Specialized hard rock sport should I upgrade this old bike?

Mountain bike

[@austenreid1257]

Ive had that exact bike for 14ish years now. Just modded and rebuilt the whole thing. It’s lasted forever. I take it ip in the hills almost every day. Love it to death 👍

[@MTBTexasBikeRider]

Wow that’s awesome I don’t ride this bike anymore I like it but the only down fall is the frame is a small 🤔

[@austenreid1257]

@@MTBTexasBikeRider yeah I agree! But not a bad little hardtail..

[@Cheaps928]

​@@austenreid1257is it a fast bike with stock 26 inch tires and the 5 speeds?

[@eligarcia215]

Just picked one up today with an xl frame. I’m partial to the older bikes and specialized sure knows how to build them.

[@brocluno01]

There are some really cool things about this bike (frame & wheels). But, it is held back by the fork, the seat/seatpost, and the bars. The rear "cassette" is pretty lame too. I swapped the RST (at 2785 grams) for a Manitou R7 Elite (Air at 1640 grams) and it was an amazing upgrade. The bike became a whole new experience. The new fork was used, so not terribly expensive. The factory seatpost is not adjustable for tilt. So other seats will feel awful until you change seatpost. The rear cassette is a plate unit with poor rivets and it eats into the free hub body. The wheels are decent. I added a used Deore 950 cassette and it was a lot better at shifting plus less wear. Waiting on a Truvativ seatpost so I can mount a better saddle back as far as possible (makes it roomier). Lube all the cables. I added a 640mm wide bar with 9* of sweep, and it helped a lot. Use better brake pads and keep the wheels as they are. It'll stop OK for now. Disc ready wheels can be pricey ... Sort out the other stuff first. Then if it's going the direction you want - add the disks. Mountain bikes can, and should, be upgraded over time. This is a good rugged hard-tail frame with room for quite a large rear tire (maybe up to 2.50 on the existing wheels) ... It just needs a bunch of help. Solid foundation, just lousy bits and pieces...

[@ranasinghbassi5035]

How much would you spend for a non-modified factory version of this bike off of Craigslist?

[@brocluno01]

I spent $80 for mine and road it for a month before modding it. All it needed was a brake lever. It all depends on what you have to do to the one you are looking at? If it needs cables and other work, more like $50. If it's really clean and all there, I might go up to $90 or so. Lotta bikes to choose from once you crack the $100 level on CL around here (SF Bay Area) ...

[@ranasinghbassi5035]

@@brocluno01aaah shit. I only saw 1 online. XL fram, 26" wheels. I just paid $300 cad for it. Ill be happy if it lasts me a year. Thanks

[@brocluno01]

Well, you have a more limited selection, XL frames are harder to get, and you have CAD$ to deal with, so OK. Once I got all of mine torn down, I found the seat post was adjustable for tilt, mine was just frozen solid ... But the biggest upgrade will be a nice used air fork. The OEM RST fork is just not that good and way heavy ... All else is quite OK for the foreseeable future. You can upgrade bits and bobs as time and budget permits.

[@MrNobodylikesyou]

I have the same bike well disc version .. i went 1x8 a while back upgraded the forks .. wheels .. tyres .. seat post .. handle bar .. grips .. cables .. chain .. i think the only thing standard now is the frame and the rear cassette .. i have had loads of bikes over the years and use bits and bobs i upgrade on those to filter down to my hardrock .. was my first real project and still ride it.

[@mtbboy1993]

for stem I recommend Renthal Apex, due to how secure they are, they hold the bars securely without bolts coming loose fast, great stuff for sure. but not the cheapest option so far only stem I can recommend out of the stems I tested. good idea is to look for used parts, but for me most stuff is sold out, or ppl keep the good stuff for new bike, so I rarely see it.

[@mtbboy1993]

7:57 these are Tektro, if you want mechanical disk brakes TRP spyke is a good choice, but they are quite heavy feeling due to the return spring in the calipers, but I haven't seen good mechanical levers yet, all I have seen have a lot of play, if you want hydraulic brakes, I think Shimano M6000 might be a good choice, good feel, good modulation, easy to work on.

