Specialized bikes

[EMPshockwave82]

Anyone ever heard of this company? Was looking into buying a new mountain bike and want something decent (read: not walmart or target).

If you have heard of them / have something made by them would you suggest using them?


Specialized

EDIT:

Also, some of their lower end bikes have grip shifters or "twist shift"

I'm used to the old thumb triggers and when looking at this type of shifter in the store was under the impresson it could possibly tear up my hand until I got some type of callus.

Was looking at this possibly.

 

[jjzelinski]

They are very highly regarded, I can tell you that much. If I could afford it I'd be riding a rockhopper or a stump jumper, instead I'll continue to replace parts on my Schwinn untilI save up enough for a decent bike.

 

[Pliablemoose]

They've been around for decades, they source their bikes from SE Asia, Or they used to... Some of their stuff is mediocre, the high priced stuff is pretty good...

 

[DrVos]

I have an '08 Specialized Rockhopper that I am very happy with. The wife has a 15 year old Hardrock that is still in great shape. Grip shifters could be fine it just depends on your preference. How were you planning on using the bike?

 

[EMPshockwave82]

Originally posted by: DrVos
I have an '08 Specialized Rockhopper that I am very happy with. The wife has a 15 year old Hardrock that is still in great shape. Grip shifters could be fine it just depends on your preference. How were you planning on using the bike?

At least to start off I was planning on some easier trails and the occasional road ride. I wanted to get a mountain bike because it's a little more versatile and you dont HAVE to ride it on the streets or paths all the time.

Beginner trails for the first couple months at the worst.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Specialized is highly regarded.

fwiw - I prefer grip shift on my racing mtb bikes.

 

[bunnyfubbles]

Their much higher end and niche stuff might be great, but I tend to feel that some of their lower end stuff can be speced out rather anemically for the price...

But that might not really matter depending on where you plan on getting the bike from. I'd take a lower speced bike for the money if it meant I was going to get it from a place that offers awesome service - many places will offer lifetime free servicing to keep your bike properly tuned up, and they're bound to have guys working there that will be better/faster than you at fixing up bikes no matter how much you get into doing some of the stuff on your own.

 

[EMPshockwave82]

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman
Specialized is highly regarded.

fwiw - I prefer grip shift on my racing mtb bikes.

Did it tear up your hands at first? It it easier to navigate the gears?

I'm just not used to that type of shifting I think. I dont think it would be hard to get used to but it's all personal preference I guess.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Originally posted by: EMPshockwave82

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman
Specialized is highly regarded.

fwiw - I prefer grip shift on my racing mtb bikes.

Did it tear up your hands at first? It it easier to navigate the gears?

I'm just not used to that type of shifting I think. I dont think it would be hard to get used to but it's all personal preference I guess.

No. When trail riding, I always wear gloves anyways. It's mostly personal preference but for riding thru serious obstacles, it's nice being able to drop a lot of gears at once.

 

[imported_Imp]

I heard that they are actually one of the better brands. Never had one before, so can't say how it performs.

I love grip shifters. They take a while to get used to though. For the first few months though, I kept accidentally shifting when going over bumps (glad I don't have a throttle). After loosening my grip, I haven't shifted without wanting to once for months. Oh, but I always wear leather motorcycle gloves (saved my hands once already) so that might be making it easier on my hands.

 

[Throckmorton]

Good brand and their bikes look the coolest IMO

 

[MegaVovaN]

Good brand, buy it.

 

[thedarkwolf]

I think the lower end bikes mostly get grip shift because they are easier to figure out for newbs. There are high end versions that some of the racer run because they are lighter then the trigger shifters. Its mainly just a preference thing.

 

[JDub02]

I have a specialized rockhopper. Great bike.

 

[dougp]

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman

Originally posted by: EMPshockwave82

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman
Specialized is highly regarded.

fwiw - I prefer grip shift on my racing mtb bikes.

Did it tear up your hands at first? It it easier to navigate the gears?

I'm just not used to that type of shifting I think. I dont think it would be hard to get used to but it's all personal preference I guess.

No. When trail riding, I always wear gloves anyways. It's mostly personal preference but for riding thru serious obstacles, it's nice being able to drop a lot of gears at once.

Huh? I can shift faster with my rapid fire style shifters than I could with my old GripShifts ... I mean all I have to do is push the trigger down and it flies.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Originally posted by: dreadpiratedoug

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman

Originally posted by: EMPshockwave82

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman
Specialized is highly regarded.

fwiw - I prefer grip shift on my racing mtb bikes.

Did it tear up your hands at first? It it easier to navigate the gears?

I'm just not used to that type of shifting I think. I dont think it would be hard to get used to but it's all personal preference I guess.

