[SpeedyTrails]

Hi all,

I have a Specialized Rock hopper MTB and would like to start commuting to work. The Journey is 13 miles mostly on the road.

Would this bike be fine for this? What modifications could I add that are needed?

Any advice is welcome.

Thanks

 

[felipespinoz]

Get the bike as light as possible
get new skinny soft rubbers
If not steep, go SS
Get a good basket or mounting hardware for your stuff
Good Lights White front red rear
Reflective accesories and/or clothing

And be aware of cars!
Good rides!

Enviado desde mi MotoG3 mediante Tapatalk

 

[eb1888]

Check the tires for the maximum psi and pump them up to that. When they wear out get skinnier ties you can inflate to a higher pressure.
You may want a more upright riding position. Hit up the service guys at a local shop for a used stem that is a little shorter with some rise still. Should be only a few bucks.
Check your chain for lube and wear.
Check the teeth on the front chain rings and rear cassette for wear.

 

[Harold]

No modifications are NEEDED at this point that we can tell.

pavement-friendly tires would go a significant way towards making the bike feel quicker.
Make sure the bike is in good working order and is well lubricated and ready to go.

13 miles on pavement is enough that if your fit isn't dialed for that bike, you'll probably start to feel it. At this point, it's impossible to make recommendations, and even then, making fit adjustment recommendations online is pretty futile.

 

[tfinator]

Low profile tires will make it easier, and something with puncture protection is ideal. I preferred a rack+panniers but I didn't have a proper shower there so I needed to avoid sweat.

Get a rear Blinky (or two!) And a decent front light once winter rolls around.

Have fun!



Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

 

[root]

Hi all,

I have a Specialized Rock hopper MTB and would like to start commuting to work. The Journey is 13 miles mostly on the road.

Would this bike be fine for this? What modifications could I add that are needed?

Any advice is welcome.

Thanks

Nothing is NEEDED, but number one thing would be slicks. I actually prefer fatter slicks for our roads, had super narrow 26x1" slicks for a while, too punishing. 1.5 or even wider are much more comfy and still fast. Flat resistance is good. I need to find me some tubes that i can run sealant in as another line of defense, getting a flat on commute is a pain, and the tires i have now are incredibly tight on the rims. Make sure you have everything to deal with a flat.
After that make sure riding position is dialed, commuting/road youbtend to stay seated all the time. Shorter higher rise gets you more upright for visibility but shifts weight to the saddle.
Lights to be seen, i run a headlight even during the day. And wear the most eye searing shirt ive got.
When you get more serious, fender ls make a big difference in keeping you less dirty. If you need to carry stuff, i prefer panniers to carry load on bike.

 

[sgltrak]

When I was commuting on my MTB, I still used it for weekend rides and a week night ride, so I built a second set of wheels as my dedicated commute wheels. The had light, fast, puncture resistant tires and a higher gear range. If you are in the same boat, you should be able to find a great deal on a good 26" wheelset.

 

[Mr Pig]

Buy good puncture resistant tyres.

 

[Wacha Wacha Wacha]

As previously noted, my two recommendations are lights for front and rear and fendors. Have fun!

 

[127.0.0.1]

needed ? required ? a daylight visible tail light, such as niterider sentry aero 260


seriously, get a bright tail light and use it all the time you are on pavement


for the bike, just air it up and ride it

 

[SpeedyTrails]

Thanks for all the advice guys.

So far i've put front/rear fenders and lights. Now looking into some slick tyres.

 

[driver bob]

Thanks for all the advice guys.

So far i've put front/rear fenders and lights. Now looking into some slick tyres.

Once you've got the tires its job done. Then time to get out and ride it!

 

[rockcrusher]

Hi all,

I have a Specialized Rock hopper MTB and would like to start commuting to work. The Journey is 13 miles mostly on the road.

Would this bike be fine for this? What modifications could I add that are needed?

Any advice is welcome.

Thanks

My advice on top of all the others is to not go crazy with pressure in the tires. It will feel really fast once you put some slick tires on it but it is also a stiff aluminum frame. Rode riding is a lot of small frequency vibration with some bigger hits thrown in but unlike mountain biking you tend to spend most of you time in the saddle. Finding a happy medium where the tires aren't floppy feeling but are supple and can absorb a lot of the small frequency stuff will greatly increase your comfort. Often my tires leak down on my bike and I find there is a really nice zone where i am so happy for a week but then the next week I start to feel a little sidewall flex in the corners and stop feeling the expansion joints and when I check my pressure it is usually down 15psi from where i started.

I also found that getting panniers and a rack is a nice addition and i use them twice a week. Once on Monday to bring in my weeks clothes and a clean towel and once on friday to bring everything back home. Then the other 3 days I can ride with a light pack or my handlebar bag with just my lunch.

 

[SpeedyTrails]

Tyres ordered, I went with the Specialized nimbus 2 In 26" 1.5. Thanks for replies.

Looking at shorter stems but undecided on the size.

 

[Mr Pig]

I went with the Specialized nimbus

Which ones? The puncture protection on the Sport isn't anything special. The protection on Armadillo, is!

 

[SpeedyTrails]

I went with the Nimbus 2 all road tyre. It doesn't say Armadillo so I'm guessing they are the sport version. They have flak jacket protection so I will see how long they last. They do get a good review so we will see.

 

[Mr Pig]

They have flak jacket protection so I will see how long they last.

Flack Jacket sits in between Sport and Armadillo and is really good. In practice, I can't see and difference between Flack Jacket and Armadillo. Neither of them are very likely to puncture, ever. You can ride these tyres over broken bottles and they won't flat. Very solid choice.

 

[NDD]

Flack Jacket sits in between Sport and Armadillo and is really good. In practice, I can't see and difference between Flack Jacket and Armadillo. Neither of them are very likely to puncture, ever. You can ride these tyres over broken bottles and they won't flat. Very solid choice.

You ride over a lot of broken bottles over there, eh?

I think that bike looks pretty good, SpeedyTrails. Have you started commuting yet?

 

[chazpat]

Add a bottle cage and water bottle, unless you are using a Camelbak or similar.

 

[Mr Pig]

You ride over a lot of broken bottles over there, eh?

Have done. The cycle path next to my house runs past villages where the local cherubs enjoy nothing more than drinking cheap wine and smashing bottles.