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Specialized
Hotrock 20 6-Speed Boys
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Submitted by
Philly 5.5
a Racer
from Wayne, PA
Date Reviewed: November 19, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | wissahickon | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$299.00 | | Strengths: | Cool graphics, Lighter than most kids bikes this size.. better quality than department store bike.. Shifting works well. | | Weaknesses: | Cheap plastic chain guard on front breaks quickly and chain started coming off. (how bout some aluminum?) | | Bottom Line: | Overall a pretty decent bike for kids.. I've taken by 7yr old on 3-5 mile MTB trails with it, but its not suited for any big hills or really rough trails (nor is my son!) but overall I'd buy another one... I'm looking at the K2 and Marin for my other son or maybe another one of these. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
SDak Rider
a Cross Country Rider
from Rapid City, SD USA
Date Reviewed: June 25, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | Anywhere in the Black Hills | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$325.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Lighter than most others this size although still heavier than my Stumpy. Looks great and my 5 year old loves it as he thinks he is on a real MTN bike. | | Weaknesses: | So far not many althouygh I would love to be able to put some hydrolic disks on it so he didnt have to pull so hard to stop but I dont know if this is possible as I have not researched it enough yet. | | Similar Products Used: | Hot Rock 16 | | Bike Setup: | Stock except the 1 inch I cut off the seat post so it would fit him better as the bike is a little big for him yet but the Hot Rock 16 was to small to get him through the summer and with the post cut down a little he loves it. | | Bottom Line: | Do not buy the 89.00 dept. store bike as you will regret it if you ride a fair amount at all. This bike is great for what it is but I do plan to upgrade some components so it is more cross country and single track capable. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
j_anicich
a Cross Country Rider
from Burbank, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: August 1, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Strawberry Peak | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$300.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | It looks like a mountain bike | | Weaknesses: | Heavy. I wiegh 200lb. My bike wieghs 25lb. Why can't I get a <25lb bike for the kid? He wieghs almost 60 now. | | Similar Products Used: | Hot Rock | | Bike Setup: | Stock | | Bottom Line: | Its a neat bike. Not particularily functional however. It says "Specialized" on it but it doesn't go uphills. I had grand visions of the kid riding with me up the hill (10-18% grades) but after the 3-4 trip I did the math and decided I wouldn't want to ride a 100lb mountain bike up those grades and he was right to be complaining. Perhaps we are victims of geography. We have actual mountains...
Anyway I am still looking for a lighter frame with lighter wheels under it... Why do kids need 1 1/2" wide rims? | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Michael
a
from Exeter, RI
Date Reviewed: February 2, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Arcadia | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$220.00 | | Purchased At: | Stedman's in Wakefield | | Strengths: | Tough. Reliable. Good geometry. Well spec'ed. With modification, it is trial-worthy. | | Weaknesses: | Heavy (though lighter than many). Fork is too stiff to be useful. Stock gearing is to high to really go out on the trails. | | Similar Products Used: | Spec. Hot Rock 16". Which is a really great bike. | | Bike Setup: | Swapped out the stock freewheel for a MegaRange. Had to swap the deraileur to match it. It cost an extra $20, but he can now go up and over just about anything. | | Bottom Line: | My 7 year old son takes this bike on hour and a half rides on real mountain bike trails with me and it works. He takes it over and through everything. If you make the gearing change, it will go in the woods. I also only inflate his tires to about 5-10 pounds. When you weigh only 50 pounds, you don't need 30 lbs of air. It gives it a more comfortable ride. He says he can feel the difference. My second son needs a new bike, and this one is on the short list. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Michael
a
from Exeter, RI
Date Reviewed: February 2, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Arcadia | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$220.00 | | Purchased At: | Stedman's in Wakefield | | Strengths: | Tough. Reliable. Good geometry. Well spec'ed. With modification, it is trial-worthy. | | Weaknesses: | Heavy (though lighter than many). Fork is too stiff to be useful. Stock gearing is to high to really go out on the trails. | | Similar Products Used: | Spec. Hot Rock 16". Which is a really great bike. | | Bike Setup: | Swapped out the stock freewheel for a MegaRange. Had to swap the deraileur to match it. It cost an extra $20, but he can now go up and over just about anything. | | Bottom Line: | My 7 year old son takes this bike on hour and a half rides on real mountain bike trails with me and it works. He takes it over and through everything. If you make the gearing change, it will go in the woods. I also only inflate his tires to about 5-10 pounds. When you weigh only 50 pounds, you don't need 30 lbs of air. It gives it a more comfortable ride. He says he can feel the difference. My second son needs a new bike, and this one is on the short list. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joel
a Weekend Warrior
from Philadelphia, PA USA
Date Reviewed: June 7, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Anything that's long and steep and fast | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | Trailhead Bikes in Cleveland, TN | | Strengths: | QUALITY. None of this walmart crap here. Very tough. I've already taken in through it's paces- uphill, DH, even a jump or two. Very solid. Oh yeah, my 6 year old likes it, too. It fits him great, and it will for a few more years. Then I just replace what's worn out and have it ready for my now 4 year old. | | Weaknesses: | I've had nothing but bad luck with RST forks, but that's on adult bikes. I can't seem to get the forks to go through their full compression. They only go about half way. But I guess this isn't much of a problem for my son who only weighs like 40 or so lbs. It's also a bit more than I wanted to pay. | | Similar Products Used: | Walmart CRAP. If you are serious about your kid biking, don't even BOTHER with department store crap. | | Bike Setup: | I had to cut about an inch off of the bottom of the seatpost so the seat would go low enough for my son, and I swapped out the stock stem for a shorter, subbier DH stem that fit the length of his arms better. | | Bottom Line: | If you ride, which you probably do because you are on this website, a brand name bike is the ONLY way to go. The deparment store bikes are just plain cheap. If (I really mean WHEN) something breaks, you can't fix it. You just end up throwing the bike away. The brakes suck and it won't shift right after the first crash.
On the other hand, the SPECIALIZED is basically a kids frame with adult components on it. The bike weighs in at about 30 lbs (that's what the shipping weight was), but if you want to go carbon and XTR components, the weight would drop dramatically. Here's a list of what you can swap out from your ADULT bike onto this bike: Stem, bars, headset, brake levers, shifter pods, grips, vee brakes, bottom bracket, crank arms (if you can find ones short enough), chain, rear casette, rear derailer, wheels and tires (you can shop the BMX catalogs for lighter ones of these). As a dad, I LOVE this bike. My son crashes and breaks his brake lever. NO PROBELM, I just let him use one of my old ones off of my old bike. The parts just swap right over.
PURE GENIUS. I won't be getting a new bike for my kids for a LONG time. And when I do, I'll be getting the Hotrock 24!
THANK YOU SPECIALIZED! | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jorge
a Cross Country Rider
from San Diego, CA
Date Reviewed: May 2, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Otay Mesa | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$230.00 | | Purchased At: | Bicicle Warehouse | | Strengths: | I bought this bike for my 5 year old, it feets him pretty well, it has a strong and light frame, good components and it gives him good power on the uphills | | Weaknesses: | a little noise with the bearings designed to keep the chain in place | | Similar Products Used: | toys r us steel bikes, no comparison, he tested the kids trek but did not fit him on the arms lenght | | Bike Setup: | standard | | Bottom Line: | This bike is great I already took him to the mountain and he was able to climb a tuff 1.5 miles uphill that first I thought he was going not be able to, he enjoys it and fits him perfectly, he can reach no problem the brakes and the pedals. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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