BIKE TEST
RIGID RIDES
Biketest
Rigid rides DAN JOYCE Dan rides a rigid 29+ mountain bike – a bespoke Carver Gnarvester that’s a bit like a titanium Krampus – so may be biased.
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cycle
APR I L/ M AY 2022
Most mountain bikes come with suspension. Do you need it? Dan Joyce tests two bikes that do fine without: a Jones Plus LWB and a Surly Krampus, two off-road bikes ready for anything
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efore we start, let’s get one thing straight: if you want to ride as fast as you can down technical trails, a full-suspension bike will enable you to do that quicker and with more control. If that isn’t your main aim, there’s a simpler way to ride off-road: rigid. It isn’t necessarily the bruising experience you might expect. A decade ago Surly launched the first plus bike, the Krampus. It wasn’t a fat bike, more a 29er on steroids – thus 29+. Its 3in tyres gave better bump absorption and the larger overall wheel diameter even better rollover. Too “out there” for the fashion-focused cycling world, its influence can nevertheless be seen in the drift towards 2.5in and 2.6in tyres; bigger but not intimidatingly bigger. It’s like when 650B bikes took off after 29ers challenged 26ers: two steps forward, one step back. Plus bikes are still around, both in larger (29×3) and smaller (27.5×2.8in) wheel sizes, and with and without suspension. They remain fairly niche and the tyre options – particularly in 29×3 – have narrowed. Yet I don’t see them disappearing. Like fat bikes, they suit some cyclists and some kinds of cycling too well. The Krampus is still here too. Compared to the one we reviewed in Feb/Mar 2013, the current model has some modest geometry changes, such as ~1cm shorter chainstays, a slightly steeper seat angle, and a marginally slacker head angle. It’s also compatible with prevailing axle standards, an internal dropper seatpost,
and more luggage options. As well as the rigid version on test, it can be bought (£2,699.99) with a 120mm RockShox 35 Gold RL fork and a TransX dropper post. Jeff Jones has been building rigid bikes exclusively since the noughties, developing different geometry and components such as his eponymous H-bars to optimise the ride. Plus tyres on wide rims (29+ or 27.5+, depending on the model) were the last piece of the puzzle and have replaced standard 29er wheels on his bikes. These range from titanium spaceframe models with truss forks to diamond frame steel ones. Note that Jones dealers in the UK don’t sell complete bikes. You can buy a frameset here but bikes are shipped from the USA.
Frame & fork: Jones The Jones rips up received wisdom on mountain bike geometry, which favours really slack head angles, less fork offset, steeper seat angles, longer top tubes, and shorter chainstays. All that works fine for a certain kind of off-road riding but it’s predicated on suspension. The Jones is designed to be ridden rigid. Even if you could find a suspension fork to fit its
