RockShox Pike - Review
Available in a number of different travel and wheel size variations - our test fork is the Solo Air RCT3 model for 27.5'' wheels - RockShox's new Pike fork is aimed squarely at the trail/all-mountain segment. The Pike name might be familiar to riders who have been around for a few years, but the fork is entirely new both inside and out. Our 27.5'' wheel compatible Pike features 150mm of travel via RockShox's Solo Air spring (30mm of travel adjustment is possible by way of their Dual Air spring system found on other models), and like all of the Pike forks, it utilizes their brand new and highly touted Charger damper instead of the long standing Mission Control unit found in their BoXXer and Lyrik offerings. That will change in the future, though, with the Charger damper being spotted in BlackBox-spec BoXXer forks at recent World Cup races, meaning that we'll likely soon see it used across the board on RockShox's high-end products. Externally, the fork's chassis makes use of 35mm stanchions that receive a hard anodized black finish (this is different from the BlackBox-only DLC or limited BlackGold treatment), and sturdy looking lowers that feature more material on the disc side where the forces are higher. Casting details also include slightly less magnesium on the damper side as it does not require the same volume as the spring leg, shaving further grams, and a redesigned and much sturdier 15mm Maxle Lite thru-axle.
RockShox Pike Solo Air RCT3 Details
• Intended use: trail/all-mountain
• Travel: 150mm
• Wheel size: 27.5''
• New Charger damper (closed, serviceable)
• External adjustments: rebound, low-speed compression, pedal assist
• 35mm stanchions w/ black hard anodizing
• Redesigned 15mm Maxle Lite axle (no 20mm option)
• Steerer: taper only
• Colours: black, white
• Weight: 1861g/4.10lb
• Availability: June, 2013
• MSRP: $1,005 USD (other models: $980 - $1085 USD)
RockShox Pike Solo Air RCT3 Details
• Intended use: trail/all-mountain
• Travel: 150mm
• Wheel size: 27.5''
• New Charger damper (closed, serviceable)
• External adjustments: rebound, low-speed compression, pedal assist
• 35mm stanchions w/ black hard anodizing
• Redesigned 15mm Maxle Lite axle (no 20mm option)
• Steerer: taper only
• Colours: black, white
• Weight: 1861g/4.10lb
• Availability: June, 2013
• MSRP: $1,005 USD (other models: $980 - $1085 USD)
Charger Damper
RockShox's previous damper design utilized an emulsion-based layout that made allowances for air in the system, with the air gap acting as a compensator for shaft displacement as the fork was compressed, and this includes their high-end Mission Control damper that they use in their BoXXer and Lyrik forks. The reason for the air is that oil does does not compress, meaning that the fork would not be able to absorb impacts if the leg or cartridge body were only full of oil. This design is often simpler but can mean that the oil and air can mix enough to cause the resulting air bubbles to pass through the damping circuits, resulting in a loss of damping and control.
However, a closed and pressurized damper like the Charger system is completely full of oil and has essentially no air within it, meaning that there is far less chance of it foaming during hard, extended use. How does the damper compress if it is completely full of oil? In order for a closed damper to work, it must employ some sort of compensator that allows for expansion under compression - picture the internal floating piston in the piggyback of a rear shock that pushes against the air trapped on the opposite side of the oil, thereby allowing for displacement. Rather than an IFP, the Charger damper uses an extruded rubber bladder to accomplish the exact
same task, with the bladder expanding as the damper shaft travels into the cartridge as the fork compresses. This is far from a new idea, but it is one that makes a lot of sense within a fork because a bladder does not present any of the friction and packaging issues of an IFP design.
The Charger damper's compression assembly that is hidden underneath its extruded bladder.
