[Closed] Rigid front fork - fun or not?

I find it fun

rigid single speed and hardtail Solaris that is currently running a rigid carbon fork. It's pretty tame where I am and the rigid fork works great

I rode one as my main bike for about 4 years. It was a nice twangy steel fork, and combined with a chunky front tyre and slightly flexy carbon bars was pretty comfy on easy-ish trails. I liked the directness on some trails but it quickly got a bit of a handful on anything more technical.

I got rid in the end because of moving to a new area and the local riding being a bit more technical. I could get it down most things but was enjoying it less and less. I think it also made a me a worse rider. When I switched to my full sus I was so used to adjusting for the lack of suspension on steep trails that I struggled to weight the bike properly.

I'd say it's worth a shot but there is a reason suspension took off in a big way. I'm sure someone will be along to say they can beat all their mates down the Fort Bill DH track on a rigid shopping bike.

It's how us oldens learnt to ride, sonny.  🙂

It is quite nice to actually feel the terrain... sometimes. Actually, in these days of big fat tyres it'll be a lot better.

My main bike for the past 5 years has been a rigid Scandal 29er with a carbon fork on the front. SS at fist, but now sporting gears. Means I have to be a little picky about line choice, but also means I needed to learn to ride smoothly, float the bike over obstacles rather than smahing into them and letting the suspension deal with it. Just a different way of riding, in the end

In the wetter months of the years when speeds are generally lower and mud clearance is a good thing they're great.

slightly fatter tyre and learn to ride 'light' over the front end on lumpy bits.

the weight saving of a 500g carbon fork over a 2kg suspension one is very noticeable both for general xc stuff and getting the front end up on obstacles. There's loads of decent chinese forks on ebay - have a look on the american forums for recommendations - there's a lot of threads out there...

Good in terms of maintenance and if you have relatively smooth flowing singletrack by you it will feel great as you feel everything. A decent volume front tyre works really well with them and choice of forks makes a huge difference. With a standard tyre though you will notice less front end grip as the front doesn't track as well and it can be very hard going on the arms even if the going isn't that rough.

I have a rigid steel 29er.  I use it for longer rides with mixed on and off road, mostly stony tracks across mountains but also some technical singletrack.  I used for all my off-road for a while.  I absolutely love riding it, because I can stand up, heave on the pedals and move around on the bike loads and it stays perfectly solid and well, rigid, and this makes for a really positive riding experience.  And I've got it set up for mile munching with a low front end (possible because there's no diving on braking) and narrower bars.

However it is still rough as hell on rocky ground, which means that you have to essentially give up proper fast descending around here (South Wales).  You can ride relatively fast, but your speed is limited mostly by how much discomfort you can handle rather than how well you can actually ride the trail - which I find less exhilarating.  So I keep three bikes, two of which have suspension.  If I had to only have one, I'd put suspension forks on that bike - but feel sad about it.  TBH if I had to keep one bike I'd make sure I could keep two forks!

Of course, if it's smooth, then you might be ok.  I can ride Swinley at a decent lick on it because it handles really well, but I have to be very careful to avoid the landing/braking bumps on the downside of jumps because hitting those unexpectedly can be almost a wrist-breaking experience.

I prefer to take it onto chalk down/Ridgeway type riding because even though there are lots of lumpy bits that are hard work and would unquestionably be quicker on FS, I prefer the FEEL of riding rigid on the rest of the terrain.

It's also worth noting I've been riding since the early 90s and I rode exclusively rigid until 2001 so I had that memory of technique to draw on.  If you've never done it you might have a lot to learn about line choice 🙂

I was playing with the idea of trying out a rigid front fork this winter and sticking to less technical stuff – anyone have any experience? Is it fun or just a pain in the proverbial?

