If you’re planning on doing a wide range of riding, go for the pike but if it’s a more dedicated bike then go for the SID

 

why would you swap the pike for a noodle fork?

 

The new SID Ultimate has 35mm stanchions. Maybe thats the one he's talking about.

https://www.sram.com/en/rockshox/models/fs-sid-ult-c1

 

Keep the Pike. You will be going back one step, with the SID. Pike has decent weight....

 

I'm a hopeless Weight Weenie. But, if I had to choose between the Pike and SID - I'd clearly go with the Pike, hands-down. It's a Magic Carpet fork...

 

I'd be seriously interested in that SID if it came in 130mm.

 

The new sid ultimate is beyond rad. It's the perfect fork for a blur trail build at 120mm and it's the fork that I would be putting on a bike like this. The sid will be just as stiff, and give you the option of running at 100 or 120mm where as the pike is going to be 120mm +.

 

You say that, but the damper is pared way down in terms of fluid volume, I wouldn't be so quick to throw on something that might have compromised damping/ability to keep up in nasty terrain and speed. These kind of reek of UCI homologation rules, requiring it to be an OEM product, but if a suspension fork can't provide good damping, I'd rather be on rigid. I realize it's just been released and almost no one has any long term time on it, but there are red flags to me with the lengths they've gone to cut the weight down on the damper-pretty much the most important part of a suspension fork...

 

LMFAO @ down country - what a stupid ****ing name.

 

Call it whatever you want. Beefed up XC bike. Marathon XC bike. West of the rockies xc bike... Whatever name you want to give to an xc bike that isn't a 70HTA - 4" travel bike with 2.2" xc racing tires.

Oh, so you mean like a Fox 34SC with proper damping fluid volume?

And yes, when I'm hammering downhill in the WOR or some other race, I do find my fork performance to be pretty damn important. The better it is, the easier I can attack and blast past people.

I have ridden the 34 SC and I own a 34 factory. The damping on all of the fox 34 sucks ass for some one that is my weight, riding style and location. (175lbs, Aggressive, West Coast).

The 34 grip damper is slightly harsh, the 34 factory is also harsh and has improper hsc, the 34 sc is again... harsh with regards to compression. By comparison, the pike has insufficient compression damping in the c2 and c2.1 in both rct3 and rc2 configurations. The ribbon Sl is also harsh.

Find me a trail bike for without compression tuning issues from the factory and I will gladly jump on board. Each and everyone of them needs messing with in my opinion.

Have you ridden it? The people I know that have aren't impressed with the damper for anything other than easy xc style trails

I haven't... but see above. All of the forks in this category have issues. In my opinion, in this category the most important thing is proper tuning of the air spring and frequent lower leg services to reduce friction.

Regarding the pike... that is indeed a great option, but the OP is putting this fork on an SC Blur. Not being able to run the pike at 100mm is a limitation that I wouldn't want if I were purchasing a fork for a blur. The new SID (non SL) really is tailor made to this application and the quick flick lockout is great for the type of person trying to hammer out pace over a large span of time as I would be if I were racing an SC Blur.

In this case, we're matching the fork to the bike and the intended usage. The OP is riding a blur which is never going to be plush, with a 32mm fork. To me, the SID Ultimate is the perfect match for such a bike.

 

duplicate post.

 

Reviving this one. Pulling the trigger on the new Transition Spur (frameset) and can't decide between bringing my 2017 Pike (w/Luftkappe) with me or getting a new Sid Select+.

Am I right that it would be dumb to get a new Pike and I should instead just get the new damper if anything?

I don't intend to race, it'll be the flatter, techy bike or go fast/long/uphill bike. Pike seems like the way to go and save a few bones too.

 

Reviving this one. Pulling the trigger on the new Transition Spur (frameset) and can't decide between bringing my 2017 Pike (w/Luftkappe) with me or getting a new Sid Select+.

Am I right that it would be dumb to get a new Pike and I should instead just get the new damper if anything?

I don't intend to race, it'll be the flatter, techy bike or go fast/long/uphill bike. Pike seems like the way to go and save a few bones too.

