The most important facts in brief

The Pike is available in different versions from 120 to 140 millimetres of travel as well as for 27.5-inch and 29-inch wheels. The Ultimate fork tested has 130 millimetres of travel. With the introduction of Charger 3 damping in 2023, Rock Shox has completely separated the high-speed compression (HSC) from the low-speed compression (LSC) so that they function independently of each other. Many bikers used to ride with fully open damping, but those days are now over. The fork is now designed so that the middle settings of HSC and LSC serve as the starting position. With the revised Charger 3.1 version, the compression damping in the LSC range has been reduced and the oil flow increased. As a result, the adjustment range is wider.

Rock Shox has maximized the volume of the negative spring in the new Pike air cartridge. This should improve the response at the beginning of the suspension travel and provide even more traction and sensitivity on smaller bumps. Very importantly, the new DebonAir+ air suspension requires a little more attention during setup in order to correctly balance the negative air chamber. Another plus are the new plain bearings, which reduce friction.

First impression

As usual with a test bike, the Pike was set up with 20 percent SAG, the compression stage set to the recommended middle position and the rebound adjusted to preference. But the fork seemed strangely soft. The first descent was irritating, the fork literally roared through the travel right to the end, even on medium bumps. After contacting Rock Shox, the setup was readjusted using their Trail Head app. And look, it already feels firmer. But somehow still not really good.

After further contact with the manufacturer, it turns out that the test fork has been converted from a 140 millimeter version to the desired 130 millimeter stroke. The suspicion arises that at best a little too much grease was used during assembly, which would only be fully distributed after a few rides. The soft behavior was also not consistent for Rock Shox. They recommended that the setup be completely redone and that the air be completely removed beforehand. When refilling, it is important to ensure that the negative air chamber is correctly balanced. As a rule, pump the fork to half the recommended pressure and compress it five times by a quarter of the stroke for at least three seconds. In a quiet environment, the pressure equalization is very faintly audible. In the case of the test fork, this had to be repeated 20 times until no more noise was audible. After that, it was given a "new" lease of life.

In use

The initial problems were quickly forgotten. After a few descents, it became clear that everything was different with this fork. If you set the Pike according to the app specifications, it rides very softly, uses the travel well and without bottoming out. However, it is always slightly sunk in. With a hard riding style or on very steep descents, this is not for everyone. It takes time to find your individual setup. In the end, the air pressure is ridden five PSI above the recommendation and a token is installed to increase the puncture protection. Rock Shock's new Schluckspecht offers a very consistent ride feel over the entire suspension travel. It doesn't matter whether you're riding over root carpets or fast gravel descents, if there are stairs in the way or if the bike is hit by heavy impacts.

Conclusion

Overall, the Pike offers linear suspension behavior, releases a lot of travel and has a very late end progression. It absorbs fine impacts and vibrations noticeably better and scores with a pleasant stiffness. The adjustment range of the fork is very wide and it therefore serves both comfort riders and experts without showing any weaknesses.

Recommendation

A precise approach and a little patience will help you to achieve the optimum setup. Ideally, you should start with the manufacturer's specifications in the app. If the handling is too soft, simply increase the air pressure by 20 PSI and then reduce it in 5 PSI increments until it fits. The same applies to the compression damping, where the bracketing method helps to get the right setting.

Price: CHF 1169.90 / EUR 1169.00

Manufacturer

www.sram.com