Viewing 36 posts - 1 through 36 (of 36 total)
  • How many of you guys race on rigid forked 26ers?
  • Vortexracing
    Full Member

    Just curious as to how many race (1-2hrs) on rigid forked 26 MTB’s?

    Is it a lot harder than on suspension forkes hardtails or just less forgiving of bad line choice etc?

    flashes
    Free Member

    yep, I’ve done bikefest and SSUK and SSEC, SS rigid, Pace carbon iigid forks, does me but then I’m not going to win…….but I do pass quite a few peeps uphill.

    cynic-al
    Free Member

    They’ll make **** all difference to climbing, if you know how to pedal and set up your suss forks.

    I don’t recall seeing any rigid bikes in the top half of any xc races I’ve done in the last decade, control and fatigue are too important.

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    plop_pants
    Free Member

    I often finish in the top 10 in my local races on my rigid Klein.
    For me climbing on a rigid is way better. I don’t suffer from fatigue particularly but that may just be down to my gangly body, I like to ride out of the saddle alot and so I soak up the bumps with my long arms and legs. If I had the room I’d take a rigid and a hardtail to races ,then I’d do a practice lap on the rigid leaving me the option to change to the hardtail if the course is very bumpy. I enjoy rigid so much more.

    druidh
    Free Member

    cynic-al – Member
    I don’t recall seeing any rigid bikes in the top half of any xc races

    Does the IOM E2E not count as an XC race?

    baznav73
    Free Member

    I tried fully rigid for three rides and what a stupid idea that was fine if you want to chip your teeth and rattle your eyeballs out of your skull.

    epicyclo
    Full Member

    How many of you guys race on rigid forked 26ers?

    Not since I got a rigid forked 29er, although recently I did do 24 hours on this 26″ rigid

    Northwind
    Full Member

    Have you ridden rigid much, is probably the most important thing. It’s an aquired taste, you might end up like baznav73 and be unable to figure it out at all.

    My racing is at the most casual, half-assed level so take it with that disclaimer, but I raced the Glentress Seven on my rigid carrera last year and loved it. It weighs nowt, which is mostly a psychological benefit but psychology is important. I didn’t find it significantly faster or slower than a short travel XC bike- there was one fire road where it felt slowed down by being bumped about, and one very short section of descent where it was a handful, but otherwise fine. Mainly it was great fun.

    takisawa2
    Full Member

    Surely the suss forked bike will pick up more time on the descents than the rigid bike will pick up on the climbs.

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    I once passed a guy in expert on rigid he seemed to be struggling with course – he was back of expert i was front sport so he was some way off pace – and didnt want to move when i asked – so i might have given him abuse for it 🙂

    cynic-al
    Free Member

    druidh – Member
    Does the IOM E2E not count as an XC race?

    *sigh* no, but I rode that rigid.

    sxcs are (were?) way more technical and bumpy than that.

    big_n_daft
    Free Member

    I don’t recall seeing any rigid bikes in the top half of any xc races I’ve done in the last decade, control and fatigue are too important.

    Twinklydave podiumed with his TD1 at the Brownbacks series, and would have done consistently if not for the use of Schwalbe tyres 😉

    he also rode from home and back to get to the race 😯

    29er though 😉

    MrGreedy
    Full Member

    Have done, not a particularly serious racer though. FWIW it was far less of a handicap than the fact it was also a singlespeed (Thetford and suchlike so no big rocks). Will probably be going rigid for races again this year, likely with gears this time.

    epicyclo
    Full Member

    takisawa2 – Member
    Surely the suss forked bike will pick up more time on the descents than the rigid bike will pick up on the climbs.

    I did some testing on that. (I’m so slow I need to get every advantage I can get)

    I timed a course with long climbs, and thus descents. Did it 3 times.

    I found that the descents were about 1 minute faster with a front fork, however the climbs take much longer and I was saving 3-4 minutes, so the balance was slightly in favour of the rigid fork.

    However I’m not particularly fast or skilled so this would be different for a more athletic rider.

    specialknees
    Free Member

    This is a subject I’m very interested in as I have raced Southern XC’s and Gorricks both rigid and Suspension.
    My best results have been on rigid by far. I’m not saying rigid is for everybody, I would say my technical ability far outweighs my fitness though so I think there is an argument in favour of rigid.

    Would agree a very light XC bike with rigid forks is not good on long technical descents.

    kudos100
    Free Member

    Not since 93′.

    neil853
    Free Member

    I remember liking the idea of putting rigids on one of my old hardtails, went out for one ride, came back, took them off. It’s one of those ideas that sounded like a good idea in my head, not in practice.

    epicyclo
    Full Member

    If you ride rigid the same way you ride suspension, you’ll suffer.

    There’s lots of travel in your arms and legs and if you use the seat only as a side stabiliser rather than a saddle you’re half way there. Dropbars help because you can have a very loose grip with them.