I quite happily throw my bike/body down the same stuff with or without suspension, without suspension it just hurts more. It's not even necessarily slower! Well it probably is if you're an elite level athlete or geex, but for mere mortals the limiting factor tends to be cajones and the ability to pick a line when your eyeballs are shaking so much you can't really see one. You don't really notice yourself taking chicken lines on the rigid bike IME.

What you do notice is that when you get back on a bouncy bike you all of a sudden become a LOT faster as your

a) not braking for stuff expecting the bike to just slow down over the rough stuff, so you suddenly find yourself skipping over braking bumps and hitting that corner a lot faster than you intended, then you make it and realise you were frankly a bit of a wimp before.

b) have a different concept of what "too fast" is, you know, when your rattling down a track and you find yourself dragging the brakes because it's all getting a bit choppy and uncomfortable so you stroke the brake levers like a baby with a comfort blanky? After some time on a rigid bike the "choppy and uncomfortable" speed get's upped a fair bit!

Basically, it won't make you a better rider in isolation, but spending time on completely different bikes IME helps you get over a plateau, the big bike teaches your brain what speeds are possible, then you translate that to a rigid bike, then you learn a new limit for controlling the bike rather than relying on suspension, so you go even faster when you swap back, and repeat ad infinitum.

I rigid 29er with wide tyres and mud clearance is better than a gravel bike. You have the option to run narrower tyres if that's your thing. You can even put drop bars on. Far more versatile.

And as above my first bike was rigid and I managed to do all the same local rides I do now, just slower.

I've just built up a rigid 29er for winter, can't wait to try it out. Genesis tarn carbon fork, 15mm bolt thru axle, boost. Its Currently got a 2. 35 hans dampf on that's got plenty of room. I think it will take a plus tyre for when my trails turn to mud.

The rigid fork makes sense on my old, old road race bike.

And this bike makes fun when the roads are in perfect shape.

In this case: yes - sense + fun

Depends entirely on you and your riding.

While picking the bike up is nicer, as is stamping on the pedals, I doubt there's much efficiency benefit over a suss fork that's well set up, under someone who's not pedalling squares.

I quite happily throw my bike/body down the same stuff with or without suspension, without suspension it just hurts more. It’s not even necessarily slower!

It is where I live. Much slower.  Ok so you can clear a rough patch with a bit of skill on rigid, but if you hit something properly rocky for more than a few metres there's no way you're going down it at the same speed as with 6" travel.

Then there's the situation where you are zipping down something fast on rigid and there's suddenly a large obstacle that you could have just absorbed with suspension.  These can result in a big crash and/or equipment breakage.  There's much less margin for error if you try and go fast on rigid.

wot tinas said. nicely put, sir!

A decent suspension fork with a lockout would be the way to go.

I fitted a rigid fork on my HT 29 once but removed it after a few rides, climbing was lovely eveything in between was a chore.

Ive got a SID fork with a handlebar remote, weighs slightly more but sooo much better all round.

A decent suspension fork with a lockout would be the way to go.

Yeah, but that's a little like saying you can try singlespeeding on your geared bike by just not shifting gears.  It's sort of right, but you've still got the weight and clutter, handling will be different, and you won't get the same feeling (mental and physical) from riding a stripped down bike.

If you think you might like it, just buy one (s/h if you like) and give it a good go.  You might not like it straight away, but stick with it.

Biggest realisation on my first return to rigid was how much more active you have to be on the bike.  I was riding off little drops with more or less straight arms, ready for the suspension to extend and then cushion the impact.  What happened instead was that the front would drop, yank my upper body down, and I'd slam on to the trail again with a hard jolt.  Took a bit of relearning to anticipate the drop, ride lower on the bike with bent arms ready to extend and keep your body steady.

As per tinas, above, more rides on more different bikes give you different lessons which will all make you faster/better/funner/sexier overall.

A decent suspension fork with a lockout would be the way to go.

I did this, it just wasn't the same.  I was using Rebas, and they weren't fully locked out so still moved when standing up.

