Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - SS MTB-- rigid or squishy

im a bit curious to see who rides what!

A suspended SS?!?!? I can't see it. If you want to bounce up and down, get a mini trampoline.

Mine is squishy up front, I'd like to change that though, I think.

rigid w/ disc brake = simplicity

rigid w/ disc brake = simplicity

that and fatty tires makes for a great looking singlespeed!

n00b question: Why use rigid forks on SS? I mean apart from the fact that they seem to be lighter than suspension forks, they seem to make it harder to ride?

n00b question: Why use rigid forks on SS? I mean apart from the fact that they seem to be lighter than suspension forks, they seem to make it harder to ride?
- Light weight
- No maintenance
- No energy sucking bob when climbing
- Inexpensive
- More control
- No flex
- Rock solid tracking
- No dive when coming off an obstacle
- Simplicity

all the same reasons riderx posted.....plus bc when i started mountain biking, suspension forks were few and far between....a lot of people started MTBing on a suspension forks, so they just dont "get" the rigid experience me and so many others like me grew up with!

i tried mountain biking with a suspension fork before just to see what it was like, and it caused me to bail a lot!!! i just wasnt used to all the extra weight up front, the lack of responsiveness, and i kept over compensating going over obstacles, instead of letting the fork suck up the impact.

im sure i could learn how to ride fine with a sus. fork, but im happy with rigid....although i might go a little slower on the DH than my bouncy brothers (and sistas), i be slappin them around on the uphill!

So I guess it's about initial training? I rode a rigid fork before I got a suspension fork (on like 1 ride through rough fire roads) and I got whiplash. Didn't have that problem as much after I started using a squishy in the front.

When I raced at Billy Cross last month, I saw many SS bikes with rigid forks, so that's what prompted my question. The terrain in Lake Sonoma was very rough, very technical. I had trouble maintaining control on some of the downhill portions because they had these "step" dips on the singletrack. I couldn't imagine what those SS guys were doing to get around this!

I've never owned a bike with bouncies, only borrowed from friends, but with that limited experience with them I like the maneuverability and ride of rigid forks much better. Feeling the trail under the bike is fun, along with the other benefits listed in the above posts. Its just nice to avoid extraneous bike junk too, can't really explain it past that. I've recently had more fun taking my fixie road bike on trails (xc stuff mostly) than I usually do with my 'nice' mtb. For me the ride becomes more about finesse and refining my bike handling than geeking out about how much travel a fork has.

I began riding mountain bikes in 1987 with a rigid fork and it was a blast.

By the mid 90's the suspension fork race was in full swing and I was caught up in it big time. Every year I'd buy a new fork with more travel, better damping, rigidity and/or lighter weight because the fork I purchased the year before was "out-dated". I was basically a sucker of marketing hype. Mountain biking didn't get any more fun because I could feel fewer bumps.

By the end of the decade I put a rigid fork on and some of the magic returned. Riding my mountian bike was less about the bike and more about the ride. Rather than mindlessly plowing through obsticles I had to approach them tactically and completely focused. I wasn't insulated from the trail I was in tune with it.

Now all my mountain bikes sport rigid forks. I kept one suspension fork "just in case" I ever want to remind myself why I ride rigid but so far I've had no desire to go back. The fun, simplicity and clean looks of a rigid fork are very appealing. Passing your suspended friends is the icing on the cake.

If I don't want to feel the bumps I ride on the road.

Mo