No non-sus 29er mtbs? So I sat down and said "what kind of a bike do I want?".

I ride mostly in the city, but I wanted something that I could take out to the trails. I don't do anything crazy... maybe a 2' drop at the most. Since I'm looking at bikes in the 1-1.5k price range, full-sus bikes are absolutely out. It seemed like a hardtail 29er was the way to go.

But then I got to doubting that I needed the front suspension either. Why not save money, weight, and maintenance? All I'm sacrificing is a little bit of off-road capacity.

So I went hunting for a non-sus 29er in the 1-1.5k price range. The only ones I can find are single-speeds. Really? I'm a spinner, and there's no way I'm doing that.

What do I do? (feel free to shoot down the theory that I don't need a front suspension)
The 29ers without front suspension exist, but they are a bit pricey since they come from niche manufacturers. Many people want SS drivetrains since they want pure simplicity.

Surly ships some of their complete bikes such as the Ogre as rigid 29'ers (the Karate Monkey can also take gears).

There are some other options though. One common option is the Kona Unit which has a derailleur hanger which you can order from Kona as seen here:


Or an internal gear hub as seen here:


Note that both these options require at a minimum a new rear wheel for the Unit. 

Also, note that Surly sells their rigid forks as well as do companies like On-one and what not, so you can get one installed after market. 

Finally, yet another option: Get 2 bikes (something cheap and not likely to be stolen for city use, one for trail use).