Shortly after being released two years ago, the Pike quickly became the benchmark fork for aggressive trail riders thanks to a supportive and tuneable air spring, well-controlled Charger sealed damper and an asymmetric 35mm legged chassis that is precise when pushed hard.
While the new 34 beats it on weight and retail price, time has proved
the Pike to be reliable and tough. That said, the 34 has a slightly extended
full service interval of 125 hours compared to 100 hours for the Pike.
It’s also available in a staggering number of travel and wheel size
variants, with travel from 140-160mm being catered for in both wheel sizes. A
Dual Position Air travel adjustable model is available too, though we’ve tested
our preferred fixed Solo Air model in 160mm. It’s also very easy and quick to
set up, with handy sag markers anodised on the fork leg. The controls are hand
friendly, with our RCT3 model getting a low speed compression adjustable Open
mode in addition to firmer Pedal and Lock settings. The lever of the Maxle that
secures the 15mm through axle isn’t quite as hand friendly as the big flat item
of the Fox, but it’s still fast and easy to use.
Out on the trail, the Pike has a more active feel than the 34. The
Rapid Recovery damping helps it extend quickly from deep in the travel without
feeling uncontrolled at the start of the stroke. That means it deals with big
hits in a superb manner, while the air spring is nicely progressive and as with
the 34, this can be tuned with volume spacers. On smaller roots and rocks, we
noticed a bit more chatter through the bars compared to how smooth the Fox is.
Once moving a bit faster it’s easily the equal of it and it meters out the
travel excellently, never feeling like it had a harsh bottom out but with an
ability to use the full stroke when necessary. The chassis feels reassuringly
solid too, encouraging you to push harder. There’s a good reason the Pike is so
hard to beat – because it’s exceptionally good as an all-round trail fork.
PRICE 1170$
