Rigid mountain bikes are making a comeback, and with them, rigid mountain bike forks. If you’re looking for mountain bike geometry with a rigid front end you have plenty of options available, including nearly every drop bar mountain bike on the market.
Perhaps you already have a hardtail mountain bike that you want to convert to rigid. Though suspension forks are a fabulous invention, they add weight and complexity. If you’re mostly riding mellow trails, a good-quality rigid MTB fork will be lighter and more efficient and require less maintenance without sacrificing much in the way of ride quality.
Perhaps I’m biased; I’ve ridden rigid mountain bikes back and forth across large parts of the western US. The terrain needs to get pretty rough before I consider a suspension fork to be worth its weight. While they won’t soak up the hits from large rocks and drops, modern rigid mountain bike forks are surprisingly good at absorbing chatter on rough dirt roads and mellow singletrack.
If you’re in search of a rigid fork for your mountain bike, you’re in the right place. This post has two parts:
- An overview of what to look for in a rigid MTB fork, including geometry considerations and compatibility checks to make sure it works with the rest of your bike.
- A roundup of the most trusted rigid mountain bike forks available today, from top-of-the-line carbon to affordable steel.
When you buy through affiliate links in this post, I may earn a small commission. Thanks for your support! Don’t worry, everything you read here is unbiased and based on real experience on the road and trail. Learn more.
Why Rigid Forks on Mountain Bikes?
If you already have a suspension fork, why would you replace it with a rigid one? Isn’t the whole point of a mountain bike to smooth out rough trail? Why would we go back to the stone age when we have all this great modern tech?
Sure, suspension forks are a fabulous tool for mountain biking on rougher terrain. But rigid forks, especially the latest and greatest, have advantages too:
- Lighter, sometimes by as much as 2-3 pounds
- No maintenance or adjustments required
- Simpler: fewer moving parts that can fail in the middle of nowhere
- More efficient: stiffer than a locked out suspension fork
- Easier to attach stuff to. If you’re into bikepacking, many rigid mountain bike forks come with gear cage mounts.
- You can “feel the trail.” While some consider this a downside, you’ll learn to pick your line more carefully and get immediate feedback on technique with a rigid fork.
Swapping between forks is a fairly easy DIY job, especially once the initial installation has been done (steerer tube cut, crown race installed, and star nut or compression plug in place). So having both a suspension fork and a rigid MTB fork can be almost like having two different bikes. Add a second wheelset and it’s almost like you have both a hardtail and a gravel bike, depending on the week.
Now that you’re hopefully convinced by the benefits of rigid mountain bike forks, let’s talk about how to choose the right one for your bike.
What to Look For in a Rigid MTB Fork
You’ll have to consider several important factors when choosing a rigid fork for your mountain bike. If you have a newer mid-to-high-end mountain bike it will be easy to find a fork that works. If your bike is older or lower-end there may be some compatibility issues to watch out for; a local bike shop can help you sort through the options.
Suspension Corrected: When replacing a suspension fork with a rigid fork, you want a rigid fork that is “suspension corrected.” That sounds fancy, but it simply means the fork is longer. Suspension forks are generally longer than rigid forks to account for the amount they shorten under load. So a suspension corrected rigid fork is long enough to replace a suspension fork without changing the bike’s geometry too drastically.
Some rigid MTB forks list the specific amount of travel they are corrected for in the spec (longer travel suspension forks are taller when uncompressed, all else being equal). Others just list their axle to crown length and let you decide the suitability.
Axle to Crown / Fork Height: This is the key number to consider when choosing a rigid mountain bike fork. To preserve the bike’s geometry and thus its handling characteristics, you want a rigid fork with similar axle to crown measurement as the suspension fork it’s replacing. It doesn’t have to be exact, but try to get close. A difference of 10mm isn’t a big deal for most riders; you might not even notice it.
To determine your suspension fork’s effective axle to crown, you’ll want to measure and account for its sag. Sag is the amount of compression in the fork caused by your weight when you’re just sitting on the bike, with the fork tuned to your liking. Subtract this from the unloaded axle to crown (measure or check the spec) to get the number you’re trying to match with the rigid fork.
Can’t find a good match? Not a huge deal. Handling is a matter of personal preference and you might even prefer the new handling. A longer fork slackens the headtube angle, which generally leads to more stability at speed at the expense of nimble maneuverability (think of aggressive downhill bikes). A shorter fork steepens the headtube angle, making for quicker steering at the expense of stability (think cross country bikes).
Small differences in fork length aren’t likely to make a big difference, but if you’d like to move your bike’s handling slightly in one direction or the other, it’s worth considering.
