Specialized Rockhopper Disc ‘08

Moving to the New Forest meant I had to get new wheels. My hybrid bike, wouldn’t cut the mustard on the gravel tracks, without rebuilding my wheels every time I went out. It had been a great bike though, so I thought that a Specialized mountain bike would do me nicely for my New Forest rides.

I went to my local dealer, and tried a number of bikes. The Specialized Rockhopper Pro was very tempting, but at a price that I couldn’t really justify. So I purchased a silver Rockhopper Disc ‘08. Later, I found that the frame was too big for me, I really should have a good couple of inches clearance to protect my crown jewels. But, in actual fact I find it to be very comfortable and fun to ride.

I added SPD pedals to mine, as I am now pretty used to them on my Sirrus Pro. It does make you commit to the uphill climbs too, normally I might have given up and pushed my way to the top. Fear of toppling over whilst clamped into my pedals seems to spur me on up even the most steep climbs.

The bike is, understandably no where near as fast as my Sirrus, on the road. Yet it still feels like a fast machine. Even with my flabby legs. I completed the New Forest Bike Ride on it, which was a 32.5 mile route for Marie Curie. My riding companions left me behind going uphill, yet I was king of the downhill. So I conclude it has good bearings.

This is my first disc brake equipped bicycle. I love them, and I hope they love me too. They haven’t let me down yet. The only problem I have had with the bike is one puncture. So I might invest in Armadillo tyres which will help stop thorns and sharp gravel slicing into my inner-tubes.

All in all an excellent mountain bike. No, I don’t do extreme, death defying tricks or jumps. But I do have a lot of fun skimming along over the gravel tracks. I did get confronted by a aggressive farm dog the other day. He decided to chase me as I hurtled past him. I thanked the Specialized engineers for doing such a wonderful job as I left the poor mutt in my dust. Only to find that I had cycled down a dead end. So, I flipped her round and made another lightning dash past the now panting dog. Better luck next time, Rover.

Final Score

Specialized Rockhopper Disc ‘08 : 2
Farm Dog : 0

This entry was posted on Monday, August 25th, 2008 at 12:53 pm and is filed under Cycling. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.