Rigid riding can be easier on steep stuff as you don’t get fork dive. It’s about relearning technique old Skool riding techniques. Ankles and wrist down, weight back, keep front wheel light, replace rear wheel every 6 months 🙂

replace rear wheel every 6 months

I recently had to do a few adjustments to my rear wheel after a few weeks of gnarr-lite on my local single track.

*has awful flashback of trying the corner of doom on a rigid*

Having ridden it succesfully on a squishy bike I was doing really well on the rigid until the very final bit – the very hardest bit which involves a steep drop followed by an immediate right angle turn. the lack of give in the forks “surprised” me and I went over the bars landing flat on my chest and cracking a rib. Oww that hurt for bloody ages.

Been researching big tyres and the weight is scaring me more than bumps that come with rigid downhill ! Are Racing Rallphs the lightest? I’m defo going to try some spongy foam grips …

Love riding rigid fork on the salsa el mariachi round Epping. The descents aren’t long by any means but they are steep & technical plus they are all natural & never maintained so new hazards appear & each ride can involve a different line especially after some bad weather. Really get the feeling of being on the edge.

Surely strong and heavier Is better for a rigid bike that will be doing bits of gnar rather than being weight conscious?

The new fork in the salsa is mahoosive plus it’s 15mm bolt through I run a 2.35 Nobby NIc about 25psi but I weight nish so sometimes it’s me that gets bounced around more than the bike.
Took some go pro footage yesterday from a Hackney GT film & photo shoot in Epping with Geoff Wagh chasing Russ the owner down nice section. See if I can get it uploaded from him, he was on an old FS Rocky Mountain Vertex.

To explain how well a 3″ tyre with low pressure rolls would inevitably lead into a wheel size/ fat bike debate and there’s plenty of them already however after a few months riding the Krampus I went on my mates Orange Five and the difference is night and day. It didn’t roll as well due to the steeper angle I suppose rolling against rocks, the tyres looked stupidly skinny even though they are high volume 2.35s I think, but the suspension made it possible to plough through rocks whereas on a rigid you defo need to pick your line.
Put it this way I got battered on Hagg Farm whereas he cruised it.
However and against all the odds as he always used to take the piss out of my 29er, he understood the attraction and simplicity of it all.
Dunno if its the tyres, wheels, rigidness or overall package but…. And as a man I’m ashamed to say it, I have lost my urge for N+1.

miketually – Member

He struggled to drive home

This can be avoided by riding home.

Not if you don’t drive it can’t 😉

my be complete ‘small cows’ due to the Six Point Bengal Tiger I have partalkekn of tonight 😆

Oh and rigid rocks, F/S rocks, it;’s all good \m/

sorry I forgot I was on STW which means If I don’t point out the exact place im making the question reference to im wrong

🙂

I was hoping Rorschach was going to come back with a more helpful retort after you cleared up your misunderstanding, but no…