Recently tweaked and serviced my Patriot, and have been *really* enjoying hitting the rockiest stuff I can find flat out and getting faster and faster.

Now I’m building up a fully rigid Salsa El Mariachi to replace the 5. The forks look reeeeally stiff.. I’m worried* that either I’ll be beaten up so much and not enjoy it, or I’ll hit the first rock garden too fast and break either the bike or me. I haven’t ridden rigid off-road since 2000.

* not seriously!

Bless 8)

…but your arms are about to get a thrashing. Run as low as you can on the tyres to help.

Put a nice big volume tyre on the front and you will be amazed what you can roll over.

Dont expect to be taking the same line the Five took though.
PS can you email details about the Revs your selling.

Rigid’s ace, it’s like an amplitude multiplier, suddenly every rock and root is massive. Which is just like seeking out rockier trails on your patriot. You might not dig it, but if you do it’s ace- miss mine.

(I’m not usually a ****, but every time I overtook a full suss on my rigid, I was a total **** about it. It’s an occupational hazard)

Just did a weekend at Afan and Cwmcarn on a Sov with Fox 36s up front and that hurt.

So much more energy needed to get up bumpy stuff, along rocky stuff and down anything but smooth stuff.

Sounds dreadful right?

I flipping loved it and when things got going it was amazing!!

Fully rigid I think would have been too much though and possibly anti social as I would probably end up keeping my riding mates waiting on that terrain. For local woodland stuff though I think it would be kinda fun.

Here’s hoping you enjoy it.

The main reason for the bike is to do long road/trail rides. In the Valleys there are loads of trails that go up over the mountains, but the valleys are full of roads so it’s 15 miles out, then trails, then 10 back. Didn’t fancy that on the 5!

I’ll investigate big front tyres.. back in 2000 I was on 1.9s 🙂

Why not get a lightweight suspension fork with a lockout ? S. Wales tracks can be pretty rocky, I’d get bored real quick without suspension.

Why not get a lightweight suspension fork with a lockout ?

I can think of 400 good reasons 🙂

Eventually I will get one for sure, but I’ll keep the rigid for TDR if I ever get to it.

I run a 2.2 Kenda Nevagal or an On-one Smogasboard both are great but the Smorg grips like nothing else so if your riding on the road I would go for something a bit smaller!

but every time I overtook a full suss on my rigid

Not relevant

hitting the rockiest stuff I can find flat out and getting faster and faster.

That sounds ironically irresponsible.

MTFU buttercup! 😉

Problem solved – StaFast – Flexstems are back! 😀

Now I’m building up a fully rigid Salsa El Mariachi to replace the 5.

What a ridiculous idea.

29+ front, sorted

im nervous for you too. I couldn’t contemplate using my rigid off road where i use my bouncy bikes..

I use a rigid bike everywhere.. The steep rooty, rocky valleys and tors of Dartmoor are great fun..

Long fast bumpy descents are a bit of a drag and you’ll have to adjust your technique and speed accordingly on technical sections.. Embrace the experience 🙂

🙂 greatape

Just start slowly and build up.
My rigid el mar is great

I’ve currently got an El-Mariachi, and it’s currently rigid.

The Salsa forks are stiff, no 2 ways about it, stiffer than the singular forks I had before (which are quite nice actualy). 2.2-2.3 tyres help a bit but I’ve had 2.1’s in the summer once it’s been dry for a few weeks to alow the hard edges of hoof prints etc to get kncocked off. It’s actualy IME more like a FS bike to ride. Riding a HT yu can compensate for the rear by weighting the forks as much as you dare through technical bits, whereas o a rigid bike it’s much more about keeping neutral/back and letting the bike do what little it can underneeth you.

“Now I’m building up a fully rigid Salsa El Mariachi to replace the 5.”

What a ridiculous idea.

Not so ridiculous, mine relgated the Pitch to a 2nd bike. It’s simply more fun more of the time when you’re not in the mindset for an uplift or ‘winch and plumet’. It doesn’t have the same invunrability on rocky decents as the Pitch with huge tyres had, but it is more fun the other 95% of the time.

You’ll be surprised what you can get away with but yeah you’ll have to alter you line and/or speed. Short rocky sections you can try to ping/skip over the top of, prolonged bumpy downhills are where I struggle and really slow down.

whereas o a rigid bike it’s much more about keeping neutral/back

Interesting point, I ride rigid, ht and fs but pretty sure I don’t alter my riding style much across them, due to me being unable to rather than choice, reckon this might hold me back* sometimes.

*from going faster, smoother, flowier, having more fun, take your pick