Minor upgrades for Specialized Hardrock Sport

Burning_Ranger said:

Got some newbie questions.

I'm going to buy a Hardrock Sport from a place that gives £50 of
accessories free.

What upgrades should I get for £50?

What would people recommend I get for this and what brand (e.g.
pedals, grips, saddle?)

I'm considering upgrading the front and rear derailleurs to Deore
(quoted £20), does this sound right and is it worth it?

Sounds a good value upgrade as long as that includes the STI's - if it
doesn't try and get those thrown in too. Also I'd go for bar ends.

Cheers,
Chris

--
_____________________________________________________

Chris Walters
Hungerford, UK
_____________________________________________________

in message <[email hidden]>,

Burning_Ranger (') said:

Got some newbie questions.

I'm going to buy a Hardrock Sport from a place that gives £50 of
accessories free.

What upgrades should I get for £50?

What would people recommend I get for this and what brand (e.g.
pedals, grips, saddle?)

Clipless pedals and the shoes to go with them. Pretty much the best
upgrade you can make to any bike. If you haven't used clipless before
then the type which have a cleat on one side and platform on the other
(e.g. Wellgo WPD982, FPD Duo, Shimano M424) but otherwise go
minimalist (Shimano PD-M520, FPD Trail Comp).

Make sure the shoes fit well and that the cleats are very firmly fixed
to the shoes!

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; making jokes about dyslexia isn't big, it isn't clever and
;; it isn't furry.

Simon Brooke said:

Quoted message said:

What would people recommend I get for this and what brand (e.g.
pedals, grips, saddle?)

Clipless pedals and the shoes to go with them. Pretty much the best
upgrade you can make to any bike. If you haven't used clipless before
then the type which have a cleat on one side and platform on the other
(e.g. Wellgo WPD982, FPD Duo, Shimano M424) but otherwise go
minimalist (Shimano PD-M520, FPD Trail Comp).

Make sure the shoes fit well and that the cleats are very firmly fixed
to the shoes!

I will buy shoes and pedals later on, when I begin to take to MTBing
seriously. Besides, right now pedals and shoes are a little out of my
budget. For now I will concentrate on comfort.

The saddle the Hardrock comes with is Body Geometry Sport ATB, is this a
comfy saddle? Would a suspension post help?

Ta very much.

Chris Walters said:

Sounds a good value upgrade as long as that includes the STI's - if it
doesn't try and get those thrown in too.

Sorry, stupid question but when you say STI do you mean the shift levers or
brake levers? I assume you mean shift levers (The Hardrock Sport comes with
Altus shift & brake levers, will they work with Deore derailleurs?)

Also, what kind of shifters are Altus? I've looked on many bike FAQs and
they arn't mentioned.

I've tried to understand all the bike jargon, but Shimano don't make things
easier by calling a whole group of different components by the same name...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Also I'd go for bar ends.

I had them on my previous bike, never actually used them much. I'm
concentrating on trying to maximise comfort. So I'm going to go for:

-Grips (I've heard people rave about DMR Zip Grips but in the pictures they
look very thin in diamater, or are they just extra wide?)
-Suspension Post (perhaps)

Burning_Ranger said:

Chris Walters said:

Sounds a good value upgrade as long as that includes the STI's - if
it doesn't try and get those thrown in too.

Sorry, stupid question but when you say STI do you mean the shift
levers or brake levers? I assume you mean shift levers

STIs are combined brake and gear levers.

Quoted message said:

(The Hardrock
Sport comes with Altus shift & brake levers, will they work with
Deore derailleurs?)

Yes

Quoted message said:

Also, what kind of shifters are Altus? I've looked on many bike FAQs
and they arn't mentioned.

Rapid Fire?

~PB

Pete Biggs said:

Quoted message said:

Sorry, stupid question but when you say STI do you mean the shift
levers or brake levers? I assume you mean shift levers

STIs are combined brake and gear levers.

They sound [censored]. Are they?

How expensive is it to replace them with seperate components (say if I want
to put in disc brakes in future), and is it possible?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

(The Hardrock
Sport comes with Altus shift & brake levers, will they work with
Deore derailleurs?)

Yes

Quoted message said:

Also, what kind of shifters are Altus? I've looked on many bike FAQs
and they arn't mentioned.

Rapid Fire?

Of the 2 available out of the 3 main shifter types mentioned in Vincent
Cheng's bike FAQ, they all sound [censored], and the old style thumb lever isn't
made anymore. I was thinking there'd be loads of types of shifters in this
day and age.

Burning_Ranger said:

Got some newbie questions.

I'm going to buy a Hardrock Sport from a place that gives £50 of accessories
free.

What upgrades should I get for £50?

What would people recommend I get for this and what brand (e.g. pedals,
grips, saddle?)

I'm considering upgrading the front and rear derailleurs to Deore (quoted
£20), does this sound right and is it worth it?

Your not going to notice much difference between whats fitted and Deore,
better to wear out the original before changing it.

The pedals and shoes sugestion was a good one, other than that, gloves,
shorts and lights would be the next things to have.

Steve

"Burning_Ranger" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Pete Biggs said:

Quoted message said:

Sorry, stupid question but when you say STI do you mean the shift
levers or brake levers? I assume you mean shift levers

STIs are combined brake and gear levers.

They sound [censored]. Are they?

No, they're excellent. But they're designed for drop handlebars, not
the bars on your bike.

--
Dave...