RockShox isn't claiming that the concept behind the Charger damper is new - they are very aware that bladders have been used in FOX's FIT cartridges for years, as well as squeezed within the piggyback of many moto shocks - but they have gone to great lengths to improve on the design. Reliability was paramount during development, we were told, and it is for this reason that they chose to go with an extrusion process rather than molding to manufacture the damper's bladder. Their thinking is that molding results in seams and geometry changes in the bladder that can lead to weak points, whereas an extrusion technique produces a long and seam-free section of rubber tubing that is then cut to the correct length. When asked how long a rider could expect the bladder to last, RockShox product manager Jeremiah Boobar answered with "years."
The bladder at rest when the fork is fully extended (left), and the bladder expanded when the fork is compressed (right)
Simplified Air Spring
All Pike models will be air sprung, with riders able to choose from either a Dual Position Air (DPA) system that allows for 30mm of travel adjustment by way of simplified internals compared to previous iterations, or the fixed-travel Solo Air option that is tested here for those who don't feel the need to lower the front of their bike for climbing or tamer terrain. The spring rate on all versions of the Pike can be tuned by way of RockShox's 'Bottomless Tokens', plastic spacers that are threaded by hand into the underside of the top cap. Multiple Bottomless Tokens can be stacked up in order to increase the progressiveness of the fork throughout its travel.
Some Pike models use RockShox's Dual Position Air travel adjust system (left), although our test fork employs their non-adjustable Solo Air spring. Volume spacers (right) can be used to adjust the fork's progression, if required.
New Chassis
The Pike's Charger damper isn't the only thing to talk about, though, with it sitting inside of a completely new fork chassis that features 35mm stanchions, a new crown and steerer assembly, and impressively detailed lowers that contribute to the fork's relatively light 4.05lb weight. A revised 15mm Maxle Lite ties the legs together, with it forgoing the sometimes fragile lever catch of the original design. While the previous version depended on expansion to tighten up, the new axle's simpler thread-in and clamp system uses compression to accomplish the same task. Clocking the
quick release lever to the proper angle is done by removing the axle from the fork, pushing the lever-end into the axle, and turning until it sits in the proper place, a job that should only need to be done once. The new lowers are also home to simpler fork seals that combine both dust and oil duties into one single-lip unit, something that is possible thanks to the new closed Charger damper cartridge that separates damping and lubrication oils. The Pike's Charger damper isn't the only thing to talk about, though, with it sitting inside of a completely new fork chassis that features 35mm stanchions, a new crown and steerer assembly, and impressively detailed lowers that contribute to the fork's relatively light 4.05lb weight. A revised 15mm Maxle Lite ties the legs together, with it forgoing the sometimes fragile lever catch of the original design. While the previous version depended on expansion to tighten up, the new axle's simpler thread-in and clamp system uses compression to accomplish the same task. Clocking the
Sag gradients on the right side stanchion allow for quick and easy spring rate setup. Compression adjustments are made at the top of the right fork leg, with the large dial offering full open, pedal, and lock settings. The smaller inner dial adjusts the amount of low-speed compression damping when the fork is set to full-open, and low-speed rebound is tuned via the red aluminum knob at the bottom of the same leg. The dial is captured, meaning that it can't rattle out during a ride like as on some older RockShox forks, and its detent ball bearing and spring are also trapped within the dial for the same reason.
The Pike's new Maxle Lite 15mm thru-axle looks much sturdier than the older expansion dependent design.
Performance
One thing became clear even before we hit the dirt with the new Pike under us: the fork is strikingly smooth at the top of its stroke. That slippery feel is also apparent when the fork changes direction in its travel, moving from compression to rebound, and certainly added to the Pike's animated ride. There are a few things that contribute to this, but RockShox's new single-lip seals are likely the biggest factor - previous forks used a more traditional dual dust and oil seal layout - and the action is very much akin to an open bath fork. While the fork's stiction-free stroke might not carry as much weight as a dialled spring curve or well behaved damper, the smoothness of the Pike, even when brand new, was a sign that we should be expecting good things on the trail.
