How much? Early 90s Hardrock

[winjohn]

https://www.gumtree.com/p/bicycles/specialized-hardrock-gx-retro-mtb-/1497894560

Someone seems to think that taking off the front mech, putting new tyres and saddle and red cables and red bottle bolts increases the value by 500%

If it sells I'm stocking up on red cales and 5mm allen screws!

 

[Rod_Saetan]

https://www.gumtree.com/p/bicycles/specialized-hardrock-gx-retro-mtb-/1497894560

Someone seems to think that taking off the front mech, putting new tyres and saddle and red cables and red bottle bolts increases the value by 500%

If it sells I'm stocking up on red cales and 5mm allen screws!

Well, to give them the benefit of the doubt: A) if you really did just take the front mech off a working HardRock and then fit new tyres, saddle and cables you'd probably be under-selling it at £70, and B) it clearly states they have fitted "new cables, a new shifter, a new chain and a new front chainring and bottom bracket too … oh and new brake levers! The bike has a new seatpost and a new seat, new handlebars, a new stem and new grips too!" as well as the tyres. I don't think its a bargain, its not what I'd do to it but they are (admittedly weirdly) cool at the minute and look at the alternative new bike for £350 - yuck!

Anyway, this one is well over £1000: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/166699220807 and there are an additional two more similar conversions on eBay for more money than this one, and perhaps even worse is this deeply odd full refurb resto-mod of a 2002 HardRock at £600: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/176978143030

TLDR: People think HardRocks are great and some people obviously buy them for an amount of money the RB community would balk at!

 

[vtwinvince]

Massively overrated frame for whatever reason, period Stumpys and Hoppers are much better value.

 

[SFP]

Morning from the west coast of Canada.... so bear with me here as I am just on my first coffee and waking....

Correct me if I am I wrong, as I have not worked in a shop that sold Specialized since late 1992, but are not the Hard Rocks the bottom of the food chain? Hardrock -> Hardrock Sport, then Rockhopper -> Rockhopper Sport then Stumpjumper, then S-Works Stumpjumper being the foodchain?

Like a Rockhopper Sport, I can see asking 350 for with the new parts and bling... but a Hardrock?
Like what the hell does that indicate my '94 Stumpjumper FS M2 with matching rebuilt Futureshock (aka Rockshox) is worth?

Maybe I need a morning doobie (BC Bud eh) to shake the combwebs out of my old head and need to then re-read the above posted ads.

 

[winjohn]

Well, to give them the benefit of the doubt: A) if you really did just take the front mech off a working HardRock and then fit new tyres, saddle and cables you'd probably be under-selling it at £70, and B) it clearly states they have fitted "new cables, a new shifter, a new chain and a new front chainring and bottom bracket too … oh and new brake levers! The bike has a new seatpost and a new seat, new handlebars, a new stem and new grips too!" as well as the tyres. I don't think its a bargain, its not what I'd do to it but they are (admittedly weirdly) cool at the minute and look at the alternative new bike for £350 - yuck!

Anyway, this one is well over £1000: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/166699220807 and there are an additional two more similar conversions on eBay for more money than this one, and perhaps even worse is this deeply odd full refurb resto-mod of a 2002 HardRock at £600: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/176978143030

TLDR: People think HardRocks are great and some people obviously buy them for an amount of money the RB community would balk at!

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against people upgrading a nice old frame and giving it a new lease of life to a new audience but if you look at the photos of that one you can clearly see untreated rust on the front forks which kind of ruins the look against all that new stuff. Also if you are going to do a 1X conversion then something more than a 1x6 would seem called for.
FWIW I was happy to sell a mint early 90s Hardrock for £60 to a grateful Retrobiker who collected it from Sweden (and it had 21 gears)
I absolutely agree that you don't get much new for £350 these days but it would not take me long to find a much nicer modern second hand bike than a dressed up 90s Hardrock.

For instance, if the city bike market is what this bike is aimed at then I sold a Temple lightweight, modern steel frame, Deore wheels, Alfine 8 speed hub, in pretty mint condition for £300 a couple of months ago. The hipster who bought it came down from London to pick it up from the station, nice bike that rode really well...too small for me or a might have kept it.

I've a couple of old Kona steel frames that I was wondering what to do with, perhaps I will have a dabble in the restomod world, surely an early 90s Kona is more hip than a Hardrock? Hmmmm, where's that 1X crankset I put away it must be somewhere around.

 

[CassidyAce]

The GX was a 1996 model, not early 90s, and it was near the bottom of the Hardrock range. Most of it was hi-ten steel with just a cro-mo seat tube. For reference, I paid £35 for a 1996 Ultra three years ago: not a bad frame (as light as an early 90s' Stumpy, if not lighter) although I'm still not sure what, if anything, to do with it. Obviously, £350, along with a bit of knowledge, will get a much better bike than the one advertised.