Recreational XC Hardtail
A reliable, efficient and trail-tough hardtail that packs a ton of performance into a light and easy-to-love package. Maybe you're just rediscovering riding, or perhaps just discovering the unbeatable joy of exploring long, fast, sweet trails. With nearly 25 years of continual refinement and race-bred performance trickled down from our Stumpjumper line, the Rockhopper is a reliable, efficient and trail-tough hardtail that packs a whole lot of performance into one easy package. The Rockhopper's entirely redesigned frame is lighter than ever and classically tuned for trail riding, with just the right blend of quickness and composure.
the seat's a little hard on my girly parts, but that can be adjusted/swapped out
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by comparison, my old huffy's HARDLY similar... except it has two wheels, basic bike parts, etc... =/
Bike Setup:
Stock for now... putting Crank Bros mallet pedals on it...
Bottom Line:
If you want a compact bike that will respond like it's a part of you and be a piece of man-made heaven that you can easily throw over your shoulder and haul up 6! flights of stairs to your apt, this is the mo-fo for you. Within about a half hour of riding it I'd mostly adapted from my heavy as hell but quite stable Huffy, and had begun riding down steps and bunny-hopping over curbs and up steps... stuff I couldn't really do with the Huffy unless I was LOOKING for bruises etc. I'm going to paint it because the girly blue doesn't really fit the earth-tones and black I usually wear (and I feel kinda bad because all the 'specialized' and 'rockhopper' stuff is painted on... and it has SUCH a nice clear-coat...) but eh, this baby's mine now... You probably *shouldn't* own this bike if you're a roadie, don't like relatively soft, responsive front suspension, or are just going to cruise around town... Ten gut-busting flaming poos.
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Submitted by
Wendy
a Weekend Warrior
from Denver Date Reviewed: July 8, 2004
Favorite Trail:
None yet
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$390.00
Purchased At:
Wheat Ridge Cyclery
Strengths:
Very nimble and responsive bike with great stopping power! The tires have softer outside edges that really stick to the road and trail. The shifters are easy to reach and shift crisply.
Weaknesses:
Haven't found any yet.
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Test rode the Gary Fisher Tess and Trek 4500 with the women's specific frames as well but the Rockhopper was far and away a much better ride for me.
Bike Setup:
As it came from the store.
Bottom Line:
Great bike for a woman under 5'6" (I'm 5' 4") who doesn't want to spend a fortune. The frame is short enough so I'm not too stretched out and the other components fit well. I even learned how to bunny hop on it the first day I brought it home! (OK, so they're baby bunny hops but I couldn't do any on my old bike.)
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