Re: ATBs from another thread. Ron kinda goes off here explaining his history with non-suspension
I followed the tech crumbs all the way until 2001 when a crash on a fashionable free ride hardtail spiral fractured my humerus… spent the remaining 3 years of college riding rigid, and impressing people by simply just keeping up with my suspension friends. it was challenging, but possible — but most importantly it was low stakes challenging. I could navigate techy climbs and descents, but never felt out of my comfort zone. more importantly, the simplicity of the machine I was astride, really began to resonate with me and my riding style. I became a trail scholar — reading the trail like only a rigid rider can/needs to. you don’t roll/slam over things, you find ways around them.