Submitted by
LouisB
a Cross Country Rider
from Bay Area, CA
Date Reviewed: August 4, 2009
Strengths: Great full suspension bike for the price. Hearty, durable.
Weaknesses: Geometry makes it difficult to find the right seating position. High standover height. Components are average.
Bottom Line:
I bought this bike new in 2002 and it's still gets at least a few miles every day. I put a ton of miles on it just before I let it get abused by rain, wind and dirt. Was almost about to toss it before I remembered the good times/good trails I had with 'er.
Ended up doing a complete overhaul, replacing everything but the frame and rear shock. It breathed new life into it and renewed my love for biking after a break of a few years.
I ride it at least 3 times a week, both city and trail and I still get compliments on it from fellow cyclists as well as the random pedestrian.
As it is with stock components the bike is a solid ride at a great price. Upgraded with better gear it makes it even more fun.
Similar Products Used: Specialized HardRock
Giant Boulder
Bike Setup: Marzocchi Supercomp
Mavic Crossride
SRAM X.7 front/rear/shifters
Hayes 9
FSA Stem/Carbon Seatpost/Carbon Handlebars
Race Face BB/Crankset
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Submitted by
Downhill wacko
a Weekend Warrior
from Edmonton,Alberta,Canada
Date Reviewed: October 30, 2008
Strengths: Love the bike all around, Great down hill, X-country even dirt jumping is great with this bike I found.
Weaknesses: Could have been the set up of my fox shock. But I took a 13 foot drop on mine and cracked the weld around the pivot on the bottom. Not the first time it took a drop. But now I
can't get the tail off it to get it fixed, I can get one of the allen bolts out but not the other. also can not find the manual online anywhere. Anyone know why the other one does not wanna come out? Or where I could find the manual online? Email me if ya can. Thanks
Bottom Line:
Over all i found great bike over all. Two thumbs up.
Submitted by
legend1995
a Weekend Warrior
from Fort Worth, Texas
Date Reviewed: October 6, 2008
Strengths: Very sturdy with a good gear ratio. Low gear is low enough to get up the steepest of hills and high gear will get you up to speed almost effortlessly
Weaknesses: Problem with back rim blowing out TWICE. So, I went and bought one of those 3 way protection tubes by Specialized for $15 at Bikes Inc. and properly installed it and then test rode for 3 miles and the new tube also blew out, I was furious. I took the new tube out and compared with the old tube and found that both were nicked at the stem, so I took the tire and and rubber ring off the Alex D20 Rim and found that the stem has to be inserted through 2 layers of aluminum with a gap of 1/4 inch seperating them. I guess the inside hole didn't allow enough clearance for the stem to move, there by severing it.
Solution was to drill out the inside hole with a 1/2 inch bit or maybe bigger. This is working great, but people should't have to re-engineer a rim because of a flaw in engineering.
Bottom Line:
I bought my Hardrock 2nd hand for $200 and still fairly new. It seems to be pretty heavy duty except for the issue with the rear wheel. However, I must say that I looked at the $300 Full Suspension Mongoose at Walmart(after the fact) and noticed that it is bascally the same bike as the Specialized Hardrock. It had the same Shimano derailer and break assembly and the forks looked the same as well (probably from the same factory). The Mongoose frame was also a big heavy duty, beefy aluminum frame, that has beautiful beaded welds like the specialized. The mongoose frame also had adjustable spring suspension. I guess the bottomline here is, if your not a hard core purist, get the Mongoose for $300 unless you just like paying $100 for a sticker that says "Specialized". Furthermore, If you bought a bike with full suspension from specialized, you'd probably be looking at +/- 760.00
Similar Products Used: Specialized Hardrock Sport with 26" wheels
Bike Setup: Easy
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Submitted by
SDGP
a Weekend Warrior
from San Diego, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: July 28, 2008
Strengths: Awesome geometry and being a beginner it handles great. This is my first FS bike and it takes a beating with no complaints. Smooth ride and the rims are very true after all this time. Overall a great bike and for the price I am more than happy with her!
Weaknesses: The guy that I bought it from had probably taken the better front derailleur and rear shock and installed a couple POS. I changed the front derailleur after one ride and am looking for a rear. Otherwise it is a great bike that I am looking forward to tinkering with over many years to come
Bottom Line:
A great bike and I am really happy with everything so far. It seems really upgradeable so I will be playing with her for years to come. I have ridden a few specialized bikes and it is definitely up to par especially for the price.
