Hardrock 29er

Specialized Hardrock Disc 29er Review

NOW ON SALE AVAILABLE AT ONLY £350

First impressions: The Hardrock Sport Disc 29er comes with a modern cockpit featuring a short stem and mid-width flat bars. Wider handlebars offer more control and better riding position, the 660mm wide bars on the Hardrock offer good stability. As with all control components you may find yourself upgrading or tinkering with the cockpit of the bike in the future and even wider or riserbars may be a suitable upgrade. Handlebar grips are a low cost component to any bike, the grips on the Hardrock are Specialized own brand – no problems here!

Brakes: The Specialized comes with Tektro Novela Mechanical disc brakes. More responsive than rim brakes and enables you to stop aggressively but with a good amount of braking modulation. Disc brakes offer a confidence boost for riding at speed downhill, but these Mechanical discs are not a patch on hydraulic offerings at a higher price point. To my knowledge there are not any sub £400 29er bikes offering Hydraulic brakes – so these Mechanical discs will be fine until you wish to upgrade.

Gears and Groupset: The bike comes with Shimano 8 speed trigger shifters and offer great performance and trouble free gear shifting. The Shimano set-up is great and takes less getting used to than SRAM brand shifters where you use your pointer finger and your thumb to up-shift / downshift instead of using your thumb for both.

Suspension: The Suntour front forks feature lockout and 80mm travel. They’re durable, cheap and cheerful. Suntour are a standard OEM part at this price – the forks will offer you a degree of comfort and increased control – but they are not going to offer you much in the way of real offer road performance. They will however run fine on the bike with minimal maintenance for ages and are certainly worth having over a rigid front fork.

Tyres and Wheels: 29” wheels roll over everything with ease, but the tyres on the Hardrock let the bike down a little. The Fasttrak sport tyres are more suited to tarmac and fire-trail than off road mud, roots and rocks. If you are serious about taking the bike offroad then consider investing in some proper rubber for the job. The Specialized own brand tyres let the bike down a little. Perfect for hard pack and canal tow path riding they give minimal grip in the mud. A Something like the Continental Trail King would be ideal at Only £19.99 each.

Conclusion: The Hardrock 29er is designed with the recreational rider in mind and is perfect for tackling easier single tracks, cycle trails, commuting and fire roads. If you are familiar with the trails then Sherwood pines blue run would be ideal, the Hardrock could manage the red run but new tyres would be a must and if you had the dollar than an ebay upgrade to the front forks would be a suggestion. 

All in all the Hardrock is a versatile and comfortable bike, and has everything you require to get into big wheel MTB and touring. At £350 the Specialized offers great value and almost unrivalled value for a 29er bike. NOW ONLY £350

 

 

 

 

 

 

With a smooth SR Suntour fork featuring lockout, powerful Tektro disc brakes, and double-walled 29-inch alloy wheels, the Specialized Hardrock Disc 29er 2014 Mountain Bike is prepared for mountain trails and urban jungles.

A1 Premium Aluminium 29er frame with ORE downtube for a lighter, more compliant and durable bike, with disc mounts for upgrading. 80mm-travel SR Suntour fork with preload adjustment and size-specific spring rates means the suspension is dialled for your size. Specialized Fast Trak Sport tyres use Adaptive Tread Technology for lower rolling resistance, but have plenty of grip for confidence on the trail. Tektro Novela mechanical disc brake offers dual pad angle adjustment and reliable stopping power in all weather conditions. Sunrace 8-speed, 11-34 cassette offers gearing options for getting up to speed on the trail. Specialized Body Geometry Hardrock saddle has ample padding for comfort, and front/rear bumpers for durability.
Frame:
Specialized A1 Premium Aluminium, 29er Geometry, ORE downtube, externally relieved headtube, forged dropouts, reinforced disc mount, replaceable alloy derailleur hanger
Fork:
SR Suntour SF13-XCTMLO 29″, coil/MCU spring, 1-1/8″ steel steerer, mechanical lockout w/ preload adj., 28mm stanchions, post-mount disc, 80mm travel
Front Derailleur:
Shimano Tourney, 8-speed, 34.9mm clamp, top-swing, dual-pull
Rear Derailleur:
Shimano Acera, 8-speed, SGS Cage
Number of Gears:
24
Shifters:
Shimano ST-EF51, 8-speed trigger, w/ integrated brake lever
Chainset:
Alloy, square taper spindle
Chainrings:
42/34/24T, steel
Bottom Bracket:
Square taper, cartridge bearings, 68mm shell
Cassette:
Sunrace, 8-speed, 11-34
Chain:
KMC X8
Pedals:
Composite platform, w/ reflectors, 9/16″
Front Brake:
Tektro Novela, mechanical disc, dual pad angle adjustment, 160mm rotor
Rear Brake:
Tektro Novela, mechanical disc, dual pad angle adjustment, 160mm rotor
Brake Levers:
Shimano, included w/ shifter
Handlebars:
Specialized flat bar, alloy, 640mm/660mm wide, 8-degree backsweep, 4-degree upsweep, 25.4mm
Stem:
Alloy, 4-bolt clamp, 10-degree rise, 25.4mm
Headset:
1-1/8″ threadless, loose ball
Grips:
Specialized Body Geometry XCT, Kraton w/ gel, 132mm
Rims:
HR Disc 29″, alloy double-wall, disc, pin joint, 25mm, 36h
Front Hub:
Disc, alloy, double-sealed, loose ball, steel axle, QR, 36h
Rear Hub:
Disc, alloy, double-sealed, loose ball, steel axle, steel cassette body, QR, 36h
Spokes:
Stainless, 14g (2.0mm)
Front Tyre:
Specialized Fast Trak Sport, 29×2.0″, wire bead, 40TPI
Rear Tyre:
Specialized Fast Trak Sport, 29×2.0″, wire bead, 40TPI
Tubes:
Standard Schrader valve
Saddle:
Specialized Body Geometry Hardrock, steel rails, 143mm
Seatpost:
Alloy, 2-bolt, micro-adjust, 12.5mm offset, 30.9mm, 350mm/400mm
Seat Binder:
Forged alloy, 34.9mm, QR, nylon washer
Weight:
Not Specified

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