[mbco1975]

You should be able to get a good deal on a new 2012 bike now as the bike shops are trying to clear out for 2013 bikes. Also lots of bike shops have older, but still un-used bikes they've not been able to sell which you get even better deals on.

Buying new from a shop can have lots of perks (depending on the shop) - free tune ups, lifetime warranty etc.

 

[Peter_Klim]

You should be able to get a good deal on a new 2012 bike now as the bike shops are trying to clear out for 2013 bikes. Also lots of bike shops have older, but still un-used bikes they've not been able to sell which you get even better deals on.

Buying new from a shop can have lots of perks (depending on the shop) - free tune ups, lifetime warranty etc.

EXACTLY!!

Now is the time to get closeout on 2012 models where you'll save anywhere from 20-50% off a never before used bike.

THe dude trying to see you a $770 bike could've got it on close out for $500. Unfortunately almost all these fuhkers on Craiglist are asking WAY too much!

Seriously, i would NEVER pay more than 40% on a used bike. Shieet, I just got a new road bike frameset at 50% off a 2009 model that was new in a box. Comes with the full warrenty too. And just 2 months ago I purchase a new CURRENT model mtb retails at $2750 for $2300.

Be patient ( although I found both bikes in less than 1 week of looking around)

 

[wmac]

What did you wind up getting?

 

[joejoegunn357]

I found a mint condition 2009 Rockhopper Comp 26" on CL locally for $400.00. It has the same M4 frame and component level as the CL used $700.00 RH Comp 2010 that you guys thankfully steered me away from. With a limited budget I am upgrading the wheel-set to Mavic Crossrides (Friday) and looking for a better/lighter air fork for between $200 and $250. Everything else (crank, cassette, shifters) will be stock until next year. The difference in weight is amazing. I also added Crank Brothers Candy 1's and some riding shoes. Coming from a Trek 3700 this thing is already greased-lightning before the rims go on. Lots of fun and the weather here (Michigan) last week and this week has been awesome for riding. Having a blast training for Iceman Cometh 2012.

 

[wmac]

Awesome! Congratulations! Keep the old parts so you can keep the upgrades if/when you get something different

 

[AndrwSwitch]

If you're on a budget, don't do Mavic system wheels. Their rims are nice, but the wheels have weird spokes and the hubs don't have a great reputation. IMO, it's short-sighted to even contemplate a wheel with anything weird about it unless one already has a set of solid 32-spoke 3-cross wheels with user-serviceable hubs.

Add the money to your budget for the suspension fork. Get a fork you'll be happy with for the life of the bike - don't mess around with something mid-level that you'll want to replace again in a couple seasons.

 

[EmbraceTheHate]

Curious why are you already upgrading it? Ride it for a while so you can really figure out what works and doesn't work for you.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

 

[joejoegunn357]

Many of the Rockhopper owners on this forum have posted that the first thing you upgrade on a limited budget are wheels, then fork. This adds strength while reducing weight which increases acceleration (although the Crossrides are only about 300g lighter than stock). I recognize the spokes are weird. I did not know the hubs had a bad reputation. Everything I read on this site and a couple other sites mostly suggested that for my style of riding the Crossride is a solid budget upgrade to the RH stock Alex Rims.

AndrwSwitch, I am tending to agree with you about waiting and saving up for a really nice fork instead of a one-step-up-fork but geez..have you seen how much weight you can shave off the stock fork but going one step up? On the Crossrides, if you can suggest another wheel-set that is lighter and stronger for under $200 I can look into them and return the Crossrides.

EmbraceTheHate: I read that from 2009 and forward, the stock RH rims are not as strong as they were on earlier models. Some people are happy but some people over 200# have bad stories about broken spokes, lock-ups. I have a race coming up November 3rd and then winter sets in and trails close. I would like to enjoy the upgrades I have planned now while I am training instead of waiting until I figure out what works. The fork can wait (although it is soooo heavy) but I am worried about the wheels failing and since it is one of the first things the RH riders upgrade anyway, I thought I may as well do it now as they are within the budget.

