albanian

Anyone out there ride a MT bike with no suspension what so ever?

I just sold my 1 year old Specialized Hard Rock Sport because I missed my old Cro-Mo non-suspension Hardrock. I wish I hadn't sold it for $50 to buy the new Hardrock Sport but live and learn.

What I have learned is that even a $500 mountain bike with suspension is pretty much crap. I am going back to a rigid frame because I don't ride crazy trails and I can manage without shocks for what I do.

I found a 1993 Giant Igauna for $50 on Craigslist and bought it. I only had $47 at the time but the guy said that was cool. Anyway, I am thinking an old $50 cro-mo rigid is about as good as it gets if you are not doing anything really extreme. How much do you have to pay to get a decent mt bike with front shocks? Is the Specialized just a bad apple and there are good ones for about $500? I used to be a Specialized fan but I am falling out of love with them and their newer bikes. I had a 2008 Crosstrail which was a total POS. My 2007 Sirrus has had issues with the tires, rims, and frame.

newbeat

i ride rigid, for the time being anyway. for XC it's sufficient.

skinny matt

Yeah, I do too. I don't do any crazy jumps or anything though.

commo_soulja

I ride rigid in both 26er and a 29er flavors. Both are steel bikes, the 26er has carbon fork, the 29er has a steel fork. Surpirsingly, both ride smooth on the trails I frequent. Rigid forces you to pick a smooth line while trying to be fast on singletrack. Brings me back to when I first started on a rather heavy cro-mo rigid Giant back in '90. Good times...
The suspension forks on $500 bikes are gonna be basic and IMO, not very good. At that price point, I'd rather ride rigid than a low performing, heavy suspension fork. A good suspension fork will start around $500 bucks.

samburger

I ride rigid because every time I save up for any kind of suspension, my other bike (motorcycle) breaks down & drains my wallet.

But in all fairness, I enjoy riding rigid & enjoy the looks I get showing up to the trails on a 10-year-old Wahoo & second-hand gear, & smoking half the guys out there on their FS bikes. Suspension will be a welcome upgrade, but I'm not rushing anything. Riding rigid teaches you a lot of skills that are useful but not necessary to know with suspension. Some of the skills will become obsolete with suspension, but most will make you a better rider regardless of the kind of bike you're on. My cheap but sturdy bike has given me a greater respect for the sport than I believe I could have obtained if I started out with a nice, modern bike.

Dannihilator

Of course the suspension fork on a $500 mtb is going to be bottom of the barrel. You actually have to spend alot more than $500 to get a bike with a good fork on it.

JonathanGennick 

You have to get to a level at which you can envision $300-500 of the bike's price going to just the fork. I'd say $1200 and higher will generally get you into suspension that most riders would be happy with for the long haul.

ed 

Nothing wrong with riding rigid

Johnny Law

the fluffier your bum is the more comfy the ride will be on a rigid.
so eat a lot of crap food and save money on suspension.

[CLOSED]

dminor 

True - - but if I'm gonna ride rigid, I think I want a bit more kick . . .

vbghyu5

Im pretty sure thats a trials course

ed 

I don't think it is. I got it from the NSMB and I'm pretty sure they only do XC stuff.

LesterOfPuppets

I think I'm too much of a weight weenie (with a light wallet) to roll anything but rigid at the moment.

I can't roll with anything heavier than a SID.

sscyco

No no no - a little XC, some road and mainly interpretive dance.

Dannihilator

No that's pinkbike.

lolitsJeff

I've been riding a single speed (38T front, 20T back) cyclocross with 38c front and 32c back tires for acouple months now. My other bike is a hardtail cannondale with a blown front shock that I always keep locked out and rigid.

I take my cyclocross bike on fire roads and trails that I have rode with my hardtail. The extra rollover with the 700c tire was very noticible at first and, through adjusting tire pressure and getting my butt off the seat, the ride isn't that bad.

The best part about being completely rigid is when you want to get up and go, my bike absolutely flies when i want it to. My hands and arms get numb from time to time but I just shake them out and it's gotten far less common as I've built up strength.

Now I'm looking into getting another rigid MT bike to replace my cannondale.

mtb_man_14

I go full rigid alum 29er with cro mo fork. Its rough but fast. Im gonna get a carbon fork eventually. Thatll knock off 2 pounds.

RiderC

I did yesterday, and it beat the hell out of me. It was fine on the uphill, it was the rocky downhill and trying to keep up with my FS friends that almost rattled my teeth out.

Ziltoid

I ride rigid because I was too poor to buy a decent double. You wanted the truth, you got it.

Actually my hardtail is not even considered decent by most.

ed 

I like hardtails...they're fun!

born2bahick

Are you still talking about bikes**********????

ed 

Well...it's a dual purpose statement

I have been able to enjoy some trail in my last days of T-Town.

albanian

Everything you said makes sense to me. I am a road rider mostly so I might use my mt bike half a dozen times in a year. I am not into really extreme stuff but I will do a small jump once in a while. About as crazy as I get is hopping over a log or getting a bit of air on a bump. I am in north Indiana so there are no mountains here. We have trails and hills. We have a few nice mt bike paths that are designed for mt bikes.

I have found that my skills with a mt bike are low enough that a steel frame rigid bike is not holding me back from anything. Perhaps if I had a $3000 mt bike with full suspension I would be able to fly down the hills a bit faster and hit the rough stuff a little harder but really I am not good enough to see spending the money for the limited use it would get. I spend most of my bike money on my road biking but I enjoy all biking. I have found that a $50 1990s Giant preforms about as well as my $500 brand new Specialized Hardrock Sport. The shocks on that Specialized were basically junk and I am just as happy without them.

The strange thing is, I have found that I can buy a 1980s cro-mo road bike and get nearly the same results as from my mid-low range new road bike. Cycling is a sport that you can spend a ton of cash in but you really don't have too if you don't want to. I don't mind spending money on a hobby and exercise but when my friends or family ask for advice on a budget, I let them know that older bikes can be good deals with a little bit of work. A lot of people are spending big bucks on hybrids right now but most rigid cro-mo mt bikes will make great hybrids with just a set of thinner and smooth tires. I turned my used $80 Giant Yukon mt bike into a great hybrid with just a set of smooth 1.5" tires. It rides just as well as my 2008 Specialized Crosstrail and is made better.

For $50-100 plus another $50 for tires and parts, you can turn an older mt bike into a perfectly suitable mt bike or hybrid. The same goes for older road bikes. Most 1980s 10-12 speeds are still good rides today.

cryptid01

For the essence of the true rigid experience, remove your tires. Also splint your elbows and knees and take a viagra before riding.