Don't hit the BMW!
Written: Jan 01 '05 (Updated Jun 19 '09)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Nice ride, equipped with disc brakes
Cons: Tektro IO and Shimano Acera
The Bottom Line: Nice bike if purchased at a trusted bike shop.
|
|
|
| Dargen's Full Review: Specialized Hardrock Sport Disc |
When my bike was stolen, the last thing I wanted was the same bike to replace it. I went online to the Specialized website and decided that I wanted the same model bike but in a different color. I called a local bike store and asked if they had any in stock. The idiot on the phone said no, and they wouldn’t get any for a month. The next model up was an additional $90, so I asked if they could order one. The idiot said it would be about a week and I gladly made a 10% down payment.
Three weeks and multiple phone calls later, I got my bike. Getting the bike was the easy part, getting a bike that worked properly was the hard part. I drove my car back to campus and took the bike out of the car. I put the wheel back on and proceeded to ride it back to my dorm. Disc brakes are cool, right? Not if they make noises. This bike made the weirdest noise I had ever heard. The front and back brake pads rubbed on the rotors to make a sound that could drive any mountain bike lover crazy. I called the store and they said that this loud noise was normal, but to bring it in and they would fix it. I brought the bike back, the same day I got it, and was told after 5 minutes of fiddling that the noise was normal. Being an idiot and never having owned disc brakes, I left the store. That night I talked to a friend of a friend (owner of a Specialized Stumpjumper) and was reassured that I was right, disc brakes should not make that noise. That night the front brake completed locked up, not allowing the wheel to turn.
That night I decided that I would fix the problem. I gave up on that quickly, still not having a clue what I was doing. I went through the bag of papers that came with my bike and found the manual to the brakes. My 2005 Specialized Hardrock Sport is equipped with 2002 TekTro IO disc brakes. 2002? Not to mention, the manual was covered in grease. This led me to the conclusion that those bike shop idiots didn’t know what they were doing.
Day Two. My car is about a mile from my dorm. My front wheel doesn’t turn. How do you bring a bike to a car if the wheel won’t turn? Take off the brake pads. This quick fix ensured that I would be able to ride my bike to my car, but only have the use of the back brakes. I should add here that the back brakes didn’t like me either. On the way to my car a nice man in a BMW tried to cut me off. I skidded 10 feet to a halt as my back brake tried poorly to stop me. The look of terror made it all worth it, and I wasn’t even going very fast. Upon arrival to the bike store I put the pads back on the brake and tried to put the wheel on. No joy. Angry after almost splattering my body on a BMW, I carried in my bike (missing the front tire), handed it to the idiot salesman, told him to hold it, and went back to my car to get the tire. The bike shop had to replace the front brake because it was missing a spring that caused the front brake to lock up. After an hour in the store, both brakes still made noises and I gave up and left. I listened to my bike grind for a week until I could bring it home and have my favorite bike shop fix it. One trip to the store and $25 later, I had a bike that made no noises and I picked up my Street Cuffs that I had them order the week before.
2005 Specialized Hardrock Sport Disc
Now that is a long name for and entry level mountain bike. This bike is a step up from the Hardrock Sport, the added benefits being disc brakes, RST Gila T5 Plus fork, and sturdier alloy hubs…all for $90 more than the Sport. Once I got the brakes to work, I found that this bike was actually smoother than my old bike. The stopping power is better than the Sport, but the bike is noticeably heavier. With the upgrades from the Sport, I see no reason why the Sport Disc weighs so much more, unless the alloy hubs are to blame.
Tech. Specs.
Brakes
The Sport Disc comes equipped with 2002 Tektro IO mechanical disc brakes with a 6 inch rotor. Tektro is trash, only an experienced person with disc brakes can tune these to the point where they make no noises. The bike shop idiots obviously didn’t know what they were doing. It took two people at my local shop to make the noises go away. I highly recommend that you replace these brakes. You can pick up the entry level Avid mechanical disc brakes for $59.99 each online, and you’ll be happy that you did.
Fork
The Sport Disc is “better” than the Sport because the stock fork is an RST Gila T5 Plus with a 30mm stanchion and a coil spring. You will never get the bike to go the full 100mm of travel, and if you plan to do cold weather trail riding, I recommend replacing this fork as well. RST is known to lock up during cold weather riding, defeating the purpose of even having suspension. I recommend a Marzocchi MX Comp fork, MSRP $279 for trails, to replace the RST.
Handlebars and such
The handlebars are heavy alloy with a 38 mm rise and a 9 degree sweep. The stem is also a heavy alloy Specialized Mobius with a 10 degree rise. Take my advice, replace both. I'm a 5'9" rider on a 19 inch frame (I like to stretch my legs) and never felt comfortable with these. I always felt like the handlebars were pushing me back on the bike, throwing off my balance and reducing my speed. Once I replaced them with a flat bar and a new stem, I felt centered and trusted the bike more. Replacing them also made the bike lighter, since I replaced the alloy parts with much lighter aluminum.
The grips are Specialized Double Density Kraton. Basically, it’s a grip made of a bunch of rubber circles. Mine like to spin around since the idiot who put them on used too much lubrication (they claimed it would stop doing that after a couple days). This is not the fault of the grip, and other than the spinning, I have no problem with it.
Shifting
Another major gripe that I have about this bike is that I can’t always shift into higher gears. I can pull the trigger to shift and the bike makes a clicking noise, but fails to shift. After this happened numerous times, I learned a way to trick it into shifting. While riding (preferably standing), quickly push the pedals in the opposite direction and then resume peddling. This will shift it into the higher gear about 75% of the time. The reason it does this? The Sport Disc and the Sport comes stock with Shimano Acera. It’s a well known fact that Acera is not Shimano’s best derailleur, instead, it’s junk. You don’t necessarily need to replace it because you probably won’t use that gear on a trail. Shimano does make quality a derailleur, you just have to pay more for it.
Frame
The frame is basically the same as the Sport with a few changes. The Specialize website calls it “A1 Premium Aluminum, DT/HT 3D box gusset, forged dropouts with reinforced disc mount and eyelets, replaceable forged alloy derailleur hanger, disc only, designed for 100mm travel fork”. This basically means that the frame was designed for disc brakes and a fork with 100mm of suspension. If you pay the extra $90 for the bike, chances are you won’t replace the disc brakes with v-brakes anyway. The frame does flex for heavier riders (as noticed by the bike shop mechanic), but with its beefy shape it is a very strong frame.
Other Specs
Crankset: Truvativ X-Flow, alloy. This is not your lightest crank, but is definitely a nice one.
Hubs: Joy-Tech, 36 hole, disc.
Tires: Specialized Enduro Sport
Saddle: Specialized Body Geometry Sport ATB
Sizes and Colors
Like the Sport, the Sport Disc is available in XS-XXL (13”-23”). Most people will either ride a 17” (M) or a 19” (L). Make sure you sit on a bike and ask the salesman to help decide which size is right for you. The Sport Disc comes in three colors: green with black flames, blue, and silver with black flames. I’m disappointed that the Sport Disc only has one solid color choice, since I think the flames make a bike look stupid. I would love to see this bike offered in red or black. With the blue model I have managed to chip off paint in two spots. Both were in the form of a circle and were caused on different dates. This makes me wonder as to the quality of the paintjob.
Price
The MSRP is $440. I got a deal from the idiots and paid $419.99.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.