While we've often found manufacturer's recommended air pressure settings to be well off for real world use by a competent rider, and that's including previous RockShox forks, the pressure chart on the Pike's left leg turned out to be close to spot on. At 170lb full geared up, we began with 75psi (RockShox says that 65 - 75psi is ideal for a 160 - 180lb rider) pumped into our Solo Air spring, and actually ended up dropping that down by 5psi, not something that we often find ourselves doing with an air sprung fork. We believe that the Pike's Charger damper, with its ability to properly control the fork's compression stroke, is one of the major reasons for the slightly lower air pressure than we were expecting to have to use, as well as RockShox's spring rate that ramps up just right when pushing the fork hard. In fact, we didn't find the need to use RockShox's 'Bottomless Token' volume spacers, which was surprising given that we tested the fork on relatively steep terrain with some good sized impacts.
The chunkier, the better. The Pike dealt with everything that we threw at it in an impressively controlled manner. Photo: Adrian Marcoux
It is clear that RockShox has been listening over the last few years. The Pike's Charger damper offers a supportive feel that doesn't translate to harshness when the rider isn't charging hard, somehow striking a great balance for those times when you are really on it, but also for days when you are dialled back a bit. This aligns with our earlier impressions of the Pike when we first rode it in Sedona, Arizona, with it continuing to impress us on our home terrain in southwestern B.C.. Low-speed compression moments - rolling down a steep rockface, landing on a nice transition, and heavy braking - all showed that the fork remained very composed and stable, leaving both more travel available for when it was needed and also preserving the geometry of our Ibis HDR test bike. We found that it was possible to dial in a bit too much low-speed compression via the dial atop the right fork leg, though, and that six clicks out of twelve was more than enough for our liking. Even with it backed completely off, there was still a considerable amount of control.
The Pike's capabilities when ridden over fast, rough ground were a revelation, with it offering a sense of calmness usually reserved for forks sporting an extra 50mm of travel. Let's not get too carried away, though, because the Pike doesn't pretend to be anything close to a true downhill fork, but the level of control on tap from the Charger damper is like nothing we have felt before from fork in this travel bracket. Controlled and relaxed, it did well to take out much of the harsh spiking that we would expect to upset the bike, and the interesting thing is that it did it in an very uncompromising way. What we mean by that is that setting up a fork to perform well in one or two aspects can be pretty straightforward, but you will often sacrifice performance in other aspects to get what you're looking for. We didn't see that imbalance with the Pike, with it able to level out everything from small chatter, fast and hard repeat hits, and large bottom-out impacts.
What impressed us most was the fork's ability to be set up to iron out not only the roughest sections of trail, but also tamer bits that we might have expected it to feel harsh on. Photo: Adrian Marcoux
Our Solo Air Pike doesn't feature the 30mm of adjustable travel of the Dual Position Air (Levy prefers the set and forget approach - ed.), but its three-way adjustable compression damper atop the right leg allowed us to firm up the fork's stroke for when we were faced with a commute to the mountain or a long access road climb to get to the goods. While the low-speed compression dial controls the amount of damping when set to the full open position, the larger dial underneath offers two more options: pedal and lockout. We didn't get much use from the prior though, preferring to simply lock out the fork's travel for any extended, smooth climbing.
While we could ramble on and on about how well the Pike's damper performed, the fork's revised Maxle Lite axle is also a huge improvement, especially for the more ham fisted home mechanics out there. No longer are riders forced to leverage the Maxle lever against the thin outer walls of the older axle's lever catch, a setup that often led to damage when a rider either over-tightened the axle or was in a rush and didn't have the lever fully engaged in its slot. The Pike's Maxle Lite does away with all that, now being a much more solid feeling thread-in and clamp design instead of the previous expansion dependent design.
Much to many riders' protests, the 20mm axle featured on many mid-travel forks from years past won't be making a comeback anytime soon, although there is still a clamor when a new all-mountain or trail fork is released with a 15mm thru-axle. This was true of the initial Pike launch a few months ago, with many comments centered on the fork's 15mm axle. While we would be inclined to agree that 20mm across the board does make a lot of sense, we have to admit to the Pike feeling as rigid as we would ever require from a fork of its travel. In fact, it can boast of having a much more torsionally rigid chassis overall than a 150mm travel Revelation with a 20mm thru-axle, another fork that we've put countless hours of trail time on. Cross-compatibility with other wheelsets in your stable of bike parts might be a whole other argument, but rigidity is the sum of a fork's entire chassis, not just its axle, and the Pike's crown, lowers, and 35mm stanchions offer more than enough for any rider, 15mm axle included.
