REVIEWS DEALS BIKESHOPS TRAILS

2022 Specialized Riprocks

3148 Views 11 Replies 3 Participants Last post by svinyard, Oct 27, 2021

rton20s

Discussion Starter · Oct 26, 2021

Looks like Specialized has made some pretty good changes to the Riprock lineup for 2022. I didn't see them on the Specialized site yet.

Specialized Going Direct with 2022 Riprock Kid's Mountain Bike Line - Review

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Yeah I saw that. Heavier than most of the competition and more expensive too with a lesser spec. Disappointing.

If they were going to use the value JUnit comp fork (Nice and likely upgradable), I was hoping they'd make a value hardtail slightly cheaper than the rest with lower-end components. That way families could get a JUnit fork'd bike at a nice price.

Instead they did all of that and jacked the price way up and made it extra heavy. I think 700$ rigid's are silly too.

The geo is likely decent and the JUnit fork is great tho. Likely a good thing they made a better bike, just not what I was hoping for.

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rton20s

Discussion Starter · #3 · Oct 26, 2021

svinyard said:
Yeah I saw that. Heavier than most of the competition and more expensive too with a lesser spec. Disappointing.

Well... it is Specialized. 😂

svinyard said:
If they were going to use the value JUnit comp fork (Nice and likely upgradable), I was hoping they'd make a value hardtail slightly cheaper than the rest with lower-end components. That way families could get a JUnit fork'd bike at a nice price.

Instead they did all of that and jacked the price way up and made it extra heavy. I think 700$ rigid's are silly too.

The geo is likely decent and the JUnit fork is great tho. Likely a good thing they made a better bike, just not what I was hoping for.

I agree with your entire assessment. The combination of weight, spec and price does not represent a great value in today's market. What it DOES represent is a step in the right direction for Specialized in at least the spec department. It also means that the countless families that don't take the time we do to research will have a decent option available from one of the "BIG GUYS" at their LBS. At least it is better than what they had last year.

For those that might not know, take a look at the comparison on 99 Spokes... https://99spokes.com/compare?bikes=...d-riprock-24-2022,specialized-riprock-24-2021

The only thing sillier than a $700 rigid is a $580 hardtail with an XCT fork, junk drivetrain and mechanical discs.

While not a steal compared to the competition, the $700 2022 model is a WAY better value than the $580 2021 model. At least the frame and wheels on the rigid model are already set for a JUnit fork upgrade.

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svinyard

· #4 · Oct 26, 2021

Yeah, good take, that's the net positive here. Its a HUGE improvement over the old turd (which was one of the worst bikes you could buy) and, aside from the money and weight...they are nice bikes with seemingly decent geometry and spec's. That's a win for kids even if its not ideal and they will be in LBS.

What I really want to see is Giant make a JUnit hardtail. Their new STP, even with the coil fork junk, isn't bad at all which is a total surprise. For 800$ I bet they could do that same bike with a JUnit Comp and totally dominate the LBS market. I was just hoping that Specialized was going to do something like being a 2nd or 3rd mover and getting to work off of what's worked for other brands while leveraging their buying power.

rton20s said:
I agree with your entire assessment. The combination of weight, spec and price does not represent a great value in today's market. What it DOES represent is a step in the right direction for Specialized in at least the spec department. It also means that the countless families that don't take the time we do to research will have a decent option available from one of the "BIG GUYS" at their LBS. At least it is better than what they had last year.

For those that might not know, take a look at the comparison on 99 Spokes... https://99spokes.com/compare?bikes=...d-riprock-24-2022,specialized-riprock-24-2021

The only thing sillier than a $700 rigid is a $580 hardtail with an XCT fork, junk drivetrain and mechanical discs.
While not a steal compared to the competition, the $700 2022 model is a WAY better value than the $580 2021 model. At least the frame and wheels on the rigid model are already set for a JUnit fork upgrade.

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rton20s

Discussion Starter · #5 · Oct 26, 2021

I think we're very much on the same page. The idea of an STP with a JUnit fork (and boost rear, personally) makes so much sense. I don't know if they could hit an $800 price point, but surely it could retail for under $1k.

The other thing Specialized specifying the JUnit might do is catch the attention of some of the other suspension companies. Let's face it, component selection sucks for kid's bikes, especially forks. Our choices are rigid, boat anchors, passable air forks (many over-priced private labels) or premium models from Manitou. It would be interesting to see if other brands (RS, Fox, Suntour, DVO, etc) decide to throw their hat in the ring.

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rton20s

Discussion Starter · #6 · Oct 26, 2021

Also, why are none of these companies building kids bikes based on the comments section?

