Keeping it hard?

[davidB]

get your mind out of the gutter...

Assuming I order a Air9 frame on Sunday, I was looking into a 80mm fork or going rigid.

This will be more of a XC bike with my squishy being the "everything else" bike.

Price was my first concern, but some of the carbon rigid forks can get up there in price comparable to a 80mm

so what the hell? input on either would be nice.

I rode a small niner with a rigid fork around the bottom of fontucky and it didn't seem all that bad, which is what got this ball rolling...

[BFloFoxRider.]

i would get a squishy fork..
that way if you do longer xc races or rides, but arent quit bad enough for the FS bike, you can be comfortable and not get banged around..
And if worse came to worse ytou can lock it out and it would be somewhat similar to fully rigid

[autoduel]

If you really want to keep it hard, go with a Cannondale Pepperoni.

I like to be able to wear a wristwatch when I ride.

[tkblazer]

go rigid dood... crazy bubbs like jose, jeff (singletrak), justin (klutter) and neil (1x1fastmotherf'ingclyde) currently ride their ss's rigid or have in the past... neil i think did 7 laps at the last temecula race on his rigid mamasita

although the new rst m-29 forks are interesting... karlton you gonna do a review of that thing or guuaat

[allison]

There are usually rocks n stuff on most so cal trails. Get yourself a Reba and enjoy a bit of suspension!

[foofighter]

thank you ALLISON! all you rigid folks are NUTS i tell you...your wrists are going to get you later.

[Pedalboy]

I rode my Viscious SS for a year or so with a rigid fork, including the VQ last year. I just put a Reba fork with a lockout on it, and love it. I like the simplicity of rigid, but I think I can decend faster with a little squish. The lockout on the bars makes it great for climbing. Less money on filling replacement and deep tissue work too.

[tkblazer]

Originally Posted by foofighter

thank you ALLISON! all you rigid folks are NUTS i tell you...your wrists are going to get you later.

pansy

[Pedalboy]

Yeah, maybe. Besides the cable for the lockout keeps my skirt out of the front wheel.

[tkblazer]

Originally Posted by Pedalboy

Yeah, maybe. Besides the cable for the lockout keeps my skirt out of the front wheel.

mine normally gets stuck in my chain right before i go to hit a huck... hence why i never huck

[Pedalboy]

I also use "I've only got 3.78" of travel", and "I might break a nail".

[emfc]

Rigid! That is all I'm going to say.

[allison]

Originally Posted by foofighter

thank you ALLISON! all you rigid folks are NUTS i tell you...your wrists are going to get you later.

Nah, if he had a ONE9 or a SIR9 for SS I'd tell him to go rigid. But for an AIR9? Alum/scan is rough enough with 80mm!!

[davidB]

Originally Posted by allison

There are usually rocks n stuff on most so cal trails. Get yourself a Reba and enjoy a bit of suspension!

If i recall, didn't you (or still do) have a carbon fork on one of your bikes?

no bueno?

[allison]

Originally Posted by davidB

If i recall, didn't you (or still do) have a carbon fork on one of your bikes?

no bueno?

It's a 26" and it was for my SS. It was also on a steel bike.

The carbon rigid was WAY nicer than the steel rigid, though.

If I ever get a 29" SS (would be hard to convince Justin of that anytime this century or next), I'd get rigid.


It's all about application. For trail riding in So Cal on a geared bike? Go Reba.

[Bryguy17]

i vote for suspension. I know i get beat up just riding my BMX bike around on streets (i jump off stuff a bunch though ) so i can't imagine dealing with large rocks and things, even with large wheels (frankly dont want to deal with them either...)

[dstepper]

To me it depends on what other bikes are in your stable. I would not want a fully rigid bike as my only bike. If I was building a Air9 it would be because I wanted the lightest geared bike I could build and that would include a rigid carbon fork.

[guero]

if you want carbon because it has some flex/give, why not just get a suspended fork?

[DeeZee]

Originally Posted by davidB

get your mind out of the gutter...

Assuming I order a Air9 frame on Sunday, I was looking into a 80mm fork or going rigid.

This will be more of a XC bike with my squishy being the "everything else" bike.

Price was my first concern, but some of the carbon rigid forks can get up there in price comparable to a 80mm

so what the hell? input on either would be nice.

I rode a small niner with a rigid fork around the bottom of fontucky and it didn't seem all that bad, which is what got this ball rolling...

Reba for squish
Reba w/lockout for rigid

anymore questions

[davidB]

Originally Posted by dstepper

If I was building a Air9 it would be because I wanted the lightest geared bike I could build and that would include a rigid carbon fork.

and that's the mindset I have when thinking about this future build. Heck the first bike I had (entry level HT) apparently came with a 63mm fork and weighed more than 30 lbs. I also remember the fork not working all that well, and felt rigid half the time anyway. I rode that on some long rides now that i think about it

As for now I race my only bike (kona dawg supreme) and it's beefy as it, even with some light stuff.

I already suck at racing downhills anyway, but i'm not sure how much more will suffer when doing it rigid. And that's my concern. And after a lunch break full of thoughts, I'm still going to be hard pressed to not go rigid