Suspension to Rigid?

woodgob

I've been off the bike commute for 6 months due to health problems and am seriously looking forward to getting out of the car and back in the saddle. But...6 months has given some time to think about my ride. My rig is a Spesh Rockhopper with skinny slicks and narrow flat bar - no good for long distance but a fun little blast into work (4 miles each way).

What I'm wondering is - should I ditch the front suspension and switch to a rigid fork (Bonty Switchblade for example)? Due to MTBing (different rig) I've not ridden a rigid fork for 12 years so it's a complete unknown for me...I really cannot remember what it was like.

Does anyone else have experience of making that change and how much harsher the ride was? How was handling effected and were there gains? My current sus fork is due to be replaced as is on last legs and I'm a bit anxious about the change....

biondino

If you're intending to use the bike for off-road purposes at any time then the benefits on a short commute of having rigid suspension won't make up for the disadvantages off-road (NB I am not an MTBer so am assuming here). But if it's basically an ad hoc road bike then maybe it's wise. As for the difference, well, it'll be harsher, quicker and at first you'll feel off -balance when you ride. But very quickly you'll get used to it.

roger_merriman

depends how much you blat over kerbs and though lumps and bumbs mtb's tend to be very stiff so if you've got thin tires you might find the ride a little harsh. my old mtb with some marthons is far more of bone rattling ride than the old road bike which even with thin blades of tires is comftable mile muncher.

woodgob

Hi Biondino

Thanks for response and advice. I like the quicker aspect. .

You are right about the neg effect of rigid fork off-road althought there is a hardcore crowd who still like to ride rigid off-road. Hitting an unexpected piece of flint on a fast downhill with no give...no thanks!

Luckily I have another bike for the MTBing so the Spesh is purely for the commute.

woodgob

That was other concern...how much harsher the ride will be given that it's not a road frame (fat tubes, short wheelbase). I guess it will teach me to quickly avoid lumps, bumps and potholes rather than bombing along regardless and letting the fork do all the work!!

alex16zx

Your arms will soon get used to it if you're riding regularly. You'll quickly learn how to absorb the shocks with your arms as long as you're keeping an eye on the surface for what's coming.

roger_merriman

it will be harsh and not much faster it's only 4 miles, the weight lost is unlikely to make much differnace.

this said i have a old mtb thats a fine blast around town, does get wearing after a while though.

singlespeedexplosif

will soon get used to it if you're riding regularly. You'll quickly learn how to absorb the shocks with your arms as long as you're keeping an eye on the surface for what's coming.


+1. So pleased I ditched the sus forks on my singlespeed.

DancesWithSheep

With a 100mm fork you can ride over most of the junk a road can throw at you, but since I started riding by rigid mtb to work I've found my off road riding has improved. You now have to be slightly more aware of where you're putting the wheel and I now pick better lines offroad and have a softer touch on the bars

Oh, and whisper it too incase your sus forks hear you... I've been riding the rigid offroad too

roger_merriman

oh one can do it, i mean i used to ride around the breacon beacons on my old rigid so a commute really shouldn't be a problem.

woodgob

DancesWithSheep wrote:

With a 100mm fork you can ride over most of the junk a road can throw at you, but since I started riding by rigid mtb to work I've found my off road riding has improved. You now have to be slightly more aware of where you're putting the wheel and I now pick better lines offroad and have a softer touch on the bars

Oh, and whisper it too incase your sus forks hear you... I've been riding the rigid offroad too

So another added bonus for my off-road riding then.....cool

girv73

I've just this very weekend replaced the 100mm travel sus forks on my commute MTB with rigid forks - Orange F8s, suspension corrected length - and replaced the 26x2.1 knobblies with 26x1.125 Conti Ultra Gatorskin slicks @ 95psi.



More pictures...

The handling doesn't feel much different, but then I've been used to riding a rigid MTB for years before this and I also haven't yet got the forks and geometry set up perfectly. However, the ride is *much* more harsh than before and feels a lot faster. I can't compare it to a road bike as I've not ridden one of those since ... 1991? It's not terrible though and I expect I'll get used to it quickly enough. My commute is 8ish miles of roads, but some of them are quite bumpy.

BoardinBob

I've got Rockshox Recon's on my Spesh Hardrock and ride with them locked out all the time now. With the impending delivery of a full susser the hardrock will soon be for commuting only and I'll switch over to fully rigid forks very soon. There's really no need for suspension if your commute is entirely on tarmac

woodgob

girv73 wrote:

I've just this very weekend replaced the 100mm travel sus forks on my commute MTB with rigid forks - Orange F8s, suspension corrected length - and replaced the 26x2.1 knobblies with 26x1.125 Conti Ultra Gatorskin slicks @ 95psi.



More pictures...

The handling doesn't feel much different, but then I've been used to riding a rigid MTB for years before this and I also haven't yet got the forks and geometry set up perfectly. However, the ride is *much* more harsh than before and feels a lot faster. I can't compare it to a road bike as I've not ridden one of those since ... 1991? It's not terrible though and I expect I'll get used to it quickly enough. My commute is 8ish miles of roads, but some of them are quite bumpy.

It'll be interesting to hear how you've gotten on after a week of this new ride.

woodgob

BoardinBob wrote:

I've got Rockshox Recon's on my Spesh Hardrock and ride with them locked out all the time now. With the impending delivery of a full susser the hardrock will soon be for commuting only and I'll switch over to fully rigid forks very soon. There's really no need for suspension if your commute is entirely on tarmac

The Hardrock is a very similar frame geometry to the Rockhopper which is the Spesh I use. Have you thought about which forks you'll go for if you decide to convert?

BoardinBob

woodgob wrote:

BoardinBob wrote:

I've got Rockshox Recon's on my Spesh Hardrock and ride with them locked out all the time now. With the impending delivery of a full susser the hardrock will soon be for commuting only and I'll switch over to fully rigid forks very soon. There's really no need for suspension if your commute is entirely on tarmac

The Hardrock is a very similar frame geometry to the Rockhopper which is the Spesh I use. Have you thought about which forks you'll go for if you decide to convert?

http://superstar.tibolts.co.uk/index.php?cPath=38

woodgob

BoardinBob wrote:

woodgob wrote:

BoardinBob wrote:

I've got Rockshox Recon's on my Spesh Hardrock and ride with them locked out all the time now. With the impending delivery of a full susser the hardrock will soon be for commuting only and I'll switch over to fully rigid forks very soon. There's really no need for suspension if your commute is entirely on tarmac

The Hardrock is a very similar frame geometry to the Rockhopper which is the Spesh I use. Have you thought about which forks you'll go for if you decide to convert?

http://superstar.tibolts.co.uk/index.php?cPath=38

Sweet. Similar to the Switchblades. Defo what I had in mind. Be interested to hear how that rides if you do it as it'll be very similar, I would imagine, to how my RH does.

alfablue

I swapped out the Rockshox SID SL forks on my Rock Lobster Ti mtb to make it a commuter/tourer. I got Kona Project 2 triple butted forks. The weight difference wasn't that great as the SID's were pretty light, but the bike was fine with rigids, it rides really well and no harsh ride over normal road surfaces. As long as you get a length to suit your geometry then it should be fine. I chose to get ones with mudguard eyes as mudguards are well worth having for commuting/touring IMHO.

chronyx

What a coincidence this is the last little mod I was thinking of making to my Hardrock...