Rigid 29er: Keeping up with the Hardtails and Full Suspensions

First off I live in michigan so take this with a grain of salt, half the trails I ride could be ridden on a road bike, thinks smooth with some light sand and a few roots, not many rocks.

I have been riding a rigid 29er for the last 4 years and a rigid surly 1x1 since about 2002. my first REAL moutain bike was rigid (I was 13 years old). I have been mountain biking for 17 years now. Alot of guys i ride with all have either front of full suspension. I have no problem keeping up with them on more technical trails and trails that are rougher and rooted. At the Ore to Shore this year (48 mile race in the UP on some fast but rocky fireroads) I was passing many people on the downhills and though the rocky sections. I was on a rigid geared 29er with Stan's Crow tires front an rear.

It comes down to one thing SKILLS!!!!! I have been a mountain biker for a long time and my off road handling skills are pretty damn dialed at this point. I can out ride many people(on hardtailed and full suspension bikes) on a bald tired rigid 29er and I always get post ride comments on my speed through certain sections.

It has not always been like this, when I was just starting out in racing, 96 or 97 I could barely get though the woods without crashing, wiping out, or just going so damn slow it was pointless. Then I got a surly 1x1 and kept it rigid for $$ purposes. The bike was simple and cheap and taught me more about off road handling than anything before it. Rding a rigid bikes makes you a better bike handler by force, because you have nothing to help you out except your off road skills and ability to handle varying situations.

All i can tell you is to keep with it, and in time you will evole into a better bike handler, and if you end up with a suspension bike either front or full your skills from riding a rigid bike will be even more noticable. I have known many people who have become much better riders because they spent some time on a rigid bike. I would not know, my last suspension for was a 2001 blue SID, and it was 2001.

Hope this helps, also Remember Jonny T rode a rigid drop bar mtb and you could probabaly outride all of us why??? cause that dude had some damn good skills in the woods

Thank you, all, very much. A wealth of information and comments here. The full suspension group is comprised of seasoned riders who've ridden the trails I've been on with them probably hundreds of times. They really know the trails like the back of their hands. I need to improve myself more so that I can keep up. It's fun riding with them. Who knows, I may yet end up with a full suspension bike, but for now, I'll go with what I have.

To jms (and to share a funny experience): I ride with Weirwolfs front and rear, Stan's Flows, tubeless. I was with the full suspension group yesterday. As I was climbing, I pull my front upwards to clear a rock and somehow hit the rock a litle bit sideways. I'm heavy enough such that I burped my front tire (Stan's sprayed out) and I ended up stopping and pumping air back into the tire. Needless to say, I lost the group.

My original riding buddies don't like riding in the cold and come up with excuses not to ride.

I can't thank you all enough for your replies. I was getting bummed, but now I want to ride more.

You have already received a lot of good (and possibly bad...) advice -

I currently have a rigid 29er and a 29er F/S and like the contrast of the two- the rigid will definitely help you hone in on your handling skills and make you pick your lines, and if you ever do decide get a F/S you truly will appreciate it (and possibly use the additional control for more speed- or you will become lazy..). Beyond the lack of suspension bob etc.. the Rigid makes me climb much faster; it is a mental thing. On the downs the lack of suspension can its limits where excessive speed on rough terrain makes bike handling beyond difficult and most of us are forced to reduce speed- add suspension and your tires are able to stay in contact with the trail which can help a bit with bike control.... But the rigid sure does feel fast as you hold on for dear life on a decent you did last week on a FS bike...

In the end as many have said a great rider on a crappy bike will be faster than a crappy rider on a great bike- time on the bike makes all of the difference, with better stamina will come better skills... with or without suspension.

I really enjoy riding rigid on most trails. I like the lighter front end, and the consistent bar height relative to the terrain. That said, even though I rode rigid the first 3 years of being on a 29er, I can appreciate a good quality suspension fork when descending. Or even for flats and climbing when it is repeatedly rocky, to the point where it becomes a distraction. The fork has to have a really good lockout/blowoff system though, I am only familiar with the Fox F29 and it is quite good.

I plan to have a new bike set up hardtail this summer, and my existing bike kept rigid, so I will have a choice depending on the trail I am heading to...that is an ideal situation for me. I ride with some guys who will out-technical me all day long on rigid bikes, so it is really just about what you enjoy riding...don't feel like you are failing some rite of manhood not to ride rigid. No doubt it will help you pick better lines...but honestly...80% of that line-picking goes away for me once I have a sus fork on the front.