Ultimate Review Guide: Rockshox Pike Fork

When Rockshox reintroduced the Pike back in 2013, it immediately took over the market, was leaps and bounds better than its competition, and still remains one of the most versatile mid travel suspension forks we have seen. The beauty of the Pike is that it can be fitted to so many different styles of mountain bikes. From a hardtail you would find in the skatepark to an enduro race bike, the Pike seems to do it all. In this Ultimate Review Guide, you can find all of the strongest reviews, some of our great custom builds featuring the Pike, and important technical information from Rockshox.

Custom Build: Banshee Prime and 150mm Rockshox Pike

Worldwide Cyclery Product Overview

The Pike is lightweight, stiff, and provides excellent damping control while maintaining mid stroke support. Here you can find our own product overview for the 2018 Rockshox Pike.

Read the full Worldwide Cyclery Product Overview

Worldwide Cyclery Comparison - Rockshox Pike vs. Fox 34

Here are some of our thoughts - "Fox stepped up their game and came out swinging with the 2016 Float 34.  It handled awesome and had a very comfortable feel but at the same time it was progressive just like you would want it to be and just like the Pike. It was incredible through the slow sections and handled the terrain just as well in the fast sections and it never skipped a beat. At end of the ride, both forks left you feeling fresh and with a smile on your face, so it's hard to say which fork is better. Our verdict is that either way you go you will be stoked and you can't go wrong with either of these forks." 

Read the full fork comparison

Pinkbike First Look -2018 Rockshox Pike

Pinkbike's first impressions of the new Pike - "The new Pike felt nearly identical to the old one, and that's a good thing. There was plenty of support to keep the front end from diving when dropping into steep sections of trail, and enough suppleness to take the edge off when plowing through tangled webs of roots. Did I notice the increased negative spring volume? Honestly, I didn't, but keep in mind that the trails were saturated by the previous week's rain storms - when your tires are sinking into the soft ground it's tough to accurately judge a fork's breakaway force. All the same, the fork delivered the predictable, familiar performance that I've come to expect from a Pike. It's one of those forks that just works, with minimal fussing around needed to get it dialed in. I did give the middle compression setting a try a few times, and found that it was indeed much more usable - on the previous Pike I rarely used that setting, reserving it for smooth climbs, but now I can envision using it for more rolling terrain or technical climbs, and switching to the fully open setting for the descents."

Read Pinkbike's first look at the 2018 Pike

A look inside the new Charger 2 Damper system / Photo by Pinkbike

Rockshox Website

Visit sram.com/rockshox for all of Sram's technical specifications on the Pike. Learn more about different air spring systems, the Charger 2 damper, and configurations the Pike is available in. 

For those looking to upgrade your bike with a new suspension fork, the Rockshox Pike is a great choice. 

Troy Lee Designs Decal Kits

 Sram has a new collaboration with Troy Lee Designs, introducing three new Truvativ handlebars along with TLD decal kits. The stickers are made to fit any Rockshox forks featuring 35mm upper tubes. Take your bike matching to the next level with these new graphics.

We also have some of our Worldwide Cyclery Pike decals made by Stikrd. Check them out!

Custom Build: Yeti SB45c paired with 140mm Rockshox Pike

Pinkbike Review

Pinkbike's take - "The new Pike ticks all of the boxes when it comes to outright performance: a dialled spring curve, plenty of adjustability, and a damper that offers incredible performance for both a pro-level rider and a weekend warrior out for a casual rip. Factor in both its weight and overall chassis rigidity and you have a fork that we believe is best in class."

Read the full Pinkbike review

Vital MTB Review

Vital MTB's bottom line - "I’m a fairly critical reviewer. I don’t use the words "best in class" very often, but they certainly seem to apply here. At four pounds, it's the lightest of the bunch, and the new damping system, air spring and seals all work in harmony to give the rider a symphony of performance. In this reviewer’s eyes, it edges out everything else in the 160mm class thus far."

Read the full Vital MTB review

Custom Build: Evil The Calling featuring a 140mm Rockshox Pike

Dirt Magazine Review

Read the full Dirt Mag review

Bike Magazine Review

Bike Mag's thoughts - "So, where does the Pike fall flat? Honestly, I’m still looking for an answer to that question. No product is absolutely perfect and maybe when I open my Pike to service it, I’ll have something to grumble about (I haven’t had the need to do so, which is testimony to how robust the new design is), but at this point it’s been all roses and unicorns and rainbows. Sure, you could always add more millimeters and a 20-mm through axle (I’m a fool for both the Fox 36 and the RockShox Lyrik), but the Pike is plenty stiff and adding any more material to this fork would only add more weight. For lightweight enduro/all mountain bikes, the Pike is an absolute weapon."

Read the full Bike Mag review

Custom Build: Transition Patrol featuring a 160mm Rockshox Pike

Enduro MTB Review

After Enduro MTB's long term review, this is what they came up with - "RockShox has achieved a huge success with the Pike. Its clean look, low weight and outstanding performance on all kinds of trails make the Pike the new Benchmark for trail forks. Any issues? – negative!"

Read the full Enduro MTB review

Bike Radar 2018 Review

Bike Radar's first ride impressions - "As the terrain became more technical and the hits harder, the improvements – in particular the revamped air spring – felt more noticeable. At no point did it feel like the Pike lacked sensitivity when tackling slippery root-riddled sections. Nor was it necessary to add more air pressure to increase support when sliding into steeper, high load turns. I did stray slightly from the pressure chart, adding 5psi more than recommended as well as adding three clicks of low-speed compression adjustment. This resulted in a fork I felt confident thumping into bumps and slapping in flat landings."

Read the full Bike Radar review

Custom Build: Devinci Troy and 150mm Rockshox Pike

The Benchmark, Redefined

Rockshox Bottomless Tokens