Specialized Rockhopper Comp 29 Mountain Bike review

Why should you consider the Specialized Rockhopper Comp 29? I wanted to share my ride and review for this mountain bike not just because it's worth the money, but because it has helped pass the time while we're stuck doing things locally.

2022 Specialized Rockhopper available here: https://go.whybuyglb.com/H2AzaB_i

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Buying Story

As a beginner or newcomer to mountain biking, there was a few important things that I was looking for to suit my lifestyle. First was budget, what mountain bikes can you buy for under $1000 ? Next, would that bike be good for city riding and trail riding. Also, I wanted a good quality, ready to ride set up out of the box.

Mountain bikes under $1000 are typically going to be hard tail. You'd be hard pressed to find a dual suspension bike for under $1000 and if you do, you're probably going to sacrifice in other areas to hit that price point. For a beginner, a quality hard tail bike with disc brakes made the most sense and if it's something that you feel is needed, you can always upgrade down the road.

What we didn't account for was the shortage of bike inventory worldwide. With COVID, many people are stuck at home and like us, decided to buy a mountain bike to help do more activities locally.
Checking local stores, hunting online, it was looking like we were too late until, a phone call to a local bike shop got us the last two available.

Highlighted Key Features
Shimano Deore rear derailleur provides crisp, reliable shifting that you can count on when the going gets rough. The 1X gear system is great for riding mountain trails because it keeps things simple, you don't have to worry about shifting with both hands. Plus! with the alignment of the sprockets, it reduces strain on the chain.

The tires. Ground Control Sport, 29x2.1" front and rear. There's great quality to get right out of the box and the tread design on the front helps with breaking and the rear for traction.
SR Suntour XCR-Air, rebound adjustment w/remote lockout, 80/100mm of travel. In other words, you can lock in the shocks if you are in the city or out on the mountain. It more or less makes it a hybrid, for my use anyways.

Buying a mountain bike for under $1000 you can probably expect you are getting disc brakes, but if you aren't, you might want to reconsider because when you are on a steep downhill, you will REALLY want that extra stopping power and reliability.

The Specialized Rockhopper Comp 29 comes with an awesome set of Shimano BR-M315, hydraulic disc brakes, with resin pads that definitely do the job, and it's a nice treat to have high quality brakes on a bike in this price range.

Buyer recommendations
The struggle for me actually became finding a bike in stock (especially in a local store!) versus finding the exact one I wanted. The silver lining here is that most bikes at this $1,000 price point are fairly comparable and the slight differences in components between each brand, you are likely not going to notice; I certainly didn’t. So I would recommend trying to spend the max budget you can, on a bike brand you know, and you will be fine.

If Specialized is sold out at your local shop, the Co-op DRTs are in my opinion are your best bet for buying online (1.1 or 1.2 in this price range). These were at the top of my list with the Specialized when looking as well. If you can get your hands on one in stock, get it.

Also, consider if you need to and how will you be transporting your bike to the mountains or anywhere you plan on taking it with you. I wound up buying the Yakima Hold Up Hitch Bike Rack. It is awesome, comes with a built in lock system for your bikes, which for many other racks like this are extra. This type of rack can handle hardtail bikes, but can also handle more expensive bikes so when you decide to upgrade to a full suspension. This nice thing with this one too is that is expandable from 2 bikes to 4. So if you upgrade your family you can put your kid’s bikes on there too. Very easy to install yourself, don’t spend the $100 a shop will charge you to install!

2022 Specialized Rockhopper available here: https://go.whybuyglb.com/H2AzaB_i