All we want is all the performance of adult bikes at half the weight and one third the cost. How difficult is that to do?

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CeUnit

· #7 · Oct 27, 2021 (Edited)

rton20s said:
At least the frame and wheels on the rigid model are already set for a JUnit fork upgrade.

Hmm. I'm pretty sure this isn't correct. The rigid and non-rigid are two different frames, which makes sense given how much the J-Unit would rotate the hardtail's frame up if you just added it on. The straight head tube of the rigid won't work.

Bicycle Tire Wheel Bicycles--Equipment and supplies Bicycle frame

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rton20s

Discussion Starter · #8 · Oct 27, 2021

You're absolutely right. Another bad move by Specialized. (At least for the consumer.) You could probably run a tapered fork with an external lower cup headset.

But your observation about the effects on geometry are spot on. You'd definitely want to do the math before taking the plunge. We're talking about an 85mm increase from the rigid fork (370mm) to the JUnit at 100mm of travel (455mm). And that doesn't even include the height of the headset cup. Slacker seatpost, raised bottom bracket, shorter reach, taller stack. Come on Specialized.

OK, I did the math.

This assuming a 455mm fork with a 12mm headset cup and 20mm of sag...
Head Angle: 63.84 (-4.16)
Seat Angle: 69.34 (-4.16)
Wheelbase: 984.4 (+31.4)
ETT: 490.8 (+11.8)
BB Drop: -1.7 (+28.3)
Reach: 316.1 (-33.8)
Stack: 477.5 (+24.2)

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svinyard

· #9 · Oct 27, 2021

This is the geo chart I pulled off of BikeRumor for these bikes. Even with a straight headtube, I can swap out for a Junit fork with a 20$ lower cup on amazon. The crappy part is getting the front wheel to work with a JUnit fork. If its a standard QR of bolt on wheel to a front rigid fork, there is no adapter to getting that wheel onto a Manitou Thru-Axle. You'd then have to find a front wheel with a proper thu-axle hub. It gets too expensive quickly.

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rton20s

Discussion Starter · #10 · Oct 27, 2021

svinyard said:
This is the geo chart I pulled off of BikeRumor for these bikes. Even with a straight headtube, I can swap out for a Junit fork with a 20$ lower cup on amazon. The crappy part is getting the front wheel to work with a JUnit fork. If its a standard QR of bolt on wheel to a front rigid fork, there is no adapter to getting that wheel onto a Manitou Thru-Axle. You'd then have to find a front wheel with a proper thu-axle hub. It gets too expensive quickly.

Specialized has the new Riprock up on their site now. According to the specs, the standard Riprock 24 does get a boost axles, which helps.

Frame: A1 Premium Butted Alloy, unisex frame, internal cable routing, 148mm thru-axle, 30.9mm dropper post ready, replaceable derailleur hanger compatible
Fork: A1 Premium Butted Alloy, Alloy steerer, 15x110 mm, W/Mini Fender
Front Hub: Alloy, 6-Bolt, 28H, 15x110 Boost
Rear Hub: Alloy, 6-Bolt, 28H, 12x148 Boost, 11-speed compatiable*

*Their typo, not mine.

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rton20s

Discussion Starter · #11 · Oct 27, 2021

It does make you wonder what the motivation was for the two different frames. The cost of production between the Riprock 24 and Expert 24 frames can't be THAT much different. And you would think tooling up for only one of the two would have been cheaper. Is the cost to manufacture a 435mm tapered steerer rigid fork really that much more than a 370mm straight steerer fork? Enough so that making two different frames becomes the better value proposition?

I'd hate to think that it was the higher ups at the big S strategizing to drive sales from their overpriced $700 rigid model to their even more overpriced $1500 hard tail by hamstringing the upgrade path for parents.

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svinyard

· #12 · Oct 27, 2021

When looking at the various pics, its not a QR axle for the front hub. There's no lever etc. Its something else. Maybe its a its a nice thru-axle?

rton20s said:
Specialized has the new Riprock up on their site now. According to the specs, the standard Riprock 24 does get a boost axles, which helps.

Frame: A1 Premium Butted Alloy, unisex frame, internal cable routing, 148mm thru-axle, 30.9mm dropper post ready, replaceable derailleur hanger compatible
Fork: A1 Premium Butted Alloy, Alloy steerer, 15x110 mm, W/Mini Fender
Front Hub: Alloy, 6-Bolt, 28H, 15x110 Boost
Rear Hub: Alloy, 6-Bolt, 28H, 12x148 Boost, 11-speed compatiable*

*Their typo, not mine.

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