Product Showcase: 2005 RockShox Pike Team

This past week I received a new 2005 RockShox Pike Team. The Pike is part of their all-mountain Extreme fork line. It features 32mm Easton EA70 straight wall upper tubes. Through extensive FEA and testing, the upper tube wall thickness has been appropriately 'tuned' with the crown, steerer, and lower leg for optimum weight, stiffness, and durability. Each tube undergoes anodizing, sealing, and polishing prior to installation in the crown.Pike Arch
The Pike also features beefed up one-piece magnesium lower. The Pike has 95-140mm of infinitely adjustable travel using a U-Turn knob on top of the left hand leg. U-Turn system has become the standard by which all other travel adjustment systems are measured. Offering 45 mm of travel adjustment, coil U-Turn equipped forks adjust spring rate without affecting preload. This means that suspension sag remains proportional throughout the adjustment range. It’s also quick and easy to use or service.

Frontal View
The Pike Team fork I received weighs in at about 5 lbs with an uncut steerer and including the Maxle. What is Maxle? After pioneering the quick release thru axle system in 2001 with their Tullio system, RockShox decided to set the bar even higher! Gone are the quick release nuts, bolts, and levers from the lower leg. All the magic is housed inside the axle, away from rocks, dirt, and contamination. Like its predecessor, Maxle is entirely tool free, and oh-so quick. How does it work? Regular thru axle systems work by clamping the lower leg on to the axle. With the Maxle system, the axle is first threaded into the lower leg (with the quick release mechanism open). Once secured, the quick release lever is closed. By closing the quick release lever, expansion wedges are driven into the axle, causing the axle to expand against the lower leg. The result - All the stiffness benefits of a thru axle system with none of the fuss!

5 lbs
Maxle
The Pike uses RockShox’s Motion Control damping. A revolutionary new damping system, designed from the ground up, with the requirements of today’s mountain bikes in mind. Lighter than Pure, with a broad range of adjustment potential. Want your fork to feel compliant and active to small, medium, and large bumps? No Problem! Want to minimize bobbing while climbing, but still want something to soak up the chatter? You’ve got it! Want to get out of the saddle, attack the climb, and be the first to the top? Guess what? Motion Control has got you covered! On top of it all, this can all be done with a quick turn of an adjuster, or better yet, straight from the handlebars. All of these adjustments can be dialed in while on the trail, without the need of additional tools or a pump. The icing on the cake? All of this comes in an easily serviced package! The Motion Control Damping system allows riders to quickly adjust the feel and performance of their suspension to match riding conditions without pumps or tools. This system provides control for a wide range of compression and rebound damping as well as ‘Lock’ threshold sensitivity.

Top Crown
The Pike compression damper includes a low-speed compression adjuster (with lockout capability) and the Floodgate, an adjustable secondary circuit. In short, you could say the secondary Floodgate circuit is an adjustable blow-off valve.

Compression adjuster with Floodgate
Low-speed damping set pretty firm for a good pedaling platform, but with a relatively open Floodgate setting so that the fork still absorbs fast/big or square-edged bumps.

Low-speed compression damping relatively open for excellent small-bump sensitivity, but firm Floodgate for resistance to bottoming on really burly stuff.

Low-speed compression damping and Floodgate both relatively open for a super plush ride, letting the fork eat up small bumps and big ones, giving you a nicely linear, coil-spring-like feel.

System Benefits
• Wide range of usable set up choices
• Functional adjustments that can be felt by the user
• Easy “On-the-Fly” adjustability
• Light Weight
• Easy to Service
• Upgrade Potential

With the Pike you also have the option of either a top crown mount or PopLoc Adjust remote. The PopLoc Adjust remote allows the user to rapidly switch between ‘Open’ and ‘Lock’ suspension, with the added adjustment of compression tuning for the ‘Open’ setting. All these adjustment can be done using your thumb. Using the adjust feature, riders can dial in the amount of low speed compression in the active setting to further reduce brake dive or bobbing. The PopLoc Adjust retains the ‘Instant Off’ feature. For my Pike I choose to get the top mount.

PopLoc Adjust
RockShox Pike Team Features and Specs
• Travel: 95 - 140mm
• Adjust: U-Turn External Travel Adjuster
• Spring: U-Turn
• Adjust: U-Turn External Travel Adjuster
• Damping: Motion Control
• Adjust: External Rebound, Floodgate, Compression Adjust and Lock PopLoc Remote Option
• Lowers: NEW One piece magnesium, Disc Only, Maxle System
• Crown: Hollow, Forged Aluminum 6061, Black
• Steerer Tube: NEW Aluminum
• Upper Tubes: 32mm EA70 Straight Wall Aluminum, Low Friction Anodized with Gradients
• Colors: Blue Steel, Black, Silver

Maxle
I will be mounting the Pike Team to my trusty Turner 5-spot trail bike. Can’t wait to take it out on the trials and see first hand how it performs. I've been quite happy with my Psylo air, but I have a feeling the Pike will put it to shame. Down the road I would like to also get a Pike Dual air to compare weights and performance.

For more on RockShox or SRAM products, feel fee to visit their web sites at www.rockshox.com and www.sram.com

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