Description:In both stiffness and stiffness to weight ratio, Pike is the clear leader in the All Mountain Extreme category.
Updates for 2006: -Aluminum Control Knobs, -Air U-Turn Option, -Long Travel Dual Air Option
Key Features:
-Motion Control with adjustable Floodgate
-Forged, Hollow 6061 T6 Crown (454)
-Custom Butted Aluminum Steerer Tube (454)
-Maxle 20mm quick release thru-axle system
-Stiff 32mm 7000 series aluminum upper tubes
-Compatible with all PopLocs
Submitted by
Hora
a Weekend Warrior
from Manchester Date Reviewed: June 27, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Kentmere
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
They look the business
Weaknesses:
Rebounds fallen off (lost). Forks 'squat' when descending through slow technical trails- see the bottom line
Similar Products Used:
AM SL 1's on my other bike.
Bottom Line:
Lets get on thing straight- Im not a 'core'/rad etc rider which makes this even more poor.
The standard spring is only adequate for riders upto 12stone in weight. How many grown men do you know who weigh less than 12stone? So thats the first upgrade. Through technical, slow trails the forks squat/bed-down and the only cure for this (I thought the x-stiff spring would) is to PUSH'd the forks at a cost of $200/UK£120. WHY? Come on, there must be others out there who have come across this but are afraid to speak up?
Why cant these forks come with a choice of 3 springs in the box AND already work/fit for purpose?
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
jon
a Weekend Warrior
from california Date Reviewed: July 10, 2007
Favorite Trail:
idn
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$200.00
Purchased At:
a friend
Strengths:
the u-turn so u can do almost any type of riding
Weaknesses:
annoying creeking sound, although it might be my headset
Similar Products Used:
fox vanilla
Bike Setup:
giant stp
Bottom Line:
the top line
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Condro
a Downhiller
from Nor Cal Date Reviewed: February 2, 2007
Favorite Trail:
AK
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
The 20mm axle,lowers, and upper crown stand out for stiffness, definitely helped the overall stability of my bike. I love the way this fork look, simple and clean. The travel adjust works very smoothly, flood gate and compression lock out are very effective.
Weaknesses:
slightly heavy, but it all comes back in stiffness.
Similar Products Used:
RockShox revelation 426
Bike Setup:
Dirt jumping hardtail and 4x bike.
Bottom Line:
If you are a larger rider or just demand the stiffness out of you rig this is the way to go. The travel adjust allows for vertility and the durable build inspires confidence.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Banshee66
a Weekend Warrior
from G to the erman town Date Reviewed: February 2, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Ray's MTB
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
MTBR classifieds
Strengths:
everything, it just feels good and the adjustabikity is inclredible. Very stiff on lockout.
Weaknesses:
none
Similar Products Used:
Marzocchi Dirt Jam Pro
Bike Setup:
Kona Scrap frame completely upgraded.
Bottom Line:
I took this fork to Ray's MTB and kept switching from lockout to regular and mainly left it at 95mm travel. This fork performed above and beyong what i had expected, it just felt right at all times and in every jump. Bottom line is GET ONE.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Zach Reliford
a Downhiller
from Washington, Illinois, USA Date Reviewed: November 6, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Farmdale Reservoir
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$410.00
Purchased At:
Little Ade's
Strengths:
Mega Stiff Super smooth if you keep semi bath in it all the time. Predictable and 5.5lbs for Coil U Turn
Weaknesses:
I ran it without semi bath for 2 months so the bushings have a bit of slop in them and need replaced. That's my fault though
Similar Products Used:
Stance Static
Bike Setup:
Fisher PHD with mostly stock set except x.7 derailleur, x.9 shifter, and the 426 Coil U Turn Pike
Bottom Line:
Seriously, 200lbs with no gear and I have abused this thing beyond belief. 12 stairs to flat concrete, 5 footers to flat, plenty of nose casing, and other random crashes.
I got it for $410 at my LBS in February of 06 and I couldn't be happier. Maxle is great on the trail, and the 20mm is much stiffer than QR or 10mm bolton.
Bottom Line: Get it
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Will
a
from Clemson, SC, US Date Reviewed: October 16, 2006
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
EP
Strengths:
smoooooth. maxle. the adjustments on it actually work ( a plus in my book). no tacky stickers or graphics.
Weaknesses:
maxle is a it tricky, but once you figure it out, its awesome.
Similar Products Used:
marzocchi all-mountain, marzocchi drop-off, fox float RL, fox vanilla R, rockshox pyslo (crap)
Bike Setup:
Giant AC with the Pike, Rockshox MC 3.1 rear shock, Bont. King Earl Hubs, Avid Juicy, Sram drivetrain. random other stuff. NO SH#TMANO!!