Hub / Axle Compatibility: Your rigid MTB fork needs to be compatible with your front wheel, specifically the length and diameter of the axle. If you don’t already know, figure out which of the MTB axle standards your bike uses. Most modern mountain bikes use a thru axle with boost spacing (15x110mm), but older or cheaper bikes may use a non-boost thru axle (15x100mm) or quick release skewer.
Generally the fork’s axle type (length and diameter) needs to match your wheel’s axle, but there are a few easy ways to adapt. You may be able to use a 15x100mm thru axle wheel with a boost fork by adding a spacer kit, and some hubs have interchangeable end caps. You can also run a thru axle wheel in a QR fork using an adapter, but not the other way around.
Wheel Size and Tire Clearance: A fork’s axle to crown length is related to the wheel size it’s designed for. Many modern forks will work with either 29″ or 27.5″ wheels, with minor geometry differences. Forks designed for 26″ wheels may not even fit a 29″ wheel, and while a 29″ fork might technically fit a 26″ wheel (if the axle type were compatible) it would change the geometry quite a bit.
Fork shape and width, along with your wheel size, determine the max tire width that can fit. Most rigid mountain bike forks have generous tire clearance of up to around 3″.
Material and Weight: A fork’s material influences its ride feel, weight, and cost. Most rigid mountain bike forks are made from either steel or carbon. Steel is the lower cost option and does a decent job of absorbing road chatter, but it’s heavier. Modern carbon forks, especially higher end ones, are very light and have excellent ride feel, but they’re much more expensive.
Fork weights generally include the entire uncut steerer and, for thru axle forks, the axle. This means the actual weight of the fork, once installed, is a bit less.
Brake Type, Mount, and Rotor Compatibility: Most modern mountain bikes with disc brakes and rotors up to 180mm shouldn’t have issues here, but it’s worth checking the brake mount type and max rotor size of the fork and making sure you have any adapters you’ll need. Rim brake users, unfortunately your options are much more limited.
Steerer Type: The fork’s steerer tube needs to be compatible with your headset and headtube. Modern steerer tubes generally follow the 1-1/8″ to 1.5″ tapered standard (sometimes just written as 1.5″ tapered), which you can recognize by its wide-to-narrow profile as the tube extends upward from the crown. The straight 1-1/8″ standard is older, but can still be used in place of a tapered steerer with an adapter for the lower bearings.
Offset / Rake: The fork offset, also called rake, is related to the headtube angle discussed above. More offset / rake leads to more stability at speed, while less offset / rake leads to faster steering and more agility. Most rigid MTB forks fall within a fairly standard range here, but if you’re on the fence between two similar forks you might compare the rake numbers and see which best matches your current fork and handling preferences.
Accessory Mounts: Since rigid mountain bike forks are so popular with bikepackers, many come with bottle bosses and eyelets on the blades. There are other ways to attach cages to fork blades without any built-in mounting options (hose clamps and zip ties for example) but the bosses definitely make it easier.
Best Rigid Mountain Bike Forks
Though you’ll find plenty of bargain-basement forks on Amazon, most serious riders choose from a handful of models by reputable brands. To be fair, I haven’t tried the budget offerings. But when I’m pedaling through the middle of nowhere I want to be absolutely sure my fork is strong and reliable!
To that end, here’s a selection of the most popular and well-regarded rigid mountain bike forks available today.
ENVE Mountain Fork
Price: $650
Material: carbon
Weight: 719 g (with fender)
Axle options: 15x110mm thru (boost), 15x100mm thru
Axle to Crown: 490mm (boost), 470mm (non-boost)
Tire clearance: 29×3″
Rake: 44 or 52mm (adjustable)
Steerer: 1.5″ tapered
Features: Adjustable rake (44 / 52mm), removable fender, 3-pack accessory mounts on boost version
The ENVE Mountain Fork is often considered the cream of the crop when it comes to rigid mountain bike forks. In addition to its high quality and smooth ride feel it includes a removable fender, three-pack cage mounts, and clever reversible flip-chips allowing for two different rake settings. It comes in both Boost and non-Boost thru axle versions.
Whisky No. 9 MTN Fork
Price: $565 (boost), $525 (non-boost)
Material: carbon
Weight: 680 g (boost), 730 g (non-boost)
Axle options: 15x110mm thru (boost), 15x100mm thru (non-boost)
Axle to Crown: 500mm (boost), 483mm (non-boost)
Tire clearance: 29×3″
Rake: 51mm
Steerer type: 1.5″ tapered
Features: 3-pack accessory mounts and dynamo routing on boost version
The Whisky No. 9 MTN and Whisky No. 9 MTN Boost forks are another top-notch carbon option for riders wanting a lightweight rigid MTB fork with great ride feel. The boost version is one of the longest rigid MTB forks available, matched only by the Panorama Taiga below.
