What experiences have people had?
I built a carbon whippet, with everything on it carbon and super light, thought it would be fun on the blue at Llandegla, it bounced me around like nobody's business and my hands were killing, but I was 3 minutes quicker round than normal and the fast parts were really really good fun. Think if I put some larger tyres on and thicker grips I could go ever quicker.
Llandegla is better on a HT than FS for me, don't own a rigid but I reckon it'd be fun on one.
A mate (who is a little mental) did the red on his CX bike with no real dramas.
Been around Llandegla red/black on cx bike and rigid singlespeed. Had fun on both.
It teaches you to pick your lines a lot more I think, was thiking all the time 'I don't want to hit that!'
Recently built up a Stooge (3" front, 2.4" rear) and ridden it round Swinley and QECP so far.
It's fine for 95% of the time but I've yet to master keeping the front end light on the rough stuff when pointing downhill - it's fine for flattish rough stuff but not having the 'pop' from the forks make it more difficult to loft the front end on descents.
On one fatty with carbon forks was great around Whinlatter and Dalby, beat most of my time s on all Strava sections compared to previous times on my old 5 and Clockwork
I have done a lot of Swinley on my fully rigid. It's better when you know it because you know where all the potholes and bumps are and you can avoid them.
It held to use higher gears and heave on the bars standing up, like singlespeeders do.
Chunky monkeys made my unit much more fun at llandeglla and everywhere else
Some manitou towers made it even more fun tho!
Love it- bit easier on the 29er scandal than it was on the rigid 26er carrera mind. It's not better or worse, just very different- on some trails it's almost like riding a totally different trail. Drumlanrig black was a highlight, suited it so well... Last rigid ride was glentress EWS #enduro stages and that was more sort of [i]interesting[/i] than fun but still, good ride.
my 26er 2.5 nevegal singleply was the king of rigid tyres 😆 Correct pressure was the exact point at which my joe blow noticed there was pressure. Did roll it right off the rim in the glentress seven one year though.
I've done it in the past, but don't really bother anymore. I think, one way or another, you end up trying to get some form of suspension. Bigger tyres, tubeless, bigger grips, gel pads in your gloves, larger saddles, more short padding.
I used to ride a 17lb 26" Airborne LS around the Dalby red on a regular basis. Proper rigid, 26", 2.1 Speedkings running at 40psi. Always felt like i'd done the distance at the end of the ride.
Yeah I think I might stick some bigger tyres than SB8s on for next time kimbers.
ridden a number on a steel ht with carbon rigids. had an awesome time. just stay light.
I pulled a muscle in my back hitting a downhill at FoD too fast on a steel forked HT, as the time before I rode it I was on a FS & approached it in the same mindset/technique. Now more used to it I'm smoother & pick lines better
My fav bike for Glenlivet is my merlin malt with rigid forks. Nice and light for the ups, and nothing too technical to impede me on the downs.
I've done Llandegla Inc the freeride section and a weekend at Antur Stiniog on my Stooge.
The Stooge is however 29+ and way more capable than it appears the front end is high and easily unweighted riding style needs to alter but I found I could ride very rough sections and suffer less arm pump than on a suss bike.
Stooge is a very different beast to a whippet though I'm not sure I'd fancy stiniog on one of those.
y fav bike for Glenlivet is my merlin malt with rigid forks. Nice and light for the ups, and nothing too technical to impede me on the downs.
Did Kirro red on a rigid 2001 LX Merlin Malt with 2.0 highrollers at 40 psi 😯 after a looong lay off the MTB. Aside from being a bit rusty I got round fairly rapidly.
Helps that I learned to MTB on a rigid bike. Stay loose and smooth and be prepared to learn quickly
Ride my 29er rigid thing at GT quite a bit. With a chunky front tyre it's bearable but I do get one hell of a beating on rougher bits. I also get bounced off the trail if i get carried away, usually at least one minor crash per lap. On balance my full sus is way more fun at most trail centres but I ride the rigid just out of habit as it never goes wrong.
I have ridden my rigid SS at GT on a mix of Red, Black and off piste stuff. For the Red it's totally fine. On the shorter Black and off piste stuff if it's good fun. However if it is long trail like the Boundary or bumpy one like Ho Chi Min then it is more of an endurance than enjoyable.
It is crap on ho chi minh 😀 Usually you might try to go light or gap the rough stuff but you'd have to take off at the top corner and land in the trees 😆 But at the same time it's not really challenging or engaging, it's just shoogly.
it bounced me around like nobody's business and my hands were killing
I've found there's a fine balance between tyre pressure and "bouncing around/hand pain".
Also relaxing your grip whenever possible helps. But yeah, it's gonna be harder work and some sections you just gotta accept you'll be riding slower than you think you can (even flatter sections when it's properly bumpy).
I used to ride a 17lb 26" Airborne LS around the Dalby red on a regular basis. Proper rigid, 26", 2.1 Speedkings running at 40psi. Always felt like i'd done the distance at the end of the ride.
Did these the other week on my rigid LS. Was properly beaten up after Dalby!
Don't know about trail centres, but took my Stooge up Helvellyn and over sticks pass today with no problems. Kept up with a giant reign, orange five and a lappiere spicy, well I left one of them lagging behind a bit. No arm pump, sore back or any of that nonsense. It's like riding a 160/150mm trail bike but without the suspension. It's ****ing ace, but not your average ridgid bike.
Apart from that, sometimes I would rag my drop barred Perigrine round Whinlatter whilst passing over the pass. That was fun but trail centres are usually quite smooth apart from all the braking bumps coming into corners and berms.
Oh, and ESI grips, extra chunky are king.
I use ESIs on my 901. Love them.
They are damn comfy.
Honestly can't think of a single "official" trail at GT that isn't rideable on a 20" BMX with 70psi in the tyres.