[Rodolphe]

My son would like to join having fun DH.
his Rock hopper is not a DH bike and since one of his friends give him a decent 7" of travel front schocks it jst be good if the samething is possible for the rear.
What can of rear schocks this frame will accept and what kind of travel to expect

thanks

 

[CmdrChode]

The Rockhopper frame is a hardtail, and thus cannot accept a rear shock.

 

[switch55]

The Rockhopper frame is a hardtail, and thus cannot accept a rear shock.

o rly?

I don't think you can change anything on the frame to give it more travel though. plus since it is an xc bike, doing dh could be rather hard on the frame.

 

[XSL_WiLL]

DO NOT put a 7 inch travel fork on that frame. The geometry will be all whacked out. It will ride like crap, and there's a very real possibility that the frame will break.

 

[Clutchman83]

Don't use a 7" fork on that frame, it puts too much stress on the head tube. If your son wants that much travel he needs a different bike.

 

[CmdrChode]

OK, Switch, you got me. But in my defense, Rodolphe didn't mention how old the bike was - this looks to be a 2003 model. Since then, all RH have been hardtails:

http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCEquipPopup.jsp?equipimage=/OA_MEDIA/2009/bikes/8192-50_RH_flored_l.jpg&equipmodel=Rockhopper

Rodolphe, regardless of what model year it is, the other posters are right - putting a 7" fork on a frame designed for recreation XC is probably asking for trouble.

 

[ncossey]

If you put a 7 inch fork on that frame, you are going to crack your headtube, plain and simple.

 

[SHIVER ME TIMBERS]

if the kid wants more suspension...then buy a different bike

 

[Rodolphe]

For me a hardtails receive much more stress then a frame with a schock.
I start DH 17 years ago and my first bike has 3" on the front and hard tail. we were blowing up tube like crazy.
I think a schock makes evrything smoother.
We are not talking about 10' drop but just riding with us.
The frame seems to be pretty solid

 

[Rodolphe]

About the 7 " on the front I understand it will extend the cantilever for the pivot point and it make sens that it could be dangerous

 

[William42]

While you're at it, you should send your son to alligator wrestling and shark fighting lessons without a knife.

And maybe convince him to play in a giant industrial sized blender.

 

[CdaleProph6]

i hope you have good insurance for when the head tube snaps off when he goes over a curb:madman: an xc bike will never be strong enough for DH no matter how beefy the parts group is you put on it...its like putting a lift and huge tires on a mazda miata

 

[bad andy]

that frame is very similar to the 2000 fsr xc I used to ride. I upgraded the fork to a 5" and upgraded the link to a BETD unit - giving my 5 inches in the rear. It was fun at the time, but by no means DH ready. I would have destroyed myself and the bike doing DH on it. I couldn't even imagine trying to coax 7" out of that frame in any way that makes logical sense. The chainstays are relatively spindly, even the bolts hold the shocks wouldn't survive any proper DH.

Honestly, do yourself, and more importantly - your son, a favor and look into buying a proper bike to handle DH trails.

 

[steamrolla23]

i hope you have good insurance for when the head tube snaps off when he goes over a curb:madman: an xc bike will never be strong enough for DH no matter how beefy the parts group is you put on it...its like putting a lift and huge tires on a mazda miata

ROFL @ MIATA JOKE HAHAHAHHAHA