# Hotrock PRO 2014 models



## tiltedworld (Aug 2, 2011)

Has anyone seen that Specialized has a Hotrock PRO in both a 20" and 24" models with disc brakes and X7 9-speed cassette?

Specialized Bicycle Components

Any thoughts? Thinking my girl will have a great 6th birthday next March.


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## goodmojo (Sep 12, 2011)

would be better in pink or purple. Im going to have a tough time selling that color..

the description says this: This singletrack ripper is fully up to any trail task asked. With SRAM drivetrain and Shimano Deore hydraulic disc brakes this bike will get the kids tackling the toughest trails at an early age.

brakes in the specs section say tektro


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## tiltedworld (Aug 2, 2011)

Since the link days early release, I am hoping there's different colors for the girls. They have different specs for the girl and boy models.


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## Jordan300 (Jul 26, 2008)

Well, they are moving in the right direction. We are asking for better kids bikes. They are starting slowly but at least they are starting.


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## stom_m3 (Jun 28, 2011)

I agree they are moving in the right direction. Though at $1600 retail for the Specialized Hotrock Pro 24 vs $1050 (2013 price) for the Scott Scale JR RC, I don't see the value in the Specialized. Mind you this is coming from someone who is a die hard Specialized groupie. Comparing the Specialized and Scott, I like the Scott build better.

Here are my likes per the respective bikes;
Specialized
Like
- 2X drive train setup
- 10 speed rear
Dislike
- Hydraulic Brakes (high maintenance)
- Dorky looking seat
- Long chainstays vs the Scott

Scott
Like
- V Brakes (lighter, lower maintenance, plenty of stopping power)
- Clipless pedals
- Lighter wheels (assumption based on spoke count and gauge)
- An actual cool looking seat

Dislike
- 3X drive train
- 9 speed rear

Overall, it looks like Scott put more time in selecting proper components. The Specialized doesn't have enough to justify the $550 additional price tag. Take off the Carbon bars and Seatpost which probably don't justify the minimal weight loss, add a kid specific race seat, clipless pedals, better thought out rim/spoke combo, and your closer to having a winner.

All that said, I would pocket the $550 and upgrade the drivetrain on the Scott.


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## tiltedworld (Aug 2, 2011)

The delta is much less for the 20" and may account for the upgrade in parts? Still there is a $200 price difference.


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## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

That thing is a rip off. Let's not BS each other. $1600 and the only drivetrain component that isn't bottom level is the XT RD.

You could buy any of the other 24inch disc framed bikes like the $420 24 speed Hotrock or the Marin Bayview Trail disk, put upgrades into and be a lot lower than that $1600 and have a much better bike. Then use the parts when you build a 26er, put the old parts back on and sell the bike.

Now the 20inch is a better deal than the Kona Shred 20, but that isn't saying much. I wouldn't buy the Kona either at retail.


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## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

tiltedworld said:


> Since the link days early release, I am hoping there's different colors for the girls. They have different specs for the girl and boy models.


They wont. The girls colored models stop at the $440 XC non disc model, they never offered the XC disc in a girls color.


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## tiltedworld (Aug 2, 2011)

Interesting on the colors. Even white would be a good option. I will be looking for a 20". The Kona I think the standover height will be too high for her early on (she's 44" now, figure 45" by the spring or so).

I certainly could get to the $600 range or more price-wise should I choose to build something, so I am interested is seeing options that are close out of the box, or if I could build something cheaper without breaking the bank.


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## stom_m3 (Jun 28, 2011)

tiltedworld said:


> The delta is much less for the 20" and may account for the upgrade in parts? Still there is a $200 price difference.


