My first SS
- Thread starter BLH2
- Start date
ArmyOfNone
Well-Known Member
welcome to the club!
i know im not super smooth tech wise yet. But i also have a bashguard up front. couldnt imagine riding w/o one. my chain and ring would be shot by now, actually a long time ago
i know im not super smooth tech wise yet. But i also have a bashguard up front. couldnt imagine riding w/o one. my chain and ring would be shot by now, actually a long time ago
ArmyOfNone
Well-Known Member
I running the race face bashguard on both my rigs. I beat the hell out of em' and there are no signs of bending. Dinged up pretty good. But they get the job done.
nice bike.
edit: well, since you already bought the bike, i'll clue you into the short comings that you're going to face using it as a trail specific single speed. over all, the frame is fantastic and the geometry is good, but...
this isn't anything that i haven't said already, but here is the list, based on my real world experience with the specialized hardrock ss:
1. the stock tires are not good for pure trail riding. i tried in vein to ride them but they offered little to no traction in all but the dryest of dry conditions.
2. the stem is probably gonna to be too short. dunno how tall you are, but i'm not (@ about 5'10") and the cockpit was tight. look into switching to at least a 100mm stem.
3. the seat is pretty bad. mine started out kinda comfy but then got broken pretty quick. IIRC, you're in the clyde class so you'll probalby end up where i was with it. the seat post will also probably strip out and need to be replaced.
4. the stock shock that came with the bike is flat out scary which is why marty's (in randolph) upgraded mine. TC, who is NOT a big or heavy guy (for reference, he came in like second in his age group (18-25 i think) at the all-amuchy a couple years ago) blew it up the first time he took it out.
5. the singleator may or may not work for you. it's a good design but for bigger folks (or jason
) it doesn't work out so well. if it's not running in the "up" position already, call/email surly and have them send you the spring. it'll hopefully save you a lot of grief.
good luck with the bike. it's fun to ride. oh, and look into a bashguard. forgot about that.
edit: well, since you already bought the bike, i'll clue you into the short comings that you're going to face using it as a trail specific single speed. over all, the frame is fantastic and the geometry is good, but...
this isn't anything that i haven't said already, but here is the list, based on my real world experience with the specialized hardrock ss:
1. the stock tires are not good for pure trail riding. i tried in vein to ride them but they offered little to no traction in all but the dryest of dry conditions.
2. the stem is probably gonna to be too short. dunno how tall you are, but i'm not (@ about 5'10") and the cockpit was tight. look into switching to at least a 100mm stem.
3. the seat is pretty bad. mine started out kinda comfy but then got broken pretty quick. IIRC, you're in the clyde class so you'll probalby end up where i was with it. the seat post will also probably strip out and need to be replaced.
4. the stock shock that came with the bike is flat out scary which is why marty's (in randolph) upgraded mine. TC, who is NOT a big or heavy guy (for reference, he came in like second in his age group (18-25 i think) at the all-amuchy a couple years ago) blew it up the first time he took it out.
5. the singleator may or may not work for you. it's a good design but for bigger folks (or jason
) it doesn't work out so well. if it's not running in the "up" position already, call/email surly and have them send you the spring. it'll hopefully save you a lot of grief. good luck with the bike. it's fun to ride. oh, and look into a bashguard. forgot about that.
Last edited:
Nice bike.
If you find you need a bashguard you may want to look into working on getting the bike higher over obstacles. My rings hardly ever touch whatever is underneath. Unless I mess up, but in that case it's usually not the ring that gets beat up I wanted to use a bashring at some point but ended up getting better at going over obstacles so never used one.
BTW if anyone wants a bashring I have a brand new one that should fit around a 33/34 ring. Free to a good home.
Maurice
If you find you need a bashguard you may want to look into working on getting the bike higher over obstacles. My rings hardly ever touch whatever is underneath. Unless I mess up, but in that case it's usually not the ring that gets beat up
I wanted to use a bashring at some point but ended up getting better at going over obstacles so never used one.BTW if anyone wants a bashring I have a brand new one that should fit around a 33/34 ring. Free to a good home.
Maurice