Been ridding a few years now, used to BMX but not ride a fully rigid since I was a kid (about 16!).

I have a Ti Slackline I ride for XC/trail ridding and been considering putting is On One 29″ carbon forks on for Winter XC. I’ve got a Five for the trail centres etc so it’s not my only bike.

It’s only 26″ and most rigid these days tend to be 29er?

What’s the general consensus? Silly idea because we have such good suspension or good for winter training save my lovely Pikes for Spring?

Do it, and while you’re at it, get rid of all them silly gears too.

Well worth it – especially as the weather is getting worse

It really does improve your line choices which does transfer into your other riding

I’m with fin25 – ditch the gears as well – makes it even better 🙂

Takes a bit (lot) of getting used to, but as above, can really sharpen your skills.

SS rules!

As long as it’s fat you’ll be ok.

Yeah, do it. It only takes a few minutes to swap a fork and it basically gives you 2 bikes and an extra set of trails, because everything feels so different. I always had a set of rigids around when I had a hardtail, loved it.

Forget about “saving your pikes” though, your bike parts work for you not the other way round.

Ss rigid is my go to.

Includong trailcentres.

And all wheels is small

69er it with 26 fork and 29 wheel?

Rigid, yes, good idea, back to basics blah blah blah. Single speed, don’t be persuaded, most stupidist fashion niche in cycling (unless you live in Norfolk or only ride canals).

Haha…cheers I might go for it…I thought about SS although I love the idea think I’d struggle with the reality. Do people think the C2A height on a 29er Carbon fork will be similar to a 26″ pike at 130mm?

….ps I’m not sure of the A2C measurements on the Pikes.

Yes, is great fun :). You might want softer grips though.

Do it!

nwill1 – Member

Haha…cheers I might go for it…I thought about SS although I love the idea think I’d struggle with the reality. Do people think the C2A height on a 29er Carbon fork will be similar to a 26″ pike at 130mm?

Probably, but do check- I used a 29er Exotic in my Soul and Ragley Ti, to imitate a 130mm-ish 26er fork. But a2c varies

I’ve found my carbon rigid forks are somewhere similar to 1990’s suspension forks in terms of comfort and what you can do. For simple XC they’re perfectly adequate, and fun as long as you accept their limits.

Personally, I do understand people wanting the challenge/fun of riding old skool rigid, I even get the fat bikes thing for the change, challenge, laugh and N+1, but singlespeeds is just a stupid niche/fashion beyond me (unless you live in Norfolk or only ride canal). Even my B-in-L who is quite STW fashionista, only lasted a few months on a SS before accepting it wasn’t much fun on the local terrain, or always being miles ahead or miles behind the group.

I got bored a couple years ago with going to glentress but my riding buddies kept wanting to go so I converted my bike first to SS – that was quite fun and surprisingly no slower on the climbs. Instead of slowly grinding up I had to attack until I had to walk. Average speed the same. downhill it made me concentrate on maintaining speed. Then I went to rigid. Horrid. Nearly broke my wrists and I could maintain no speed downhill and kept getting arm pump.

So give it a try for giggles but don’t have high expectations

B.A.Nana – Member

For simple XC they’re perfectly adequate, and fun as long as you accept their limits.

Yup

(it’s not me btw, it’s Jesse Wigman, racing the fort william endurance downhill on a rigid. He was, I think, 14th overall with 13 runs in 6 hours- I beat him by one place, on my downhill bike 😆 Very limited)

(also, I post this in every rigid thread)

Good for you.

No it’s a ridiculous idea and will single you out as a tightfisted weird beard to normal riders.
It’s unlikely your forks will fall to bits and the drive train will be fine if you keep on top of maintenance.

I did it once. Remain curious. It’s like meeting your hero’s – you’ll be disappointed. Go a road bike? If so ride it around one of your local mountain bike trails and see what you think.

Well I would say do it
I had a 26er that I put rigid carbon forks on and single speeded. It ended up the bike I rode the most it was really light.Orgianally built for winter but I rode it all year round, as it was easy and cheap to maintain also my mates were amazed at what you could ride on ìt. Ok a bit slower in places against full fs, but good fun and I always felt like I’d had a work out. Gone a bit more road now so have bulit a cx bike still rigid but with gears to help with the road work we have to do get any decent riding in Leicestershire.
Incedently I still have the forks hanging up in the garage I might part with if your interested.

Road bike?!? Even a standard mtb frame with rigid forks won’t give you the ideal rigid geo of weight of hands and further back – like Stooge or Jones.

I bought a secondhand rigid Cannondale Trail 29 from the classifieds and it’s all I currently ride. The Trigger, Jekyll and Fatty only get used to keep them alive. I was going to SS it but decided it was ideal for 1×11. Conti Race Kings handle the grip duties and it is excellent for 80% of my riding.

What’s the general consensus?

Try it, just because it’s a good reference point to have. Some bikes make pretty bad rigid mountain bikes, others work really well. I really liked my 26″ rigid SS, 29″ helps for XC stuff but 26″ rigid can have that big-bmx feel.

