Resurrecting this thread and thanking Andrew Major and others in advance for your thoughts. I've been working my way toward simpler bikes. With each step, I find the fun factor increases, as I enjoy the climbs more and the descents just as much, although in a different way. On my rigid 2017 Karate Monkey with Niner carbon fork, shod with chunky 29x2.6 tires, I have yet to find something I can't climb as well or better than on any other bike I've owned. Coming down, I'm slower and I have to think more, but I ultimately feel safer and more engaged in the process. For me, speed, while fun, is the thing that has led to more injuries over the years than the capability of the bike. I totally get that a capable bike can allow for more safety at higher speeds, but I've found that I will seek the edge of that comfort zone on any bike, and given a choice, I'll take slower speed crashes over more catastrophic wipeouts. All in all, riding my bike rigid gives me that connected feel nearly everyone touts as an attribute of rigid bikes.
I love my bike, but I find myself looking at more rigid-specific frames -- non-suspension-corrected geometry. What do you all think is the optimal headtube angle and fork length for a purpose-built rigid bike? My Karate Monkey came with a 483mm, 47mm offset fork and 69-degree head angle but is capable of taking a suspension fork up to 140mm. That's a huge range and makes me think the rigid spec is not optimized. With the long front center on that bike and relatively short chainstays, I think the 68.5-degree headtube angle with my slightly longer (490 A2C) carbon fork is pretty good, but a little light on both climbs and in maintaining traction in downhill corners. For my next bike, I'm considering a rigid-specific design with longer chainstays and a 71-degree head angle. Seems like the next step in the progression I've been following for the last 5 years, but I am worried this might be one step too far -- that I might hit the point at which the descents stop being as fun even accounting for their quirky challenge.
March 22, 2019, 11:43 a.m. - ericjayowsley
Resurrecting this thread and thanking Andrew Major and others in advance for your thoughts. I've been working my way toward simpler bikes. With each step, I find the fun factor increases, as I enjoy the climbs more and the descents just as much, although in a different way. On my rigid 2017 Karate Monkey with Niner carbon fork, shod with chunky 29x2.6 tires, I have yet to find something I can't climb as well or better than on any other bike I've owned. Coming down, I'm slower and I have to think more, but I ultimately feel safer and more engaged in the process. For me, speed, while fun, is the thing that has led to more injuries over the years than the capability of the bike. I totally get that a capable bike can allow for more safety at higher speeds, but I've found that I will seek the edge of that comfort zone on any bike, and given a choice, I'll take slower speed crashes over more catastrophic wipeouts. All in all, riding my bike rigid gives me that connected feel nearly everyone touts as an attribute of rigid bikes. I love my bike, but I find myself looking at more rigid-specific frames -- non-suspension-corrected geometry. What do you all think is the optimal headtube angle and fork length for a purpose-built rigid bike? My Karate Monkey came with a 483mm, 47mm offset fork and 69-degree head angle but is capable of taking a suspension fork up to 140mm. That's a huge range and makes me think the rigid spec is not optimized. With the long front center on that bike and relatively short chainstays, I think the 68.5-degree headtube angle with my slightly longer (490 A2C) carbon fork is pretty good, but a little light on both climbs and in maintaining traction in downhill corners. For my next bike, I'm considering a rigid-specific design with longer chainstays and a 71-degree head angle. Seems like the next step in the progression I've been following for the last 5 years, but I am worried this might be one step too far -- that I might hit the point at which the descents stop being as fun even accounting for their quirky challenge.