Your wish is my command. Not. But I'll be nice about it, and give a quick and dirty review, as well as some links to some other good Pike info. Comparisons directly to my 04 Marzocchi Z-1FR QR version, the fork I replaced with the Pike. So far, I'm very much liking the Pike, moreso than the Z-1. The only concern I have at this point is long term durability, and service intervals, as opposed to the bombproof set-it-and-forget-it of Marzocchi reputation. I'm gambling that SRAM has fixed that-this fork was *allegedly* designed from the ground up by a whole new team of engineers at SRAM. Linkage to other stuff at the bottom.

Rock Shox 05 Pike Team 140mm, non-remote lockout version. 20mm Maxle system.

External adjustable rebound and compression, as well as travel from 95mm to 140mm.

crown to axle height is 518mm, same as the z-1. i did swap to a 1cm higher rise bar at the same time, but also removed 1cm of spacer from under my stem, so my actual ride height has not changed between the two forks. i'm 5'9" and weigh 140#, plus gear when on the bike. i'm using the stock springs so far. clearance for fatties looks good: i've had a 2.6 nokian, a 2.6 specialized, and a 2.7 maxxis all fit just fine.

it weighed in at a little less than 5# right out of the box. on my somewhat accurate digital scale, including the 20mm axle. my new wheel build weighs less than the old, so i ended up dropping nearly 1/2# off the front end of my bike. part of this is the lighter wheel, and the fact that the oil volume is about 150ml less than in the z-1; this means nearly 1/3# just in less oil. installed beautifully. no problems cutting the steertube, setting the crown race, instaling the wheel, or setting up the brakes. granted, i am using the avid cps, which makes setting up brakes a breeze, so i wouldn't even no if the IS tabs are off, unless by a huge margin.

you will need a new wheel built, as the fork is 20mm axle compatable only. i chose to go with the very nice hope bulb 20mm hub; it's convertable back to regular QR if you want. (though it takes a $25 kit to do so)
the maxle is incredibly easy to use; the reports of it being quicker and easier than a regular QR lever are true. it's fantastic, simple, and a no-brainer. feels very secure, and i foresee no problems with stripping, or loosening. the maxle basically threads into the disc brake side dropout, then the skewer cam action spreads the two ends of the axle apart to clamp agains tthe inside of the dropouts, left and right. the threaded portion of the dropout appears to be replacable in case they get mangled, though i don't see that happening unless one is a *very* hamfisted mechanic. the whole maxle is easy to take apart, and replacement parts can be had as needed.

this fork is stiffer than my old z-1, likely due more to the 20mm axle than anything else. but it was noticable on the first ride, just playing around in the parking lot. tracks and steers very precisely. i was also using a very light, small bearing-ed hub with the old fork-that surely made a difference.

the rebound adjust is highly tunable, and i noticed a distinct difference in the two extremes of the settings. very wide stock range of infinite adjustability. i've only adjusted it once, during my frist trail ride, and have left it alone since. it's on the bottom of the right (drivetrain side) leg. further changes to rebound would have to be achieved with different spring rates, or changing to a lighter or heavier oil, which i've had no need for. the z-1 rebound adjust worked, but the range was much narrower.

the travel adjust is on top of the left (non-drivetrains side) fork leg. cranks the spring down from full 140mm travel, to 95mm, and does steepend the head angle. it does increase the spring rate, though the remaining travel is very usable. i've only used this twice. once during a trail ride, for some moderate length climbs; worked well, and didn't come undone on its own-something the ETA feature of the z-1 did at times. the other was during about 3 hours of playtime on the CU campus. hops, jumps, drops, and some trialsy stuff. i left it mostly at about 100mm of travel, to steepen things up while urbaning.

compression/lockout/floodgate adjust on top of the right leg. from fully locked out, to fully open. works very well, so far. no slippage in the sytem. the floodgate basically allows you to set the blowoff point of the compression when locked out. ie; how large of a hit tit takes to make the fork move when locked out. very nice when climbing, or other times when you may not want the fork bobbing, but still want it to suck up some bigger hits. i've so far only used this during that same urban session. works as advertised. again, infinite adjustability, within its range.