Bike Setup: Judy II front forks, Alivio rear derailleur, Deore front (bought off Craigslist for $7), a no name rear shock that I already want to upgrade.
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Submitted by
Eric
a Weekend Warrior
from Oakville Ontario Canada
Date Reviewed: March 27, 2008
Strengths: Solid frame, Good ride
Weaknesses: Weight, seat
Bottom Line:
For 80mm of travel it rides nice. You just have to dial it in to your likings. Very simple set up with very little to go wrong. Shifts great for me, just wish it were disc brakes.
Regardless at the time(I was a student) I dumped every penny I had into buying it and never have been so happy with a purchase. It's still running strong. Now my wife rides it and loves it.
Let's put it this way: my new ride is another specialized.
If you want a nice simple set up to toy around on go for it! If you are doing many drops or bigger hits you will want more travel. For what it is, I love it!
Bike Setup: carbon fiber bars, panracer fire fr 2.4 tires, carbon seatpost, machined stem. and a bunch more. fun to add new parts to.
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Submitted by
Eric Jurgens
a Weekend Warrior
from Kenosha, WI USA
Date Reviewed: April 4, 2005
Strengths: The bike is a very strong full suspension bike usable for all events. Good shocks front and back.
Weaknesses: Seat hurts but hey this is an off road bike you dont even need the seat most of the time. The derailer is good but some times you have to peddel slow to allow it to cacth.
Bottom Line:
Great bike with good stock parts, can ride a road or trail if you dont mind the seat, but its true power shows on deep wood trails or downhills. Good buy can find cheap if your willing to look.
Bike Setup: Stock except new flat bars Easton. Bent bars going down hill tend to slip and you split your lip. HA HA
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Submitted by
daisy
a Weekend Warrior
from Miami, Fl,USA
Date Reviewed: March 29, 2004
Strengths: Sturdy frame.
Weaknesses: The seat SUCKS!!! Sometimes the gears slip.
Bottom Line:
This is a great bike for the beginner intermediate. This was my first real mtn bike. I had a mongoose b4 from the store and what adifference this bike made. It is awesome for the trails a little heavy, (maybe i'm just a wimp). I've had it a little over a year now and nothing broke on it except for the rear derailer which i smashed. Worth upgrading, great solid bike.
Similar Products Used: Mongoose MGX, was my last bike
Bike Setup: Stock
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Submitted by
Bob
a Weekend Warrior
from Great Falls, Montana
Date Reviewed: August 28, 2003
Strengths: This is an upgrade from a Mongoose MGX DXR, soooooo Everything really is better.
Weaknesses: Like everyone else, I don't care for the seat.
Bottom Line:
This bike really handles much better in the dirt than my MGX. Nice to have front shocks that don't bottom out with the smallest of drops. The MGX seat is much more comfy than the BG seat! I have been riding for a little over a year. I didn't really believe all the "hype" regarding the expesive bikes, but boy what a differance in this case. If you can find one of these, newer guys will really enjoy the smooth ride and handling of this nice machine.
Submitted by
Sarah
a Cross Country Rider
from Crosby, Minnesota, US
Date Reviewed: August 4, 2003
Strengths: The frame is great, although it might be a little on the heavy side, at least you know you can pound the s*** out of it and it will be ready for more. The price is outstanding, even if it was last years model. The look says "im a freakin cool mountain bike!!" Shifting works great for me. The bike maneuvers well in the trails and i love how the suspension lets you glide over bumps without feeling like you're going to be thrown off the bike.
Weaknesses: Of course the major weakness has to be the seat. What were they thinking? I ride gravel roads for 15 miles, 5 days a week and halfway through the ride my butt is screaming for mercy. the weekends are always trail riding and i'm sure it thanks me for the break. Other than that, i find no other weaknesses yet.
Bottom Line:
This is my first FS bike and i have to say that i love it. While i wasn't really a beginner rider to start out with, i'd definitely agree that this bike is perfect for those just starting out. It's nice and sturdy and has a price you can't beat. Whether it's riding on gravel roads or pounding hard, rocky, mountain trails, this bike can do it all and still ask for more. This bike makes those "wait-i-have-to-adjust-something" moments out on the trail a breeze. I fly on past people i'm biking with and the tires are good for just about anything. i'd recommend this bike to anyone who wants a high-end reliable bike for a low-end cost!
