1997 Hardrock AX
This is my wife's bike, a going concern. She bought it while she was still my girlfriend, long ago in the halcyon days of 1997. I worked at the shop as a wrench, and knew this would be hers when I unboxed it.
The Hardrock AX, as I understand it, was Specialized's first entry level aluminum frame for mountain bikes. It ushered in the later A1 aluminum Rockhoppers and Hardrocks. I was told it was the commissioning model for a new plant/fabricator in Taiwan, how true that is, I dunno.
It's quite a nice straight-gauge 7000-series aluminum frame, with some nice build details. Head and downtube gussets. Good quality welding (not quite as nice as their US made frames, but mighty fine for a bike my wife paid less than $700 for). The only thing I don't like about the frame is the non-replaceable derailleur hangar. It is stout, though, and thus far has never bent.
The frame was by far the nicest part of the bike, the remainder being low end but generally serviceable components - Alivio and Acera, single wall rims, simple hubs, a basic chromoly fork, 7 speed gripshift.
My girlfriend, as she was then, never really took on mountain biking like I'd hoped then, but the bike got plenty of casual use over the years. I drifted away from mountain biking too, with the pressures of work, then kids taking over my time. Other hobbies beackoned, but still, our bikes came out from time to time...
Finally, finding herself larger and softer than she'd ever intended, she decided to get back into shape. Zumba. Then joining a women's MTB club in town. The old Hardrock hit the local single tracks, and while some laughed at the cantis and rigid fork, she kept on. As her skills grew, I worked on making the bike capable of keeping up with her.
First it got a Rockshox J1, a terrible fork, 5.5# of undamped pogo stick, but it helped. With it came XT V brakes, and, her choice, those cute little blue Clarks levers. The gripshifters cracked, so along came NOS 7 speed STX rapid fires.
That fork served her well for 1.5 years, along with the odd upgrade as parts broke/wore. New crankset, new cassette (mega range, LOL). She raced her first race, became very enthusiastic, and began to hone her skills and confidence.
Confidence is a double edged sword. Mid last summer, she found herself near the end of a group ride, hurtling down a gully, arched bridge at the bottom. Launched herself too far, landed on the upslope on the other side of the bridge, badly, and bent things. Bent the fork (one dropout was 15mm higher than the other). Bent the front axle. Bent her confidence.
We were able to find a damaged Magura Asgard 100 fork that I was able to repair (lathe time, good fun), so I installed that along with a new front wheel, Avid BB5... The tall fork relaxed the head angle a bit, putting it on par with modern trail bikes (somewhere near 67.5/68 deg at normal sag).
Today, the bike is lighter than it was in rigid original spec, about 27#. The derailleurs are modern Deore stuff, the shifters vintage STX 7 speed. A mix all 'round, no purist here. But the bike's ride has been transformed. It's wonderfully capable, durable, and comfortable. The handling is relaxed, confidence inspiring, but not so slow as to make it a chore on the single tracks.
She rides much more than I do now.
Gettin' my mileage outta these photos, ain't I?
J