Rigid frame

Triban Man

I have a Trek 3500 (2009 model) mountain bike that I absolutely love. It has a rigid frame and I have seen some rather sniffy comments online saying it should not be taken off road. Despite these warnings, it has always served me well, including at Glentress and Innerleithen. But I have started doing a lot more of this kind of riding recently and was wondering what advantages I would get from upgrading to something with suspension and disc brakes.

supersonic

Hard to say. More control with forks over the rough stuff, maybe better stopping.

unquestioned

More speed & control, more comfort but ride what you like to ride, that's the important part.

The Rookie

If you enjoy it, do it, I know plenty of people who ride rigid, the 0.5-1.5Kg weight saving can go a long way to making up for the lack of suspension!

Triban Man

Thanks people. Food for thought.

EH_Rob

Whilst you're having fun don't bother changing it just because someone on the internet told you to. All mountain bikes used to be like that.

ga-rat

Could you keep it rigid and add disc brakes?

In muddy conditions you really can't beat disc brakes, still summer is coming, well hopefully, conditions will be just dusty and no sign of mud.

Monty Dog

A rigid bike teaches you to ride smooth and carefully select your lines - fit a carbon fork with room for a fat front tyre and you'll wonder what all the fuss is about.