[@ramonelorde4679]

I got mine on offer up for $60 and upgraded bars, new cassette and a 32 t front, better ride, very capable mtb. Was getting some looks cos it’s still v-breaks but Kept up with newer bikes, the best part about it is everything cost me about $130. Actually have been riding this hardtail more than my trek fuel (full suspension), it brought me back to how I got started in mtb. Great bike

[@MTBTexasBikeRider]

What size is the frame?

[@ramonelorde4679]

@@MTBTexasBikeRider it’s a 19 in frame, wish it was smaller but the geometry of the bike is perfect so it’s fine, the 720 handlebars helps out for comfort

[@ramonelorde4679]

@@MTBTexasBikeRider taken to to some black diamond trails and it was awesome

[@markgilson9259]

Hi mate I have the same bike .road tyres must .

[@techboysk4798]

Yes

[@victorbarnes8421]

ive got the same bike with no front deralior as well but my bike has disc brakes front and rear. i am going to conver mine to single speed at the front with an 11 speed drive train at the rear. i have got rockshok forks on it and it goes hard

[@MTBTexasBikeRider]

Thank you so much for the info I think I will go head and upgrade this bike to disc brakes and go with the 32 gear in the front and 11 gears in rear 👍😊

[@BFBMTb]

Nice video brother. I'm actually picking up a hardrock frame tomorrow to convert as single speed for the pump track and small dirt jumping since I'm getting addicted to that. What did you end up doing with the bike by the way?

[@MTBTexasBikeRider]

Thank you I miss that bike I ended up giving it to one of my good friend🤔

[@mtbboy1993]

I can't tell what has to be changed from this video, there might be issues, or there might not be any. I don't know how long the bottom bracket or cranks or the headset last on this bike, but I know cheap shimano BB I wear out in few rides, cranks I wear out after some months, btu htis might not be the case with these, but square taper is outdated. I Kept upgradign my hardtail cus, I needed to have it working, and I had issues with my fully suspension, but I upgraded everything apart from seat post & frame, not most economical thing to do, but I had to do it, due to time, & situation I was in, so kept upgrading it, but now it's quite reliable, but I miss riding on a full suspension, I need to build a new bike I I will see what happens with the ful suspension frames hopefully warranty. I went with Hope Pro 4 enduro wheel set(quite good economical option, but not the most engagement on the market but not too much dead zone so does not feel weird), but in my case the whole wheels were junk, and the hope wheels were on sale, most of the components were on sale apart from pedals,headset,& BB. I went with Chris King, due to reliability & reputation, but it's expensive compared to most other options, but it lasts. but if you want the best of the best, just the hubs will cost as much as the bike,as will BB & headset, so don't go too crazy unless you need to. I won't upgrade my bikes more, at least not by much, I will build a new bike, cus most bikes wont fit my needs, fit,wheelbase, all matters, my current bikes are too short.

[@ContraIsBased]

just bought this bike for 160,is it a high quality bike? did i get scammed?

[@MTBTexasBikeRider]

No it’s a really good bike it is old school technology but overall it’s a really nice bike for sure! 👍😎🤘

[@ContraIsBased]

@@MTBTexasBikeRider thans man,i was kinda scared i wasted my money

[@mtbboy1993]

if hte wheels are good, you need new hubs if you want to convert to disks you might the spokes might need to be cut to length to fit new hub with this rim and threaded, this has to be done by a machine, and you need an adapter to mount brake calipers. of course hubs has to be matched to the amount of spokes you got, which should not be an issue.

[@jamwork2359]

I got a used specialized hard rock sports. It’s in green camouflage colour. What is the purpose of those bugs beside cable clamps on the frame? Can someone answer?

[@mtbboy1993]

some times the forks looks like they got 100mm travel but really they got 20mm, that's what cheap sr suntour forks got, the cheapest models, but I think the RST forks got true travel, but even many sr suntour forks got true travel. I haven't seen Bell tyres before, I haven't checked their website in a while, but this is the first time I saw them, the ones you got are fast rolling,good side grip I guess, unless they are too hard, looks like nice tyres for xc.

