RockShox Pike Ultimate [Rider Review]

 Our "Rider Review" article series features the honest reviews from verified purchasers of Worldwide Cyclery. They contain the photos, thoughts, feedback & overall review you are looking for. 

 RockShox is hands down one of the flagship companies when it comes to bicycle suspension. They range from your lightest XC forks all the way to the beefiest DH forks. One of their flagship forks is the Pike, our friend, Jan, just threw one on their bike. See what they think!!

Overview

To start this review I confess that after years of riding, I still have no clue what most fork and suspension reviews are talking about. It is as if they have invented an entirely new language to leave us scratching our heads while at the same time thinking that this or that must be good. I don't speak that language, and I admit I don't really understand it, so instead, here is what the Rock Shox Pike Ultimate feels like to ride. Isn't that all we really care about anyway?

Before I tell you how it rides, I have to tell you where I came from, this was, after all, an "upgrade," meaning it was something I got to make my bike ride better. This new 150mm Pike Ultimate was an upgrade for my older (2018) 150mm Pike RCT3 Solo-air for a 2018 Norco Sight C1.

I am a fan of the Pike, and have been for many years. There was nothing at all wrong with my old fork, other than it was stolen from a local bike shop while on my new frame that was being assembled, but that's a long and sad story for another day. After the theft of my trusty Pike RCT3, I installed a 2016 140mm Pike RC Solo-air I had in the parts closet (who doesn't have spare Pikes sitting around?). Like the 2018 fork, the 2016 had hundreds of miles on it with the owner (me) completely ignoring all recommended service intervals. When I say "all," I do mean every single one. The fork has never received even the 50-hour service that may or may not be recommended (it's easier to ignore such things if you never read the recommended service bulletins).

As a result of this.... experiment in lack of service... I can inform you that the Pike will keep working quite well despite the abuse heaped upon it. Consider me your test pilot. Immediately before the theft of the 2018 Pike RCT3, I rode on some of Pisgah's more reputable gnarly trails, and other than some tired wrists and arms, the RCT3 absorbed every impact and kept the front end reliably on the ground and upright. Post theft, the old 2016 RC similarly absorbed quite a few impacts, albeit with a noticeably harder ride. It was time for an upgrade, and if you're going to go, go big.

This is, after all, a review of the new Pike Ultimate Charger 2.1 RC2 with the DebonAir spring, RockShox's highest-end Pike fork, so let's talk Ultimate! For starters, let us talk of looks, because you know as well as I do that as mountain bikers, we obsess over the look of the product and spend far more dollars than we may need to just to get "that" color. When you open the package and see the fork for the first time the silver seems to wear a glowing halo. That is a slight exaggeration, but if you are looking for the "whoa" factor, the "other-people-will-comment-on-your-new-fork" at trailheads factor, the other riders on the highway will hit the brakes while passing you and slow down to get a second look at it factor, this has it. The silver Pike is gorgeous. It's tasty.

Maybe you aren't all about looks though. Maybe you actually care about how it performs? Maybe you are just saying that so as not to be accused of being all about looks. Regardless, as I have already mentioned, I have no idea what most fork and suspension terms actually mean. I have no idea what SKF damper cartridge seals are or Maxima Plush fluid. I can't really say what reduced friction feels like compared to increased friction, or really even what riding higher in travel is. I usually just nod along to not look stupid. I've watched all the videos these guys and others make about compression and high and low-speed versions of it, and I still have little idea what the heck they are talking about. Lacking such understanding, even as a long-time rider (my first all rigid Chromoly beast was purchased in 1991), what I can tell you is how this new fork feels.

I received the new Pike Ultimate days before leaving for a two-day ride at Alabama's Coldwater mountain trail complex. The Pike Ultimate will sit very well in your hitch rack for an 11-hour drive if that is something you are concerned about. As for the riding, Alabama is not Pisgah. It is not the big mountains of the west or even North Carolina or Virginia, but what it lacks in size and steepness, Coldwater does attempt to make up for via rocks. The ancient glaciers that reduced the mountains of the east to their present altitude that westerners consider tiny seemed to spit out a great volume of rock in northeastern Alabama. In short, the new Pike Ultimate would get a very first ride challenge on a network teaming with rocks, holes, and leaf-covered obstacles. There are also some fast trails at the complex, that are full of compressions that can be doubled, and rocks, and rocks that lie hidden under leaves. One of the downhills (Bomb Dog) is approximately three-miles long and prime arm-fatigue territory. Have I mentioned that it was also very cold, as in the high 20's, perhaps low 30's, with snow showers? The Pike Ultimate performs very well in cold temps. Like I indicated earlier- test pilot.

I can attest that Rock Shox's claim that this fork reduces arm fatigue is.... (suspenseful wait), absolutely accurate. I never felt the arm fatigue that I suffered from with the 2016 and 2018 RCT3 and RC Pikes.

You hear many reviewers describe this fork as "plush" or "supple." But what do those words mean? In the case of "plush," as an adjective, it is defined as "richly luxurious and expensive." By comparison to other forks, I disagree that this is "expensive." As a top-end model, the Rock Shox Pike Ultimate is priced below virtually every competitor's model. As for "richly luxurious," just- "yes." Reduced arm fatigue along with (just as advertised) keeping the front wheel firmly planted on the ground. I never felt the front wheel wander, no matter the impact. And that is the other notable thing- I'm not sure I ever had a big impact because I never noticed any. Which is not to say I didn't have any. On a recent ride at Florida's most technical trail network (don't laugh) at Alafia State Park, I was caught off guard on more than one sudden drop that I ended up rolling rather than popping, and once again, the fork offered no harshness while simply absorbing the impact, re-setting itself and off to the next mistake. I imagine this must be what "supple" means, and I ended up being right about that. "Supple" is defined as "bending and moving easily and gracefully; flexible." The moving easily and gracefully part was easy to feel and note, but I detected no flex or bending. Let me add that someone I met at a recent trailhead described me as "husky." I ride an XL frame. If anyone can put a load of weight on a fork over rocks and roots and drops, it's me. My riding buddies call me the "smasher." The 35mm stanchions on the Pike were stellar and stiff.

I also like to pop doubles and drops whenever possible, and

the Pike proved playful and easy to pre-load and pop with.

This fork makes you feel like a more accomplished rider. It's as if the trail builders have made everything easier. It permits a rider to just go. There is little need to think about the obstacle in front of you because the Pike inspires confidence. It reduces trail chatter on rocks and roots, and your arms and hands, and wrists will thank you for making this upgrade. Unforeseen compressions and holes are a little issue, you just don't notice them as much. And it is playful, which is a word that gets used a lot in this industry to describe things. But, in this instance, it is exactly that. The quick reset of the fork and the quick work it makes of trail features have you ready for the next item coming at you, which ultimately means you can up the speed and throw caution to the wind. Add in the pre-load for pops, and fast recovery after landing, and to me, this defines "playful."

On the other hand, I can attest that the Pike Ultimate has the ability to go full-on brawler. I tend to just run straight down a trail line, obstacles or not. If there is damage that can be done to a bike without big jumps, I do it- full "smasher." The Pike Ultimate has zero issues with this style of riding and fully enhances the ability to come through such lines with no injuries or wrecks.

Final Thoughts

Whether a brawler or a shredder, this fork is fully up to the challenge and will make you feel like a better rider who is capable of bigger things than perhaps you really are- and that's the only thing to be concerned about with this upgrade. 5 stars out of 5 stars, worth every penny.