[misterha]

I'm figuring out which fork to update on my Santa Cruz Blur upgrading to a 120mm fork. Question is will I miss the RC2 damper of the pike that has the high compression adjustment or trust the out of the box tune of the SID ultimate to handle the wide range of riding.

Thanks!

 

[294037]

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

 

[POAH]

why would you swap the pike for a noodle fork?

 

[RS VR6]

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

 

[POAH]

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

even with 35mm stanchions it only 1585g - not going to be as stiff as the pike. Depends what the OP rides mind you.

 

[Cayenne_Pepa]

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

 

[misterha]

why would you swap the pike for a noodle fork?

Forgot to preface that I currently have a fox 32 performance so I already have a noodlely fork so either will be upgrade.

 

[Cayenne_Pepa]

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...

 

[RS VR6]

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

 

[minimusprime]

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 +.

 

[Jayem]

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...

 

[misterha]

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...

Definitely agree that this fork is being born out of a niche market and I've decided to go with the SID 120mm. I do worry about that small oil bladder and time will only tell how this will stand up long term and I'll have to report back.

Decision came as I want the blur to be 85% XC and 15% trails and work on a future all mountain build down the line.

 

[minimusprime]

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...

An ultralight 35mm stanchion fork has been in the making and a must needed product for a long while. This fork is aimed at hard hitting down country bikes. with 100-120mm of travel, you're never going going to have a bottomless, plush ride. For the type of application that this fork is intended for, a quick acting, very firm lockout and supportive damping with a stiff chassis is what most target customers and end users are after.

Put another way... when you're hammering an SC blur at the limit of it's performance, there is going to be so much feed back through the frame/suspension, noticing your fork damper could be 15% better performing, isn't going to be what gets your attention.

IMO, perfect match for a bike like the SC Blur, or another downcountry or xc marathon race bike.

 

[POAH]

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

 

[Jayem]

An ultralight 35mm stanchion fork has been in the making and a must needed product for a long while. This fork is aimed at hard hitting down country bikes. with 100-120mm of travel, you're never going going to have a bottomless, plush ride. For the type of application that this fork is intended for, a quick acting, very firm lockout and supportive damping with a stiff chassis is what most target customers and end users are after.

Put another way... when you're hammering an SC blur at the limit of it's performance, there is going to be so much feed back through the frame/suspension, noticing your fork damper could be 15% better performing, isn't going to be what gets your attention.

IMO, perfect match for a bike like the SC Blur, or another downcountry or xc marathon race bike.

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.

 

[afalts]

The new sid ultimate is beyond rad.

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

 

[minimusprime]

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.

 

[minimusprime]

duplicate post.

 

[Jayem]

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.

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.

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.

Perfect match needs to be something that holds up and provides adequate damping. Jury is out on the Sid Ultimate with it's pared down damper. It's definitely not a leap of faith I'd take on such a bike at this time. At the very least, they should offer it with a proper RCT3 damper with proper fluid volume, for those roles like you mention.

 

[afalts]

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.

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.

Right, but at least the charger 2.1 and fit4 have tuning options, not really sure what/if there are any options for the race day damper, and I wouldn't be surprised if we never do see many options due to likely low demand. As you said, it's well known the chargers have insufficient damping for many people, the race day damper has (likely significantly) less - wonder if we'll ever see one on a dyno. OP's question was if they would miss the damper adjustment capability of the rc2, to which I'd say is a definite yes with what is known about the race day damper at this time.

I'm not saying the race day damper is useless, tons of people will make it work and have success with the fork, just if someone is after good damper performance, it may not be the best option.