Salsa Firestarter Deluxe Carbon Fork
Price: $599
Material: carbon
Weight: 620 g
Axle options: 15x110mm thru (boost), 15x100mm thru (non-boost)
Axle to Crown: 483mm (boost), 483mm (non-boost)
Tire clearance: 29×3″
Rake: 51mm (boost), 45mm (non-boost)
Steerer type: 1.5″ tapered
Features: 3-pack accessory mounts and mid-blade rack mount, fender mounts, dynamo routing
The Salsa Firestarter Deluxe and Firestarter 110 Deluxe are classics – the 110 (boost) version comes on the well-known Fargo rigid mountain bike – but you can add them to your own mountain bike too. Each blade features not one but two sets of three-pack mounts for carrying gear, plus a mid-blade rack mount and fender mounts and internal dynamo routing; now that’s a full-featured bikepacking-focused fork!
Panorama Taiga Carbon Fork
Price: $565 CAD (currently about $422 USD)
Material: carbon
Weight: 675g
Axle options: 15x110mm thru (boost)
Axle to Crown: 500 mm
Tire clearance: 29×3″ or 27.5×3.25″
Rake: 51 mm
Steerer type: 1.5″ tapered
Features: 3-pack accessory mounts
The Taiga fork, made by a small bikepacking-focused Canadian company, is one of the longest rigid mountain bike forks in this list (500mm axle-to-crown, matched only by the Whisky No. 9 MTN Boost) and is suitable for replacing up to a 120mm travel suspension fork on a 29er bike. It’s also the most affordable carbon fork in this list.
Niner Boost RDO MTB Carbon Fork
Price: $550 USD
Material: carbon
Weight: 690g
Axle options: 15x110mm thru (boost)
Axle to Crown: 490 mm
Tire clearance: 29×3″
Rake: 51 mm
Steerer type: 1.5″ tapered
Features: 2-pack bottle mounts, low rack mounts
The Niner RDO Boost carbon fork is one of the original carbon MTB forks and has a long history of success. With Boost thru axle spacing, a middle-of-the-road modern axle-to-crown height, and clearance for 29×3″ tires this fork checks all the boxes. Bikepackers take note, the cage mounts are the standard 2-pack variety intended for bottles, not 3-pack gear cages.
Ritchey WCS Carbon Mountain Fork
Price: $530
Material: carbon
Weight: 625 g
Axle options: 9mm QR
Axle to Crown: 459 mm
Tire clearance: 29×2.9″
Rake: 45 mm
Steerer type: 1-1/8″ straight
The Ritchey WCS Carbon Mountain is one of the few rigid MTB carbon forks available for older bikes thanks to its QR skewer axle and straight steerer tube. It’s light on extra features and has a unique aesthetic among the carbon forks in this list, imitating the shape of a suspension fork.
Surly Krampus Fork
Price: $175
Material: steel
Weight: 1180 g
Axle options: 15x110mm thru (boost) or QR
Axle to Crown: 483 mm
Tire clearance: 29×3″
Max rotor size: 203 mm
Rake: 47 mm
Steerer type: 1-1/8″ straight
Features: accessory mounts, mid-blade eyelets, colors other than black!
The steel Surly Krampus fork, used on the rigid versions of the Krampus and Karate Monkey, offers great value for riders seeking an affordable rigid fork for their mountain bike. It has plenty of bosses and eyelets for carrying gear and comes in a number of fun colors. It’s available in both boost thru axle and QR configurations to accommodate a range of hubs, and its straight steerer can work as-is with older headsets or be adapted to replace a tapered steerer.
Salsa Firestarter Fork
Price: $139
Material: steel
Weight: 1190 g
Axle options: QR
Axle to Crown: 483 mm
Tire clearance: 29x?
Rake: 45 mm
Steerer type: 1-1/8″ straight
Features: accessory mounts, mid-blade eyelets
The steel Salsa Firestarter Fork, not to be confused with the carbon version above, is an affordable rigid MTB fork originally spec’ed on older Fargo bikes. With three-pack mounts, rack and fender mounts, plus mid-blade eyelets, it’s made for carrying gear in a variety of ways. It’s compatible with quick-release axles, and its straight steerer can work as-is with older headsets or be adapted to replace a tapered steerer.
