The all new RockShox Pike - Dirt

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The all new RockShox Pike

Familiar looks, but it's a ground up redesign for this trail fork

It may look very similar but the new RockShox Pike has had a full overhaul and redesign. They’ve taken this well regarded trail bike fork and revised everything – the spring, damper and chassis. THE LYRIK AND REVELATION GET A MAKEOVER TOO.

The current and much loved Pike fork arrived in 2013 and was soon seen as a ‘go to’ option on a trail bike, in all wheel size options. Sitting above the lighter duty Revelation and below the stouter, longer travel Lyrik, it hit the spot for mid travel full suspension trail bikes and gave some purpose to more aggressive hardtails too.

The Pike was developed in an age when 26” wheels were still the norm. Times have moved on and we’ve seen both the 27.5” and 29” wheels sizes become standard, along with the arrival of Boost 110mm hub spacing. RockShox decided a full redesign was in order to keep the Pike from showing its age.

ALL NEW…

It’s a completely new chassis for the Pike, taking almost 150g out of the mix without compromising the stiffness of the fork. A new Charger 2 damper is now compatible with RockShox’s ‘OneLoc’ remote for on-the-fly compression adjustments and is a perfect match to their Deluxe and Super Deluxe rear shocks. The new DebonAir air spring enhances small bump sensitivity and adds improved mid-stroke support. The new Pike’s travel options are up to 160mm for 27.5” and 140mm for 29”. There’s room for tires up to 2.8” on both models.

Here are the details from RockShox on the new tech:

CHARGER 2 DAMPER

The evolution of the acclaimed Charger, RockShox’s most advanced damper, brings a whole new level of performance and refinement for each intended use. The new damper design provides a wider range of low speed compression adjustment in the Open mode, with a more usable ‘Pedal’ setting that excels on rolling trails. The ‘Firm’ setting on the Pike and Lyrik has been re-tuned, and remote options with OneLoc provide on-the-fly access to the ‘Firm’ mode and are an excellent match with RockShox Deluxe, Super Deluxe and Super Deluxe Coil remote rear shocks.

Featured on: MY18 Pike, Lyrik

DEBONAIR

A larger negative air spring resulting in plusher suspension. An intuition born on RockShox’s rear shocks back in 2014 is now a benchmark for superior small bump and traction performance. No longer only reserved to rear shocks, RockShox’s DebonAir air springs complement the trail smoothing performance of many forks in our product range. And while incredibly smooth in the first 1/3 of travel, DebonAir forks and shocks still provide the consistent mid-stroke support that riders know and love. Updated air pressure guide maximizes performance for E-MTB applications

Featured on: MY18 Pike, Lyrik, Revelation, Yari


REMOTE FORK OPTIONS:

PIKE RCT3 – RCT REMOTE

The new RCT3 Charger 2 damper provides a wider range of low speed compression adjustment in the Open mode, while the Pedal mode has been re-tuned for excellent trail support. The firm setting has also been re-tuned to better match RockShox rear shocks, with OneLoc compatibility which allows on-the-fly suspension control.

PRICE: £825-940

PIKE RC – RC REMOTE

Pike RC features the all-new Charger 2 damper in a mean and lean package, with Pike’s trademark stiffness and ride quality. The DebonAir air spring ensures excellent small bump sensitivity and mid-stroke support, and OneLoc remote compatibility pairs excellently with new RockShox rear shocks.

NOTE: OEM (Original equipment on bikes) only.

WHAT IS DIRT’S TAKE ON THE NEW PIKE?

CHASSIS:

We spent two days riding the new Pike at the same time as we tested the 1x Reverb remote. We rode a 150mm fork without the remote lockout lever on a 140mm trail bike. With the fork available in 27.5” and 29” only, RockShox decided to base the dimensions around the latest 110mm Boost hub standard. The previous fork was ‘stretched’ to suit the Boost spacing and they felt in turn it was compromised. A ground up start let RockShox look to the future rather than the past. This won’t please all riders but it will probably head this way and stay there – just like with tapered steerer tubes and bolt through axles. Chunky 2.5” wide Maxxis rubber up front was a good match for the trails we were riding, and with the wet conditions we experienced the increased tyre clearance was welcome and a real benefit. The upper legs remain the same 35mm diameter (as on the revised Lyrik). RockShox stay with the often overlooked Torque cap dropouts too. These allow the oversized end caps of a SRAM hub (or any brand using this concept) to make more contact with the dropouts. SRAM ensure us that this is a benefit to stiffness. The post mounts for the discs brakes default to a 180mm rotor. SRAM feel that this is size or above will be used on this fork and it cuts out additional hardware needed on the 180mm size. The crown is also new, with a lower profile to help clear the frame’s downtube.

CHARGER 2 DAMPER:

It’s been two years in development, with a goal to offer four damper options, of which two have remote facilities – a feature they are getting asked for from certain markets. The old damper didn’t suit the remote application. Another goal was to give a broader window of damping adjustment and this was noticeable when adjusting the test forks to our tastes and then tweaking them through the ride. The standard fork mounted lockout lever now has a lighter action in use.

DEBONAIR AIR SPRING:

Here RockShox have increased the volume of the negative spring. This now gives better small bump sensitivity – somewhere between the old Pike and the Lyrik in feel. There’s also an improvement to the mid stroke support. They’ve worked on a more accurate ‘air settings chart’ that’s on the fork leg and indeed on testing we found the suggested pressures were spot on. As with the Charger 2 damper, this new air spring is now removed from the upper legs with a standard cassette tool – a neat touch.

So, a full overhaul of the RockShox Pike. With the focus on hitting the sweet spot for a trail bike – leaving the 170mm and above market to the new Lyrik – RockShox has nailed the tune and ride qualities to suit mid travel bikes. We look forward to putting more riding time on this new fork along with the revised Lyrik.

 

 

Here’s a quick look at what else is coming from RockShox:

NEW LYRIK – RCT3, RCT REMOTE, RC, RC REMOTE

‘Simply put, the RockShox Lyrik is an absolute weapon for enduro riders everywhere. It makes more control at higher speeds on big burly terrain not only possible, but also addictive’ – RockShox

  • New Charger 2 damper with OneLoc remote options
  • New DebonAir air spring for increased small bump sensitivity and mid-stroke support
  • New Boost only chassis with 2.8” maximum tire compatibility for both 27.5” and 29” models (27.5”x3.0” tires fit in the 29” model)
  • Updated air pressure guide benefits performance for E-MTB applications

Availability: May 2017

PRICE: £970-1100 (RCT3, RCT REMOTE).  RC/RC REMOTE – OEM only

NEW REVELATION

The Revelation has grown. After many years as the original long travel trail fork, the new Revelation is ready to tackle more demanding terrain. The chassis is directly derived from the new Pike, with 35mm upper tubes for unmatched stiffness and to pair with the aggressive look of modern trail and enduro bikes.

Availability: May 2017

PRICE:£ 610-680

NEW YARI RC

Yari brings Lyrik’s acclaimed looks and proven features, such as the 35mm chassis, Fast Black upper tubes and DebonAir or Dual Position Air™ spring systems, to a wider audience. The refined Motion Control IS damper features Rapid Recovery rebound and its high speed compression circuit is tuned to match the feeling of the Charger damper.

Availability: May 2017

PRICE: £660-735

sram.com

zyrofisher.co.uk

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