No. When trail riding, I always wear gloves anyways. It's mostly personal preference but for riding thru serious obstacles, it's nice being able to drop a lot of gears at once.

Huh? I can shift faster with my rapid fire style shifters than I could with my old GripShifts ... I mean all I have to do is push the trigger down and it flies.

Except you can't control how many shifts by holding down the trigger. It just dumps while with gripshifts I can control exactly how many shifts I want.

 

[dougp]

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman

Originally posted by: dreadpiratedoug

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman

Originally posted by: EMPshockwave82

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman
Specialized is highly regarded.

fwiw - I prefer grip shift on my racing mtb bikes.

Did it tear up your hands at first? It it easier to navigate the gears?

I'm just not used to that type of shifting I think. I dont think it would be hard to get used to but it's all personal preference I guess.

No. When trail riding, I always wear gloves anyways. It's mostly personal preference but for riding thru serious obstacles, it's nice being able to drop a lot of gears at once.

Huh? I can shift faster with my rapid fire style shifters than I could with my old GripShifts ... I mean all I have to do is push the trigger down and it flies.

Except you can't control how many shifts by holding down the trigger. It just dumps while with gripshifts I can control exactly how many shifts I want.

Honestly, never experienced that Capt, I got pretty good at controlling exactly what I wanted to shift to. To each their own though!

 

[Vic]

Highly recommended.

 

[Bignate603]

I have some buddies that have them. Good solid bikes. I like my Haro, but there's quite a few specialized bikes that I wouldn't mind.

As for picking out the one you want, go find a good independent bike shop in your area that carries specialized. They'll probably have better prices, be able to size you for the right size frame (very important, a friend of mine ended up with some hemorrhoids that were probably caused by a really badly sized road bike frame), and they'll let you take the bikes out in the parking lot to try out the gears and things. You'll figure out what you like pretty quickly.

 

[potato28]

I like their bikes, but I'm supporting Cove and Norco for now. Thing is Cove's are nearly impossible to find in retail, so you have to order from them direct.

 

[FreshCrabLegs]

Yeah dude, just buy it. You won't go wrong.

 

[potato28]

Looking at that bike maybe you should look at Cove's Handjob or Stiffee.

 

[imported_Champ]

looking at it the HRXC Disc (hope thats the one)...it is a prtty good setup (i work at a sporting store) the questions that i would ask are what are you gonna be using this for?

if its just city/light trails it is 100% fine for what you need and specialized does make some solid bikes

Its using shimano altus which is the second lowest step on shimano (thats not bad, at this price only a few will have alivio(next step)) still a good thing. (do not settle for a derailer that only says shimano or tourney)

Grip shifters are a thing of the past though...although it is a personal preference I believe index shifting is just safer and more efficient (you cannot accidentally shift too many gears ie: going from 4-7 will not happen on index where it could on grip) that and they are easily transferable and upgradeable compared to grip shifters

the disk breaks you are getting will not give you any increased stopping power under similar conditions...the advantage to low end disk breaks is in mud or wet conditions they will still keep their stopping power, so it is nice to go with but not 100% necessary.

Do not expect too much out of the front suspension, the max drop you should take on that is 1 foot...although it may be able to handle more it may blow out the shock...once again if it is just for city or trails it is fine

basically it would be a good setup just remember that about 3 months after you get the bike bring it in for a break and gear adjustment because they will stretch out...and with lower end disk breaks they will have uneven pads and coating over the pad that will hinder the stopping ability until it is worn off....go to a safe hill and go down riding the breaks until it starts to stop better, that will wear off the coating and start progress on evening the pads.

 

[Bignate603]

Originally posted by: Champ
looking at it the HRXC Disc
the disk brakes you are getting will not give you any increased stopping power under similar conditions...the advantage to low end disk breaks is in mud or wet conditions they will still keep their stopping power, so it is nice to go with but not 100% necessary.

Fixed.

While you're right and those brakes won't give any extra stopping power I still think they are advantageous. I really like my disc brakes for a couple reasons (I've got a set of Avid mechanical brakes) and I think they're similar in ability to the ones he's looking at.

1. More modulation. Many rim brakes are much more grabby than disc brakes. Discs allow me to have much finer control, they're less likely to lock up and have my bike slide around.
2. Like you said, mud and water don't mess with your braking power as much
3. If you mangle a rim you can still peddle home. As long as the wheel still rolls your brake won't have any problems. If you do that on a rim it can give you problems.

In the end it's personal preference. If I was going to buy a bike to bounce down mild trails and go around town I'd probably get something with rim brakes because they are cheap, and really simple to adjust. If I was looking for a more serious trail bike I'd get a decent set of discs and never look back.

 

[Flammable]

they have a store right down the street from where I live pretty nice stuff in there along with their own bike shop and everything