As for the 20" Hotrock Pro, I do like the 1X setup. I'm surprised they didn't go with a 34T front as opposed to the 36T. It's more likely for a kid to take advantage of the 34/32 as opposed to a 36/11 combo. I also don't like the lower end disc brakes. I can't imagine them working very well. For the cost, I would rather see a high quality v-brake. Is it worth the price premium over the other 20" bikes? Maybe. I'm a little more neutral on this bike than the 24" version. The alternative is find a used mtn bike for $100-150 and use the rest of the money saved to build up the bike. There are a lot of 20" builds on this forum including mine. Check those out if you want to look at potential ideas.



Last, for some reason, the Specialized still looks funny to me. I think it's the long chainstays, slacker head angle, and jenky seat. The head angle says 69 but it looks more like 67. I bet they used the same frame jig to make the pro frame as the regular hotrock frame and didn't account for the longer axle to crown distance of the SR Suntour air fork. The fork may have been a last minute add in production.


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## stom_m3 (Jun 28, 2011)

Actually, as I take a closer look at the Hotrock 20" picture. They are using the 24" SR Suntour air fork on a 20" bike. That's how they retain the 65mm of travel. They still should have compensated for the head angle accordingly.


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## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

tiltedworld said:


> Interesting on the colors. Even white would be a good option. I will be looking for a 20". The Kona I think the standover height will be too high for her early on (she's 44" now, figure 45" by the spring or so).
> 
> I certainly could get to the $600 range or more price-wise should I choose to build something, so I am interested is seeing options that are close out of the box, or if I could build something cheaper without breaking the bank.


Obviously it's your money, but after all the shopping around and research I did, it just wasn't worth putting a ton into a 20inch bike because they outgrow it so fast. I'd save the money for a really nice 24 inch build.

The only reason I have a Kona 2.0 is because I found it used for a reasonable price. I still shortened the cranks, put triggers and a mega range freewheel on it.


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## GSJ1973 (May 8, 2011)

stom_m3 said:


> I agree they are moving in the right direction. Though at $1600 retail for the Specialized Hotrock Pro 24 vs $1050 (2013 price) for the Scott Scale JR RC, I don't see the value in the Specialized. Mind you this is coming from someone who is a die hard Specialized groupie. Comparing the Specialized and Scott, I like the Scott build better.
> 
> Here are my likes per the respective bikes;
> Specialized
> ...


I'm not sure what disc brakes you are using, but I would challenge you on this one. V-brakes went extinct for adults bikes, why should they remain for kids bikes? My son can't take the wheels off his bike because of v-brakes. His hands are just too small and not strong enough yet to undo the noodle. Disc brakes win here in my mind for this simple task alone.

Both bikes FAIL spec-wise in the cranks department. 160mm and 165mm cranks on a kids bike? There are short women road/tri racers opting for 160 and even 155mm cranks in the 5'5" inch height range. At least spec something in the 150-ish range for the kids!

Finally, a 44 tooth big ring on the Scott? Why? That's 12 teeth bigger than my bike!

It would be interesting to see the final weight of the specialized pro 24".

Anybody notice two sizes for the Specialized 24" kids bikes for 2014? Not sure that is really necessary, but they are clearly going after putting something better into the market. I'd rather see more colors, as both my kids wouldn't ride a red bike.

I agree, nice to see some nicer kids bike options. Who care's what the cost is. $1600 is still CHEAP compared to hockey gear which has to be replaced every few years!


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## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

GSJ1973 said:


> I'm not sure what disc brakes you are using, but I would challenge you on this one. V-brakes went extinct for adults bikes, why should they remain for kids bikes? My son can't take the wheels off his bike because of v-brakes. His hands are just too small and not strong enough yet to undo the noodle. Disc brakes win here in my mind for this simple task alone.
> 
> Both bikes FAIL spec-wise in the cranks department. 160mm and 165mm cranks on a kids bike? There are short women road/tri racers opting for 160 and even 155mm cranks in the 5'5" inch height range. At least spec something in the 150-ish range for the kids!
> 
> ...


