2009 Specialized Rockhopper Comp: My 10,894mi ownership experience

2009 Specialized Rockhopper Comp

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.

2009 Specialized Rockhopper satin charcoal side view

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:

FRAMESpecialized M4 Manipulated Alloy frame, fully butted, ORE DT, forged dropouts w/ replaceable 98954020 hanger, disc only
FORKRockShox Dart 3 SL, 100mm, preload and rebound adj. w/ LO, 13/15″: standard spring, all others: “stiff” spring, disc only
HEADSETSpecialized 1-1/8″ threadless, loose ball
STEMSpecialized 3D forged, 4-bolt, 7 degree rise, 31.8mm clamp
HANDLEBARSSpecialized alloy, 31.8mm, 25mm rise, 640mm wide, 8 degree back sweep, 8 degree up, 2.8mm thick
GRIPSSpecialized Enduro, dual compound Kraton, no flange, 131mm
FRONT BRAKEAvid BB5, mechanical disc, caliper/adapter w/ 160mm G2 Clean Sweep rotor
REAR BRAKESAvid BB5, mechanical disc, caliper/adapter w/ 160mm G2 Clean Sweep rotor
BRAKE LEVERSAvid FR-5, alloy, two-finger, linear pull
FRONT DERAILLEURShimano Altus, 34.9mm clamp, top swing
REAR DERAILLEURSSRAM X-5, med. cage
SHIFT LEVERSSRAM X-4, 8-speed trigger
CASSETTESRAM PG-830-18, 8-speed, 11-32t
CHAINKMC X8 w/ reuseable Missing Link
CRANKSETShimano FC-M36108, Octalink spline, replaceable rings
CHAINRINGS425 x 325 x 22S
BOTTOM BRACKETShimano BB-ES5, Octalink spline, cartridge bearings, 68mm x 118mm
PEDALSSteel cage, composite body, 9/16″
RIMSSpecialized RHD 26″, double wall disc, pinned w/ eyelets, 28/32h
FRONT HUBSpecialized Hi Lo, forged alloy, double sealed, ground race, 28h
REAR HUBSpecialized, forged alloy, double sealed, ground race, cassette, QR, 32h
SPOKES1.8mm (15g) stainless
FRONT TIRESpecialized Fast Trak LK Sport, 26×2.0″, 60TPI, wire bead
REAR TIRESpecialized Fast Trak LK Sport, 26×2.0″, 60TPI, wire bead
INNER TUBESSpecialized schraeder valve
SADDLESpecialized XC, Body Geometry, 143m with, front and rea
SEATPOSTSpecialized alloy two bolt, micro adjust head, 30.9mm
SEAT BINDERSpecialized alloy w/ QR, brass washer
OTHERChain 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?

Brand new 2009 Specialized Rockhopper Comp mountain bike
Like any true bike nerd, the first thing I did when it got home was to put it on a Park Tools bike stand (in my dining room).

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.

Fun fact: it was the drivetrain that wore out first. This bike was basically unrideable by mid 2023 due to the chain freely skipping over the sprocket upon putting any amount of pressure on the cranks.

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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
This is the ONLY pic I have of this bike between the years of 2010 and 2015. It was taken on April 10, 2010 near MCAS Miramar here in San Diego (just as I was wondering if I had accidentally ventured into a place I shouldn’t be).

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.

2009 Specialized Rockhopper sunrise photo in the grass
KA-ching!

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.

Scott on his 2009 Specialized Rockhopper with road tires
“It’s a road 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.

Scott posing with his 2009 Specialized Rockhopper
Considering that this thing had less than 200 miles on it by the time I made it my primary rig in 2020, it was like getting a new bike. It was practically brand new!

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.

Doing maintenance on my 2009 Specialized Rockhopper
Time for a brake job. And a tube replacement. And yet another derailleur adjustment. Not only was this thing starting to test my patience, it was obvious that my cat was getting annoyed as well. This was her space!

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.

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).

Loading my bike up into the car and taking it to Goodwill
The very last day. I ended up taking it to Goodwill because there weren’t any bike shops in my local area who were willing to take it (even for free). At the very least, I hope there’s someone here in town who’s still rocking it to this day.

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