I now know of at least four other folks regularly riding a rigid mountain bike on the North Shore. Yes, there’s some grey area with that statement, so to be clear I’m not talking about surviving down Expresso or Ned’s on a gravel rig, but rather the proper big brakes and sticky rubber of the full #JerryWillowsHatesMyBike rigid-Enduro experience.
As far as I know, we all love riding down Pipeline (thanks Ken & Co.) so for the sake of moving forward that’s how I’ll define the rigs I’m talking about. A rigid ‘Shore’ mountain bike is such a machine that you’d be happy to ride down Pipeline trail sans suspension.
*Photos by Steve & Meg @ Hardtail.Life
Now, I’m told by folks riding rigid forks in many other locales that their choice of equipment generally flies under the radar. That’s certainly not the case in North Vancouver. Riding a ‘double hardtail’ here, you’re guaranteed to field the odd question and endure a decent amount of derision from people you’ve never met before.
It seems that every old dude has some anecdote about how awful their ’80s or early ’90s rigid bike was – never mind the tires, never mind the brakes, never mind the geometry – that they’d like to equate to my current experience. Folks who’ve never ridden a rigid bike, never mind a ‘modern’ rigid bike equally imagine it to be an awful experience. But then there are always people who see someone having fun on a simple speed who are genuinely curious about the trade-offs.
Thus, whether passing another rider, being passed or simply crossing paths, I’m always prepared to riposte a little ribbing or answer a question, or two.
This Tuesday then was a strange day. I joined a fairly large group of folks, at least by my standards, for a Fromme ride. We crossed paths with a plethora of other riders. And I’ll tell you, plenty of those riders gave me intensely inquisitive looks. Even more than usual. But not a single rider mentioned my lack of gears or my rigid fork.
It’s true, the Banshee Enigma with its modern-looking aluminum frame doesn’t ever garner the “how old is that bike?” inquiries that the Waltworks V2 grabs but I have to wonder if, in their silence, folks are finally coming around to the idea of rigid rigs? Credit Stooge Cycles? Credit to those of us riding and loving rigid bikes whether #1FG or multi-speed? Maybe we’re on the cusp of a mass movement towards more basic mountain bicycles? Quiet acceptance of alternative riding options?
A bold change in experience for me either way. It’ll be interesting to see if the strange looks, but quiet acceptance of my riding one-speed, is the norm in ’24!