[hoboscratch]

Hey all. Newb here. Tried using the search but said server too busy...

I just bought a cheap 2001 hardrock mostly b/c a) it was cheap and b) the frame is decent and I can upgrade stuff as needed. Anyway, after riding it around on some hills a bit even I could quickly tell that the rear derailleur needed replacing. The Acera on it is junk. So I bought a LX to replace it with for now. Thinking about upgrading all to SRAM later, but starting small. Anyway, I have a short or medium cage der on the bike right now. This LX I bought is a long cage. I have a few questions.

Am I going to have to get a new chain to accomodate for the longer cage?
Are there any good guides I can refer to when changing this part out? In addition, any good guides on how to tweak this part to perfection?

I'm pretty handy when it comes to working with my hands, so I'm sure that as long as I have good instructions I can handle this myself. But just wnat to make sure before I jump in and get lost...

Thanks in advance.

 

[hoboscratch]

well, did a bit of searching, found a pretty good guide on utahmountainbiking.com. If anyone knows of any better that would be great. However, still wondering about the chain...

 

[fred3]

Well ....

Hey all. Newb here. Tried using the search but said server too busy...

I just bought a cheap 2001 hardrock mostly b/c a) it was cheap and b) the frame is decent and I can upgrade stuff as needed. Anyway, after riding it around on some hills a bit even I could quickly tell that the rear derailleur needed replacing. The Acera on it is junk. So I bought a LX to replace it with for now. Thinking about upgrading all to SRAM later, but starting small. Anyway, I have a short or medium cage der on the bike right now. This LX I bought is a long cage. I have a few questions.

Am I going to have to get a new chain to accomodate for the longer cage?
Are there any good guides I can refer to when changing this part out? In addition, any good guides on how to tweak this part to perfection?

I'm pretty handy when it comes to working with my hands, so I'm sure that as long as I have good instructions I can handle this myself. But just wnat to make sure before I jump in and get lost...

Thanks in advance.

for one thing you don't "need" to move to SRAM later. Shimano works great and SRAM is not an up grade, but a lateral move.

Next you need to buy a good maintenance book like the one by Zinn(about $20 or so). Then if your computer crashes you'll still be able to work on the bike. Chain length is determined by running the chain(while apart) over the large rear cog, through the derailleur cage and over the front large chainring and overlapping by two links. Pretty sure that's right. Don' t have my toolbox here to double check.

 

[lebikerboy]

Chain length should be okay. Longer chain is usually only required when going to larger cogs/rings. Here's a link for replacing derailleur...
http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/FAQindex.shtml#drivetrain

well, did a bit of searching, found a pretty good guide on utahmountainbiking.com. If anyone knows of any better that would be great. However, still wondering about the chain...

 

[hoboscratch]

Ok, sounds good. I'm gonna give it a crack tonight and see how much damage I can do. thanks for the suggestion on the book. And yeah, I know that Shimano and SRAM are about like the chevy/ford argument. I might just upgrade everything to LX or XT, or maybe I'll just pitch this bike after a year and get something better. who knows. This was a required upgrade though. Also need to upgrade the fork soon. Just a low-end RST on there right now.

 

[logbiter]

Ok, sounds good. I'm gonna give it a crack tonight and see how much damage I can do. thanks for the suggestion on the book. And yeah, I know that Shimano and SRAM are about like the chevy/ford argument. I might just upgrade everything to LX or XT, or maybe I'll just pitch this bike after a year and get something better. who knows. This was a required upgrade though. Also need to upgrade the fork soon. Just a low-end RST on there right now.

the hardrock frame is a solid frame, if you get serious into the sport, then you'll prolly want to upgrade to a lighter frame & better parts.
The last couple yrs models of hardrock appear more geared for urban use, rather than the XC bikes they used to be based on (rockhopper/stumpjumper). The hardrock used to be the same geometry as these bikes, just different grade of steel or alu (cheaper & heavier).

For now, I'd replace/upgrade things as you need them. Deore & LX work very well these days.
Aside from posting questions here, the parktool site listed above has just all the bases covered on maintenance & replacement of parts...

 

[hoboscratch]

the hardrock frame is a solid frame, if you get serious into the sport, then you'll prolly want to upgrade to a lighter frame & better parts.
The last couple yrs models of hardrock appear more geared for urban use, rather than the XC bikes they used to be based on (rockhopper/stumpjumper). The hardrock used to be the same geometry as these bikes, just different grade of steel or alu (cheaper & heavier).

For now, I'd replace/upgrade things as you need them. Deore & LX work very well these days.
Aside from posting questions here, the parktool site listed above has just all the bases covered on maintenance & replacement of parts...

Sweet. thanks for the helpful replies.

 

[Kona0197]

Here is Park Tools advive on replacing a chain:

http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/FAQchainlength.shtml

 

[hoboscratch]

This was cake. Took me an hour or so since I'd never done it before. got it all adjusted and its shifting like a dream (compared to the Acera anyway). Now to upgrade the front...