Bottom Line:
I got the fork because I wanted something with adjustable travel, and Rockshox really made a comeback after Sram took over. Other wise they would be on wal-mart bikes by now. The wieght is a little over 5 pounds, which might be alot for weenies.. but I dont really care. whats a few pounds. Super stiff super plush super Super. what you get in return is a beast fork that is good for everything from xc to fr to light dh to urban to whatever you wanna do with it. If you want a do it all fork that looks good, doesnt cost too much, and is smooooooth, BUY THIS FORK!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
jonathan
a Downhiller
from NY Date Reviewed: October 10, 2006
Favorite Trail:
creek, NYC street, DJ's
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$250.00
Purchased At:
special shop deal
Strengths:
Stiff, light, super adjustable, durable.
Weaknesses:
i had problems with the maxel system. if you dont keep it lubed, it will jam. un-reliable for the long hual.
Similar Products Used:
zocchi DJ series, z.1, 66, monster T, 888, boxxer's.
Bike Setup:
identti dr. jekyll, 26 front/back.
Bottom Line:
I'v never been a fan of RS products becuase they blow. for 2005-2006, things have totaly changed since they became a part of sram. I was looking for a used 2005 pike at the time but came across a very good deal on a 426 dual air and could'nt pass it up...the fork is amazing. I ride street and DH on the same bike so it really fit the niche i was looking for. its super adjustable. I can "slam" it down to a stiff 80mm for dirtjmping and 20 seconds later have 140mm of plush travel for DH. even tho u-turn brings the fork down to 110mm, by increasing the pressure in the negative air chamber, you can drop the fork down even more. the dampning system is excellent and peforms like a short travel boxxer WC. I ride mt.creek alot on the bike and the fork eats everything up. my only grip was the maxel system which i hear they fixed for 2007 with the maxel 360. if your considering buying this fork, i fully reccomend it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Paul
a Weekend Warrior
from Hills, B.C., Canada Date Reviewed: July 19, 2006
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
boomtown
Strengths:
strong stiff, can be plush and soft, soo ajustable, fairly light,
Weaknesses:
lock out doesnt work anymore, at one point my stiffness adjust wasnt working but i fooled around with the floodgate and now its great. i think the floodgate adjust either got changed on me or it got jostled.
Bottom Line:
Sick fork. mabye too much adjustablility i worry about durability. lock out stopped working even though it wasnt true lockout in the first place. make sure u have a 20mm hub. 20 mm qr is sweet but u gotta figure out how to use it. flip lever all the way to the back and turn it to the open direction and pull it through. make sure u dont ever tighten it and pinch the bearings.
when you are using the uturn travel adjust make sure the fork is not set to the hardest (lock) setting because when going to lower travel it will lock until u turn it off lock.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ben Doucett
a Racer
from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia Date Reviewed: July 18, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Any dirtjumping, freerideing or skatepark does me well...
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$425.00
Purchased At:
Pedal shop, best US shop ever
Strengths:
Its light, uturn, lockout, rebound, wow...
Weaknesses:
that damn nob for the flood gate external, my pant leg of my shorts have gotten caught on it twice, and i fell over my bars, ripping my knees open, damnit!
Similar Products Used:
zoccchi dj2
Bike Setup:
2002 .243 racing, pike fork, single track and bfr rims, block eight cranks, etc..
Bottom Line:
Its an amazing fork, it takes med freeride so well, the utrn reallllyy helps , and, the lockout is amazing for riding street and skatepark lines.. but my only problem is that damn little nob that clips my shorts pant leg, twice in 2 days it happened! but oh well, my shorts must just be to long or something... if you can spare 500$, get one, there undestructable IF you use them properly and you arent a major hack...
5 chillis for the value for the price, and 5 flamin chillis for the strength
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Matt Reynolds
a Racer
from St. John's Date Reviewed: July 12, 2006
Duration Product Used:
Tested or demo'ed only
Price Paid:
$500.00
Purchased At:
Canary Cycles
Strengths:
mindblowing plusness, light, awesome compression and damping.
Weaknesses:
nothing. I do find that the damping adjust can come off if you overtighten, but you shouldn't overtighten anyways lol.
Similar Products Used:
Manitou Blunt, Manitou Stance SC, Marzocchi DJ1, Fox 36
Bike Setup:
'05 Chase II Frame, pike, deity bars and stem, avid bb5, trailpimps...
