Four Reasons Why You Should Ride A Rigid Mountain Bike

Bikes with no suspension are common in the road and gravel world, but they do exist in the mountain bike realm. If you’ve never ridden one before, you’re probably thinking about how much you love your suspension and can’t imagine going without it. In this video I talk about a few of the reasons why rigid mountain bikes are great and why you might actually enjoy riding one.

Rigid Fork For 120/130mm Bike:

Rigid Fork For 100/110mm Bike:

Basic Maintenance Tools I Recommend:

My E-Bike:

#mtb #hardtail #bike

[RideYearRound]

I’ve included some rigid forks for mountain bikes in the description of this video. This isn’t every one out there, but it’s some of the forks I’ve considered for future builds.

[LordHolley]

I'm 50 now. I started mountain biking when every bike was a stiff frame and fork. Then we see these odd balls with suspension forks, then full suspension bikes. So many people thought that was cheating, or wasn't real mountain biking (kinda like how some feel about e-bikes). It's funny to see it coming back around.

[arden]

I like rigid because it acts as a limiter for my recklessness. Full suspension has me going so fast and so big, I seem to hurt myself every other ride. Hardtails are awesome but similarly allow me to stay off the brakes in some chutes, super fun but inherently risky. Rigid bikes remind you the instant things get a little out of control, right at that margin where any bike is the most fun.
Efficiency, weight, stable geo, and avoiding fork rebuilds are huge bonuses for sure. Thanks for the video!

[jjgalletta]

I recently switched from a FS bike to rigid. All carbon 29er with 1x drive train. Light and smooth. I ride smooth fire road and single track. No jumps. No drops. It’s epic!

[cbbssn]

If someone has budget constraints yet has the time, I’d recommend a frame up build. It will take a longer time overall but you also get more out of it: 1) you get exactly the bike build you want, 2) you end up with a working set of tools you actually need and will use, 3) you pay yourself back by learning the skills to build and maintain a bike, building your own wheel set, and from the enjoyment of learning how to ride a crazy rigid bike. I love my rigid single speed Trek Stache build, and I really like the option that I can always make it a complete bulldozer with 29x3 tires and 140mm of travel.

[joppek]

Totally agree. The best part about a fully rigid bike is that it makes "boring" trails spicy and exciting again. Also it builds skill. You need to be on top of those wheel lifts now.

Only drawback really is lack of comfort. It'll beat you up so it may not be the best if you have joint pains.

[badger]

You just got yourself an 80's mountainbiker subscriber. Great video mate.

[DIY-DaddyO]

Never thought I’d be this guy but “ When I was a lad we only had rigid bikes”..,
Ok seriously when I raced in the 80’s we only had rigid bikes, tuning the suspension meant adjusting the tire pressure. The day after a race you woke up with every single joint in your body popping and clicking. You had to pick your route stone by stone, but it was still fast and epic fun. I clocked 51mph and still had folks past me. If you’re thinking about a full rigid, do it. It’s hardcore. You’ll love it.

[phatrickmoore]

I have ridden some light-to-medium trails fully rigid and it is actually a great time. Put the psi a little lower and really get involved on the bike .You won't be doing much sitting, but you will be doing a lot of smiling!

[TheWrigle]

Been having a fun time testing the limits of my rigid gravel bike on single track lately. Throwing a dropper on made a world of difference. I have ridden hard tails without a dropper before, but with drop bars I find a rigid post just wants to throw you over the front end too much. With the seat dropped i can actually stay level and use my arms and legs as suspension instead of having my body pitched forwards. 40c tires are still pretty small, but they have been surprisingly capable on green- blue level single track, and they still roll super well on the road as well. Can't say I am ready to give up my full sus yet, but I can imagine throwing a rigid mtb in my stable in the future.