I ended up going with the SID which I love but its definitely not a plush ride. Its definitely riding a thin line trying to be both a firm supportive fork while still being able to take somewhat big hits. I'd stick with the pike and get the new charger 2.1 damper.

 

Why not the sid select? More volume in the damper?

 

in the interest of "science" pink bike did a huck to flat on xc bikes, you can see the flex difference between the sid and fox sc 34 though its all going to vary on how he landed but nonetheless its a cool look at it

 

So, I canceled my SID order the next day and have been doing more research on these forks. The SRAM tech docs for 2021 have a 100 mm air shaft part listed for the SID with 35 mm stanchions. That's a major plus. What I am not digging is what I'm reading about this new C1 debonair spring. And with the 35 mm SID being all-new, I'm not sure if one would be able to swap out to the B1 if they wanted to. With the 35 mm stanchions, it may be possible to swap the SID C1 for a Pike/Revelation B1, but I'll have to hit SRAM up to see what's what. I've already written them to confirm the 100 mm SID travel option, as marketing materials only list 110 and 120 mm travel options.

So I've also been reading rough to realize that a lot of folks are going with Pikes and 34's, due to their upgradeability. I'd rather not have all that extra weight, nor purchase a brand new fork with the immediate intention of paying for further upgrades, but the option is nice. I'm starting to be concerned less about the added weight, even though I am building a traditional XC hardtail. What does concern me is the inability to reduce travel to 100 mm, should I want to preserve the stock manufacturer geometry of the hardtail.

So, it'll likely be the SID Select (35 mm) or the Pike. Jayem, I know you said not to get the SC, and I agree due to the cost of fork + damper upgrade. I wish Fox offered the 34 in 120 mm, but they don't, so that option doesn't exist at all. I'd probably be going 34 Grip2 if 120 mm was an option.

We'll see what happens. If the 35 mm SID truly can run from 100 mm to 120 mm, it would be a really cool way to try the different travel options and find the sweet spot. The fork is inexpensive enough that I wouldn't feel terrible if I discovered the right travel for the bike, but later decided to upgrade to a different fork. On the other hand, if I copped a 120 mm fork that couldn't be changed, I might never know if it's the fork travel and its effect on geometry or the fork operation itself that is the root of any issue.

 

Pike not Heavy...

So, I canceled my SID order the next day and have been doing more research on these forks. The SRAM tech docs for 2021 have a 100 mm air shaft part listed for the SID with 35 mm stanchions. That's a major plus. What I am not digging is what I'm reading about this new C1 debonair spring. And with the 35 mm SID being all new, I'm not sure if one would be able to swap out to the B1 if they wanted to. With the 35 mm stanchions, it may be possible to tap the SID C1 for a Pike/Revelation B1, but I'll have to hit SRAM up to see what's what. I've already written them to confirm the 100 mm SID travel option, as marketing materials only list 110 and 120 mm travel options.

So I've also been reading rough to realize that a lot of folks are going with Pikes and 34's, due to their upgradeability. I'd rather not have all that extra weight, nor purchase a brand new fork with the immediate intention of paying for further upgrades, but the option is nice. I'm starting to be concerned less about the added weight, even though I am building a traditional XC hardtail. What does concern me is the inability to reduce travel to 100 mm, should I want to preserve the stock manufacturer geometry of the hardtail.

So, it'll likely be the SID Select (35 mm) or the Pike. Jayem, I know you said not to get the SC, and I agree due to cost of fork + damper upgrade. I with Fox offered the 34 in 120 mm, but they don't, so that option doesn't exist at all. I'd probably be leaving 34 Grip2 if 120 mm were an option.

We'll see what happens. If the 35 mm SID truly can run from 100 mm to 120 mm, it would be a really cool option to try the different travel options and find the sweet spot. The fork is inexpensive enough that I wouldn't feel terrible if I discovered the right travel for the bike, but later decided to upgrade to a different fork. On the other hand, if I copped a 120 mm fork that couldn't be changed, I might never know if it's the fork travel and its effect on geometry or the fork operation itself that is the root of any issue.

My Pike 29er Rc weighs only 1786g. Amazing weight, for a Bike Park-friendly fork.