Issues
We have zero complaints at this point in our time aboard the new Pike, with it performing well in all regards. Having said that, the key to the fork's success will be RockShox's ability to produce a consistently reliable product that won't give consumers trouble a year or two down the road. RockShox is claiming that the Charger damper requires an impressively lax 200 hour service interval (they say 100 hours for BoXXer damper), and that the design's extruded bladder should be essentially trouble-free for a very, very long time. If the Pike's longterm reliability can match its performance, RockShox will have hit a home run.
Pinkbike's take:
 | The new Pike ticks all of the boxes when it comes to outright performance: a dialled spring curve, plenty of adjustability, and a damper that offers incredible performance for both a pro-level rider and a weekend warrior out for a casual rip. Factor in both its weight and overall chassis rigidity and you have a fork that we believe is best in class.- Mike Levy |
www.sram.com/rockshox
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The new pike isent designed to replace the old one, its dedidgned to do head to head with the fox 34
20mm axles for anything used in aggressive riding - period.
Much to many riders' protests, the 20mm axle featured on many mid-travel forks from years past won't be making a comeback anytime soon, although there is still a clamor when a new all-mountain or trail fork is released with a 15mm thru-axle. This was true of the initial Pike launch a few months ago, with many comments centered on the fork's 15mm axle. While we would be inclined to agree that 20mm across the board does make a lot of sense, we have to admit to the Pike feeling as rigid as we would ever require from a fork of its travel. In fact, it can boast of having a much more torsionally rigid chassis overall than a 150mm travel Revelation with a 20mm thru-axle, another fork that we've put countless hours of trail time on. Cross-compatibility with other wheelsets in your stable of bike parts might be a whole other argument, but rigidity is the sum of a fork's entire chassis, not just its axle, and the Pike's crown, lowers, and 35mm stanchions offer more than enough for any rider, 15mm axle included.
....seems so given the comments above and below.
Why not give the professional product developers, engineers, designers and their sponsored pro-riders a bit of benefit of the doubt. As Levy says, the issue for many is not stiffness, but compatibility. Novatec 4 in 1 hubs anyone?
***'20mm across the board does make a lot of sense'***
I think you've slightly missed the point of the word 'new'...
One pic. Otherwise shennanigans. Your subjective ride experience across multiple years, bikes, front wheels, terrain, is not a substitute for data. 15QR might turn out to be fine, CSUs might be more important than axles, engineers might actually be trying to make products better and not just cheaper, but you can't simply _assert_ this stuff. Blogging for f-ing Pinkbike doesn't make you a calibrated instrument. (But you might be a tool. Zing! I'll be here all week, folks. Try the veal.)
Companies are trying to "define" this new Enduro craze just like they were trying to define "Freeride" and Downhill before it... Eventually we'll get the smart products, but it'll take a few years of this forced regression and pointless engineering. LemonadeMoney makes THE most solid oint, MOST quality hubs are 20MM compatible so you're just paying to convert to a smaller axle and that's pointless. I'm glad it;s stiff, but I'd rather have a 20mm axle and have ONE axle standard for the front end for anything over 130mm of travel. XC race bikes use 15mm axles AM bikes should use 20mm end of story. Currently X-Fusion are the only company that heavier/harder riding 650B guys can look to for a 20mm/650B option for 2013. Fox's 36 WAS able to fit 650B but for some reason they changed that...
This shouldn't have been called the "Pike" plain and simple, It's an all new fork, it looks SICK, and I'm guessing it's a very nice ride. I AM glad to see them get at least 35mm stanchions on it (34 is regression, not progression) And if the overall stiffness is there, that's hard to argue with. I see potential for longevity issues with the 15mm axle, but we shall see. I'm guessing once the team riders start coming in asking for a 20mm option we'll see one... and they are/will be asking for it.