Strengths: The fork. A mere judy yes, but im 130lbs and ive never bottomed out. The frame is heavy but it handles great on singletracks and doesnt complain on 5+ft drops. The tires are grippy and fast, and the rims are incredible. Ive beat the hell out of my bike and they're still almost perfect. and i love the grips.
Weaknesses: The fork tops out a lot on drops, the rear spring makes a wheeky-wheeky dound when bounced on, and the seat gives you support exactly where you dont want it. The drivetrain is also crap. The giant acera derraileur derailled the chain in the cairrage on a 5 stair and mangled the whole thing
Bottom Line:
For $500 its the best buy you can get. Very versatile. Despite its weight i can power past friends on rockhoppers. Its also tough enough for some downhilling and freeriding, the rims can take a massive beating. Its pretty tall though. I'm 5'7" and fit fine while on it, but it takes effort to get on. Great handling on singletracks, and great suspension for a $500 bike. for the price, there are tons of upgrade options to take you in any direction you want. upgrading the suspension and drivetrain are a must, and then you'll have a heavy stump jumper for hundreds less. a truly great bike.
Bike Setup: Stock + Oddesy pedals, an old lambda s seat(better than their "body geometry"), alivio drivetrain
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Submitted by
David
a Weekend Warrior
from Worcester, MA
Date Reviewed: June 12, 2003
Strengths: Cost, full suspension, upgradable, warranty, great looks
Weaknesses: could use better suspension components, but the included ones do work pretty well
Bottom Line:
great deal on a full suspension mountain bike, fully upgradable to high end components when I choose to lay out the additional money. awesome looks (although with the addition of the lights and all the accessories people mistake me for a bike cop) the seat's ok, but not perfect..
Bike Setup: 2002 Specialized uno w/ 10 year old (trusty) onza bar ends, 20 watt NIMH lighting system, gary fisher bottle cage, serfas rear flasher, avocet cycle-computer
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Submitted by
hardrock
a Cross Country Rider
from washington
Date Reviewed: May 15, 2003
Strengths: good frame, cant find a better full suspention bike for the price. nice components for a beginner.
Weaknesses: seat is a little uncomfortable. seems to shift slowly and scip gears, or have a hard time going into gears
Bottom Line:
if you want a good bike for not alot of money or are a beginner, this is the bike for you. have fun.....GO BIG OR GO HOME
Similar Products Used: crappy mongoose full suspention bike
Bike Setup: stock
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Submitted by
Taro
a Weekend Warrior
from Newcastle, WA, USA
Date Reviewed: February 13, 2003
Strengths: Awesome single-pivot frame.
Weaknesses: Components are not top-of-the-line.
Bottom Line:
This is the absolute PERFECT bike for you if 1) you want a full-sus XC bike; 2) you are low on cash; 3) you are a gearhead and LOVE spending time thinking about your next component upgrade. This bike is really just a lower-componentry version of the Stumpjumper FSR and Rockhopper FSR. You basically get the same frame, but with good (rather than awesome) components. The components work fine, though. But here's the kicker. The bikes were only sold as 2002 models so 1) dealers want to move them out of the stores to make room for newer models (so everyone is selling them for around $500!!!); but 2) they are hard as h*ll to find. If you can find one, you can spend the next few years building it up into an awesome bike (upgrade to disk brakes, better forks, better rear sus, XTR, etc.); rather than blowing a huge wad of cash today, and running out of things to do with it (other than riding, of course). Plus since the stock components are not top-o-the-line, you have no qualms swapping them out and replacing them. A perfect bike, if you're low on cash and love to tinker as much as you love to ride.
Submitted by
Ketih
a Weekend Warrior
from Irving, Texas
Date Reviewed: January 28, 2003
Strengths: Solid Frame, great price for full supension
Weaknesses: Seat absulutely sucks. Components are low grade, but hey, it's a $500 full suspension bike....
Bottom Line:
I have run this bike over just about everything, and it has held up very well. I just got back into mountain biking about 6 months ago, and I'm having the time of my life. This bike climbs well, drops well, suspension is quite comfy on rocky trails. I'm getting an iron butt from this seat, but I'll replace it when I've got the $$. Stock Shimao components are ok. The derailers are a bit slow, and I have to adjust a lot, but these are also upgradeable. Bottom Line: this is a great $500 bike, and I would buy it again in a heartbeat. The frame is very solid, and you can upgrade it with top of the line components, if needed (as I will do as they wear out).
