2009 Specialized Rockhopper Comp: My 10,894mi ownership experience
On March 7, 2009, I purchased my third mountain bike: a 26″ Specialized Rockhopper Comp. My primary motivation for this purchase was to have a tough and capable mountain bike at my disposal for the days I felt like trail riding instead of road riding.
I was doing mostly road riding at that time, but it was hard to let go of my mountain biking roots. The mid-level Rockhopper was perfect for the mid-level fire roads and trails near my home. Not only that, it looked kinda bad a**.
What it was like to ride a 2009 Specialized Rockhopper Comp from 2009-2023
The following is a full overview of my ownership experience (from the day I purchased it to the day I gave it away).
Spoiler alert: I put less than 200 miles on it in my first 11 years of ownership. It then became my primary bike in 2020 thanks to a catastrophic failure on my 2007 Specialized Allez Comp. I rode it nearly 10,000 over the next three years.
Quick overview
My Rockhopper was a 2009 “Comp Disc” model in Satin Charcoal. I paid $750 for it from UC Cyclery here in San Diego. The reasoning for choosing a mid-level bike over something more expensive was because I’m cheap. I just couldn’t justify spending so much money on something I was just going to beat up on the trails.
Here’s the full spec sheet:
| FRAME | Specialized M4 Manipulated Alloy frame, fully butted, ORE DT, forged dropouts w/ replaceable 98954020 hanger, disc only |
| FORK | RockShox Dart 3 SL, 100mm, preload and rebound adj. w/ LO, 13/15″: standard spring, all others: “stiff” spring, disc only |
| HEADSET | Specialized 1-1/8″ threadless, loose ball |
| STEM | Specialized 3D forged, 4-bolt, 7 degree rise, 31.8mm clamp |
| HANDLEBARS | Specialized alloy, 31.8mm, 25mm rise, 640mm wide, 8 degree back sweep, 8 degree up, 2.8mm thick |
| GRIPS | Specialized Enduro, dual compound Kraton, no flange, 131mm |
| FRONT BRAKE | Avid BB5, mechanical disc, caliper/adapter w/ 160mm G2 Clean Sweep rotor |
| REAR BRAKES | Avid BB5, mechanical disc, caliper/adapter w/ 160mm G2 Clean Sweep rotor |
| BRAKE LEVERS | Avid FR-5, alloy, two-finger, linear pull |
| FRONT DERAILLEUR | Shimano Altus, 34.9mm clamp, top swing |
| REAR DERAILLEURS | SRAM X-5, med. cage |
| SHIFT LEVERS | SRAM X-4, 8-speed trigger |
| CASSETTE | SRAM PG-830-18, 8-speed, 11-32t |
| CHAIN | KMC X8 w/ reuseable Missing Link |
| CRANKSET | Shimano FC-M36108, Octalink spline, replaceable rings |
| CHAINRINGS | 425 x 325 x 22S |
| BOTTOM BRACKET | Shimano BB-ES5, Octalink spline, cartridge bearings, 68mm x 118mm |
| PEDALS | Steel cage, composite body, 9/16″ |
| RIMS | Specialized RHD 26″, double wall disc, pinned w/ eyelets, 28/32h |
| FRONT HUB | Specialized Hi Lo, forged alloy, double sealed, ground race, 28h |
| REAR HUB | Specialized, forged alloy, double sealed, ground race, cassette, QR, 32h |
| SPOKES | 1.8mm (15g) stainless |
| FRONT TIRE | Specialized Fast Trak LK Sport, 26×2.0″, 60TPI, wire bead |
| REAR TIRE | Specialized Fast Trak LK Sport, 26×2.0″, 60TPI, wire bead |
| INNER TUBES | Specialized schraeder valve |
| SADDLE | Specialized XC, Body Geometry, 143m with, front and rea |
| SEATPOST | Specialized alloy two bolt, micro adjust head, 30.9mm |
| SEAT BINDER | Specialized alloy w/ QR, brass washer |
| OTHER | Chain stay protector, reflectors, clear coat, owners manual |
Up close detail shots from the day that I purchased it
Bringing this Rockhopper home from the bike shop gave me mixed feelings. On one hand, it was a beautiful bike and I couldn’t wait to ride it! On the other hand, it was so beautiful that I was loading the idea of getting it dirty. But that’s what I bought it for, right?
Even by today’s standards, the 2009 Rockhopper Comp was a very well spec’d mountain bike. The fact that all of these components held together(ish) for 10,000 miles is proof of that.
2009-2016: What Rockhopper?
I’m normally pretty good about not buying things on total impulse. However, by 2016, I had come to the realization that this Rockhopper purchase might’ve been a mistake. I just never rode the dang thing.
Thinking back on it, there were two main reasons for choosing to ride my other bikes over the Rockhopper:
- I just didn’t enjoy mountain biking as much as I used to (mostly because I don’t like getting dirty). Go ahead. Call me a wuss. I deserve it.
- My wife would’ve killed me for bringing a dirty bike into the house. I had no place to store bikes outside, so doing any proper mountain biking would have necessitated a full wash and detail after every ride. F that.
2016-2020: Maybe it’s actually a road bike
I was pretty much over mountain biking by 2016. It just didn’t appeal to me anymore, but I had no intention of selling this bike. I liked it too much! I started using it as a back up bike (for use whenever one of my other bikes were down for repairs or maintenance).
I was starting to get into photography at the time, and by 2017 I was finding myself using it as a prop for photos rather than for proper “bike” stuff. My road bike was still getting all the miles.
I was even excited enough about riding it again that I actually made video overview for it (and posted it to my YouTube channel). Better late than never I guess:
On Christmas day 2018, I was gifted a set of a set of Kenda City Slick tires to replace the stock Specialized knobbies. The transition from mountain bike to road bike was complete.
Those of you curious to know more about my experience with these tires can read about them in my overview of what I consider to be the best road tires for a mountain bike.
2020-2023: becoming my primary bike (and riding until it quit)
On February 21, 2020, I snapped the chain on my Specialized Allez road bike (the one I was riding nearly 100% of the time). Not only was I lacking the proper tools to fix it, I was also lacking the time and motivation. I put that bike aside and started riding the Rockhopper full-time.
I rode his bike four times a week over the last three years (for a grand total of 10,894.3 miles). It was holding up well overall, but the drivetrain was wearing out as time went on. Maintenance was becoming a very regular (and annoying) thing.
This bike was becoming borderline unrideable by spring of 2023. The chain was starting to skip over the chainring, which made climbing difficult. That’s a problem in hilly San Diego.
Not only that, the entire drivetrain was getting really noisy. Cycling with AirPods (in an attempt to drown out the noise) became a regular thing.
I was faced with a decision: was it worth spending the time and money to get it all fixed up and running perfect? Or should I just use that money towards the purchase of a new bike? I had to do something, because by July I couldn’t even ride it anymore. The drivetrain was completely shot.
Long story short, I decided to let it go and purchase a new bike (a 2023 Canyon Exceed CF 5).