[ktakashismith]

The "efficiency" argument for rigid bikes really needs to fall by the wayside. If you're climbing over even remotely uneven terrain, a full-sus bike with the rear shock *open* is actually significantly more mechanically efficient. If rigid bikes were actually more efficient, they would be faster, and the quickest riders in the world would be utilizing the "simple, direct, efficient" rigid bikes to win races. As it sits, the fastest and most efficient bikes in the world are short-travel full-suspension, so I'm not buying any claim that a rigid bike is a better climber in any scenario except on pavement.

Regarding failure from impact - I would highly doubt that a suspended bike would be more likely to experience catastrophic failure from a drop test. Just think about it - the duration of impact for the suspended bike is so much longer, so the same impact gets spread out over a greater moment. Just imagine repeatedly hucking off a 3-foot tabletop to flat with a full-sus bike versus a fully rigid bike - which one would break a part first, and after how many drops? My money is on a sheared pedal spindle for the rigid bike.

And the geometry argument - sure, your geo numbers are relatively the same when your front wheel hits a rock in the trail - but then your front wheel either completely changes direction, or loses contact with the ground entirely. In both of those cases your geometry numbers cease to mean anything, because you're either suddenly changing direction against your will or you're temporarily losing contact with the earth, neither of which are favorable handling characteristics, geometry sheet be damned.

I feel like this video could be distilled into two points - Go fully rigid if you a) want to ride tame trails while keeping them engaging (with the additional bonus of not going so ludicrously fast that crashing means dying, and also learning more about line choice and bike handling), and b) if you want a simpler bike that costs less to buy/maintain. Both of those were totally valid reasons that you brought up, but they're let down by specious claims about a more "efficient" or "stronger" bike. Such points are straight out of the pursed lips of a crossed-arm back-of-the-bike-shop curmudgeon. And please don't fall into the trap of "things were simpler in the old days and they worked", because it's a slippery slope leading to a Sarlacc pit where logic goes to die.

But I get it, it's YouTube, so the topic has to be "Why you SHOULD ride a rigid MTB" not "Pragmatic reasons for considering mellow rigid MTB enjoyment as opposed to death-defying full-suspension insanity".

[richarde]

I have both a rigid fork bike and front suspension bike, both middle upper quality, and hands down the front suspension bike makes the ride on rough terrain more comfortable and enjoyable. Hands down.

Nice to have choice.

[thunderbird]

I have never owned suspension or hardtail, but I have two 29+ rigids and love them! One is a 30lb steel frame and the other is a 20lb titanium frame with carbon fiber fork and wheels. Each has their own advantages, but both are a blast to ride!

[SnootchieBootchies]

Rigid singlespeed! With 8 inch cable discs and a dropper post. Mullet 2.8 tires. I might be a special kind of bike nerd.

[chipverner]

I just did a parts bin rigid 29er build. So much fun. Great for chunky gravel rides.

[chasingbirds]

I just did this with my Salsa Timberjack. I put the Whisky carbon fork on it and it is awesome!

[squeeler]

I agree, a full rigid 29+ would be ideal, but you only find them in a niche category (adventure and bike packing), and even fewer offerings that comes complete with 29x3.
Finally settled on a Jones LWB, handles beautifully and more comfortable than any the FS bikes I'd ever ridden before.
If only there were more 29+ for FS geeks to try out there, we'd have more converts.

[azman.s]

Yeah...I started my first Kona mountain bike with rigid fork/ 7er speed, later GT many years ago. Perfect to control, punchy and great for decent climbing!! Greetings from XC rider Kuala Lumpur.

[PathLessPedaledTV]

Great vid. All the reasons I like grav grav bikes too :)

[kotelettschweiss]

Totally agree on the fun factor. When it comes to performance, theres hardly any convincing argument outside of bikepacking and Cycling. If you dont want to send jumps or gnarly downhills, this probably is a possibility to Spice it Up. Simplicity is great because you dont have to maintain a lot, therefore youre able to ride more careless and just for the sake of Riding. I think some are misunderstanding your idea: Rigidity isnt Superior in Performance, but in maintenance, simplicity and parts longevity. If thats what youre looking at, Go for it. This will be enough to fulfill most Bikers. Many are also often overbiking but Missing Out on the fun of simplicity