Hardrock Sport 2009 (Specialized Hardrock)

Member Name: aaronphil

Product:	Specialized Hardrock
Date:	01/08/09 (543 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Inexpensive from a name you can trust

Disadvantages: Not great for serious off-road

I bought this to replace my rubbish Halfords bike. It's actually a Specialized Hardrock Sport 2009.

So anyway I had a budget of £500 and eventually ended up spending £400 and upon request of the shop a free 2mth service and a free helmet (it pays to ask).
So after having a look at some other models and brands such as GT and Giant but although they were a higher spec for lower money they didn't feel right to ride and did not have as good a build quality. So I came to a decision based upon actual components and the Specialized name.
So what do you get for your money? Well a Specialized frame first off, Sram gears and trigger shifters plus SR Suntour front lock-out forks. Oh and you get some 'Fast Track' tires which are ok for light off-road (cycle trails) and some road use but not ideally suited.
So you probably want to know how it rides. It's quite comfy in fact and even though I do use it mostly on the road it is definitely off-road on some of my local cycle paths made up of old tram-ways and mine workings. Suspension wise, if you're doing some serious off-roading with a lot of jumps etc... Then you'll need to replace the forks because I doubt they'd hold up to much. Tires are ideally suited to gravel trails than road or proper off-roading and I classify this bike as a hybrid although this is not strictly true it does do both environments very well.
As a starter bike it is ideal for those who go for a leisurely ride along their local trail. You can use it as a standard rig and then upgrade some parts to get the most out of it such as the forks and tires but if you do any proper off-roading and jumps you will need to buy individual parts and get it custom built for the best experience (it will cost a lot of money).
The standard 'v-brake' (not technically but I can't remember what they call them now) are fine and for what I use them for they stop me in good time, even in the wet. I wouldn't recommend hydraulic brakes for the simple fact that they are so damn expensive.
I think that's everything covered.

I would definitely recommend this bike and if you're starting out its ideal, for more serious work you'll need more money and get something more solid.

Summary: A perfect bike for those starting out