Equally people getting all hung up on a name is a bit silly. I mean we managed to get over "Shimano Zee" because the product is awesome.
I still think I'm on the other side of the fence with regards to the axle size debate, but The-Medic puts forward the most eloquent counter case I've seen. It's my opinion that with the advances in chassis and steerer stiffness negate the need to for a 20mm axle for anything below 150/160mm. We might as well enjoy the other advantages in terms of weight etc.
Most importantly, that weight win (which is the only argument for 15mm existence) is not in the fork itself, where as far as I am concerned we are talking 20g or less - but in the front hub. Such hubs use smaller bearings and bodies hence weight saving (and increased wear). We are talking of saving by average 50g on a hub (comparing to 176g Hope), so we get 70g in total, 90g at best if you lash out a fortune for 106g Tune Princess hub! But wait - If you are actualy using a 20mm hub with conversion kit, you win next to nothing! Most factory wheelsets, aiming at the same market segment, Enduro, use bearings fitting 20mm axles, and come with conversions kits. To name the few: Crossmax SX and ST, Sram 90, Easton Haven.
So kadong! in such arrangement with 15mm axle you only win those 20g - a rim tape, a seat clamp, not even a half of one lock-on grip - as simple as that, ring a bell?
the deal is that we keep buying stuff // all over again.. sell sell sell .. hence the term.. "marketing"
this is new...
your fav racer is riding it
(we say) this is better..
look .. new colours.. etc
If to take a marketing view at it, then it is quite clear to me that back in 2005 all those die-hard XC bikers wanted to ride mid-travel bikes but the peer pressure did not allow them to make such move. It was a time when people still thought that bike that could do everything is bike for nothing. It was a time when you had huck-to-flat 3.0 Gazza, Bulky armors on one side of "big-wallet-big-ego-but-no-clue" spectrum (read: buying force), and 560 bars with 140 stems and 1.75 tyres on the other. The first part got long travel single crown forks (66 with 888 lowers, Travis 200 - eee hello...) while the other got 15mm axles. Both needed a delicate incentive to move into the right direction. A thing that still had sense of belonging to their own precious world, but borrowed definite advantages of the other teams gear. Just as Enduro finaly grabs both to make an ultimate blend - I think that transformation will be complete by the end of this year. At least in my "peer group" people accepted do-it-all bikes no earlier than 2010, when Dirt Earthed / Sam Hill induced DH hype burned out.
peeps will abuse products unrelated to their specifications.. (maybe weight ?)
its what they CAN afford or allready have.. or just has to do..
convert your hub.. and you can still use it for your choice of riding with the 15mm axle..
but if you look back at the bikes of the last rampage.. there were very few bikes build up for that kind of abuse... light front wheels.. and SC forks.
as for your Travis willy.. thats the precise thing they want to eliminate.. forks that last en dont break down.
those products dont make any money,,
The 15mm axle on the fork is probably strong enough for FR, but how many wheels built with 15mm specific hubs can be used for FR? The wheel will likely break before the fork. You can't just bolt your old 3000g MTX's on to this fork and have at it.
**And they haven't actually done the testing**
You bloggers eat sleep and breath cycling industry marketing, and for many years now that marketing has focused on technologies, either real, superficial, or fictional. So you adopted the talk. It makes you sound serious and knowledgeable. Like there is some science in cycling and bicycle reviewing.
And it is serious, and there is some science--that's exactly the problem. You are using the language of science without acknowledging--let alone applying--the rigors of science. You are using big boy words you might understand but should know you can't actually back up. To make yourself sound more plugged in. And you get away with it because kind-hearted readers are willing to give the benetfit of the doubt, that you really did get some dyno numbers and datalogging from SRAM, saw the graphs on your laptop, and then wrote your little piece on fork rigidity. Or on brake system heat management. Or on damping oil cavitation. Or on mainframe, swingarm and pivot stiffness. Or on handlebar vibration damping.