I don't care what the cost is as long as I'm getting quality. I have less in my son's Marin and it has XT drive train, Spinner 24" Air fork,carbon bars, Velocity aeroheat rims, proper shortened cranks ....
I think you get the picture. That to me is the problem with the cost of the Specialized


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## GSJ1973 (May 8, 2011)

TwoTone said:


> I don't care what the cost is as long as I'm getting quality. I have less in my son's Marin and it has XT drive train, Spinner 24" Air fork,carbon bars, Velocity aeroheat rims, proper shortened cranks ....
> I think you get the picture. That to me is the problem with the cost of the Specialized


Oh I agree, but I do think the Specialized is a nice bike for the money aside from the cranks, Sunrace cassette and 1.8" wire bead tires. The wheelset on the bike could be the real sleeper though. Possibly under 1300 grams and true tubeless like their larger diameter wheels.

Did you do full XT with Shimano shadow+ rear derailleur? Can you post a pic and the weight? Thanks!


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## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

GSJ1973 said:


> Oh I agree, but I do think the Specialized is a nice bike for the money aside from the cranks, Sunrace cassette and 1.8" wire bead tires. The wheelset on the bike could be the real sleeper though. Possibly under 1300 grams and true tubeless like their larger diameter wheels.
> 
> Did you do full XT with Shimano shadow+ rear derailleur? Can you post a pic and the weight? Thanks!


Here's my build thread. http://forums.mtbr.com/families-riding-kids/update-marin-bayview-trail-disc-build-819323.html

I've since added an XTR RD.
We'll have to agree to disagree, $1600 for that bike is steep to me.


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## GSJ1973 (May 8, 2011)

TwoTone said:


> Here's my build thread. http://forums.mtbr.com/families-riding-kids/update-marin-bayview-trail-disc-build-819323.html
> 
> I've since added an XTR RD.
> We'll have to agree to disagree, $1600 for that bike is steep to me.


Nice, what's the weight of that bike?

Sure, I can see if you have spare old 9 speed stuff around it is cheaper than buying a $1600 bike, but even the new entry level Deore 10 speed stuff works better than old 9 and even 10 speed (non-Dynasys) components. Looks like you have a lot of time into the wheel build which I know I don't have!


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## xc71 (Dec 24, 2008)

GSJ1973 said:


> I'm not sure what disc brakes you are using, but I would challenge you on this one. V-brakes went extinct for adults bikes, why should they remain for kids bikes? My son can't take the wheels off his bike because of v-brakes. His hands are just too small and not strong enough yet to undo the noodle. Disc brakes win here in my mind for this simple task alone.
> 
> Both bikes FAIL spec-wise in the cranks department. 160mm and 165mm cranks on a kids bike? There are short women road/tri racers opting for 160 and even 155mm cranks in the 5'5" inch height range. At least spec something in the 150-ish range for the kids!
> 
> ...


In regards to the V brakes on the Scott RC JR, they are an excellent option and should not be compared to adult V brakes. I was never completely happy with running V's on my bikes, but the brakes on my son's RC have been amazing, major stopping power ( as much as his XTR disc brakes on his 26" HT bike ), still work very good in mud, snow, rain, are lighter weight than a disc set-up, you can retain the lightweight RC pro hubs/wheels that come on the Scott RC. Besides the RC coming with really nice V brakes, stopping a light wheel on a light bike with a very lightweight rider makes comparing these to an adult rider/bike different.
I hear ya on the hockey gear.


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## BXCc (May 31, 2012)

I just picked up my 2nd GT Laguna 20 for my youngest daughter's 5th birthday. I got a 2013 from the LBS for under $225. I know it isn't as fancy as some of the these others, but considering the price, I think it's a bargain. The only other 20" wheeled bikes I can find that don't have quill stems and nutted axles are pushing $400 or more. With a low standover height, and great girly colors, it's a good starting point. The 2012 I bought weighed just a touch over 23 pounds the day I brought it home.


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