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Carbon forks?
Carbon bars?
Thick grips?
A Girvin flexstem?
Bigger tyres with lower pressures makes way more difference than any of the above.
Suspension forks?
4" tyres?
Don't grip the bars so tightly. And learn to enjoy being shaken around 🙂
If you want a smoother ride then surely rigid is the wrong choice 😀
Thudbuster works well for me. Adds a bit of weight, but the reward is a back not shattered to hell. Large volume front tyre and an easy grip, as stated above..
Tarmac, drop bars, 29 er wheels sorted
Exactly. Foam/cork grips, ti seatpost also help but the tyres are much more important. 2.4s on 30mm+ rims ideally, but it's still a rigid bike..Bigger tyres with lower pressures makes way more difference than any of the above.
back when all bikes were rigid, you just ran a bigger front tyre or MTFU.
It is why Girvin flexstems( god they were crap!!) were invented and then suspension forks!
4" tyres would be good
It's an old frame that I've been given - currently a single-speed commuter with 1.5 tyres but I intend to take it off-road at some point. Semi-considering a 29" wheel up front with a carbon fork (if I can get it in a 100mm fork) but all suggestions (except suspension) considered!
Hehe - yeah, the flexstem and the suspension seat post were options before I got a cheap set of pace rc30 forks bitd
And yeah - I did the rigid forks, big tyres thing when I first started biking. Trail centres nowadays aren't any worse than what we used to ride but I'd quite like to use some more modern tech to have fun. Putting some magura hs33s on it and keeping it single speed but just wondering what the STW thoughts were on a commuter cum trail centre toy were
Padded gloves help, maybe try a powerball to increase grip, wrist and forearm strength. Pick better lines, read the trail better, you can't just blast over roots and bumps and not feel it, laws of physics and all that.
Stand
Up
big tyres are deffo the way forward.. but I also really noticed big improvements using a carbon front end..
I intend to be standing up. The commute uphill will help with that
Likewise with the 'picking better lines'. This is an exercise in re-education. Pumping the trail, riding the bike instead of just sitting on it.
2.4" chunky monkeys are an option as well. Nice to hear a recommendation for a carbon front end too
Enabler fork, 80mm rim and 4" tyre.
Big tyre at low pressure- mine has a 2.5 Nevegal in it (which controversially measures 2.5 inches across) and it makes a massive difference. Oh and ride a little smoother- though that's a bit harder so I just buy massive tyres 🙂
Ti Jones bars, big tyre at less than 20psi, winner
3" Knard at 13psi or a 4.8" big fat Larry at 7.5psi
Definitely just MTFU
Wot bike u riding?
Steel..
Alloy..
Carbon..
1994 GT Tequesta 🙂
Steel frame, hs33 rim brakes, single speed
Manning up is also an option
Just know what it used to be like 20 yrs ago and I was hoping it might have got easier!!
Stand on the rough stuff.
Large tyres.
Soft grip.
Better lines.
Not a lot more choice than has been given then, sorry.
Anyway, we all have sore arses and numb fingers 😆
A Niner SIR.9 / MCR. 😉
After a good few years of rigidity I favour the following, in order of importance...
29" wheels.
2.4" Racing Ralph. (2.35" these days).
Steel forks.
Steel frame.
LizardSkinz NorthShore grips (non lock-on).
Non O/S carbon bars...(Easton low-rise)
I say steel forks because (to me) they seem to absorb trail "buzz" better than carbon. Carbon comfier on bigger hits but I prefer steel. I use a Ti railed saddle also, & again (to me) it just feels better.
Restrict your riding so you only venture out when its a mudfest - hey presto a lovely comfy magic carpet ride - certainly worked for me for the last 6 months......
I had a blooming great 2.2 rubber queen up front on my rigid, running steel on one forks and noodly 25.4 bars (remember them).
Stand up, loose grip that's gotta be a few inches of suspension?
The forks on my bike properly lockout which is great but even on benign Suffolk XC I like some squish occasionally.
Bend arms and legs. Avoid holding bars to tight.
You soon get used to absorbing the buzz.
Main thing is ride better: your arms and legs account for the vast majority of your suspension; learn to pump the arms and legs as much as you can, pull the front over bumps before it hits them, get out of the saddle as much as you can, 'pack' through lengthy rough sections, let the bike pick its own line, etc - concentrate on keeping your head and chest moving in a perfectly smooth path whilst the wheels track the ground without any sharp impacts.
Next stop: bigger, softer tyres (though you'll want fairly sturdy sidewalls - and ideally wide rims - to avoid it being too bouncy on bumps and wallowy in corners); you'll get up to 2" of travel there. After that, it's small fry - if you haven't pretty much sorted it with technique and tyres you're not going to sort it.
Ergon grips and a carbon seatpost
Bull's Pizzle!
Has everyone forgotten what properly hand built wheels can do for your ride?
tuh! Kids today...
Dual ply tyres with low pressure, or just throw away the frame and forks and go full suspension that's what I did about 15 years ago !!!
1. Bend arms and legs and stay loose
2. 29" front wheel
3. Big front tyre
4. MTFU
Dropbars help
suspension seatpost e.g. USE XCR
Stand up. Heavy feet, light hands. Big tubeless tyres (at corresponding pressures).
Sight transfer of body weight/position when I ride rigid, It'll lighten the front end allowing looser grip.
Plus thicker grips. That'll be 2p please
ESI Chunky silicon foam grips made a big difference when I first switched to rigid.
On one Mary/Ragley Carnegie flared and back swept bars also help.
chiefgrooveguru - Member
Stand up. Heavy feet, light hands...
That's the most succint answer. +1
(Also consider using a fat front with 4" low pressure tyres)