travel feels very good. i've used about 135mm at max so far (by sip tie on the leg measuring method), and it feels extremely smooth. the cliched "plush" description applies here. i've not bottomed it yet, though the largest i've done so far is a 4' drop to flat, and about 5' to transition. that's about the largest i go anyhow, so i may not bottom the fork, unless i end up pulling a bad landing. keep in mind this is a burly trail bike fork, not really a full on free ride or DH fork. rock shox needs to fill in that gap in their line-something between the boxxer for DH racing, and this for trailriding. hmmm. what else? it's quieter than the z-1, FWIW.

the bad: only one thing so far. the compression adjust knob was a bit loose fitting (and was moving on it's own during the first ride, and i couldn't get the stock fitting to tighten more. i fabbed up my own, shown in one of the links further down. other than that, i am *extremely* happy with the fork.

mods to suit my needs/wants: i replaced one of the stock bottom bolts with an alloy bolt, and a new crush washer, torqed to spec. replaced the maxle steel Q rod with a ti one from another QR set; locktighted in place. it feels just as stiff as with the stock piece in. i redid the compression adjuster knob, as shown inthe link. umm, i peeled the stickers off; that took a bit-those suckers were on there good! i'd not suggest modding anything on your own, unless you are a halfway competent wrench.

whew. there ya go. ok. linkage. and pics of the maxle stuff. let me know if more info/pics are wanted, and i'll try to help out.

Dave out.


http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.ph...highlight=Pike

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.ph...highlight=Pike

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.ph...highlight=Pike

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.ph...highlight=Pike

http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/2005_fro...t_124430.shtml

That is my concern too. I am willing to take that chance if reviews are good. I am glad you had the z1 because that is what it is replacing (a broken one) but I want a tough more travel.

Now thats some derail. Thats good to know, saving some weight isn't a bad thing. I had thought the pike was 5.5 in travel. Must be thinking of a different fork.

I only run 20mm now a days. I am a big boy and can feel a standard qr flex when I am riding. The maxle is interesting and I saw the preview movie. If it is as easy as the slider I own I am set. :)

If it is on par I will be pleased for sure. I like my forks laterally stiff.

Excellent that was always a weakness with rockshox. The immeasurable rebound. No matter how many clicks it just didn't 'feel' different. I would automatically have to change to a stiffer spring (the stiffest) without even thinking about it :)

Good to know. A usable travel adjust WITH actual travel is on of the things I am looking for. I never liked my z1. If I locked it out, it was basically useless on the terrain here. I want something that is still active.

Good to know. I saw previews of this at the whistler release but really no one got a chance to really work it, and I tend to be wary of pro reports because of their bias.

You mean it doesn't make the squishy sound when it compresses to fast :D...I love my z1 but really want to try some other forks, and the price can't be beat. My roast won't be my freeride bike, it will be setup for xc and trails. Freeride is left to my Transition or my Bighit :D

Those are some good mods. Any reason you switched the bottom bolts, or just for ***** and giggles?

Thanks Dave, that was way more than I was expecting. Cheer :beer:

yeah, 140mm instead of the 130mm of the z-1, though it will give you the same ride height. AFAIK, everything else out there in the same travel range is either a: way more expensive (the manitou nixon line/the marzocchi 150mm stuff) or b: heavier (the sherman/stance/marzocchi 150mm stuff) or a combo of both. it's actually *slightly* more than 5.5" of travel. 25.4mm=1" so it's like 5.51" or thereabouts.

from what i've seen of the slider 20mm stuff, the maxle is easily easier. now, if you weigh more, if this thing does flex a bunch, you might notice it. at my weight, it feels stiffer than the z-1, but mine was a QR setup. no idea if it'll compare to a QR20 setup stiffness.

only swapped one bottom bolt; the other one is proprietary for the rebound adjust. i had the alloy bolt hanging around, and it was the right threading/size/lenght, so....... i feel safe with it in. hell, my z-1 was held together with alloy bolts as well. the other one is still the stock steel. the rebound adjust goes up through the hollow bolt.

yeah, it's a great trailbike fork, and should take a fair amount of abuse. at least, it'll take anything i'm likely to do.

i'm actually shopping for a decent shape used 170mm boxxer, slider, or super t to throw on for lift and shuttle ride days. what can i say, i'm a hardtail guy? throw those 2.7 dh tires on, and it's good to go.
the frame is actually a replacement for my old one that i broke last summer at keystone. oops. worked out well, as i like the peyto frame far more.