But we both know you didn't measure anything. So why do your opinions about what might be happening sound so much like assertions of what is happening? Do you have to write as if you know more than you truly do? We value your opinions as a rider. Something for the journalists among us to consider.
Really good journalist: "SRAM claims the new fork is 15% stiffer torsionally than the old fork. Torsional stiffness is the fork' s resistance to twisting motion around the steering axis, and comes into play in precise front wheel tracking through technical terrain or under high loads, like hard cornering. We are doubtful that the average rider will be able to percieve such a small change (15%), but we think added stiffenss is always a good thing."
Shill: "There is a massive increase in torsional stiffness!"
What is A? What is B? What is the difference? And how does the difference matter? (That one is very important). Lastly, who did the work, and with what methods? That's science. If it's too much work, stay home. "I thought the bike handed great" will always be yours to use as you please.
You see, you are fully aware of all this, and you still wrote that text. What for? And you did want to sound knowledgeable to cut it, haven´t you? You created an aura of being an industry insider. I've been writing with few of the "industry insiders" - they just write their full name and company under the message...
We all play some game, it is just too hard to be ourselves - everyone can be fooled - we fool ourselves way too often. So just sit back and watch it passing by
Facts? f*ck facts - entertainment man, entertainment...
@Sshredder: have you noticed frames and forks don't come with v-brake mounts anymore? At a certain point, the backwards compatibility goes away. This is the same here.
Make the steer tube extra strong and the head tube cracks. Kind of like a dog chasing its tail. Funny to watch.
Note first comment gets over 100 reps. Why. No one is going to buy a new frame to accommodate a fork. There was never anything wrong with 1and 1/8 steer tubes. No one ever complained about the 1and 1/8 steer tube. Bet ya I have friends that can rip that tapered steer tube off no problem!
As for flex???? ......Tapered head tubes look cool and you fell for it ha ha.
You may think that an average customer moved from "how many gears it has", "how heavy it is", "how much does it cost" or lately - but no they never did, they only added one more question "what wheel size is it".
BOS on the other hand, or a company like Yeti, cannot compete with big guys, so they aim for a niche, for a conscious customer: hence their forks work and are designed as they should be and frames like Yeti have "radical" geometry.
A 15mm, clamped both sides, would be next best.
I don't want to squeeze my wheel bearings together harder than is ideal for them in order to ensure that my axle will not twist, vibrate loose, develop play etc.
The Fox/Shimano 15mm front axle is the worst of both worlds IMHO. I can tell from the binding wear on my 150mm Talas32 that there is unwanted movement. My Talas 36's, with axle clamped both ends, shows no such duress.
My only experience of Maxle Lite is a rear 12mm axle in my Mojo HD. It is a better design than that Fox/Shimano front axle - but it is not as secure/ideal as being clamped both ends. IMHO
If anyone is REALLY against it just buy another brand. There's plenty of smaller ones out there.
I see a pattern. I personally like my 10 speed carbon MojoSL with hydraulic brakes, 650b wheels, and air suspension. It weighs less than my 1992 full rigid 21 speed cantilevered bike did.
With the correctly weighted spring in it, it's plush right off the start line (but i think that is the advantage of coil over air). It's a true set and forget fork and in over 2500km of only trail and all mountain, I've given it one service and oil change, bombproof.
Then there's market pressure, people seem to have got it into their head that bigger equals better. Buying 34mm forks when they could have existing 32mm models that are noticeably stiffer (like the old Pike and current Minute). It makes sense on a psychological level too. Regardless of it being correct or not companies want you to buy their stuff, if they see the public clamoring for something they're going to make it. But, if bigger stanchions really were better, why is no one besides Fox still building a 40mm tubed DH fork?
Otherwise, carry on. Both my bikes have 32mm stanchions and I know 35 or 34 or 36 or 40 wont make me better. Just technique. They bigger ones will survive a nasty crash with less damage however.
or am I missing something?
