Lucky enough to win (impoverish) myself a Salsa el mariachi SS yesterday. I’m, as the title suggests, really quite svelt. I’ve a feeling that the fork the el mariachi comes with will be harsh (I know, it’s a rigid) from what my mates say.
Any recommendations for a more compliant fork – taking my weight in to consideration? Can’t afford any niner carbon wonder struts etc. but definitely want to give rigid a go (completely new to SS too).

Should be a cromoto on the Salsa, I’d have thought? Lovely forks for rigid, definitely on the comfy end of the scale. Think you’re into truss, Lauf and bouncier if it’s it’s not comfy enough.

But you can also try carbon or Ti bars, ESI grips… Bars with more backsweep can allow you to relax your arms and transmit less to your shoulders.

And/or big front tyre. I’ve got a 3.0 knard on a Hugo in my cromoto (26er)

Before all that though, just ride it lots. takes a bit of relearning if you’ve not ridden rigid forks for a while. You need to stay lower on the bike, arms more bent, so you can extend into dips and off small drops, let the front wheel drop and keep your body steady. That was the biggest learning point for me, anyway, and probably what I should have been doing with boingy forks.

I’ve just Ebayed my eXotic rigid carbon fork; it was a good price and so smooth riding that you only noticed it wasn’t boingy if you rode off a kerb or down steps. Look here: http://www.carboncycles.cc/?m=1&

Ah… interesting. Not what I’d heard about the cromoto but yes, that’s the fork. Glad to hear that perspective!

Mate of mine recommended the ESI grips – never come across them. Will look them up.
The same mate said about Maxxis Beavers for winter riding, maybe a 2.25 on the front for a bit of give – I was already looking up the chunkiest max clearance 2.4 tyres I could find! Made me think, some people like pain.

Thanks for your input.

2.75 Dirt Wizard is a good winter tyre. Won’t come up to a decent shape unless it’s on a wide rim – 35-45 internal. This is one on a Hugo in a Cromoto.

I’m trying to look at the tyre but my eyes keep seeing the dekerf frame…

Exotic or if you can find them Pace RC31, I have quite a few RC31’2 fitted to a variety of bikes, love them……….I didn’t get on with ESI grips, I like Oury, but that’s just me…

I think though, overall, I just have to get used to it like you said. It’s the second biggest reason to go to rigid (not ridden rigid since I was 17 or something) – get better.
The main reason is simply fed up with bouncy bike either getting badly serviced by me or properly serviced by a shop.

It’s going to be harsh as hell compared to sus forks. I went from a Cromoto Grande to a carbon Firestarter, and whilst there was a slight difference in trail buzz, in reality it made bugger all difference. You still have to pick your way carefully down rocky and rooty descents oohing and aahing at basically the same speed.

Spend the money on better wheels. Oh and some Ergon style grips.

Brutal honesty. But appreciated.

jimmy, yup, I did the same as you really, it was yer standard hardtail for years, then I picked up a slightly burlier hardtail frame, wanted something different with the Dekerf, different riding experience, so went rigid and singlespeed.

Bit of relearning, which was great fun in itself, shorter forks got the a2c back to where it was on the original Z2s, quick already, now even more direct, so calming it down slightly with the big front wheel worked really nicely.