On mtb? Loving the simplicity, not loving the arm pump*

Anyone abandoned suspension?

*I need to HTFU & develop Popeye style arms

yep. I went fully rigid a few years back now. It’s all I really need around Mt Malvern.

If I do get some suspension again it will be for Alpine stuff, and I;ll get some hoofing great 29er full sus.

I used to.

It suited a ss well, but on a geared bike I found that a suspension fork was preferred and faster.

I’ve got a couple of riding mates that do. I suspect its because they too like the simplicity – and they are mechanically challenged 🙂

Having said that though, they are no slower than me on my FS over pretty much any type of terrain. What they lack in suspension they make up for in lightness. (normally they are faster)

I have a HT. It has done 600 miles this year. My rigid has done > 1600 miles this year. I still reach for the rigid first when I go to the shed.

Did three months earlier this year on a SS steel frame with on-one carbon fork. 2.3″ Conti Baron helped take the sting out but you have to try and ride ‘loose’ as much as possible and not be overly concerned if the front wanders around a bit on the rough stuff.

Did 6 weeks on a fat bike over the summer – had more issues with wrists than on the non-fat – I think because there was more bike wrangling involved with the heavier front end (and it was dry so speeds were faster).

On the whole I really didn;t miss suspension over the winter. For the lats 6 weeks in bone dry weather I’ve been riding a 140mm FS bike and, tbh, it’s faster and easier to ride but lacks the intellectual rewards that fully rigid done well has 🙂

I’ve not touched my HT with 120mm forks since I got the Stooge.
I can see myself just leaving it for bigger days out at the moment.
Definitely won’t be coming out over winter.

Neither of my MTB’s are rigid, although I am tempted to ditch the Reba fork on the Inbred and replace it with one of those Carbon Cycles Exotic rigid forks. One less thing to worry about maintenace-wise and it never gets ridden anywhere that really warrants suspension.

Snigger..

I did until 2001.

My next frame purchase will be a 29er HT and rigid fork, for my TDR bike.

yerp.. That’s me that is 😀

I’m utterly mechanically inept and a skinflint to boot..
Mk II Soul with Exotic carbon fork for the last 3 years or so, it’s fast and hilarious on the pebble bed heath of Woodbury Common, and Dartmoor is completely rideable although I’ve had to improve my track standing skills to cope with the really nadgery stuff up there..

I reckon I would probably ride faster with a suspension fork, and at some point in the next five years I will probably get my old revs serviced as I worry for the Soul’s headtube , but not yet though…

Yes me, Niners rigid, CX’ers rigid and so too the roadie..

Yup, realised that the 140mm HT was perfect for 5% of my riding so flogged it and went 29 SS rigid, which is much better for the 95%.

(Now with chain tension!)

Yes.
SS MTB is rigid. Kilauea with RC31s. It’s not ideal on some stuff but I know (usually) my limitations and those of the bike too
HT MTB is geared (but gets out far far less miles than SS)..

Road bike – rigid
29er SS – rigid
Drop bar 29er – rigid
Fat bike – rigid
Hack bike – rigid
Alpine bike (also for toddler carrying duties) – full suss

So not quite.

genuine question; apart from maintenance and simplicity, are there further reasons for running rigid forks when single-speeding?

Yes, I’ve been riding a rigid 29er since February, only taken the full sus out twice for big hike-a-bike stuff.

The arm pump can get quite bad but I’m running quite a wide flexy set of carbon bars, 2.3″ tyres at 20psi (tubeless) and quite a twangy salsa firestarter fork. So the bike doesn’t actually feel harsh to ride, only really an issue on fast bumpy stuff.

are there further reasons for running rigid forks when single-speeding?

not really. At least no more than “just because”. just that the directness of a v light, ss build is kind of amplified with the feel of rigid forks. Even moreso if you they are torsionally stiff too – i.e. with a nice fat hub, or in my case with trusses.

Wrong uns the lot of ya 😉

Been cycling around on front suspension for a month now on a clockwork 29er. First experience of them after ten years on a rigid orange c16r. Think I will definately go back to rigid in the next few weeks mainly for the weight save, 1 to 1.5kg!

Yes, been rigid all year and much prefer it on the whole. The only time I’ve wanted some suspension is when doing multiple fast laps chasing mates on full sussers around degla or coedy which can get a little draining towards the end, and I do wonder if the achey fingers for a few days after are leading to any permanent damage!

97% of the time I love it and even think I am faster most of the time.

Occasionaly, I did flirt with 29er suspension forks recently, now back to rigid. It’s harder work, but for average Surrey Hills, Swinley, Berkshire riding suspension doesn’t add much more than comfort.

I own a full suspension bike and ride it occasionally but the majority of my riding is rigid – either CX commuter or rigid 29er (running geared at the moment as I’m having problems with my knees).

