Specialized Rockhopper

If your budget doesn’t stretch to $2,000, there is no reason why you can’t buy a brand new and very capable trail bike.

While most fully suspended models get a little lax in their component quality, sub $2,000 hardtails tend to be very well equipped.

The sheer simplicity of a rigid frame means that you get more ‘bang for your buck’ with virtually every aspect of the bike—better components, higher quality frame materials and so on. Naturally, the complete lack of pivots, bearings and shocks also makes the hardtail substantially lighter than its suspended cousin.

The Rockhopper range from Specialized is designed for ‘real’ mountain biking. It sits above their budget Hardrock models which are designed for less rigorous on/off-road duties and below the performance/race oriented Stumpjumper models.

For 2008, all of the Rockhopper frames use the same ‘M4 manipulated alloy’ tubing. This used to be reserved for the Rockhopper Pro but it now appears on their cheaper Rockhopper Disc and Rockhopper International models (the ‘Disc’ is the most affordable at $1,000). This change removes 300g from the two cheaper Rockhoppers, while the $1,800 Rockhopper Pro that we tested was already using the lighter M4 tubing in 2007.

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A few years ago, before the carbon fad took off, the Rockhopper frame could well have appeared on an expensive high-end hardtail. It is nicely finished with neat welds and it uses butted tubing in the main frame for weight reduction. The tube shapes have also been manipulated to enlarge their diameters at the major frame junctions—like the head, top and down intersection. This aims to increase stiffness and provide more ‘meat’ for them to weld with.

In short, this is a good looking frame (if you don’t mind the rather drab ‘burnt orange’ colour scheme). While there is no obvious effort to save weight in the component selection, the complete bike with basic platform pedals and coil sprung forks comes in at 12kg—not bad at all and a clear indication that the frame itself is reasonably light.

Multi-Tasking

Specialized has recognised that a bike in this price bracket could see action in a broad range of fields—from cross country racing to mountain bike touring and anything in between. To cater for this the Rockhopper is fully equipped with pannier rack mounts. These mounts are discreetly hidden in the dropouts so that they won’t offend the want-to-be racer.

Other tidy additions include the additional bracing to support the rear disc brake and the front mounted split for the seat collar (this reduces the chance of water creeping into the seat tube as it flies up off the back wheel). Many full suspension bikes lack versatility and can’t be fitted with panniers—the budget models also tent to be too heavy to consider loading up with gear for a big trip (sub-$2,000 suspension bikes are usually in the 14-15kg range).

While the component selection is not absolutely stunning for an $1,800 hardtail, it is not bad either. Specialized has gone with SRAM X-7 gearing and a Shimano Deore two-piece external bearing cranks. Some price point competitors may have a better quality drivechain but these parts were functional none-the-less. X-7 trigger shifters provide a light feel at the lever but have a long throw and lack the positive ‘click’ that indicates a gear shift on the more expensive X-9 triggers. At least they fare well and continue to shift with decent accuracy once the cables wear or get contaminated with dirt.

The Avid Juicy 3 brakes are a good choice. These twin piston full-hydraulic disc brakes keep the price down and lose little in terms of performance when compared to the more expensive models. I run the top end Juicy Ultimates on my bike and the difference in feel and power is minimal (I’m not sure if Avid would be too keen on me saying that!).

Up front, Specialized has gone with a coil sprung version of their Recon fork. The new Recon SL has a more upmarket finish than the 2007 version and it looks quite slick. While coil sprung forks perform very well, they are not as easy to adjust as an air fork. If you are too heavy or light for the stock spring, you will need to buy a different rate coil to suit—with an air fork you just get out the shock pump.

At least Specialized has made an effort to minimise this risk by fitting ‘medium’ springs to the smaller 13 and 15 inch frame bikes, while the 17, 19 and 21 inch models come with a ‘stiff’ coil spring. The spring rate on our 19 inch test bike was too firm for my 65kg body weight and this is a good thing as it should be about right for your average 75kg rider.

The Recon also has a ‘Motion Control’ lever on top of the right leg. While the word ‘lockout’ is written on the dial, Motion Control is intended as a ‘pedalling platform’. That is; it makes the fork firmer so that it doesn’t bounce around too much when climbing, but still moves when you hit a decent bump.

The Recon fork would move when you hit something in the ‘locked’ mode but it really needed a major jolt to get it going. As a result the Motion Control was best left for on-road use (the more expensive Rock Shox forks can be adjusted so that the fork is firm but still absorbs all manner of bumps on the trail).

Great Handling

For me, the ride and overall set-up of the bike was the real standout feature. The Rockhopper has a nice long wheelbase (1,100mm or 43.5-inches) which helps with stability and control on rougher trails and fast fire roads.

Short wheelbase bikes may be nimble but they get progressively harder to control at speed—which is exactly when you don’t want to crash! The long 62.5cm (24.5-inch) top tube keeps your body stretched over the bike while the shortish 70mm handlebar stem ensures that you don’t get pitched over the front on the descents.

Most of the other details agreed with me as well. The 65cm wide riser bars offered plenty of control and had a nice comfortable sweepback. It is not uncommon to find all manner of weird shaped handlebars and stems on recreational mountain bikes but Specialized did not fall into this trap.

The saddle is a little wider and more padded than a race oriented model but it has a sensible shape—some bikes in this price area come with super wide ‘park bench’ saddles that restrict your ability to move around on the bike.

While I don’t know of too many alloy hardtails that I would call comfortable, the ride produced by the Rockhopper was not bad at all—it was far more comfortable than some of the more chunky alloy framed bikes that seem to be all the rage at the moment.

While it may not have a big price tag or a high ‘bling’ factor, I was very content to hit the trail on the Rockhopper. The frame is well made with steering geometry that allowed me to tackle rugged trails without being pitched off (well most of the time anyway). The SRAM gearing is functional and the hydraulic brakes are great.

I was left with the impression that the finishing touches (saddle, bars, stem etc) were selected by a mountain biker who knew what they were doing. It is these small touches that really make this a great little trail bike—straight off the showroom floor.

Thumbs Up
Great handling package
Lightweight
Will suit a real MTB enthusiast on a budget
Versatility to also use it as a touring bike

Thumbs Down
X-7 gears don’t represent stunning value in a $1,800 hardtail
Coil sprung forks are not easily adaptable for varying rider weights

Specifications
Frame M4 Manipulated Alloy
Fork Rock Shok Recon SL Coil 100mm
Head Set 1 1/8 Threadless
Stem Specialized 3D forged alloy
Handlebars Butted 31.8mm Alloy XC Riser
Shifters SRAM X-7
F Derailleur Shimano Deore
R Derailleur SRAM X-7
Cassette Shimano HG-50 11-34
Chain KMC Gold
Crank Shimano Deore
Bottom Bracket Shimano Deore external bearing
Pedal Alloy platform
Brakes Avid Juicy 3 SL
Rims DT 445D
Hubs Specialized Stout
Spokes 15G stainless steel
Tyres Specialized Fast Track 26x2.0
Saddle Specialized Indie XC
Seat Post Specialized alloy
Weight 12kg (26.4lbs)
Price $1,800