[@ihavenoconnection]

My suntour fork said it had 80mm but really had like 50

[@mtbboy1993]

@@ihavenoconnection yea common, stupid lies, I guess they too small spacing on the spring, but I guess you could make it true travel with modification, but not worth it. maybe the spring is just too hard for you, so you never get to use full travel, also common, some are way too soft some are way too hard, saw kids bikes with springs so stiff that a adult would struggle to make it move, some are so soft a kid bottom it out way too easily. I don't know what they were thinking, crazy. but the forks I saw with the crazy spring rates were Sr Suntour. I rarely see RST these days, but on some older bikes I see them.

[@ihavenoconnection]

@@mtbboy1993 on my moms trek marlin 6 it has a new rst, I just think the best way to go is either a really high quality coil or a mid grade air fork

[@mtbboy1993]

@@ihavenoconnection I guess go for second hand used top model fork, can get them cheap, I have seen rock Shox sid world cup go for cheap. but for a bike like this a high end fork is pointless, cus it's more than this bike is worth, and could be spending money on a new bike build instead.

[@trxvor9993]

Mine has all custom stuff in it and it’s a single speed

[@snoozymcgee4372]

Mine is on Deore XT 8 speed and a 1by chainring with a manitou 140mm coil fork

[@Cheaps928]

Is it a fast bike with stock gears?

[@lawrenceriffe3809]

Yes seatz n handlebars. Al allen keyed over i called mine thefarrari of mtn. Bikez

[@scottwilson9944]

IV just got the same bike given to me and just wanted to know if anyone know what hanger I need

[@StacyBuchkowsky]

I have same one do few up grades

[@MTBTexasBikeRider]

They are great bikes I really enjoy it! 🤘

[@fcm2790]

Get rigid fork / single chainring cranks pedals.. and disc brakes.. on ebay prob 150$ for all.. will have nice feel

[@MTBTexasBikeRider]

Thank you so much I don’t really ride this bike anymore it’s been retired I have the newer mountain bikes now!

[@victorkruz9318]

What fork should I get for mine and what wheelset

[@mothsoulsboi9128]

I got the same exact model

[@tonyyassa8326]

Where can u buy one of these from for cheap

[@mtbboy1993]

don't upgrade unless necessary, but to me it sounds like you need a whole new bike, you definitely need wider bars, if you feel medium bike would fit better, maybe one size or two sizes bigger, wide bars would be good idea.

[@MTBTexasBikeRider]

Oh no I don’t need a new bike I already have one! I just picked this bikes up at a local pawn shop got a great deal for 2 bikes specialized, and then the Trek. I just thought they would be cool to have and do a little upgrades to but not putting a lot of money into them!

[@mtbboy1993]

that fork is garbage, I had similar fork the lowers were made of cheese, eventually I had to use a shim cus the fork drop outs were eaten away, the plastic preload caps are moronic, can't even tighten them if they get loose, need special took, this is absurd. 4:23 corrosion on the brakes, definitely need to wash it after each ride, also the fork seals are done, the fork is not worth repairing it's junk. 4:50 the fork is 100mm. to measure travel you need to bottom out the fork, have a O ring there, and measure the distance from the o ring down to the seal, this way you know for sure. 6:00 they are Alex rims, with Specialized branding on them. 6:54 tip the quick release it at an incorrect position, it should be straight up, and when tightening make sure it starts to clamp at the lever out 90 degrees/straight out. most of the component's will need to be replaced at some point, but the frame looks ok, but if it's too small get a new bike, maybe build one.

