The new Rockrider ST 530 - Review

I bought the new Rockrider ST 530 and gave it a better look. See where the difference is between the 520 ST

Instagram @lifeof_maik

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The cards have been dealt new.
Decathlon released a new bike which I ordered picked up and immediately tried out.
It’s so fresh that the receipts are still on which I’ll take off.
There it is the All new Rockrider ST 530 it costs in Europe around 380 €. I asked myself what most people asked, is the additional charge from the 520 worth it?
Let’s find out.
The Frame and the Geometry didn’t change, but we got a new painting. The first difference is the additional 20mm, so we got a 100mm fork upfront which unfortunately isn’t tapered.

We still have an 80mm long stem and a narrow 680 bar. On which we find a new brake a hydraulic disc brake from tektro filled with mineral oil, which is more service friendly than dot fluid. The Brake calliper looks good as well.
The shiftlever is from Rockrider which I don’t like. It’s personal the shifter feels wrong the ergonomics are just off for me. And we can only pull for upshifting.
On the other side of the bar many of you are missing something.
The Shifter
Reason being this Rockrider has a 1x drivetrain which means we got only one gear in the front in this case with 32 Teeth. Benefits are less clutter failure points and weight (we save around 500grams)
The downside is a smaller range which this bike compensates with a 9-speed cassette and a 42 cog.
This means you can ride quite easily uphill and fast downhill although not as easy as with the old setup.
Accommodated with this comes our new Rockrider derailleur which is a microshift derailleur.
A huge deal is the clutch which can be switched on or off. I show you what it does.
This Clip is with the clutch turned off so like a normal derailleur, aand we dropped the chain.
If we turn the clutch on, the chain tension is higher, the chain slap smaller and the bike quieter, we don’t drop the chain as well.
Our chain also drops because of this narrow not so narrow chainring instead of a narrow wide ring.
We also got a Square tapered bottom bracket which is okay for this price but could be a bsa which is upgradeable.
Last but not least Tyres and rims.
The rims are tubeless claimed (with the conversion) but the tyres didn’t change.
We still got 27,5 Inch wheels which are paired with 2Inch wide tyres. Although We have enough clearance for 2,2 Inch tyres at least in the back which I would recommend if you want to go into the woods.

I tried the bike and derailleur off camera, before I started, I bedded the brake pads in, which means we accelerate to a good speed around 20-25 km/h and apply the brakes without locking the wheels. Repeat that 10-20 times and your brakes will have the most power and will wear even.

So, what’s the Conclusion.
I rode this bike on an easier Terrain one which most of you ride and I can say it works.
This time the bike was properly set up from the beginning, the rear derailleur works fine the chainring could be wider, and I wish for a 30 tooth in the front for real use in the woods since I have steep hills. For “normal “use or more tarmac the 32 is fine.
Although the brakes aren’t strong enough for some one finger breaking, they are powerful enough be sure to break those pads in.
All in all this bike is definitely worth the money and I do recommend it over the 520 if your budget allows it, however it still is no real mountain bike but it gets as close as possible for this price.
But! go and try the bike first, I personally had a strange feeling sitting on this bike, although It’s the right size. And be sure that the maintance and wearing parts cost more than from the 520.
I hope you found this video interesting or at least entertaining
Leave a feedback for this video or the bike in the comments
Thanks for watching subscribing and till next time

[giant]

great bike! i hope u have enjoyable rides with this. if u dont like the shifter try to tilt that shifter block a bit upwards. also if u get in trouble shifting 1st gear, and chain gets off, tighten the Low screw on your derailleur. do this until you get to 1st gear and still press the lower shift lever. if it doesnt gets off then ur good. and fine tune with the screw at the shifter. i do this adjustments even after bike mechanic checks my bike cuz they check the bike only when hanged. not when a bike gets loaded and stressed. i have a 530s and its a good climber and jumps well.

[Unknowner]

I have it for 2 years already, 6000 km so far the only thing I changed was the tires after 5k km xD great fucking bike

[TortoiseSun-ruvf]

Hello, thanks for the review. I have a few questions:

1. What parts of the bike would you recommend upgrading or replacing? Do you have any general recommendations about the bike?
2. Is the fork good enough? Or do you think it is worth it upgrading the fork from a 80mm coil fork to a 120mm air fork?

3. Is the groupset and good enough for flow trails and other off-road trails? Or would it be better if I upgrade the groupset with higher gears? I only plan on riding trails and roads.

[legoevdude]

thank u! tyna find a review for ages!

[pauljarvis]

This was really helpful. I've just moved to Korea and I'm really struggling to find an XL bike for my height. This is the only one I can find! Would the bike have enough gears for the flat? I've never ridden a single chainrig before so I was unsure whether I would run out of gears while trying to pick up the pace. Thanks for your help.

[davidmeloni]

The shifter is also from the Microshift Advent group.
Did you know the 520 and 530 have exactly the same lowest gear ratio with their different transmissions(0.78 and 0.79)?
The 520 has only an advantage on higher speeds :)

It’s a good review! just pay attention to your articulation, sometimes it’s harder to understand certain things. :)

[hzoltan]

Hello Maik,
XC50 vs ST530? I know xc50 is double price. What if I upgrade ST530's drivetrain (similar to xc50)?

[daanvrugteveen]

I am 188 cm and I am no longer growing, what is a good size for me?

[Mythone-keku]

Is it possible to upgrade the fork on this bike to some rock shocks or the like?

[behzatc.]

One more question man ! This bike as i know has 9 gear transmission level. Do you think it can catch the speed levels of 21 or 24 transmission levels (Mostly in asphalt roads we need some speed like 30-40 km/h, mostly i will drive that bike in city, i want to buy MTB bcs i love their designs). (I think speed is mostly related to gear ratios more than transmission levels) And... The worst thing i dont like in this bike that suspension can not be locked, in this price a bike's suspension should make this :(

[hzoltan]

Does the suspension (spring dissipation) slows you in ramps, uphill?

[Jvpt]

st120 or st530? Is it worth it the price difference?

[coconut]

How to adjust the air suspension on this bike?

[niteshuppal]

Hi! Thanks for the video. I have tennis elbow so looking for the bike where I’m most upright and the arms are not fully stretched with all the weight on the wrists and elbows. I’m 1.8 m. Do you recommend the ST 530 or the Riverside 500 instead? And which size - M or L pls?

[mohameddjeffal]

Can you add a rear rack on the st 530?

[andreidk]

stupid question, why I should spend money for the 540 instead of picking this one?

[rvgames]

would you recommend buying new forks with air suspension for this bike? cheers

[hellyeah]

Anyone know how wide the rear dropouts are? Thanks

[depx]

hello, im 175cm and 13 years old but im still growing a bit so im not sure if i should get l or maybe even xl? i dont wanna buy another bike for atleast 2 years but i think l is good enough i dont think i will grow more than 185

[theorgazoid]

Hi I heard someone say this bike is very slow on the roads and paths with the single cog at the front, is that true? Thanks