I work at a Bianchi dealer and am considering getting a single speed. I was looking at their 2 models: the S.A.S.S and the G.U.S.S. The main difference is that the S.A.S.S is a fully rigid steel bike while the G.U.S.S is an aluminum front suspended bike. Also, the G.U.S.S has the white industries eno hub and freewheel while theWhat I am worried about with the S.A.S.S is if I end up not liking the fully rigid frame. Will installing a carbon seatpost and using 2.5 inch tires inflated to like 35 pounds take the sting off? How do you rigid riders deal with the bumps?
thanks

go rigid - im running a 2.4" front tire inflated to 35psi... not any rougher than my old bike with front suspension fork (albeit it was on 1.85")

if you dont like it, you can always swap in a suspension fork

the eno is unecessary--if you have the money: go for it. otherwise, its overrated. im using a 15$ shimano freewheel... blissfully quiet, smooth, and hasnt seized or exploded on me like eno fans would so often argue. also is overrated is carbon. you tell me how a seatpost made of carbon instead of aluminum is going to help absorb bumps... especially when you're running into babyhead rocks and going off drops. its all marketing which 95% of the market falls prey for

so there you have it: rigid and fat tires.

have fun with your bianchi

You would be pleasantly suprised how a full steel frame and fork and squishy tires feels after a while. 95% of the time I do not miss suspension at all.

I agree carbon seatposts are useless on a mountain bike but carbon handlebars seem to damp vibrations for me, especially on high speed descents. Maybe it is all in my head, but I don't think so. I suspect you would get the same effect from steel bars or titanium bars.

You mentioned that the rigid bike has a steel frame and the front suspension bike has a aluminum frame.
I would say go with the rigid also.

The 5% of the time I miss front suspension? Riding many consecutive days. It tends to beat you up a bit. Maybe I am a wimp or am just getting old, but I usually only ride on trails with rigid bikes 2-3 days per week, so I have some time to rest.


And like redfooj said, you can always wimp out and put on a susp. fork

2-3 days??
the amount of trail riding you do makes me jealous

well i cant exactly tell you how, but i have a long carbon post on my rigid off-road ride and it does help soak up the trail chatter better than i ever expected it would. i originally bought the post just cause it was cheap, long enough, and the diameter was right for what i needed; but i tell you i am nothing short of amazed at how much it sucks up the roots and smaller hits that kind of add up at the end of a long day in the saddle.

i am still not sold on carbon however and am still a little scared of getting a splintered carbon post up the @ss if it ever snaps so for my new ride i am looking into a ti-post. i think that would be the best.

front suspension will make you faster on the downhills but it will sap your power on the climbs. IMHO singlespeeds are meant to be ridden rigid, it makes you better! plus these bikes are about simplicity to me and suspension just isn't simple. if i want a cushy ride, i'll hop on my freeride bike.

I would say give rigid a try unless you can afford a fork with a lockout. Out of saddle climbs are infinitely better with a rigid fork and your going to have lots of them on your ss. That said I switch between a rigid and suspended forks depending on what trail I'm going to ride. Alot of the trails around here are just too rooty to ride rigid every descent becomes a battle against the bike and trail and there is no fun in that. Plus my forearms give out long before my legs which severely limits the length of rides. On relatively smooth trails or ones with long climbs however the pogoing drives me crazy so I use my rigid fork. If you get extra brakes and a crown race or have a split one it only take a couple of minutes to switch.

Rigid it is then. Thanks for the input.

One thing to keep in mind is that if you go with a fully rigid frame, you need to get one with a suspension corrected fork (a la the Surly 1x1) or you can't throw on a sus fork without jacking up your angles.

Me, I like the rigid because I like the firm positive feedback and handling. On the other hand, I'm probably not as serious a mountain biker as many others. I do believe that it helps you with your handling. You become more adept and finding your line, the right timing, all of that sort of thing.

I would go rigid. I'm running a 2.4 downhill tire up front with a Kona rigid fork and am loving it. The rubber and steel will absorb quite a bit of the bumps. You'll forget all about your sussy fork! You'll also learn how to flow with the trail more, which would also help out with the rigid feeling as you are not just running over things like people do with a sussy fork!

I ride over them.

Fat tires rule. I love rigid, but it's not for everyone.