I like it and can cope with consistant medium  rough and reasonable speed.

I quite enjoy picking my way down like a really rubbish trials rider.

But an accidental bigger hit like a root which is eroded away behind that stops you dead can spoil a ride.

I love it and and only own a rigid steel bike mtb. It makes trails that are boring on a hardtail/full suss far more interesting, and overall for the sort of riding I do (from the doorstep) it's ideal. The lack of maintenance/bling is also a factor for me, but it's mostly to make a larger proportion of my rides fun.

I can get around red routes perfectly well (managed a lap of Dalby red in 2hrs last weekend), although I've no doubt I'd be faster on a nice carbon 29er XC bike. Black graded stuff can get more painful and awkward than fun, especially if it goes on a long time, but it's still perfectly doable with a bit of practice.

I big front tyre helps... I have two front wheels, one with a skinny light rim and 2.1" tyre, the other a wide DH thing with a 2.6" Nobby Nic. The latter makes tech things far easier of course... The former goes on with a skinnier back wheel when I'm looking to cover 50+ miles of easy ground in the Dales.

p.s. I'm saying all this as someone who owned 6" travel freeride bikes for much of the 2000's.

I find it fun, sometimes.

tyre pressure becomes a lot more critical for smooth comfy riding.

different bikes just open up different terrain.

terrain that would be boring AF on a 160mm trail bike can be pretty exciting on a cx bike for example.

your local terrain will be key to this.

Definitely worth a go. I use an old On One carbon fork on my Ramin. It get used a lot more than the full suss durung the wetter months.

As most of the above ...

I have an On One Inbred, SS, with rigid carbon fork. Used as my low maintenance bike in the winter slop, but also like to occasionally give it a 1 hour summer thrash on dry trails. I engage mince mode (even more than usual) on the choppy stuff, or pick routes that tend to avoid it. It's great for most stuff around here (north Leeds) but being 26er AND rigid, isn't the best at ploughing through stuff!

It makes trails that are boring on a hardtail/full suss far more interesting

For me this is not the case.

I can look at some tasty downhills near me, and see the line and the speeds I'd take on my big bike.  But these are lines and speeds that are simply not possible on a rigid bike*.  There are different lines, and different challenges, but all much slower, so you lose the sense of speed and exhilaration.

* I know the fanbois will simply accuse me of being rubbish on a rigid bike, but I can assure you I've done a lot of rigid miles and I know how to ride one.  My rigid bike is the only bike I've ever actually loved, in an emotional sense, rather than just liked.  I love riding it.  If I had to get rid of bikes it would be the last to go. However the riding is just not the same - it is slower, less comfortable and less exhilarating.  If you don't care about speed then don't kid yourself that it's comparable.  Yes, you might be riding as fast as you can on rigid, but it's just a different experience because you are limited by different factors - unless the terrain is smooth.

Fun? Maybe not (although my view may be coloured as mine is also singlespeed) but it definitely makes you assess your lines more which has got to be a good thing. I'm running a 2.4 front tyre and just need to get it set up tubeless to run even lower pressures, which I'm hoping will help.

Fun. Rigid bikes always were fun, from a BMX aged 7 to a 29er aged (too old)

You just find tech in different places. Mcro-tech to test skills in winter rather than looking for a drop that bottoms out 160mm of sus. That feeling of being on the edge comes sooner and easier. Good or bad, subjective and changeable along every few metres or miles of trail.

The thing is there are (ime) bikes that have rigid forks fitted in place of a sus fork and there's great rigid bikes. They're not always the same. Most bikes are designed around weight distribution that suits a sus fork / hardtail design and they aren't the same with a rigid fork. Ride a bike that's been designed to be ridden rigid and it can be very different. Not the same as sus plow-through ability/speed but in plenty of places it's no less able, just needs a different approach and that's the bit I find fun and rewarding.