[@MTBTexasBikeRider]

Thank you I want to restore this bike with better parts I was thinking going with rock shock and disc brakes on this bike.😊

[@mtbboy1993]

if you go for rock Shox don't go for the 32mm forks with remote lockout, cus they are locked out without the remote & wire, absurd, but true, also the tyre clearance is not great, 2.10 with mudguard is fine, but not with 2.3 tyres, mudguard wont fit. my review of Rock Shox Recon Gold Solo AIR wp.me/p60aTF-2v8 got good bottom out support I am am am about 75kg with gear on, but the fork is not perfect. The older forks had the remote mechanism in a done well apart from plastic caps. I can't really recommend any forks as I don't have much experience with most of them. The Rock Shox forks were just a fast temporary solution.

[@mtbboy1993]

if it was me riding I would have to replace most of the parts, but it will cost more than the bike originally cost,at least if the parts are new, but I am sure you can get some bargains with some second hard forks, and other components. but because this bike is too small for you I recommend new bike build, mix second hard parts with new parts, get what you can, and upgrade later.

[@mtbboy1993]

@@MTBTexasBikeRider the cheaper air air rock shox feels plush yet supportive, but they don't support the tokens, but I got Recon on a bike, it felt nice, tracked nciely, but I could push it hard workout bottoming out, it was recon gold solo air, but, I guess they tuned it for an average adult, which I am, 181cm some where near 75 kg with gear, but nto greatest forks, but ok I guess, but if going for those don't get the remote lock out version cus if remote or wire fails fork is locked out, I don't know which insane person came up with switching the system to be reversed. but I cna't really recommend any specific fork, on my trail bike I got fox 32, not greatest fork either, the grip damper dial is garbage, but the rest seems to be decent. have you you decided on a fork? or what you are goign to do?

[@MTBTexasBikeRider]

Actually this is awesome bike specialized hard rock I know it doesn’t compare to the newer bikes. But overall it’s a hardtail and this bike is very light and gets awesome traction. I made a video riding this bike on a pretty dangerous trail called Kings Trails it’s very rough and bumpy and a lot of roots and big drop off hills but I took this bike on that trail and it did great handled perfectly the front shocks never bottom out at all I really think when it comes to riding a old school bike like a hard tail I think it really depends on the riders experience I use to race bmx and motor cross so I do have a lot experience riding..because I was leaving 3 riders way behind on new full suspension 29er mountain bikes and they couldn’t keep up with me at all they were way younger then me maybe late 20s early 30s and I’m 48 I feel it really comes down to skills on a person riding not the bike 👍🤦‍♂️🚵‍♀️

[@frankdocimo7362]

Put the Disc brakes on you have to change the rims

[@dinashdevthilin7700]

Just put it to a crusher machine

[@MTBTexasBikeRider]

Right-on 👍🤘😎🙏

[@victorkruz9318]

Can I put an oversized fork on?

[@MTBTexasBikeRider]

You can replace the 100mm fork to a 120mm would be okay 👍

[@hondakid3497]

As long as the steer tube is 1 ⅛.

[@jesusmejia3910]

You must be young. Because a small bike means sore knees. But younger riders dont really seem to care. But after 40, you will feel everything that is wrong with that bike. I'd cut my losses. Sell it. And buy something that fits you.

[@MTBTexasBikeRider]

No I’m going to keep it and show them younger guys! Old school riders can still ride old school bikes they don’t need all them high dollar bikes to ride! I have the newest bikes also already 29ers Thank you for watching my video 👍😁🙏🚵‍♀️

[@jesusmejia3910]

I ride a 19" medium SPECIALIZED Rockhopper 26. Disc brakes, Rock Shox Fork 100mm of travel and lock out. It's a hard tail. I do light trails. Mostly city riding with my wife. On occasion I will take it out Mtn Biking with friends. I don't do it often, but what I do, my Rockhopper does just fine. 🤙🏾

[@MTBTexasBikeRider]

That’s a awesome bike cool you can never go wrong with a hard tail.. I also have a 2018 Giant Talon 2 29er hard tail I really enjoy that bike!👍😊

[@A.Hocking]

what year is the bike

[@Cheaps928]

I think between 07 t0 09 but not sure

[@victorkruz9318]

Trying to put a 140 on it

[@chrisv73]

Terrible video bro.

[@MTBTexasBikeRider]

chrisv73 Thanks 🙏 😊