Yes, sold my 32 TALAS, and made the commitment to full rigid. Suits my local lone riding, and ditched the gears too. I love the faff free simplicity, just a bit of lube and check tyres are pumped. I did up grade to a 2.4″ Rubber Queen Protection Black Chilli on the front which, i think, is an awesome tyre.

… i’d probably cry halfway round the Borrowdale Bash though 😯

…. although having said that, i did ride the Bash on a Cannondale aluminium fork back in the day 🙄

… without crying 😛

are there further reasons for running rigid forks when single-speeding?

If you ride a ss as I do – desperate for momentum and honking up climbs in a gear that I can’t really push, a fork that doesn’t bob is important. 😳

If you’re a better rider I suspect it matters a lot less

are there further reasons for running rigid forks when single-speeding?

not really. At least no more than “just because”. just that the directness of a v light, ss build is kind of amplified with the feel of rigid forks. Even moreso if you they are torsionally stiff too – i.e. with a nice fat hub, or in my case with trusses.[/quote]

I’d say that the some of the usual ss riding style (like when you’re having to muscle the bike up a hill or over something techy) are more conducive to a rigid fork. It’s not an all or nothing thing, but combined with the “simplicity” thing they do seem to go together well. What he ^^ said about bobbing is important!

I was exclusively rigid for a long time, pretty much from when I started riding in 1986 through to succumbing to a proper full-suss about 5 years ago. There were short dallies with suspension in there, but nothing that lasted more than a couple of rides really. A big chunk of that was exclusively single speed too.

I’m now more evenly spread. Rigid singlespeeds, sus-fork singlespeed, full sus etc etc. Oddly the only bike I haven’t really been able to find a home for (and I’ve tried on at least 3 occasions) is a geared hardtail. It’s probably the flavours I’ve tried but they just haven’t clicked. Full sus and gears yes, rigid or sus and singlespeed yes, so far nothing else.

I think a racier fast hardtail, maybe a 29er, might find a home. But I don’t ride the bikes I’ve got enough as it is

Knard in the front helps A LOT!

Well rigid with fear perhaps.

I received my new exotic carbon fork yesterday.
It’s going on my old hoodoo frame which I am building up 1×10
with 34 front 11-34 rear out of the part worn parts bin.

This bike is going to be exclusively a mud bike, shod in 2″ beavers as the trails here turn to shite for at least 4 months of the year. Thing is the forks are so damn Purdy and I am fighting the urge to cosset them due to this fact.

Not here, do dabble with it but as yesterday’s monster CX ride made clear, rigid is fun til you get tired and the more rocky/rutted the route the quicker you get tired…..and then you’re in a world of pain.

Looking to go rigid ss for the majority of winter, as I did a few years back, I’ll see how it goes.

If you ride a ss as I do – desperate for momentum and honking up climbs in a gear that I can’t really push, a fork that doesn’t bob is important

this is also true, but sus fork lockouts have been pretty common for several years now 🙂

Going to have to try rigid this winter, but last night’s change of route proves I would find it hard to ride rigid exclusively.

Had almost convinced myself rigid was the way forward due to mainly riding long low tech or short steep and slow over the past 6 months.

Then last night we rode some very fast rocky stuff that we used to ride all of the time and was grateful for the forks, even though I was running them much harder than ever before.

Yep, set up an IBIS Tranny as a rigid bike. Like it a lot, snappy, quick, funn and fast. But, nursing tennis elbow symptoms from tree roots and rocks… there is only so much that my arms can soak up…

Do like it though..

Yep all 5 mountain bikes are ss and rigid and happily smash (well, very slowly meander) up down and over anything in wales, the peak, local woodsy fluff, Harden the **** up, you’ll not get into B.P.R with nancy arms

Since building up my Karate Monkey (rigid natch) in January I have ridden that 95% of the time.

The trails round my way suit it and I do like the simplicity.

It’s also been to the Dales, Long Mynd, Thetford and the Hills North of Cardiff. There were a couple “oh f***!” moments on Long Mynd where I was going too fast just before thing but aside from that its been ace.

Sounds very unpurist but having a dropper post or at least a post you can lower significantly helps massively. The KM has a bend in the Seat tube which means a dropper is a better option.

I’m exclusively rigid also.

Most of my riding is local bumbling so don’t need suspension. As mentioned above, a sus fork when you’re out of the saddle grunting is a bit of pain (never liked the feeling of suspension squatting anyway).

Yep, all bikes rigid and SS except the fixed ones. I don’t have “pump” problems but do get sore hands, except on the Pugsley, but I mainly ride Ashton Court, hard stone man made trails………

I did for 6 years (and ss) but then I bought a DH bike!

Out of interest how many of you, that have gone full retard rigid, have beards?