# Pike 454



## free rider (Nov 14, 2005)

not wanting to jack likquids thread i started this one.

what do you guys think of the pike 454 u-turn with pop lock travel adj...i can pick one up for about 350$ brand new is it worth the deal


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## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

Pop Lock doesn't adjust the travel. It can adjust the compression/lockout/whatever. And IMO, it just adds extra clutter to the bar. Great for the trails, not so great for street. If you remove the poplock, you more or less lose your ability to adjust the compression.

Dampening is terrific, but it is more of a trail fork. It is plusher than forks like the Gold Label or DJ.

Does 454 use the hollow crown and aluminum steerer? If so, I'd be wary. If you're lightweight, or not a real aggressive rider, you'll probably be okay.

If it were me, I'd look for a used SL or 426. Chromo steerer, solid crown, no stupid controls.


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## BikeSATORI (Mar 20, 2004)

oh man, the pop & loc is a score! Here's a sweet mod trick... you take the pop & loc cord and wrap it around the steerer as many times as possible... then, when you get some ups, you grab that sucker and yank like you're starting up a chainsaw and let go of the bars while in the air, equals instant triple bar-spin!
haha...
yeah, I'd listen to Will...


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## free rider (Nov 14, 2005)

ok, so whats this 426 you speak of...i was looking through our lambert cycle catalog at work and didnt see anything other than the 454...i might look into the 426 when our 07 catalog arrives


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## snaky69 (Mar 8, 2005)

http://www.cycleslambert.com

I'd still get a new gold label for the norco, they are only 50 bucks more and are more meant to be abused.

Edit: Forgot this was the french website, here's the english one: http://www.cycleslambert.com/customers/en/


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## free rider (Nov 14, 2005)

this is the selection i have...i can order any of these forks at about 70% off retail...so i would like to stick with these...what is so great about the gold label? should i get one of those instead...with an msrp of 300-350 what makes em better than the pikes, or argyle

edit, link helps
http://www.cycleslambert.com/custom...w&section=3970&family=18587&mark=17695&page=1


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## snaky69 (Mar 8, 2005)

free rider said:


> this is the selection i have...i can order any of these forks at about 70% off retail...so i would like to stick with these...what is so great about the gold label? should i get one of those instead...with an msrp of 300-350 what makes em better than the pikes, or argyle
> 
> edit, link helps
> http://www.cycleslambert.com/custom...w&section=3970&family=18587&mark=17695&page=1


My vote goes to the argyle then. It has just about the axle to crown height of the dj3 the norco was designed around, and it's meant to be dj'ed.


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## Tracerboy (Oct 13, 2002)

The pike 454 should be fine, i know a guy that has broken 2 evil imperial frames and an evil sovereign, the pike 454 was on the last imperial. He cracked the bottom where the down tube and the head tube meet, but the pike 454 was fine.


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## snaky69 (Mar 8, 2005)

urbanfreerider666 said:


> The pike 454 should be fine, i know a guy that has broken 2 evil imperial frames and an evil sovereign, the pike 454 was on the last imperial. He cracked the bottom where the down tube and the head tube meet, but the pike 454 was fine.


He was able to break an imperial? How?


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## BikeSATORI (Mar 20, 2004)

snaky69 said:


> He was able to break an imperial? How?


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## free rider (Nov 14, 2005)

great, thanks snaky...now alls we need is that 416 of yours and we should be set


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## todd_freeride (Aug 9, 2005)

broken pikes always make me giggle.


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## free rider (Nov 14, 2005)

todd_freeride said:


> broken pikes always make me giggle.


thought my little sister was home...musta just been you


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## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

That's an o5. The first run of o5 Pikes had a bad arch design. It used a waffle pattern in a certain high stress area. SRAM appropriately recalled these lowers. The new arch uses a solid section in that area.


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## todd_freeride (Aug 9, 2005)

XSL_WiLL said:


> That's an o5. The first run of o5 Pikes had a bad arch design. It used a waffle pattern in a certain high stress area. SRAM appropriately recalled these lowers. The new arch uses a solid section in that area.


yep, never seen a 06+ crack at the arch. only seen them with snapped steerer tubes. :skep: I would think the tube would bend first, like my stance  its on its way to answer for an aliminum steerer.


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## snaky69 (Mar 8, 2005)

todd_freeride said:


> yep, never seen a 06+ crack at the arch. only seen them with snapped steerer tubes. :skep: I would think the tube would bend first, like my stance  its on its way to answer for an aliminum steerer.


Your stance is broken again?


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## todd_freeride (Aug 9, 2005)

snaky69 said:


> Your stance is broken again?


it never was broken. but yesterday I was hitting some new jumps, and completly 50/50 cased the jump, it bent my steerer tube a tiny bit. so I sent it into manitou. they're fixing it all for free.


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## BikeSATORI (Mar 20, 2004)

snaky69 said:


> Your stance is broken again?












or pull a gold label on you?


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## Tracerboy (Oct 13, 2002)

snaky69 said:


> He was able to break an imperial? How?


basically he has big enough balls to do things on bikes that aren't really a good idea to say the least, but the pike is still going strong


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## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

Yeah, you'll see snapped steerers because people are using them for the wrong purpose. You can't expect a hollow crown and aluminum steerer to hold up to freeride abuse. Aluminum has a fatigue life. Aluminum also tends to just crack rather than bend. There have been fewer issues with the lower end models with the solid crown and steel steerer.


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## todd_freeride (Aug 9, 2005)

I'll have to get a picture of my friends bent super T to give to this thread. manitou's are really strong, just people that ride them the wrong way (me and others) are the ones that brake them, and then complain.

I love it.someone snaps a MX comp downhilling people are just like "ohh you shouldent have done that" someone brakes a Manitou Six doing the same stuff, people blame manitou. I'd rather have my fork bend like the steerer in my stance or on skyjumpers fork, rather than sending my face into the ground like other forks. (talking steerer) I called manitou to check, they only carry steel steerers. sure they might bend and might be heavy, but it beats 20 stitches to the face. my buddy has snapped a pike steerer, bent out a stance flow steerer and snapped two marzocchi's at the bridge (one DJ II and a Z150) he is now on a 1.5 steerer sherman jumper that I sold him. hasnt broken it yet. 

at the end of the day, somethings going to brake if you're not smooth.all the companies test their products for their intended purpose. it's almost always the riders fault that something fails. yes there are defects like stance seals, zocchi's SSV internals, rockshox u turn issues, but give all the companies a brake. if it werent for them, we wouldent have forks.


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## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

What U-turn issues? There is absolutely nothing to the mechanism... And thus ingenious.

As I said, there's a reason you aren't supposed to use alloy steerers and hollow crowns. I like how Marzocchi 66 steerers had a bad run and were known to bend. And when people bent them, they didn't complain, they were willing to shell out the 80 bucks to have the revised steerer pressed in.


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## TheProphet (May 31, 2005)

My Pike 454 U-turn is working out great. I havent had any problems yet (Crosses fingers). I dont do huge drops and I am relatively smooth so that helps some. I have had the fork at the lowest setting of 110 for a while now and no problems.


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## todd_freeride (Aug 9, 2005)

XSL_WiLL said:


> What U-turn issues? There is absolutely nothing to the mechanism... And thus ingenious.
> 
> As I said, there's a reason you aren't supposed to use alloy steerers and hollow crowns. I like how Marzocchi 66 steerers had a bad run and were known to bend. And when people bent them, they didn't complain, they were willing to shell out the 80 bucks to have the revised steerer pressed in.


I'm not sure. my buddy had a lot of problems with his u-turn. it was back in the day though, on a 02 psylo race? {the gold one} but I dont think the device has changed since then?


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## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

I thought you said your friend had a Pike...

I typed out a whole nice response, and then the internet went out.

Basically, some people lost the springs/bbs that went under the knob. The springs would push the bbs into the detents of the knob. Without the springs/bbs the knob could turn, and the travel MIGHT creep down. Otherwise there is absolutely nothing that can go wrong. The design is simple and ingenious, much better than TALAS, ETA, or RTWD. A simple mechanical device is awesome. The Sherman RTWD is a good idea in concept, but poorly executed. TALAS and ETA make things more complicated than neccesary.


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## zaefod (Apr 8, 2005)

They make the Argyle for a reason. I may not ride worth a crap but the fork is ill.


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## todd_freeride (Aug 9, 2005)

XSL_WiLL said:


> I thought you said your friend had a Pike...
> 
> I typed out a whole nice response, and then the internet went out.
> 
> Basically, some people lost the springs/bbs that went under the knob. The springs would push the bbs into the detents of the knob. Without the springs/bbs the knob could turn, and the travel MIGHT creep down. Otherwise there is absolutely nothing that can go wrong. The design is simple and ingenious, much better than TALAS, ETA, or RTWD. A simple mechanical device is awesome. The Sherman RTWD is a good idea in concept, but poorly executed. TALAS and ETA make things more complicated than neccesary.


different people. friend snapped a pike steerer, other friend had u turn issues on a 02 psylo.

I found RTWD to be pretty decient, u turn is great. only real bad travel adjust that I can think of was on the shermans ...because it was basically useless.


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