@seraph If the fork can't be lowered more than 1 cm because of the lowers, how can it then travel more than 1 cm? That just makes no sense at all.
And kanioni I think you're confusing yourself. The design of the lowers doesn't disallow the stanchions from sliding down more than 10mm. Also the Pike doesn't use the regular All Travel spacers like the other Rock Shox models. Trust me I have already grilled our SRAM rep.
And, on a air sprung fork, if the two air chamber balance with a machined hole in the stanchion, instead of a valve, you can't adjust your fork heigh that way, because the negative air chamber won't inflate.
Lol I get it...
Haha 3 way adjustable compression damper? Sounds alot like CTD to me! If you're gonna hate Fox for CTD, then you should probably get a Deville.
" but its three-way adjustable compression damper atop the right leg allowed us to firm up the fork's stroke for when we were faced with a commute to the mountain or a long access road climb to get to the goods. While the low-speed compression dial controls the amount of damping when set to the full open position, the larger dial underneath offers two more options: pedal and lockout. "
They do seem to have a full low-speed adjuster, but this open/pedal/lock on the 'overall'? I'm not sure about this fad, which is exactly why I bought a 2013 Fox 36 RC2 instead of the 34 CTD and love having the independent adjustment to dial it the way I want it.
as for the the CTD deal, i only own fit dampers, but i am happy to hear that fox was listening, upped the compression and also made it a cheap retro fit for people who already have CTD forks/shocks. i remember a lot of people complaining it when they first dropped the info a month or so ago, but honestly it doesnt get much better than that.
20mm is a great option for those who want more stiffness/compatibility.
Why not offer it?
Throwing Mi-Co and Mo-Co to the same bag is far off. I am nowhere close to be a super fast rider that can take Lyrik or Boxxer to its limits, but after owning different big and small forks from Manitou, Marzocchi, Fox and RS, I can say that Mission-Control DH is the best thing I personaly have ever ridden. Then Motion-control is a cheapo crap, that does not deserve to be installed in anything more expensive than Tora while 800$ Revs are sporting it. On 120mm+ forks that thing is either a holy diver or a slugger, if you have it in air sprung fork, then just leave it full open and pump it to 10% sag, and your fork's gonna work way better. That thing reminds me of Manitou Fluid Flow.
So having said that, I'd gladly have "bubbly" Mission control DH in Pike, Revelation or even Reba for Xc/dirt hardtail
vimeo.com/69731624
This is a young evolving sport and designers and manufacturers want to push forward (whether it's good or bad) so if you insist on riding a bike for more than 2-3 years then you have to accept that standards will evolve and you might get left out. Besides, if you're someone who rides a bike for 4 years then you're probably not frothing at the mouth to buy the latest $1000 fork are ya?
Pike is not as good as it's used to be. For me it's pure marketing creation conceived to force riders to buy new frames (taper) and front wheel (15 mm).
although i can see the 20mm comment, as well as the taper ST. although tapered HTs seem to be here for good... although im sure it would be easier to work with a 1-1/8" steerer on a tapered head tube when it comes to angle set time. (if you ever needed it)
as for the old one being better, ive only herd good things about this fork. and your the first person to say that the old one is better.. obviously its all preference. but there is no doubt the new one is more 'refined'.
I don't mind CTS because my Dartmoor Hornet 2012 has CTS head tube but there's a lot of riders who don't have CTS bikes. Are U willing to change frame for 1000 MRSP $ fork?
As for axle I admit: I'm 20mm fan and 15mm hater.
If U like "refined" that obviously new Pike is great choice for U but if U are more like me and still remember and have true Pike you don't want refinement. What U want is slightly bigger fork (wider stanchions, a little bit of travel) with the same very good performance, easy of maintain and good price.
For me Pike is one of the most important forks of lat 10 year. As far as I'm concerned the new version is caricature of true Pike.@jumpman2334 SR did black stanchions in the cheapest version
c'mon dude, if your going to make absurd statements like that, at least show us some of your 'proof'.. or go back to dissing fox. (more fox stuff for me)