Con_Artyst

Hi, looking for some advice on a bike that will serve as a weekend mountain bike and an occasional commuter. Has anyone had experience of thee bikes or any horror stories? I've heard some of the lower specialized models can be overpriced for what they deliver, and I don't really know anything about cube as a company or their quality.

Any help would be appreciated,

Thanks

AeroGut

There are a few different levels of Rockhopper. Which specific one are you looking at? As a general evaluation, one nice thing about Rockhoppers is that they use the same frame as the top end aluminum bikes in the Specialized lineup, so you can start with a relatively inexpensive bike and upgrade the parts that are most important to you and you're not putting lipstick on a pig, as they say. I don't know of any horror stories about them, but you get what you pay for, meaning that at the lower end, the suspension forks in particular are not great (but maybe plenty good enough for what you want). By 2014, even the lowest Rockhopper has hydraulic disc brakes, and even the lower end shimano components (alivio/acera) generally work fine. Just a bit heavier than higher end stuff and fewer cogs in the back.

The Cube arguably has better components than all three models of Rockhopper, though, so if they're the same price, the Cube is a better deal. For commuting, you might also like the wider gear range that comes with the 3x10 drive train on the Cube vs 3x9 or 2x10 on the Rockhoppers. But on the trails, you might prefer the 2x.

The 99spokes.com website is a good resource for comparing specs and geometry of two bikes.

Con_Artyst

Hi AeroGut, thank for the quick reply it's between the 2016 Cube Attention SL and the Standard 2009 Specialized Rockhopper.

AeroGut

If they're the same price and condition, definitely go for the Cube