29er fully rigid

ton – Member

those forks look worse than the whyte preston things. my eyes hurt from looking at them.

Just for you Tony 😉

Yes I know the grass needs looking at.

I think rigid bikes can be great on smooth fast stuff and slow lumpy stuff, but fast and lumpy is a bad combo, there’s no getting away from that. Big tyres, foam grips etc it all helps a bit but none of it is true suspension with damping and yes it all isolates you but thats not always a good thing, depends where the flex/cush comes from. The biggest difference comes from your position on the bike – if you’re riding an XC-race geometry bike with long low position, 100mm or so stem etc nothing is going to make it comfy over fast bumpy stuff. But it may make up for it elsewhere.

Purely by accident only ride rigid bikes now and have barely ridden a bike with suspension in 14 months.

I have:
Surly Karate Monkey
2.4 or so tyre at 20psi on the front.
Wide Flat Bars with Barends
ESI Grips
2×10

Surly Krampus
3in Maxxis Chronicles at err less pressure.
Jones Bend Bars
ESI Grips
1×10

What I have (re)learned over the last year or so is this.

1) Get the weight off your hands if you can.
2) Multiple hand positions are good.
3) Big Tyres are good.
4) Bigger Tyres are better.
5) ESI Grips are ace!
6) Relax!!! Let the bike go and concentrate on riding smoothly.
7) Rigid riding can be tremendously rewarding but at times scary!

JohnClimber , my god, they look worse in that photo……… 😆

Chunky Monkey 2.4 and On one carbon swept bars are a cost effective way of making it pretty comfy in my experience.

I think rigid bikes can be great on smooth fast stuff and slow lumpy stuff, but fast and lumpy is a bad combo, there’s no getting away from that.

That’s the nail on the head for me. Love my rigid bike, but on certainly trails it’s just a handful and a bruising experience.

Having read some epically scathing reviews of the lauf forks by folks that have raced on them and properly put them through their paces…all I can say is god speed mr climber and may he welcome your battered and broken body into the pearly gates withoutb too much laughter for fitting such god awful shite to a bike

Double post

Tazzymtb 😀

Lucky I’m not a racer then, I’m just looking for a lightweight, maintenance free way of taking the trail buzz out of riding rigid bikes.
Best so far is the fat fronted truss fork on my Jones.

I’ll keep you posted

JohnClimber – is there a rider weight limit on those? and what did they cost? In theory that would be perfect to take the edge of my fully rigid.

double post

Looking forward to having a bounce on John’s forks in a week or so, should be a lauf a minute 🙂

Buzzard – Member
JohnClimber – is there a rider weight limit on those? and what did they cost? In theory that would be perfect to take the edge of my fully rigid.

“In theory that would be perfect to take the edge of my fully rigid” That’s what they are about, not for down hilling rock gardens.

All your info is here
http://www.laufforks.com/lauf-trail-racer/

Price here
http://www.laufforks.com/buy/

Or available through any LBS who deals with VeloBrands
http://velobrands.co.uk/lauf-forks

Because everyone knows you can’t jump a rigid bike.

Jeff jumping a Jones

What everyone else has said, AND fit a dropper seatpost – makes it easier to get your weight back on any downhill, and let the front float over stuff. And frc says ^, plan your line and try and make like a DHer and jump what you can. There are no bumps in the air 🙂

Love my Fortitude at the moment, although I must admit I’m a little concerned about the Yorkshire Dales 300 with no bounce….

ok question, if not the lauf then what rigid fork? I’m guessing for inexpensive option then the surly as you can get the bigger tyres in or is there a budget carbon option ? I’m thinking 29 or 29+ rather than full-fat

I had 2, an Exotic and a Hylix. The Exotic was flexier and heavier, the Hylix stiffer and very light. Both good but I’ll be honest, I did strugle to trust the Hylix just because of that low weight. Maybe doesn’t make any sense.

If I was buying again I’d get an Exotic. They’re really pretty flexy which I’m sure would bother some folk- hard braking was like drawing a bow 🙂 But I didn’t find it troublesome and I’m pretty sure it helped comfort. Tons of tyre clearance too.

Clink – Member
Weight off front, big tyre, swept bars and improving core strength worked for me.

Yup +1.

Dropbars might help – allows a very loose grip on horrendous stutters – and you can get further back. Get your weight on the pedals, not your saddle.

Also line choice. Kind of obvious, I know, but even on the worst stuff there’s usually a very skinny smooth bit at the edge of the track.

The biggest help has been the wider rims and tyres available over the last few years which allow lower psi.

Hoping to finish my build of a new (to me) Niner EMD tonight. I have the Niner forks which look to be really quite nice, paired them up with a Geax Gato on the front which i’m hoping is comfortable enough despite using fairly standard trail rims, also fitting some foam grips for a slightly softer interface with the bars.

One for the haters just built up today and not ridden as yet

I’ve called him Terry after the weird and wonderful Terry Pratchett

I’ve got an OO Inbred 29er with rigid Exotic carbon forks and a OO Chunky Monkey, seems soak up the bumps at low pressure. Good for the North Downs.

