Yeah Khoun,
I rode RIGID right up until 1999! I rode everything that everyone else was riding, (and got A LOT more exhileration out of it!) It taught me SOOOO much about handling, finesse, balance, and how to relax and flow with the bike - to let the bike do the work beneath you. I owe all of my current skill (which may or may not impress anybody in particular) to the experience gained riding rigid.
There is nothing wrong with Full Suspension bikes! They are great, and they enhance performance in many, but not ALL situations. It's just that there is a MUCH STEEPER learning curve for a beginer while riding a bike without suspension! Suspension absorbs and negates all of the information, or feedback, that a trail gives to the bike, and hence the rider, which lets him or her know whether or not they are doing something right or wrong...
I will ALWAYS have a hardtail in my wheeled arsenal!
Mike