Bottom Line:
this is hands down the best fork I have ever ridden. Insanely plush, huge amount of ajustment, and compression and damping is absolutely mindblowing. This fork is just so amazing I had to sit down and type up a review. This fork honestly changes the whole outlook on SC forks and is like a shorter travel fox 40, and it easily beats out the fox 36. Perfect 5/5 from me.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
RJ
a Downhiller
from HI Date Reviewed: May 29, 2006
Favorite Trail:
crapshoot
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Maxle, 20mm, strong & stiff. looks clean.
bashes the rock shock image.
ajustable travel.
somewhat light.
Weaknesses:
rock shock image
Similar Products Used:
van 36, marz 888, fox 40, marz z1FR, sid, pike, manitou breakout, fox vanilla................
Bike Setup:
turner rfx, hardtail. this fork goes on all the bikes at some time....
Bottom Line:
Rock shock is on it this time. If you base your opinions on RS past, you are missing out. This fork does a superb job of remaining stable at speed. Its easy to wind down the travel for climbing and bust it back up for the way down.
I was impressed coming off a vanilla 36 by FOX. this one is a keeper.
try one if it fits your needs.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Kyle Veal
a Downhiller
from Wausau, Wis, USA Date Reviewed: March 26, 2006
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$297.00
Purchased At:
QBP a distributer for the shop i work at.
Strengths:
Everything. It feels great. Takes a beating. I weigh 220 no gear no nothing, and all I did is put in the extra firm spring.
Weaknesses:
None at all, but there are still weenies who won't like it because it's not a specific brand. Screw them they will never experience plushness at it's best
Similar Products Used:
everything
Bike Setup:
SS GT chucker on its last legs
Bottom Line:
Good fork. Buy it if you want something that adds amazing value to your ride. Makes everything better.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
andrew thompson
a Weekend Warrior
from syd nsw aus Date Reviewed: March 7, 2006
Favorite Trail:
dimo
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$560.00
Purchased At:
chain reaction cycles
Strengths:
Ajustable travel, strong, light
Weaknesses:
none
Similar Products Used:
DJ II
Bike Setup:
.243 racing
Bottom Line:
these are the best forks ive ever ridden. the on-the-fly travel adjust works like a dream, wheather your doing DJ/urban or FR/DH. Nice and smoothe. Rockshox has finally made THE fork. the end.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Kevin Hogsed
a Weekend Warrior
from Queen Creek, AZ Date Reviewed: February 11, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Any trail will do
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$449.00
Purchased At:
Ebay
Strengths:
20mm Axle, Adjustabilty,Ease of use, Pop-loc
Weaknesses:
Rebound knob could be sucured better. Mine hasn't fallen off, yet! Owners manual is obvious translation from Taiwanese to English, not much help.
So far I'm very pleased with this fork. It's head and shoulders above the Lefty I replaced. I weigh ~220 w/gear, and this fork has taken everything I've thrown at it, and never complained once. Obstacles that would make the Lefty bounce all over the place, the 426 just soaks 'em up, and keeps rolling. The 20mm axle is nice, too. Just point your bike where you wanna go, and go's!
I put in the Black (x-firm) spring, and it may be a bit stiff for my weight. It's great on downhill stuff, but for XC riding I may go to the firm spring. It only takes two minutes to swap out, so there's another nice feature.
I wasn't to sure about the Pop-loc feature, but I'm glad I got it. It helps on climbs, and really works when standing to pedal. The floodgate works as advertised, and the adjustments make a difference you can feel. I've even bombed down trails with the fork locked out, and it continues to soak up big hits, once you get past the threshold of the flood gate.
Overall, I'm glad I made the switch, this fork was well worth the money.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Neil Scott
a
from Stamford, CT, 06903 Date Reviewed: November 16, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Downtown
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
Cycle Center CT
Strengths:
Sitff fork, motion control, lock out, maxle, U-turn, very adjustable
Weaknesses:
Rebound knob falls off easy, U-turn sometimes binds up and gets hard to turn, was making a loud click when it compressed, but i fixed all of it. No MAJOR problems so far.
Similar Products Used:
marz dj I, Manitou sherman line
Bike Setup:
On-one gimp, pike 456, mtx to dt swiss hub wheels, single speed, Hayes nine 6", Odyssey 41 thermal cranks
Bottom Line:
Good product, minor problems still need to be worked out by rock shocks, but I love the fork, I would recommend it to any one who's into dirtjumping, street riding, single track riding, 4X racing.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
What's New
»
Interbike 2008! Read news and info about new bikes and products from the upcoming show»
$
Overall Rating:
Overall Rating:
Overall Rating:
