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RockShox Pike 426

Average Rating 4.47/5
# of Reviews 15
MSRP $
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Description:In both stiffness and stiffness to weight ratio, Pike is the clear leader in the All Mountain Extreme category. Updates for 2006: -Aluminum Control Knobs, -Air U-Turn Option, -Long Travel Dual Air Option
Key Features:

-Motion Control with adjustable Floodgate
-Forged, Hollow 6061 T6 Crown (454)
-Custom Butted Aluminum Steerer Tube (454)
-Maxle 20mm quick release thru-axle system
-Stiff 32mm 7000 series aluminum upper tubes
-Compatible with all PopLocs
Where To Buy


Jenson USA



Cambria Bicycle Outfitters


Chain Reaction


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    Submitted by Hora a Weekend Warrior from Manchester
    Date Reviewed: June 27, 2008
    Favorite Trail:Kentmere
    Duration Product Used:1 Year
    Strengths:They look the business
    Weaknesses:Rebounds fallen off (lost). Forks 'squat' when descending through slow technical trails- see the bottom line
    Similar Products Used:AM SL 1's on my other bike.
    Bottom Line:Lets get on thing straight- Im not a 'core'/rad etc rider which makes this even more poor.

    The standard spring is only adequate for riders upto 12stone in weight. How many grown men do you know who weigh less than 12stone? So thats the first upgrade. Through technical, slow trails the forks squat/bed-down and the only cure for this (I thought the x-stiff spring would) is to PUSH'd the forks at a cost of $200/UK£120. WHY? Come on, there must be others out there who have come across this but are afraid to speak up?

    Why cant these forks come with a choice of 3 springs in the box AND already work/fit for purpose?
    Value Rating:2Overall Rating:1

    Submitted by jon a Weekend Warrior from california
    Date Reviewed: July 10, 2007
    Favorite Trail:idn
    Duration Product Used:3 months
    Price Paid: $200.00
    Purchased At:a friend
    Strengths:the u-turn so u can do almost any type of riding
    Weaknesses:annoying creeking sound, although it might be my headset
    Similar Products Used:fox vanilla
    Bike Setup:giant stp
    Bottom Line:the top line
    Value Rating:4Overall Rating:4

    Submitted by Condro a Downhiller from Nor Cal
    Date Reviewed: February 2, 2007
    Favorite Trail:AK
    Duration Product Used:1 Year
    Strengths:The 20mm axle,lowers, and upper crown stand out for stiffness, definitely helped the overall stability of my bike. I love the way this fork look, simple and clean. The travel adjust works very smoothly, flood gate and compression lock out are very effective.
    Weaknesses:slightly heavy, but it all comes back in stiffness.
    Similar Products Used:RockShox revelation 426
    Bike Setup:Dirt jumping hardtail and 4x bike.
    Bottom Line:If you are a larger rider or just demand the stiffness out of you rig this is the way to go. The travel adjust allows for vertility and the durable build inspires confidence.

    Value Rating:4Overall Rating:4

    Submitted by Banshee66 a Weekend Warrior from G to the erman town
    Date Reviewed: February 2, 2007
    Favorite Trail:Ray's MTB
    Duration Product Used:Less than 1 month
    Purchased At:MTBR classifieds
    Strengths:everything, it just feels good and the adjustabikity is inclredible. Very stiff on lockout.
    Weaknesses:none
    Similar Products Used:Marzocchi Dirt Jam Pro
    Bike Setup:Kona Scrap frame completely upgraded.
    Bottom Line:I took this fork to Ray's MTB and kept switching from lockout to regular and mainly left it at 95mm travel. This fork performed above and beyong what i had expected, it just felt right at all times and in every jump. Bottom line is GET ONE.
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by Zach Reliford a Downhiller from Washington, Illinois, USA
    Date Reviewed: November 6, 2006
    Favorite Trail:Farmdale Reservoir
    Duration Product Used:1 Year
    Price Paid: $410.00
    Purchased At:Little Ade's
    Strengths:Mega Stiff
    Super smooth if you keep semi bath in it all the time.
    Predictable and 5.5lbs for Coil U Turn
    Weaknesses:I ran it without semi bath for 2 months so the bushings have a bit of slop in them and need replaced. That's my fault though
    Similar Products Used:Stance Static
    Bike Setup:Fisher PHD with mostly stock set except x.7 derailleur, x.9 shifter, and the 426 Coil U Turn Pike
    Bottom Line:Seriously, 200lbs with no gear and I have abused this thing beyond belief. 12 stairs to flat concrete, 5 footers to flat, plenty of nose casing, and other random crashes.


    I got it for $410 at my LBS in February of 06 and I couldn't be happier. Maxle is great on the trail, and the 20mm is much stiffer than QR or 10mm bolton.


    Bottom Line: Get it
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by Will a from Clemson, SC, US
    Date Reviewed: October 16, 2006
    Duration Product Used:6 months
    Purchased At:EP
    Strengths:smoooooth. maxle. the adjustments on it actually work ( a plus in my book). no tacky stickers or graphics.
    Weaknesses:maxle is a it tricky, but once you figure it out, its awesome.
    Similar Products Used:marzocchi all-mountain, marzocchi drop-off, fox float RL, fox vanilla R, rockshox pyslo (crap)
    Bike Setup:Giant AC with the Pike, Rockshox MC 3.1 rear shock, Bont. King Earl Hubs, Avid Juicy, Sram drivetrain. random other stuff. NO SH#TMANO!!
    Bottom Line:I got the fork because I wanted something with adjustable travel, and Rockshox really made a comeback after Sram took over. Other wise they would be on wal-mart bikes by now. The wieght is a little over 5 pounds, which might be alot for weenies.. but I dont really care. whats a few pounds. Super stiff super plush super Super. what you get in return is a beast fork that is good for everything from xc to fr to light dh to urban to whatever you wanna do with it. If you want a do it all fork that looks good, doesnt cost too much, and is smooooooth, BUY THIS FORK!
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by jonathan a Downhiller from NY
    Date Reviewed: October 10, 2006
    Favorite Trail:creek, NYC street, DJ's
    Duration Product Used:6 months
    Price Paid: $250.00
    Purchased At:special shop deal
    Strengths:Stiff, light, super adjustable, durable.
    Weaknesses:i had problems with the maxel system. if you dont keep it lubed, it will jam. un-reliable for the long hual.
    Similar Products Used:zocchi DJ series, z.1, 66, monster T, 888, boxxer's.
    Bike Setup:identti dr. jekyll, 26 front/back.
    Bottom Line:I'v never been a fan of RS products becuase they blow. for 2005-2006, things have totaly changed since they became a part of sram. I was looking for a used 2005 pike at the time but came across a very good deal on a 426 dual air and could'nt pass it up...the fork is amazing. I ride street and DH on the same bike so it really fit the niche i was looking for. its super adjustable. I can "slam" it down to a stiff 80mm for dirtjmping and 20 seconds later have 140mm of plush travel for DH. even tho u-turn brings the fork down to 110mm, by increasing the pressure in the negative air chamber, you can drop the fork down even more. the dampning system is excellent and peforms like a short travel boxxer WC. I ride mt.creek alot on the bike and the fork eats everything up. my only grip was the maxel system which i hear they fixed for 2007 with the maxel 360. if your considering buying this fork, i fully reccomend it.
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by Paul a Weekend Warrior from Hills, B.C., Canada
    Date Reviewed: July 19, 2006
    Duration Product Used:Less than 1 month
    Purchased At:boomtown
    Strengths:strong stiff, can be plush and soft, soo ajustable, fairly light,
    Weaknesses:lock out doesnt work anymore, at one point my stiffness adjust wasnt working but i fooled around with the floodgate and now its great. i think the floodgate adjust either got changed on me or it got jostled.
    Bottom Line:Sick fork. mabye too much adjustablility i worry about durability. lock out stopped working even though it wasnt true lockout in the first place. make sure u have a 20mm hub. 20 mm qr is sweet but u gotta figure out how to use it. flip lever all the way to the back and turn it to the open direction and pull it through. make sure u dont ever tighten it and pinch the bearings.

    when you are using the uturn travel adjust make sure the fork is not set to the hardest (lock) setting because when going to lower travel it will lock until u turn it off lock.

    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:4

    Submitted by Ben Doucett a Racer from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
    Date Reviewed: July 18, 2006
    Favorite Trail:Any dirtjumping, freerideing or skatepark does me well...
    Duration Product Used:3 months
    Price Paid: $425.00
    Purchased At:Pedal shop, best US shop ever
    Strengths:Its light, uturn, lockout, rebound, wow...
    Weaknesses:that damn nob for the flood gate external, my pant leg of my shorts have gotten caught on it twice, and i fell over my bars, ripping my knees open, damnit!
    Similar Products Used:zoccchi dj2
    Bike Setup:2002 .243 racing, pike fork, single track and bfr rims, block eight cranks, etc..
    Bottom Line:Its an amazing fork, it takes med freeride so well, the utrn reallllyy helps , and, the lockout is amazing for riding street and skatepark lines.. but my only problem is that damn little nob that clips my shorts pant leg, twice in 2 days it happened! but oh well, my shorts must just be to long or something... if you can spare 500$, get one, there undestructable IF you use them properly and you arent a major hack...

    5 chillis for the value for the price, and 5 flamin chillis for the strength
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by Matt Reynolds a Racer from St. John's
    Date Reviewed: July 12, 2006
    Duration Product Used:Tested or demo'ed only
    Price Paid: $500.00
    Purchased At:Canary Cycles
    Strengths:mindblowing plusness, light, awesome compression and damping.
    Weaknesses:nothing. I do find that the damping adjust can come off if you overtighten, but you shouldn't overtighten anyways lol.
    Similar Products Used:Manitou Blunt, Manitou Stance SC, Marzocchi DJ1, Fox 36
    Bike Setup:'05 Chase II Frame, pike, deity bars and stem, avid bb5, trailpimps...
    Bottom Line:this is hands down the best fork I have ever ridden. Insanely plush, huge amount of ajustment, and compression and damping is absolutely mindblowing. This fork is just so amazing I had to sit down and type up a review. This fork honestly changes the whole outlook on SC forks and is like a shorter travel fox 40, and it easily beats out the fox 36. Perfect 5/5 from me.
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by RJ a Downhiller from HI
    Date Reviewed: May 29, 2006
    Favorite Trail:crapshoot
    Duration Product Used:3 months
    Strengths:Maxle, 20mm, strong & stiff. looks clean.

    bashes the rock shock image.

    ajustable travel.

    somewhat light.
    Weaknesses:rock shock image
    Similar Products Used:van 36, marz 888, fox 40, marz z1FR, sid, pike, manitou breakout, fox vanilla................
    Bike Setup:turner rfx, hardtail. this fork goes on all the bikes at some time....
    Bottom Line:Rock shock is on it this time. If you base your opinions on RS past, you are missing out. This fork does a superb job of remaining stable at speed. Its easy to wind down the travel for climbing and bust it back up for the way down.

    I was impressed coming off a vanilla 36 by FOX. this one is a keeper.

    try one if it fits your needs.
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by Kyle Veal a Downhiller from Wausau, Wis, USA
    Date Reviewed: March 26, 2006
    Duration Product Used:3 months
    Price Paid: $297.00
    Purchased At:QBP a distributer for the shop i work at.
    Strengths:Everything. It feels great. Takes a beating. I weigh 220 no gear no nothing, and all I did is put in the extra firm spring.
    Weaknesses:None at all, but there are still weenies who won't like it because it's not a specific brand. Screw them they will never experience plushness at it's best
    Similar Products Used:everything
    Bike Setup:SS GT chucker on its last legs
    Bottom Line:Good fork. Buy it if you want something that adds amazing value to your ride. Makes everything better.
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by andrew thompson a Weekend Warrior from syd nsw aus
    Date Reviewed: March 7, 2006
    Favorite Trail:dimo
    Duration Product Used:3 months
    Price Paid: $560.00
    Purchased At:chain reaction cycles
    Strengths:Ajustable travel, strong, light
    Weaknesses:none
    Similar Products Used:DJ II
    Bike Setup:.243 racing
    Bottom Line:these are the best forks ive ever ridden. the on-the-fly travel adjust works like a dream, wheather your doing DJ/urban or FR/DH. Nice and smoothe. Rockshox has finally made THE fork. the end.
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by Kevin Hogsed a Weekend Warrior from Queen Creek, AZ
    Date Reviewed: February 11, 2006
    Favorite Trail:Any trail will do
    Duration Product Used:Less than 1 month
    Price Paid: $449.00
    Purchased At:Ebay
    Strengths:20mm Axle, Adjustabilty,Ease of use, Pop-loc
    Weaknesses:Rebound knob could be sucured better. Mine hasn't fallen off, yet! Owners manual is obvious translation from Taiwanese to English, not much help.
    Similar Products Used:Lefty MAx 140
    Bike Setup:05 Cannondale Prophet 600, Radium rear shock, SRAM Drivetrain
    Bottom Line:So far I'm very pleased with this fork. It's head and shoulders above the Lefty I replaced. I weigh ~220 w/gear, and this fork has taken everything I've thrown at it, and never complained once. Obstacles that would make the Lefty bounce all over the place, the 426 just soaks 'em up, and keeps rolling. The 20mm axle is nice, too. Just point your bike where you wanna go, and go's!

    I put in the Black (x-firm) spring, and it may be a bit stiff for my weight. It's great on downhill stuff, but for XC riding I may go to the firm spring. It only takes two minutes to swap out, so there's another nice feature.

    I wasn't to sure about the Pop-loc feature, but I'm glad I got it. It helps on climbs, and really works when standing to pedal. The floodgate works as advertised, and the adjustments make a difference you can feel. I've even bombed down trails with the fork locked out, and it continues to soak up big hits, once you get past the threshold of the flood gate.

    Overall, I'm glad I made the switch, this fork was well worth the money.
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by Neil Scott a from Stamford, CT, 06903
    Date Reviewed: November 16, 2005
    Favorite Trail:Downtown
    Duration Product Used:3 months
    Purchased At:Cycle Center CT
    Strengths:Sitff fork, motion control, lock out, maxle, U-turn, very adjustable
    Weaknesses:Rebound knob falls off easy, U-turn sometimes binds up and gets hard to turn, was making a loud click when it compressed, but i fixed all of it. No MAJOR problems so far.
    Similar Products Used:marz dj I, Manitou sherman line
    Bike Setup:On-one gimp, pike 456, mtx to dt swiss hub wheels, single speed, Hayes nine 6", Odyssey 41 thermal cranks
    Bottom Line:Good product, minor problems still need to be worked out by rock shocks, but I love the fork, I would recommend it to any one who's into dirtjumping, street riding, single track riding, 4X racing.
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:4






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