I rode  rigid for  aw inter a while back. I found it fun on the natural, muddy trails near me, and can deal with bumps, drops roots etc in isolation. It is when i was hitting braking bumps, rock gardens etc that it felt hard. I'd consider it again, and may put one back on the xc bike this winter.

There is no way a rigid  bike is 'as fast' as a bike with suspension on the vast majority of even slightly technical terrain for me. I cant see that it would be for anyone, and think those who are saying it is are kidding themselves.

I ran a ti singlespeed with a 2.8" tyre in a rigid fork for a while and it was kind of what it was. Even with the big tyre up front, it got quite brutal on quite a lot of local Peak District trails, even with careful line choice. Overall it was slower. I'm not sure it was more fun, but mostly where I ride it was slower.

One thing people don't always mention is that it's also very predictable. Because there's no fork dive and associated weight transfer, you can plonk the front end off a step and know exactly what'll happen. The downside is that biggish steps on climbs can stop you dead if you don't ride them well. And on repeated chunder, it's easier to get knocked off line with predictable consequences.

But as a bunch of folk have said already, it depends a lot on your local riding and, to an extent, on how good you are at picking lines and weighting / unweighting the front end in particular according to need.

Mostly at the moment I'm riding a cross bike on and off road and it's generally more capable than you'd expect. It's a slippery slope.

Love a rigid bike. I like the sharper handling (lower a2c) and the response on turn in.

I find you flow differently as you take different lines to try and ride smooth - it amplifies the skill of weighting each wheel.   You'd expect the front wheel to feel different but the rear also feels more rigid IME, I think the fork can't absorb you slamming the back wheel into stuff.

I normally change when the clocks go back - so that'll be this weekend.

There is no way a rigid  bike is ‘as fast’ as a bike with suspension on the vast majority of even slightly technical terrain for me. I cant see that it would be for anyone, and think those who are saying it is are kidding themselves.

Its true, or it won't be as fast on slightly tech terrain for very long as you need to work a lot harder. But for me fun isn't directly related to speed. It's like an old mini feeling amazing to drive on lanes at 50mph and a big modern saloon that feels dull at all but daft speeds.

I also like flowy kind of tech, probably more than rocky tech a lot of the time. The rocky tech I do like is often triallsy or steep, slo-mo or pick your way through stuff and there a rigid bike can feel better than a susser, at least it's more able to move about well as often as it can feel unforgiving of errors. Going to a 29x2.4 made a big difference over my old 26" rigid also, helps keep it rolling there.

It makes trails that are boring on a hardtail/full suss far more interesting

For me this is not the case.

I can look at some tasty downhills near me, and see the line and the speeds I’d take on my big bike.  But these are lines and speeds that are simply not possible on a rigid bike*.  There are different lines, and different challenges, but all much slower, so you lose the sense of speed and exhilaration.

As I understand it, all you're saying there is that your best local trails are better on a big bike? If so, I don't see how that's relevant to the point I was making...

but I can assure you I’ve done a lot of rigid miles and I know how to ride one

*starts building shrine* 🙂

if no injuries are involved I'd suggest it is more fun but more frightening at speed as you hold on for dear life over lumpy stuff and laugh nervously once you are through safely! As mentioned above for some people ( many it seems ) faster is better .but off road bike riding isn't just about hurtling everyway as fast as possible and slower means you see more /can chat and relax. like others I get a buzz through picking my way through awkward stuff on the rigid like a trials rider and the lack of dive gives confidence . I do tend to ride alone though and my  limited experience of riding in groups is that someone always wants to show they're the strongest/fittest etc and everyone else gets drawn in to the chase.

but off road bike riding isn’t just about hurtling everyway as fast as possible

Of course not.  That's why I have three different bikes, I appreciate that.

I'm just trying to highlighting what rigid riding is and isn't.

As I understand it, all you’re saying there is that your best local trails are better on a big bike?