 

[rlouder]

Nothing wrong with crossrides for xc riding unless you are a clyde. The hubs are butter-smooth with cartridge bearings that are very reliable and maintenance-free.

The free hub needs to be lubed every couple months, but it's a 5-min job. Otherwise, the freehub bushing wears fast and will need replacing in a couple years. I much prefer the more frequent freehub lubing over lubing cup and cone bearings once a year.

 

[AndrwSwitch]

AndrwSwitch, I am tending to agree with you about waiting and saving up for a really nice fork instead of a one-step-up-fork but geez..have you seen how much weight you can shave off the stock fork but going one step up? On the Crossrides, if you can suggest another wheel-set that is lighter and stronger for under $200 I can look into them and return the Crossrides.

Who said anything about waiting then saving? I'm saying jettison the wheels plan, take the budget you do have, and spend it all on the fork.

My experience about swapping wheels around is that while it's less stupid than buying a lighter crank or a fancy seat post or something, it's still not that much of an improvement in handling, and none in straight-line speed. The "magic" of wheels is in their rotational inertia. In calculating rotational inertia, grams of spoke are only a third as important as grams of rim, and the hubs barely even count. You want a bang-for-the-buck improvement in rotational inertia, get some light tires and fancy tubes.

That Mavic (and most of the others) doesn't publish the weight of the rim makes me suspicious. Their aftermarket 19 mm weighs 460 g. I'd expect the Crossride rim to come in about the same. Click around some and you'll find a ton of options that are a fair amount lighter, although generally a bit narrower.

At the end of the day, it's your money. But I think that if you get two intermediate upgrades, in a couple years you're going to re-buy both of them. Do one terminal upgrade and in a few years, you may do the other, but at least you're not just throwing away the money you throw at the ones you do now.

 

[joejoegunn357]

If weight was the only factor I would agree with you but what about strength? I am over 200 lbs....c'mon, you KNOW I am going to taco those '09 stock Alex Rims eventually. If I had your '07 RH Comp's stock rims I wouldnt worry about it so much but somewhere in the '08-'09 years the Alex Rims just arent what they used to be. Arguably even Mavics lowest end wheelset is better than Alex Rims best...and the stock Alex's are far from their best. I just want some solid affordable wheels that I can ride with confidence while I save up for a nice fork.

 

[AndrwSwitch]

If weight was the only factor I would agree with you but what about strength? I am over 200 lbs....c'mon, you KNOW I am going to taco those '09 stock Alex Rims eventually. If I had your '07 RH Comp's stock rims I wouldnt worry about it so much but somewhere in the '08-'09 years the Alex Rims just arent what they used to be. Arguably even Mavics lowest end wheelset is better than Alex Rims best...and the stock Alex's are far from their best. I just want some solid affordable wheels that I can ride with confidence while I save up for a nice fork.

I know nothing of the sort. Let alone that the Crossrides or any other rim would do any better. Actually, I doubt it.

If you're worried about it, give the tension of your existing spokes a look. Supposedly that was the problem with the more recent wheels Specialized has shipped - not even related to the rim, and if the wheels are in good shape now, highly fixable. And while the wheels on my little red Specialized did fine until I got curious enough about saving a few minutes with lighter wheels to spend money on the experiment, (doubtful and I don't have a rich enough data set to prove it one way or the other, but the quicker handling is fun) you've got me - it's an '07, although a Hardrock. I later cannibalized the rear wheel and found it had 36 spokes, so it had that going for it too. Anyway, they did fine until 2011, including my first several races.

I actually have tacoed a couple of wheels. It took catching one in the wheel well of a moving car to taco it, and the other was fallen on by another rider when I was trying to pick up my bike after going down in a sand pit. I consider both of those to be "all bets are off" situations in terms of wheel survivability. One of the rims was probably made by Alex. The other predated that company.

Now if you just want different wheels, fine. You're allowed to want something prettier or with a higher-status brand name; there are no rules. I just don't think there's a performance justification for Crossrides, especially at the cost of not going as far with the fork as you could.