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Suspension

RockShox Pike RCT3

Reliably impressive fork that never misses a beat

A sizeable proportion of this year’s Dirt 100 enduro bikes still have the RockShox Pike as a standard and integral part of the trim. And so it should be as it’s been one of the pillars of mid travel riding for many years now, even amongst the professional enduro racers set up. How long it keeps its place is yet to be seen because for many riders now having to choose between 160mm Pike or same travel Lyrik, it’s always going to be the latter. The 1861g for a Pike RCT3 versus 2005g for the Lyrik equivalent simply backs that up.

“One of our favourite Pike forks this year has been the 110mm Boost version”

Where the Pike scores however, is in the trail bike sector up to 160mm travel where the Lyrik for many is seen to be too much fork. It’s easy to compartmentalise the Pike as a ‘trail’ fork and the Lyrik as ‘enduro’ but with the fantastic new Yari in the line even that’s not as straightforward as it seems. And then there’s the Revelation fork too.

One of our favourite Pike forks this year has been the 110mm Boost version on the Whyte 160 bike, a fork that enables the use of the larger 27.5+ tyres. When paired with Sram Rail 40s give an excellent amount of flex as a package that simply conforms in and around obstacles. True it’s a set up that might not suit heavier riders but the grip and control is impressive nonetheless.

In terms of set up the Pike is considerably more simplistic than the slightly sturdier Fox 36, which again will please many riders. The red tokens to control the ride height are still a key part to set up, but most riders simply slam two or three in to keep it propped up.

Reliability wise the Pike is one of the most impressive performers on the market. We’ve not yet had any problems with a test bike Pike. This, when matched with the prices that many are offering means it’s still a big seller.

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