It’s like SS or HT vs FS etc, it can be harder work, it might not suit where/how you ride but even so it might be something that you somehow enjoy more. Personally I like bikes that are as simple as possible for the use they get so a step toward that is worth a try.

If you live somewhere with relatively flat, smooth, woodsy singletrack in abundance I’d go for it, but it is limiting.

I like it cos it’s cheap, lightweight and challenging and it suits where I ride

It’s been about 6 or 7 years since I’ve used suspension, but I must admit that I’m really looking forward to maybe getting a suspension fork again next summer cos it’ll revolutionise the way that I currently ride

BA Nana you are wrong. Or weak. SS only makes sense when it’s hilly. It’s hardly new or a niche either.

Definitely need to try it. I tried it 15 years ago and have never wanted to go back to suspension or gears.

To spice it up I then went fixed (as was already using fixed on road), then brakeless/fixed so my next step is a unicycle I suppose…

Do it.
Rigid singlespeed is right on many levels. Geared rigid, a bit less so, but still good. Just stand up and boss it the entire time and it won’t buck you off line (well maybe a bit 😉 ). Have fun.

I tried and can’t really manage it as it turns out I have arthritic wrists 🙁

I have a 456 (26″) with a rigid exotic carbon 29er fork on it, sets the front end to the equivalent of a 130mm 26″ fork in its sag… and it’s a joyous thing to ride. I’ve been doing a lot of cx riding this year and riding the 456 just works… love it. It’s 1×10 though, single speed is for idiots 😉

My SB66c hasn’t been ridden for months now 😳

Although a massive fan of the rigid SS (also have a C456 with some old Pace forks).

I still like to mix it up with the other bikes – so the singlespeeding is a winter thing for me

Turning my fatbike SS for the winter is always great fun and will happen as soon as the bivi season is over

full suss is about to go into mothballs for the winter or big weekends away only

Riding the SS through the winter certainly keeps your fitness up as well

i certainly couldn’t live with a SS only in my life – that’d drive me potty!

mix it up with the other bikes

that says it all. I couldn’t manage SS rigid on group rides or on more technical stuff, but use it when it’s just me on a local ride for a couple of hours.
Tried having a SS as only mtb and didn’t last long.

In almost any application, a mountain bike with a rigid fork is less good than one with a decent suspension fork. That is no kind of reason not to slap a rigid fork on your bike and try it out a bit. If nothing else, it’ll make you grateful for the suspension when the experiment is over.

🙂

I keep debating this for my Inbred. It only ever gets used for local bimbles with the wife or scooting round somewhere like Rutland water or Thetford.

If I am going anywhere else I’ll go on the full sus.

It would be nice to get rid of the suspension to have one less thing to fiddle about with/service.

In the 14 months that I’ve been using Strava (during which I’ve logged every ride including the bike used), my logs tell me that I’ve covered over 4 times the distance on my rigid bike (29er, and now with gears as knee problem meant that SS was too painful) that I’ve covered on my FS bike – Actual figures are 626km vs 133km.

In truth, if the rims hadn’t split on the secondhand 29er wheels I bought, I’d have ridden more on the rigid, it’s my goto bike, it would be more like 700km vs 70km

n almost any application, a mountain bike with a rigid fork is less good than one with a decent suspension fork.

Rubbish. For the riding in my area a rigid is perfect for 95% of the ride. Less weight, less needless moving up and down and sharper/direct handling.

Stumpy an Inbred is flippin ace Rigid! You’ll be flying around the gravel gnar of Rutland Water 🙂

As ever it depends on where (and how) you like to ride most often.

Over the decades I’ve ridden many more rigid bikes than suspended. Cut my MTB teeth on a rigid and subsequently (via necessity) developed a riding style that takes the sting out of a trail by using body weight distribution and staying quick and low. I also enjoy the technical challenges tackling (LOW SPEED) obstacles/terrain on a rigid setup

Cycling for me has been approx 80% transport/utility/touring/exploring and 20% dicking about on bridleways, hills and woodland – ie mixed terrain with road stretches or towpaths connecting offroad sections. And yes I have a beard and no I don’t compete. Saying that I’d love a slackish hardtail with 140 Revs on the front just for hammering the moors once a blue moon but atm is quite an expensive outlay just for the blue moons. TBH any forks I’ve ever specced seem to spend most of their time locked out.

normal riders

Hmm, I’m working at being normal but it just isn’t working 🙂

Bigger wheels and bigger tyres at lower pressures have now made a rigid ride much less punishing. I also like a light, tight quiet bike for all the long stretches – and rigid generally makes for lighter and tighter and quieter.

All that said, I’m deffo not an advocate for riding any one type of bike – it’s all bikes isnt it?

Yeah don’t bother trying it, if you try riding it anywhere other than a canal towpath your skeleton will immediately disintegrate!

You must be a total baddass to attempt Antur Stiniog 😆

Had a blast a project 417 also.