hardrock upgrade ideas....1x9, raceface cranks, mavic wheel set, and new forks help!

Same bike and plans here

Funny I am thinking of upgrading my Hardrock as well. My thought was is it worth it - i might be able to get a used bike for the price of upgrades. I have a new SJ FSR 29er and thought -i might as well step up my hardtail

Not sure about going over 100mm on the shock it has - that might mess up the geo

I am thinking of starting with the wheel. But after that if i went 2x10 (you are looking at 1x9) then upgrade cranks and bars and so on its going to cost way more than the original bike.

will be interesting to see what other say

Funny thing is my thought is that I can upgrade the bike and my wife wont know

a new bike is easy to spot out...

anyone know what the Hardrock frames weigh? I have an xl -21 inch they have it listed as

Sure it's the '08? Specialized's archive lists that model and year (Pro, in '08) with a 100mm travel fork. It's a Suntour, so you can't get a spring kit for it, to my knowledge. You don't actually need more travel but you do need a stiffer spring rate to solve your bottom-out problem, and that means a new fork with low-end stuff like this. You can spend anywhere from $200 to over $1000 for a nice suspension fork in this size - what's your budget?

I've actually been pretty impressed with Deore hubs. Mine have lasted several seasons and are still running very smooth, without needing a repack yet. A lot of people don't know WTF they're doing with maintenance, although to be fair, I haven't had to do any maintenance on mine yet either. But that can sometimes explain poor reviews of products.

I suspect the frame weighs about four and a half pounds. This is based on the '07 frame having the same geometry numbers and material name as the most of the '07 Rockhopper frames, which do have weights posted on sites like weightweenies.starbike.com. However, I haven't actually stripped mine and weighed the frame, so take this information for what it is. Replacing a 4.5 lb frame with even a fairly modest racer (say 3.5 lb) is going to be one of the better dollars/gram weight trimming upgrades, but honestly, it's also the least bad place on a bike to have a little extra fat - it's not high like the saddle, or rotating like the rims and tires.

By this weekend I will have upgraded everything on my Hardrock, its a great bike but I have to have a new frame this year, but all the new parts will carry over.
-Tora SL solo air was a wonderful upgrade, only $100 form another member on here
-bent both factory Alex HRD rims, replaced with a budget build of Stans Flows with X7 hubs, new Captain Armadillo S works tires and tubeless for $500
-replaced the factory crank with '11 Stylo GXP 32t 1.1 and new platforms $150
-Sunline V1 OS flat bar, ESI chunky grips, nicer Specialized 100mm stem
-Formula RX brakes, as new condition with only 50 miles on them for $160
-used Stylo team setback seatpost and new Bontrage Inform RL saddle, $55 total
-this week I finish my drivetrain swap with all new '11 X9 rear mid der, pg-980 cassette, X9 9 speed shifter, pc-991 chain all for $265

I know this is allot dumped into an entry level bike but these are all parts that will carry over to my next bike, I'll buy a new frame. As I was new to biking last summer I have learned about gear as I became a more skilled rider and replaced parts as they failed with parts I knew I could best utilize, all with the mindset that I could use them on my next rig.

I'll order something along the lines of a new Stumpjumper 29er M5 frame or a niner perhaps, will stick with a hardtail and nothing more than about $750.