikes in its price range.
In addition to its weight the Rockhopper suffers from some other performance setbacks. First the front shifting. Use of all steel chainrings is not only heavy but also prevents a consistent shift from the middle up to the big chainring. It would be nice if the bike used a nine speed rear end as well.
What it comes down to is that the great frame is really prevented from shining because of the parts. Looking to the other bikes that are out there at $500 shows not significant deviation from the spec, I suppose that the great frame just raises expectations. This also calls into question whether $500 is still the lowest price for a functional off roader. Looking at other bikes and specialized lineup, there is a lot more happening at the $600-750. Causing me to suggest that those looking at the Rockhopper check out the Rockhopper comp, or better yet, the Rockhopper FSR comp.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
green
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Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Reviews written: 228
Trusted by: 117 members
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Its all about life long progression.
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