No, not really.  See above.  I love riding my rigid bike.  But it's a different experience. I'm saying that whilst TINAS feels as fast on rigid, for me that's not the case.

Ironically, fully rigid bikes really do bring the trails alive.

I don't ride them anymore though as my body isn't upto it these days.Lol

No, not really.  See above.  I love riding my rigid bike.  But it’s a different experience. I’m saying that whilst TINAS feels as fast on rigid, for me that’s not the case.

OK, but you disagreed with me when I said trails that are boring on a big(ger) bike can be more interesting on a rigid bike, and justified this by pointing out that your trails are faster on a big bike (even the less interesting ones). To me, that just sounds like a rigid bike doesn't well match those trails... This doesn't mean it wouldn't still be interesting to ride them rigid, of course, but like you say it's a very different experience.

I also agree that, on techy ground, a lack of suspension can make slower speeds feel faster, and give an illusion of speed. But when I say rigid bikes can be more fun, I'm talking about smoother trails, perhaps where speed is gained mostly by manic peddling. In that situation a rigid bike can be both more fun and faster than a bigger bike.

True enough.  My big bike has big draggy soft tyres on it. so goes nowhere near as fast on any smooth surface.  This makes it significantly less fun on anything smooth when going up.  The rigid bike is more fun on smooth climbs, but then so is my XC FS.

I suppose if you had say fast swoopy fire road it would be more fun rigid.  This is a topic I was musing on the other day - when I was 18 we used to climb to the highest part of the woods specifically to come tearing down fire roads at 40mph, attacking the corners as fast as we could.  These days I'd consider that a waste of altitude!

My first mountain bike was a fully rigid Marin Bare Valley, then a rigid Scott Superlight in the late 80s and early 90s.

We used to ride QECP on these rigid fork bikes and had a lot of fun BUT for me to ride one now (I did ride my old Cannodale rigid a couple of years ago at QE) it would be a massive step backwards, in the same way I’d not ride with thing shifters, calliper brakes or three rings up front.

Personally an off road ride with suspension forks is far more enjoyable and comfortable than on a fully rigid bike - each to their own thoughand there are many people who rate them, they are just not for me now.

Ya, I feel I should stay away from riding any high-end short-travel FS bike for fear of the realisation of the greener grass...

So, now we've had our various little arguments :-), OP, where are you and what trails do you plan to ride?

On my 26" commuter, yes rigid carbon forks are fun, however it's the last thing I'd want to do proper trail riding on. Light XC and messing about riding on/off/up/down stuff around the coastal town I live is where it's fun, often on the commute home. I've started practising basic street/trials tricks and the rigid bike is preferable to the 130mm long low slack hardtail. Agree with comments about riding light on the handlebars, it's much better to put the weight through your feet so the bike pivots beneath you over rough terrain better.

I do find I need to limit the amount of riding on the rigid bike of a type which stresses my wrists. Out of 5 days a week commutes there's usually at least two or three days where I'll stick purely to the roads. It's easy to do too much and then need to stick to the roads for a 3 or 4 days or sometimes all week to give wrists a chance to recover.

I’ve found I’ve cleared certain trails easier on a rigid ss as opposed to a geared full susser, as others have said you have to read the trail and lines more, but there’s also no wallow from the suspension compressing

I think it partly depends on the bike too, tried it on my old Prince Albert and a Cannondale but didn't suit, whilst some salsa cromoto forks on a singular swift was lovely

Gypsy glen fully rigid is the perfect bike ride.

I love my On-One Scandal 26" when its rigid. I also had a Kinesis Maxlight that spent most of its time rigid too.

It really feels alive when its in weight loss mode. But the terrain suits that setup, Cambridgeshire is flat and my main trails are pretty well groomed.

The night before I leave for either the Lakes, Peaks, Wales or Dorset though, the suspension gets added every-time without fail..

Deffo depends on the bike and terrain. Both my rigid bikes are/were XC focused with easy, fast terrain their stomping ground.