Salsa CroMoto Grande Fork
Price: $130
Material: steel
Weight: 1080 g
Axle options: QR
Axle to Crown: 463 mm
Tire clearance: 29x90mm / 3.5″
Rake: 45 mm
Steerer type: 1-1/8″ straight
The steel Salsa CroMoto Grande stands out as a steel fork without all the mounts and eyelets, making it appealing to non-bikepackers (though you never know, you could get into bikepacking later…). It’s also a bit shorter than many in this list, so it’s a good option for replacing lower travel forks; Salsa says 80mm is the sweet spot. Like the steel Firestarter above it has QR dropouts and a straight steerer tube.
Soma MTB 29/27.5″ Disc Forks
Price: $170 – $290
Material: steel
Weight: varies
Axle options: QR, thru axle
Axle to Crown: 465, 485 mm
Tire clearance: 29×3″
Rake: varies
Steerer type: 1-1/8″ straight, tapered
Features: Rack eyelets, 3-pack mounts on some models
Soma Fab Shop offers a selection of steel MTB forks in different lengths with differing accessory mounts. The “BP” models, designed for bikepacking, have 3-pack accessory mounts (the BP2 has two sets on each blade!) while the others are more streamlined. Most have 1-1/8″ straight threadless steerers and QR dropouts, but there is a more modern version with 15×100 thru (non-boost) axle and tapered steerer.
Soma MTB 26″ Canti Forks
Price: $119 – $179
Material: steel
Weight: varies
Axle options: QR
Brake type: cantilever
Axle to Crown: 425, 440 mm
Tire clearance: 26x?
Rake: 40 – 43mm
Steerer type: 1-1/8″, 1″, 1″ threaded
If you’re searching for a rigid fork to fit an older mountain bike, Soma Fab Shop offers several options for 26″ wheels, canti brakes, and different steerer standards including 1″ threaded.
Dimension 26″ Mountain Fork
Price: $90
Material: steel
Weight: 1105 g
Axle options: QR (9x100mm)
Brake type: cantilever
Axle to Crown: 395 mm
Tire clearance: 26×2.4″
Rake: ?
Steerer type: 1-1/8″ straight
The steel Dimension 26″ Mountain fork is one of few options if you have an older 26″ mountain bike with cantilever rim brakes, especially if you need a fork that’s shorter than the Soma options above. It’s basic but will get the job done.
Final Tips
When you first install a new fork, the steerer tube needs to be cut to length (not something you want to mess up) and a star nut (or compression plug, for carbon steerer tubes) and crown race installed. While you can learn do this yourself, you’ll need a few specialized tools. It might be easier to have a local bike shop do the initial install, but after that you can swap between forks yourself with some allen wrenches and 30 minutes or less.
If you’re going the DIY route, note that carbon forks with carbon steerer tubes (including several in this list) are not compatible with star nuts. You’ll need to use a compression plug instead to avoid damaging the steerer tube.
Hopefully these rigid MTB fork options point you in the direction of a lighter, stiffer, simpler ride. I think you’ll be surprised at how capable a rigid mountain bike can be!
More Bike Resources
If you’re into mountain biking, you might also like these:
- Bikepacking: How to Get Started
- Review: PNW Coast Gravel Drop Bars
- Chumba Stella Ti: In-Depth Mountain Bike Review
Or, visit the cycling and bikepacking category page for lots more!
About the Author
Hi there, I’m Alissa, founder of Exploring Wild. I’ve traveled over 19,000 miles by bike and still can’t stop planning my next ride (and helping you plan yours). Pavement and panniers or singletrack and seat bag, I love it all. On my bike I feel free. Learn more about me here.
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Don’t forget to mention carbon steerer tubes on carbon forks do not takes star nuts but instead use compression plugs.
Added, thanks! I most recently went the other direction (switched to a suspension fork) so star nuts were top of mind.
Hi there from the southwest part of Texas, by the infamous southern border. I have a couple of questions. Do you own a vehicle, and by that, I mean do you own and/or drive a car or a truck? How many many bicycles do you own, or have owned, total?
I have been biking for quite some time now, but not competitively, or in the way of bikepacking. I wasn’t even aware there was a type of bikepacking until I ran into you. I mostly ride around my hood, and seeing I am a night-owl, I ride at night. Of course, while I lived in L.A., there was more exciting things happening at night especially, by the beach. Now I am back in the desert, wanting to get out more and adventure-ride similar to how and possibly, where you ride.
Kudos
Hi Michael, glad to hear you’ve discovered bikepacking. It’s addictive. To answer your questions: 1 car, 3 bikes.
Nice discussion, but why no mention to the Bontrager Bowie 29+ carbon fork?
An awesome fork and stupid strong for trail use and bikepacking.
Cheers!
Thanks Ed, it looks great but from what I’m seeing it’s currently unavailable. If you know where people can buy it, let me know and I’ll add it!
Any thoughts on the Seido (formerly Bombtrack) BPS & BPC?