    AndyP
    Free Member

    fine if you want to chip your teeth and rattle your eyeballs out of your skull.
    This does indeed happen if you ride rigid. Every single time. I’ve had to put my eyeballs back in more often than I’ve had hot dinners.

    On another point, when did ’26ers’ become an acceptable term?

    13thfloormonk
    Full Member

    Did two seasons of the Scottish Downhill series on a rigid Kona Scab.

    Was fun, and although I was obviously the slowest person there, I was still able to ride sections folk on full sus bikes were making a hash of, proving that suspension isn’t everything (although I guess people didn’t need told that).

    Was good for the ego though, I was getting cheers and applause for, basically, riding the cheapest and least appropriate bike on the course, and coming last on it 😀

    Nearest thing I got to competition was when Mssr Trailrat above entered the Strathyre round on his rigid, but I avoided any confrontation as I was already driving home by that point, reputation intact 8)

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    haha ian i forgot about that – managed mid pack as well but that was more a war of attrition in the mud.

    when ian says 2 series he means including fort william and dunkeld right from the top !

    Northwind
    Full Member

    neil853 – Member
    I remember liking the idea of putting rigids on one of my old hardtails, went out for one ride, came back, took them off. It’s one of those ideas that sounded like a good idea in my head, not in practice.

    TBH it’s the sort of thing that can take time to adapt to. I mean, I grew up on rigid mountain bikes, then spent ages working out how to use suspension when I came back to riding, then built a rigid and had to relearn all the tricks.

    A massive tyre helps 😉

    13thfloormonk
    Full Member

    Haha, wish I’d stayed on for Strathyre, might have been the only race where I didn’t finish with only the DNFs beneath me 😆

    including fort william

    Nah, I tried it a couple of weeks before, was just misery by the bottom, trying to avoid the rut in the middle of the Offbeat wall with totally pumped arms and knackered brakes was a particular low point (as was changing V-Brake pads halfway down in the midgies and the rain!).

    dot
    Free Member

    specialknees
    Free Member

    Rigid really doesn’t feel that different to me on a short travel HT to be honest.
    I have lost count of the number of times I have left the lock-out lever locked out and not noticed.
    Did on the Passport Du Soliel for half the day when it got knocked by the chair lift. Never noticed any difference one I realized either really.
    I am rubbish though.
    Come on…own-up how many of you have left the forks on lock out and not noticed? Your arms are your suspension really.

    AndyP
    Free Member

    epicyclo. Let’s ignore the sheer hideousness of those mudguards for a moment….

    Jesus bar-ends. Red ones. In the middle of the bars. WT, and quite literally, F.

    bm0p700f
    Free Member

    I plan to the Mud Sweat and Gears this year on a Rigid SS 26er.

    shifter
    Free Member

    Someone, anyone, please post a pic of a normal rigid “26er”!

    globalti
    Free Member

    Okay, here’s my Titanium Global TH1.5 with a rigid fork. It’s very light, much much faster cross country than the other guys on their FS bikes and after a big mountain day I’ve still got lots left in the tank when they are shelled. You only notice the lack of suspension when you ride down steps and off kerbs, to be honest, the rest of the time it’s pretty darned smooth.

    FraserHughes
    Free Member

    shifter, this do you?


    Inbred on Top of Black Hill, The Pentlands by wintericemonkey, on Flickr

    Though it is SS now!

    njee20
    Free Member

    Okay, here’s my Titanium Global TH1.5 with a rigid fork. It’s very light, much much faster cross country than the other guys on their FS bikes and after a big mountain day I’ve still got lots left in the tank when they are shelled.

    My FS weighs less than that. I’d sooner ride mine, I imagine it’s quicker and less fatiguing.

    Plenty of places rigid isn’t a hinderance. Aidan of this parish rides rigid singlespeed (29er) and is quicker than I on the descents. However if we swapped he’d still be far quicker than me, just a better rider!

    I can’t imagine anything worse myself, I need the skills compensation! 🙂

    If I had the room I’d take a rigid and a hardtail to races ,then I’d do a practice lap on the rigid leaving me the option to change to the hardtail if the course is very bumpy. I enjoy rigid so much more.

    Why don’t you just take the rigid bike if you get into the top 10 and enjoy it so much more? 😕

    shifter
    Free Member

    Lovely, thanks!

    flashes
    Free Member

    BigDummy
    Free Member

    I ride and have raced on rigid bikes a fair bit. I’m very, very sceptical of anyone who claims it confers any performance advantage at all.

    The real advantage is weight saving if you’re not spending big money on a suspension fork, or money-saving if you are. And a degree of reliability.

    🙂

    epicyclo
    Full Member

    AndyP – Member
    …Jesus bar-ends. Red ones. In the middle of the bars. WT, and quite literally, F.

    They’re not for holding. They are there to keep the handlebars and levers out of the mud if I have to put the bike upside down to fix a puncture etc. Also useful for attaching lights etc.

    plop_pants
    Free Member

Viewing 36 posts - 1 through 36 (of 36 total)

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