[mmarkey]

Apologies if this has been asked before but I couldn’t find any information. Is there anything to look for regarding buying a take off that’s never been used and someone’s just been holding on to? I’ve found a couple 2015 Pike RC’s that haven’t been ridden and was curious if the seals/oil would dry during this time period? Or if I should get them serviced before riding?

Any information is appreciated, cheers all.

 

[pctloper]

I would service---easy and cheap so why not----I suspect the oil is fine but the seals may b toast---who knows

 

[294037]

Seals do break down and it might possibly still have the old damper seal head which is important to upgrade.

Just checking, is it solo air?

 

[mmarkey]

Cool, thanks for the input. And yes, they’re solo air. Why do you ask? I’m trying to get something a little stiffer and more plush than my Talas 32s so figured these would fit the bill at a relatively affordable cost.

 

[Dougal]

Don't worry about the age of the seals. Those needed the damper seal head and air-seal heads upgraded when they were new.

Debonair shafts have obseleted the air seal-head upgrade. The damper side you need to change to the green SKF type.

Plush they are not. The Charger1 RC pike is harsh and runs a lockout tune.

 

[mmarkey]

Got ya, so you’re saying I’d be better off going with a used RCT3 with the debonair then? Or are you saying if I go with the RC I should send it in to get it tuned? Sorry, still trying to build the tech knowledge regarding suspension.

 

[eshew]

If the price is right rc is fine. Do a lowers service right off the bat and swap in a debonair air cart for $35. Seals will be fine to leave alone.

 

[Dougal]

Got ya, so you're saying I'd be better off going with a used RCT3 with the debonair then? Or are you saying if I go with the RC I should send it in to get it tuned? Sorry, still trying to build the tech knowledge regarding suspension.

New air shaft and get the damper tuned.

This is the difference in damper seal-heads. The original on the right did not work well. http://instagr.am/p/BYZOVVVhfSM/

 

[scottzg]

Apologies if this has been asked before but I couldn't find any information. Is there anything to look for regarding buying a take off that's never been used and someone's just been holding on to? I've found a couple 2015 Pike RC's that haven't been ridden and was curious if the seals/oil would dry during this time period? Or if I should get them serviced before riding?

Any information is appreciated, cheers all.

It's a **** fork. The damper tune sucks, the damper is fundamentally flawed, the damper is a butt to service, and that generation have an inevitable super inconvenient rebuild in their future due to the seal head. The versions of moco with a shimmed rebound are superior, imo. Given 4 years of distance, the fact that that fork was so well regarded at the time draws attention to the effectiveness of marketing. I don't think it's possible to know if a sram product is good or not until 3 years after release.

The RCT3 was a significant improvement, but also not competitive in its class.

I'd consider a 2015 RC for 170$ and an rct3 for 250$.

So much personal bias in this post. Reader beware.

 

[Mr Pig]

I don't think it makes any difference whether a fork is a couple of years old or straight out of the factory. Either way you still want to open it and check it's all well in there. I've opened several brand new forks and found very little lubricating oil in them.

I bought a five-year old unused Fox 26'' fork a few years ago and all of the parts were absolutely fine. I didn't see any signs of the seals deteriorating or anything like that, fork was good.

 

[eshew]

Eh, the fork is fine. On the trail it's not going to hold you back.

It's not perfect but it's not going to ruin your day. I actually really like my '15 RC with the new debonair. My riding buddy has a '19 fox 36 grip 2 and I can keep up with him just fine. Sure id rather have his fork but I'm not going to spend a grand on it, the difference isn't worth it to me.



How much are they selling you the fork for anyway?

 

[mmarkey]

I’ll be sure to open it up or have someone else do it to check the fluids. Is the swap to a debonair $35 then?

The forks I’ve seen were $250-$300ish. So any other recommendations for an upgrade from the Talas 32 would be welcome. I’d love to get a newer fork but can’t justify it on my 2014 Trance 1 and with how much riding I get in (weekend warrior).

 

[eshew]

Yeah the debonair air cart is about $35. You can change the fork travel with those as well, depending on how much travel you want. The pike tops out at 160, I think you can drop it down to 150 or 140.

A lowers service isn't difficult, same with the debonair. Just need some RS 10w-30 for oil, slickoleum for grease for your old seals and debonair. And some circle clip pliers. The pike will run best if you do a lowers service once or twice a year, so if you can learn you'll save time and money.

Might want to pick up a pack of the rock shock plastic 8mm crush washers and metal retaining washers, they come in packs of 50 for about $10 per pack. Should be more than you ever need, those are for the foot nuts.

 

[jdang307]

Are you a light rider? I'm 140lb and didn't like the Pike RC. Always felt harsh no matter what. This is a non-boost, 140mm fork right?

I'd rather buy a used Manitou Mattoc Pro (I think most adjust down to 140mm ... verify before buying) than a new Pike RC. But that's just me and I'm a novice. Completely serviceable at home. So you will save even more money never having to pay for service.

Here is one that already has IRT installed, for $325. He also offers the tool kit (can be macguyver'd but I bought the tool kit)
https://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/2542511/

And here is one for $150 missing a rebound knob.
https://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/2555887/

Manitou has great customer service if you're in the US, and you have a wealth of info in these forums. The complete tear down and rebuild is on youtube. So you'd save a few hundred bucks every couple of years vs. paying for service.

That's just my personal opinion. A brand new Mattoc Pro 2016 without IRT is about $450 from CRC. If I was buying today I'd grab that first one that already has IRT, the old part and spacers still. Then I'd tell him to throw in the tool set for free.

I still have my old 150mm Pike RC just hanging in the garage. Was set to Vorsprung it, with tractive tune, then saw that a new Mattoc Pro was almost the same price. Thinking of trying a debonair just because. But naw, it would still need a service.

 

[One Pivot]

My brand new mattoc expert was $275 shipped. Its better than an RC, by a lot. Its better than a brand new 2018 RCT3 by a lot.

Its got gold uppers and white lowers, so its not exactly the latest fashion, hence the price. That wasnt a concern for me. Amazon and ebay still have some experts left for a similar price.

 

[294037]

Cool, thanks for the input. And yes, they're solo air. Why do you ask? I'm trying to get something a little stiffer and more plush than my Talas 32s so figured these would fit the bill at a relatively affordable cost.

The alternative dpa spring isn't as good, so yeah the solo air fork is a good upgrade from your talas 32

 

[mmarkey]

I haven’t checked out the Mattoc yet but I’ll put it on my radar. Lacking the knowledge I’ve kinda just stuck to the “big names”.

I’m 180, so kinda in the mid range in terms of weight. The RC is a 150mm I believe.

 

[mmarkey]

I read some reviews of the Mattoc Pro. They says it’s less stiff than the Pike and Fox Factory 34. I’m still guessing it’ll be a little more stiff than my Talas 32, ya? $450 for a brand new Mattoc Pro is tempting.

 

[One Pivot]

I had a talas2 fox 32 years ago.

The mattoc is about 100 times stiffer. Yes, the pike is stiffer, but marginally. The talas32 was nearly unrideable for me. The mattoc is enough, and I've got 30lb on you.

 

[mmarkey]

Awesome thanks for the input. Ya the Talas 32 seems to get thrown around a bit on anything but smooth flowy trail. And it seems to hate small fast bumps. I think I might just spring for the Mattoc Pro then upgrade and install the IRT at some point.