Rigid mountain bikes

I’ve been riding a scandal with rigid forks for the last few years and I love it so much that I’ve hardly ridden my full suspension bike

With a decent carbon fork, 29er x 2.6 tyres and ergon grips and a slack head angle ive not felt beat up and I’m not that much slower downhill. I love riding rigid, none of the fuss of a suspension fork or the maintenance and a lot lighter.

I find it the happy medium between a mountain bike and gravel bike. It can do anything.

Im currently looking for something else, what off the shelf rigid mountain bikes are available?

I don’t want steel, I do what 3 mounting points on the fork. Must be a 29er with at least 2.6 inch tyre clearance but I don’t want a fat bike. Threaded bb if possible. I prefer shimano to sram. Not bothered about rack mounts as I have a hub mounted rack I can use.

So far I’ve got

Frontier Deore Rigid

Trek 1120

https://www.tritoncycles.co.uk/mountain-bikes-c1/hardtail-c17/trek-1120-adventure-touring-bike-2022-p40118/s102841?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=trek-1120-adventure-touring-bike-2022-sizes-l-colours-matte-nautica-sizes-l-colours-matte-nautical-navy-1049235&utm_campaign=product%2Blisting%2Bads&cid=GBP&glCurrency=GBP&glCountry=GB&gclid=Cj0KCQjwxMmhBhDJARIsANFGOStv6l6eK2xPtKmmouxRvhnckJBOSBP0xT_zt49oP3NF4p-el-lN6xkaApn9EALw_wcB

If there’s nothing better out there I’ll just buy the trek 1120 fork for my scandal.

What other off the shelf rigid mtbs are there? Links really appreciated.

Thanks

Stooge, supplied frame & fork (various models available secondhand or get in the queue for a new one) so you’ll need to build it yourself or get it built. Fantastic rigid bikes, I have a Mk4 mullet wheels and had a Mk1 650b+. Hannah of STW fame had one and has featured in the mag.

👆👆👆 Yeah but he said no steel.
Ludicrous position imho, but it takes all sorts. 🙂

Most fat / half fat bikes can often take 29er wheels.

👆👆👆 Yeah but he said no steel.

Ludicrous position imho, but it takes all sorts. 🙂

Im asking for a rigid mountain bike so there’s obviously something wrong with me 🤣

I just don’t get steel. It’s heavy, it rusts. It’s more expensive and when you have at least 29er x 2.6 inch tyres you can’t really feel the frame in my opinion.

You do get some very good steel frame and forks that don’t weigh shed loads but there’s a premium for that.

I’m happy with aluminium or carbon

@damascus you’ll find a lot of bikes built specifically for rigid riding are steel…

Stooge, Surly, Brother are 3 that come to mind.

Why no love for steel? 😉

I just don’t get steel. It’s heavy, it rusts. It’s more expensive and when you have at least 29er x 2.6 inch tyres you can’t really feel the frame in my opinion.

Must admit I feel the same way, chunky tyres have transformed the (previously harsh) ride of two of my bikes…

I like the look of the skinny tubes but have never ridden a steel bike (discounting my late 80s Peugeot Carbolite 10speed)..

There aren’t many off the shelf rigid mtb’s available as far as I know, and even less that aren’t steel

You could look to Olsen bikes? All Ti, rigid available

I don’t know the models, but this looks decent if you have some parts laying around:
Swan Titanium MTB – Rolling Chassis with Carbon Boost MTB Fork

Why no love for steel? 😉

I do a bit of bike packing, I’ve spent small fortunes updating kit to save 100 grams. I just can’t bring myself to add kgs to a frame and fork! When I can’t feel the difference in ride quality.

Must admit I feel the same way, chunky tyres have transformed the (previously harsh) ride of two of my bikes…

Glad I’ve got some support 😁

There aren’t many off the shelf rigid mtb’s available as far as I know, and even less that aren’t steel

Yes, that’s what I’ve found, they are few are far between. Looks like I might just buy the trek 1120 fork and keep the scandal going. Maybe treat it to a new drive train instead.

Next to no off the shelf rigid builds these days. Kona unit perhaps or surly but that’s the steel thing which you don’t want. Not up to date with what models they have but the trek stache could tick boxes perhaps? May need to be second hand.

Tricky if you don’t want steel

Carbon hard tail with a carbon fork (like an Enve or Travers prong)

It’s heavy, it rusts

Heavy – maybe, depends – my El Mariachi is about 26lbs with no effort at all on saving weight, except the carbon fork. Oh and the tyres are decently light, 2.3 Racing Ralphs.

Only certain grades of steel rust though, decent ones don’t. As for expensive – I can’t say these days but mine wasn’t.

I’d maybe reconsider the 2.6″ tyre requirement as well. 2.3s are fine for me I’m about 90(ish) kg and it’s very rocky here in South Wales, and that’s enough to go as fast as is feasible on a rigid bike. I run 23psi in them.

All steel apart from stainless rusts internally unless it has had some kind of dip treatment. I’ve repaired rotted through Reynolds 853 so the fancy steel won’t rust is definitely a myth.

Specialized Chisel allegedly takes a 2.5 tyre and that is about as light and springy as aluminium gets. Frame only and add your own fork, but probably cheaper to get a complete bike and sell the unused sus fork.

Ridley used to do a nice rigid hardtail – Merlin has them and looked quite nice but all sold a while ago.

If steel is out of the question (which is a crying shame in my opinion as a Stooge Mk4 owner), why not go the whole hog and get a Ti Jones? There’s one for sale on LFGSS at the moment that the owner did the GDMBR on…

Can’t say I like the look of either the Frontier or the 1120. The Trek is more obviously disgusting, but the Frontier also has something about it I dislike, the geometry at the front vs geometry at the rear, maybe it would look better in the flesh. – not that what i think about them should matter to you! –

I recently realized a 2.6″ tyre easily fits inside Exotic CC forks, so have got a Slaughter 27.5 x 2.6″ up front, and a Minion SS 27.5 x 2.4″ rear. Pumped up the tyres hard so it rips on the road, but need to let a little out to reduce the jarring off road (think I put ~ 40 psi in the front initially!). Frame is a cheap BX HT-01 from CRC and if I remember rightly, 29er Exotic forks to make up for the lack of the recommended 120-140mm sus fork for that frame.

not that what i think about them should matter to you! –

I know exactly what you mean. A rigid frame and fork should look like they belong together rather than an after thought.

I was sure I’d seen mention of Sonder Broken Road with a rigid fork but no pics on their website. It takes 100mm fork as standard though so could be swapped for a rigid one.
Where does titanium fit in the ‘not steel’ wish list? It is also 3 times the price of the Frontier and the Frontier comes with a fork!

Where does titanium fit in the ‘not steel’ wish list?

There’s always room for titanium, preferably raw and unpainted. The only issue with ti is price. Needs to have a good warranty too.

Found an old pic with matchy matchy fork on an image search. A couple of bikes down the article below.
https://www.bikeradar.com/news/sonder-a-new-bike-brand-from-british-outdoors-experts-alpkit/
Certainly looks the business. No idea how it stacks up in geometry to what you are looking for.

The Sonder is the obvious choice. They’ll do any build you want. I wonder if they’d let you supply your own fork.

The only other thing I can come up with is this. But it’s expensive and not really what you want.

Orbea Alma M-Ltd

So as above it’s probably about making a hard tail rigid

But it’s expensive and not really what you want.

Its on sale! Just £6999 😝

https://www.jejamescycles.com/product/2814849/orbea-orbea-alma-m-ltd-mtb-carbon-gold-2022/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwxMmhBhDJARIsANFGOSsFSP8odv72iIaW1Qqk1WxStA_BSP3n1c3T9D4pYtmgGF2nhmtBC7YaArfxEALw_wcB

On One Whippet.

First light MTB I’ve ever owned and realised a very light bike is significantly faster on the hills and acceleration. So much that I choose that over my full sus most the time, simply because it’s less work to ride, and much less maintenance. The full sus is only better on decents and very long rides.

Steel is no good if you want lightweight. It might be more comfortable, but that flex will depend on your weight; a very light rider probably won’t benefit from a steel frame’s characteristics.

I have a Sonder Broken Road and alpkit swapped the fork to a carbon pathfinder fork which can be seen on there site

Might also know one coming up for sale if you are XL…

Might also know one coming up for sale if you are XL…

I’m 6ft3 🙂

I didn’t know alpkit sold them separately. That makes a new build n the c2w scheme a possibility. 🤔

£339

Sonder Pathfinder

Looks similar to planet x carbon fork with 3 bolts. They don’t advertise it but you can spec it on a build if you email them, £250.

Still hard to beat the trek 1120 fork that has the front rack mounts and is slightly longer at 510 a2c.

https://www.tritoncycles.co.uk/frames-forks-c6/rigid-forks-c51/trek-1120-adventure-touring-fork-p20815

I’ve repaired rotted through Reynolds 853 so the fancy steel won’t rust is definitely a myth.

Conversely I have owned lots of steel bikes that haven’t rusted (beyond a tiny bit of surface rust) even when the paint’s been scratched off, so there must be something happening to make some bikes rust and not others.

I’ve never kept bikes in a cold damp shed though.

First light MTB I’ve ever owned and realised a very light bike is significantly faster on the hills and acceleration.

Simply not true. A bike weighing 2kg less will in no way be “significantly” faster. A lighter bike (especially tyres) feel a lot nicer to ride and handle to me so it is more important than outright speed but a 2kg difference in weight will make a pretty much unnoticeable difference in overall speed.
I have 10 years of Strava ride data that tells me that…

Titus Silk Road? PX have done them for £999 in the recent past, with Eagle GX.


They’ve also done frame only for @ £350, so maybe worth a look…

All steel apart from stainless rusts internally unless it has had some kind of dip treatment. I’ve repaired rotted through Reynolds 853 so the fancy steel won’t rust is definitely a myth.

My shand is some form of fancy steel.  At the dropouts it is unpainted.  No rust at all.  I don’t think its true stainless steel but clearly has anti rust properties

I just don’t get steel. It’s heavy, it rusts

I’ve got a 26 year old Kona that is neither heavy nor rusty 🤷

One ‘environmental’ issue to throw into the mix is that steel frames require far less energy to manufacture than any other material, alu is next, then Ti, with carbon pretty horrific on this and almost every other measure too. Harmful when disposed of, nasty stuff. Anyone got a link to the research that Trek published?
Confession: I like the way steel rides.

I do a bit of bike packing, I’ve spent small fortunes updating kit to save 100 grams. I just can’t bring myself to add kgs to a frame and fork! When I can’t feel the difference in ride quality.

I see your point about big tyres making the relative harshness of aluminium less of an issue than it used to be, but I think you are overestimating the weight penalty of steel here.

This is the only thing I could find now, but if you take a Niner steel and aluminum gravel bike, then with all else equal the former is only a few hundred grams heavier.

https://www.ninerbikes.com/products/rlt-9-steel/
https://www.ninerbikes.com/products/rlt-9/

The fork has a bigger impact I think, given that carbon forks are close to a kg lighter than a heavy, tapered, thru axle steel fork.

Rust is also pretty easily avoided with something like ED coating. They can be expensive though, no arguing with that.

@highlandman

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/carbon-frames-produce-more-emissions-than-alloy-and-more-key-points-from-treks-sustainability-report.html

I’m not fan of steel. Had a few, and they’ve never struck me as particularity ‘magical’. I borrowed a Kona Explosif for a day on the back of glowing reviews from it’s owner and it remains the dullest bike I’ve ever ridden.

I’m not fan of steel. Had a few, and they’ve never struck me as particularity ‘magical

I’ve got a Kona and a PP Shan, both steel

Wouldn’t have the faintest idea if they ride any nicer than alu though, they are just bikes 🤷🤣

Big enough tyres (true 2.4-2.5) and a good, non XC race type of riding position is what makes rigid MTBs fast imo. The ability to hold speed through having confidence you won’t be pinged off too easily. You will be bounced about to some extent, it’s just how much the bike will let you cope with before you get to the point where you’re backing off or just off.

Non-stainless steel rusts, for sure. Oxidisation. Rust in frames or forks isn’t an issue generally and stripping a frameset down now and then and sluicing it through will minimise or eliminate that. A lot of good frames are ED coated internally now.
Rust in a fatigue-focussed area that’s likely to pool water is more of a concern, those heavily crimped chainstays some bikes have bother me in that respect.

@luvtoride I think I put a psa on stw about the Titus silk Road when it was around that price. I was really tempted, a ti frame for £350 but there’s just something about the frame that doesn’t look right to me.

How does it ride? Are you happy with it?

Spa Cycles Rove in ti or 725.
https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m11b0s143p4971/SPA-CYCLES-Titanium-Rove-Frameset

If this were available a couple of months ago I would have bought one over the 725 genesis vagabond that I ended up with.

Simply not true. A bike weighing 2kg less will in no way be “significantly” faster. 

Maybe not under laboratory conditions, but in reel world it will feel like it is. I’ve tried riding heavier bikes and they do nothing for me. It’s always a default back to light and lively.

I’d just choose a hardtail you like and whack a rigid fork on it. Seen a few nice ones like that, nukeproof scouts, ragley big al, identiti aka