A favorite among off-road speed demons and purists, rigid mountain bike forks offer an alternative to the more common suspension forks that grace most modern mountain bikes. Though it won’t give you the squishy, bump-eating smoothness of a suspension fork, a rigid mountain bike fork has its own charms and, yes, performance benefits.

First and foremost, it’s light. Without all the complexity and moving parts of a suspension fork—oil cartridges, springs, adjustment dials and so on—a rigid fork can be stripped down to its essential duties. Namely, holding the front wheel in place and delivering razor sharp handling.

The second major benefit of going rigid is simplicity. You’ll never get an oil leak or blow a seal while riding one, and for those who really want to feel the trail, there’s no better option. Typically paired with a rigid frame, you can find rigid mountain bike forks made from various materials including steel, aluminum and carbon fiber. At JensonUSA.com, we carry a full selection with some great options from brands such as Enve, Salsa, Surly and MRP. All are good choices for riders who like to burn up smoother XC terrain, or who want a bike that can do double duty on gravel or singletrack terrain. Rigid mountain bike forks also make sense if you favor versatility and want off-road worthy bike that can also do some urban shredding or take you on a bikepacking adventure. When shopping for a rigid mountain bike fork, you’ll want to narrow down your choices based on your brakes (disc or rim brakes) as well as your steerer tube size and style (tapered or non-tapered). Feel free to call one of our JensonUSA Gear Advisors today at 888-880-3811 if you have any questions.