Well quite a surprise really, for the first time in my MTB life, about 15 years, I have tried riding a fully rigid bike properly offroad. I very quickly chucked a pair of RST Mozo Pro's on my first bike all those years ago.

I really enjoyed it. Made me slow down a tad and concentrate on riding properly and paying attention to line choice. Very easy to lift the front to smooth out obstacles. I'll be doing more of it from now on.

Anyone else never tried it?

I rode with rigid forks for the first time on saturday. Was nowhere near as bad as i thought it would be. Big wheels, big tyres at low pressure and steel forks make a heck of difference. In a couple of sections I forgot that I had no travel, clearly not as important as I thought it was!

Yeah – the positives for a general XC type ride easily outweight the negatives it seems. I've put some carbon 69er forks on my inbred and have only used it for road stuff until last weekend. However jumping around is right out, caused my knees all sorts of gyp and I packed that in pretty quick!

I di d it back in the day and dabbled in the early noughties. It's crap (for me and my riding).

concentrate on riding properly and paying attention to line choice

Both of which are possible with suspension.

The thing that struck me has how much of the minor bumps, roots etc are ironed out by the tyres/wheels/rigid forks. I was expecting a quick, clattery ride but what i got was a quick and fairly smooth ride. I am still going to get some sus forks for my 29er, but maybe not as quickly as I'd planned.

Take your point re the same being possible with suspension and I'm not saying I will stop using suspension, just surprised at what a refreshing change it made really.

I still feel that suspension systems are only for people over forty-five. Isn’t it better to triumph by the strength of your muscles than by the artifice of a shock? We are getting soft… As for me, give me a fully rigid!

i think you have to give it time, first ride on rigid (ti frame and carbon forks/bars) after full suss, or just front suss, was a bit teeth chattery, and my shoulders hurt.

couple of rides later i am getting smoother, I dont hurt, i love it.

And i feel like i am flying downhill, in reality i am going at the same, possibly slower in some areas, but it feels faster!

climbing is a revelation

Hmmm… can't imagine riding fully rigid in the Alps!

Yes climbing, getting out of the saddle has never been so appealing.

I still feel that suspension systems are only for people over forty-five

I still feel that rigid is for anyone that's gay enough to ride slower or less hardcore than me on nancy-boy smooth terrain.

over 45 ,, tut tut Mike,,

I have been riding full sus SS for the last 10 years, but no it's back to ma' roots man

rigid SS ti 29er on it's way lets see how my old bones keep up

Is that fixed too mike? 😉

I still feel that rigid is for anyone that's gay enough to ride slower or less hardcore than me on nancy-boy smooth terrain.

over 45 ,, tut tut Mike,,

The over 45s should also be the only ones using variable gears.

😉

lol at mike!

ok Mike my SS preston is sometimes an 8 speed alfine preston ,,but now i am over 45 I have an excuse,,,

adrian ward 47 1/2

I think you've proven my point Mike, quoting a gang of single-speed nimrods.

Suspension – severely overrated and usually not necessary unless you’re really pushing it on the technical stuff. Fully rigid is so much fun, I only put my suspension forks back on when I need some insurance against the big drop-offs.

If you want a blissfully smooth ride, choose a nice road :^)

I rode a rigid for the winter before last. Prior to that I ran a rigid from 1993 to 1998. Rigid has its place but I much prefera HT or FS.

I think you've proven my point Mike, quoting a gang of single-speed nimrods.

Who are all quoting one person 🙂

Don't get me wrong, I'm not suspensionist. Some of my friends ride suspension.

Made me slow down a tad and concentrate on riding properly and paying attention to line choice.

Ie mincing and avoiding all the interesting bits. 😛

I rode a fully rigid mtb when I was a kid, won't be going back to it thanks. Maybe if your regular riding is just farm tracks and fields.

I even considered trying it, to see if I liked it.

my mountain bike evolution went something like this

1987 kona cinder cone rigid
1989 scott pro racer then 1993 (i think) added wp rond forks
1994/5 hand built full sus bike built around WP shock
1998 lots of marin and whyte stuff
2010 back to full rigid

"Ie mincing and avoiding all the interesting bits"

Not really, its was a local xc track and I rode all the same stuff I usually do. If I go to a DH track I'll take a FS. I'm not saying that one is better than the other, just that it was a good thing to try having never tried it before. 🙂

i raced fully rigid at the weekend, was ok, dont think i would have been any faster with my sids on, infact there were a few sections at crowthorne where lifting your forks over roots and bumps was easier and probably faster

its all good

Been riding fully rigid every winter since I started riding in 1990. My cotic gets bouncy forks in the summer but the SS stays rigid all year. Living in the south we don't have granite, slate or limestone, no nearby trail centres, just mud! so why do I need suspension forks?