Capital punishment would be more effective as a preventive measure if
it were administered prior to the crime. — Woody Allen

Burning_Ranger said:

I will buy shoes and pedals later on, when I begin to take to MTBing
seriously. Besides, right now pedals and shoes are a little out of my
budget. For now I will concentrate on comfort.

You'll be wanting the shoes, then!
Seriously, cycling shoes are a real comfort win, even if you don't get
special pedals for them. Because of the stiff sole they'll let you
transfer more power, so your legs won't ache as much, and also you won't
end up with aching feet as the pedal starts to make its presence felt
through your soles.

Quoted message said:

The saddle the Hardrock comes with is Body Geometry Sport ATB, is this a
comfy saddle?

Saddles are personal things. Some people really like Speccy BG ones, my
personal experience is they should be sealed into drums and dropped into
an active volcano, how you feel will only be revealed by sitting on it.
If your backside's geometry is similar to Specialized's computer
models of backsides it'll probably be a very good saddle.

Quoted message said:

Would a suspension post help?

Quite possibly, though I personally equate comfort with ease of
propulsion to a large extent as my legs and feet don't ache so much. So
my MTB has clipless pedals and not a sus seatpost. I'd say that cycling
shoes and clipless pedals would be a very good way to spend your extra
money.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Quoted message said:

Got some newbie questions.

I'm going to buy a Hardrock Sport from a place that gives £50 of

accessories

Quoted message said:

free.

What upgrades should I get for £50?

What would people recommend I get for this and what brand (e.g. pedals,
grips, saddle?)

I'm considering upgrading the front and rear derailleurs to Deore (quoted
£20), does this sound right and is it worth it?

Is that £20 for both? do you have a pump, lock, helmet? If not, get those.

To be honest the Hardrock is a good starter bike, so the kit, although not
perhaps being the lightest or prettiest, works well, IMHO. If you had £200
free, I'd suggest upgrading the fork. If you don't want clipless pedals,
then I reckon £50 is best spent as I said, on pump, lock etc.

Nick

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

STIs are combined brake and gear levers.

They sound [censored]. Are they?

Matter of personal preference.

Quoted message said:

No, they're excellent. But they're designed for drop handlebars, not
the bars on your bike.

There are MTB models, too.
- Example: url:http://www.wiggle.co.uk/?ProductID=5300002749

STI stands for "System Total Integration".

~PB

Steve Peake said:

The pedals and shoes sugestion was a good one, other than that, gloves,
shorts and lights would be the next things to have.

Or a bike computer, a decent set of tools, spare inner tubes,
lock, pump etc - all the things that *very* quickly add
up to £50!

--
jc

Remove the -not from email

Nick Drew said:

Quoted message said:

Got some newbie questions.

I'm going to buy a Hardrock Sport from a place that gives £50 of
accessories free.

What upgrades should I get for £50?

What would people recommend I get for this and what brand (e.g.
pedals, grips, saddle?)

I'm considering upgrading the front and rear derailleurs to Deore
(quoted £20), does this sound right and is it worth it?

Is that £20 for both?

Yes I think so, the price seems to be very cheap to me, but maybe it's the
difference in price between Deore and the fitted deraillerus (Acera IIRC)

do you have a pump, lock, helmet? If not, get

Quoted message said:

those.

The place I'm getting the bike from is in Devon so I'm getting through mail
order (of course I will test ride the bike first in some local shop) so I'm
going to buy a helmet by trying some on in a local shop. I have a basic pump
and lock from my old bike; they will suffice for now.

Quoted message said:

To be honest the Hardrock is a good starter bike, so the kit,
although not perhaps being the lightest or prettiest, works well,
IMHO. If you had £200 free, I'd suggest upgrading the fork. If you
don't want clipless pedals, then I reckon £50 is best spent as I
said, on pump, lock etc.

How do clipless pedals work? Do they 'lock' onto some mechanism on the
bottom of a bike shoe?

in message <[email hidden]>,

Burning_Ranger (') said:

How do clipless pedals work? Do they 'lock' onto some mechanism on the
bottom of a bike shoe?

Yup, just so. You screw a 'cleat' onto the bottom of the shoe. It works
like a quick release ski-binding - so long as you pedal normally it
holds firmly and your feet can't slip off the pedals, but as soon as
you twist your foot sideways it releases.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

'Victories are not solutions.'
;; John Hume, Northern Irish politician, on Radio Scotland 1/2/95
;; Nobel Peace Prize laureate 1998; few have deserved it so much

Peter Clinch [email hidden] opined the following...

Quoted message said:

If your backside's geometry is similar to Specialized's computer
models of backsides it'll probably be a very good saddle.

I would appear to have a Specialized rear end. For some reason this
makes me smile! ;-)

Jon

Quoted message said:

The place I'm getting the bike from is in Devon so I'm getting through mail
order (of course I will test ride the bike first in some local shop) so I'm
going to buy a helmet by trying some on in a local shop. I have a basic pump
and lock from my old bike; they will suffice for now.

Of course your local shop won't be there too long if everybody test
drives bikes and then buys mail order. Have you asked them to quote on
the bike your getting?
Iain

"Pete Biggs" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

No, they're excellent. But they're designed for drop handlebars, not
the bars on your bike.

There are MTB models, too.
- Example: url:http://www.wiggle.co.uk/?ProductID=5300002749

Cool, I wasn't aware of those.

--
Dave...

I can't listen to that much Wagner. I start getting the urge to
conquer Poland. — Woody Allen