 

SRAM hit me back earlier tonight, confirming that you can run the 35 mm SID at 100 mm, by swapping air shafts. Pretty cool news for those who may have been interested in more range with the large stanchions.

 

I was making similar choice recently for my new offroad bikepacking / adventure / mellow trail hardtail build and did some research, also I've tried a new SID Ultimate on a rent XC boke. To make a recap:

New SID Ultimate
Pro:
plenty stiff enough with 35mm stanchions, very light, XC race oriented firm and fast, can be locked out to a fully-rigid state, great base tune out of the box, very pedal-friendly
Cons:
29" only, 100mm and 120mm only, 44mm offset only, not as adjustable as pike (rebound and lockout only), can be too firm and quick, rides higher in travel and ramps fast - not so good for rough trail abuse

Pike Ultimate
Pro:
120mm-160mm, 42mm and 51mm offset, can be adjusted for different use (LSC, 3-position lockout, rebound), much plusher with bigger oil/air chambers
Cons:
No 100mm, heavier (over 300g more), not as firm when fully locked out, not as pedal-friendly as SID, requires more effort to setup

To sum things up:

New SID is better fork if your trails are mild or more XC oriented, you ride plenty of paved surfaces, you want maximum pedal efficiency, you don't need more than 120mm travel, you often reach for lockout on your current fork, you don't want to mess with settings, you want a lighter fork and lighter bike overall. Short offset works better on modern frames designed for such forks (can be a slight con for someone).

Pike Ultimate large range of travels and adjustability makes this fork a better investment if you going to use it for everything from XC to trail riding and even bikeparks. For example, if you will decide to change frame to one that is more trail-oriented ro designed for longer travel you won't need to buy a new fork. If you're not a hardcore pedalhead or weight weenie, Pike makes a much better value fork over SID.

 

I was making similar choice recently for my new offroad bikepacking / adventure / mellow trail hardtail build and did some research, also I've tried a new SID Ultimate on a rent XC boke. To make a recap:

Awesome post mate, very informative and helpful, thanks for sharing.

I'm building-up a 'back to basics' Ritchey Ultra steel hardtail 29er. Going all-out, ie. eeWings cranks, XX1 ASX, Enve AM30 wheelset, even a CC Thudbuster short travel seat post, all the bling. I've bought some 120mm Pike Ultimates, but I'm wondering if I should swap them for something lighter, more XC oriented, perhaps with a lockout. I'm essentially going to be riding on paved bike paths, XC, and unsealed gravel, though some of the local trails are really rocky and washed-out. I'm 115kg, not particularly smooth, tend to monster truck over sh!t, why I went for the beefy rims and fork, but also find the idea of shaving 300-400 grams with a SID Ultimate or 34 quite appealing. Lately, I've found Rockshox build quality's second to none, with much longer service intervals than Fox, which is very appealing. I'm fairly certain you'd advise me to keep the Pike, which I'm inclined to do, might just run them a lil on the firm side, better XC platform.

What ya reckon?

 

I just rebuilt my Sid ultimate c1. The airshaft seal head is actually identical to what Pike debonair b1 used to be. I had them both side by side. The air piston is the same as in Pike. The only difference is that sid 120mm uses air shaft as long as 110mm 29" pike. The foot nut on the bottom of the shaft is also different. it is approx. 5mm shorter compared to b1 silver foot nut. What makes the biggest difference in sid c1 and pike debonair b1 is that the Sids pressure equalization dimple is located lower in the stanchion. This means that the sid is equalizing air pressure between positive and negative chambers earlier than 120mm Pike and therefore the pressure and the volume is much lower. The race day damper has nearly no compression damping. Only rebound damping. So the fork is basically relying on a sticky airshaft due to small negative force. Also, the one that I have is new and it seems that Rockshox is going for tight bushings again. Moving the stanchions inside the lower legs with no foam rings, air shaft and damper required a noticeable amount of force. After burnishing the bushings, stanchions moved through the bushings with no other force required than gravity. This seems to be their way of avoiding warranties due to sloppy bushings which seems to be the main issue with these forks.