So I’m an unremarkable, but reasonably fit rider on an unremarkable (Scandal 29er) framed bike. Swapped all the parts from it onto a new Solaris frame last week and built the Scandal as a rigid SS – carbon forks, cheapish wheels, 32:18 gear. First time out on it yesterday (I’ve had a 26″ SS up ’til now) and I got a few PRs on the dreaded Strava round Whinlatter.
Now I can understand going faster on the South Loop climb, as the surface and gradient are pretty much ideal and the bike is pretty light, but I also got a PR on the second DH section – and I thought I’d pushed it in the past with gears and sus forks.
Am I maybe not good enough to eke out the benefits of gears/suspension. Does the twisty/smooth nature of the trail favour rigid. Have I wasted a load of money on posher bikes – because there was plenty of fun involved.
I’ll take the Tallboy round there soon and see.
p.s. not a Strava hound – just use it to log miles/set personal targets.