I only ride rigid, only ever have. Not because I dislike suspension but growing up in Oxfordshire, Wiltshire border, then London now Hampshire the need is minimal. Riding rigid add some challenge to the tame trails. I’d love a second mtb with 6″ full sus for going to big trail centers, flying DH e.t.c. but I just don’t get the chance / time. I enjoy the the rigid for natural riding even in Scotland and Wales as all the natural riding I’ve done their has been long distance stuff.

Excellent Rim-job. Are they Velocity?

TimCotic – Member
Excellent Rim-job. Are they Velocity?

If you mean my green one’s they are Stans Flows built up by Jon at just riding along

Just off the boat from Oz – here’s my old race bike. Avanti KISS 29er. EBB and very much like a Singular.

I don’t hate the Lauf fork, I like weirdness, it’s just that putting a suspension fork in a rigid bike makes it a hardtail not a rigid.

As has been said above a high volume front tyre at low pressure makes a massive difference. I use a 2.4 MK on the front of my Inbred and that’s fine. You need to adopt a different riding style as well, you can’t just smash through stuff like you can with suspension, you need to think about your line and pick out the smooth bits. I’m kind of the opinion that there isn’t much that you can’t ride on a rigid (large jumps aside), it just needs to be taken a little slower and with a bit more thought. I managed Snowdon on the rigid ss when I knackered the forks on my BFe, great fun but admittedly my arms were aching afterwards.

Gratuitous photo from a piss wet through bivi ride a couple of years ago. Promptly changed the 2.2 X-King for a 2.4 MK afterwards, a big improvement (god awful standard slippy Continental compounds aside).

I only ride rigid, only ever have. Not because I dislike suspension but growing up in Oxfordshire, Wiltshire border…..the need is minimal.

Lots of riding on the Ridgeway, etc? know it well! No point in suspension when your wheels stop going round due to chalky clay after 20 meters.
I spent my formative years in Stanford in the Vale. Quite flat round there!

I’ve just replaced my rear tyre, from a 2” Beaver @25psi winter tyre to a 2.4” Ardent @20psi, the difference is massive.

I’ve also changed my front tyre to a 4.8” Schwalbe Jumbo Jim – probably the best fat tyre I’ve used to date.

People running 20psi with tubes?

Yes – for the last 5+ years! 18psi for the front tyre if I’m running an Ardent 😉

Just finished building this up, really happy with it. 1st 29er and it flies when upto speed, just awaiting new pedals, grips and seat post.

Yes I know the yard is a disgrace atm.

People running 20psi with tubes?

Yep, 26″ rigid front, Conti Rubber Queen Apex* 2.4″, awesome!

* may weigh as much as a lightweight suspension fork!

@scandal42

32 x 20 is the magic ratio for your bike if you want to ditch the tensioner, the chain will be baggier with a sram ss chain though, i used a kmc on.

I had a 26er Soul until last autumn, when I switched to a rigid 29er (Stooge – so there is no front bounce option).

I had experimented with both rigid forks and singlesspeed on my 26er hardtails; coming to the conclusion that singlespeed was ideal for my local riding 6 months of the year – but definitely not rigid!

However, I’d reached the point where finding forks in particular was becoming difficult for my 1.1/8 headtube Soul, so I wanted to change frames.

Switching to a rigid 29er was basically a zero-cost exercise for me, as I could sell my old 26er frame, suspension forks etc for the same as rigid 29er frameset, rims and tyres were going to cost. So, I thought I’d give 29er rigid a go…

My spec is: Stooge frameset, Hope hubs / DT rims on 2.4 Mountain King Pro, 32:20 singlespeed (XTR in the cupboard!).

The result? Well, it’s definitely not as nippy or grippy as my Soul, but I was surprised how well it’s hit the spot for most of my riding.

I’m off to ride some more extreme trails later this month for the first time on the Stooge, so gears are definitely going back on – and I’ll see how the rigid 29er concept fares.

But it’s already proven itself ideal for 90% of my riding.

I spent my formative years in Stanford in the Vale.

Use to know a boy who lived behind the garage on the main road.

Yep ridge way gloop, I know people have not ridden that when they say riding in the mud is fun!

Interesting you get away with such low pressure with tubed tyres. Ill have to give that a go. Only dared 20 psi in my tubs. My tubless set up does npt feel right below 25 psi. As for forks i love my keneis forks. stable under braking and they give good steering precision. I live in east anglia so riding on rocks is not something i do. I do like those lauf forks but thats suspension. Ir die rigid because i cant afford good suspension and i have come to love rigid riding.

Turnerfan1 – Member
Johnclimber,
Looking forward to the review on the Lauf!
Thanks,
Max

Here you go Max, after 100 mile over 2 rides from this weekend.
Be warned I’m no wordsmith or reviewer, but I hope it helps and doesn’t bring out the haters.

Just remember
If you are happy with your air forks then DON’T down grade to these.

If you’re happy with rigid forks DON’T upgrade to these.

But if you ride rigid bikes and like them but want to take the “trail buzz” and numb hands and fingers out of XC riding over longer rides then Lauf Forks are your answer.

1st review
http://johnclimber.com/2015/03/14/comfycross-not-monstercross/

2nd review
http://johnclimber.com/2015/03/16/lauf-in-action/

I ride with a guy who’s on a singlespeed Singular rigid 29er. What seems to take the sting out of the ride is the carbon bars. I find it quite smooth, even after having ridden my Maverick.