Fox 36 or Pike?

rockmonkeysc

It looks like my Marzocchi 350 is toast so new fork time.
Obvious choices are Fox 36 or Pike. I have heard of various reliability issues with Pikes but the 36 is about £250 more expensive but I hear it's a better fork.
Anyone tried both? Is the 36 worth the extra cash?

John Wh

Thought about looking at the DVO Diamond? Read good things about them and was considering going for one when I get the cash for a fork upgrade.

rockmonkeysc

Yeah, just not sure about parts availability or servicing. Reviews seem to suggest it's as good as a Pike, no better but more expensive.

Dick Scruttock

The 36 is incredibly stiff, that's the first thing you notice when running it back to back with the pike. The very latest pikes have a new seal head design to prevent the damper issues people have had. I love the 36 now, it's taken me a while to get the feeling from it that I wanted but it's very unable and I'd buy one again.

BloggingFit

I run both and I prefer the 36 but they do suit different trails and types of riding. I suspect you are more of a natural trail rider and like to push so I would say the 36 would suit you better. The Pike is an excellent fork and feels more suited to bike park trail surfaces but tends to lack the support and composure of the 36 once things get a bit hectic.

Having said all that I can't comment on how much benefit you may see out of the 36 compared to the Pike running at the shorter end of the travel spectrum assuming this is for your Scout in 130mm or 140mm guise. I'm looking at a similar type of build next year and will be with a Pike rather than a 36 for this reason.

The Yari could be an alternative. Meant to be a beefy short travel Pike.

lawman

Loving my 36, as the others have said its crazy stiff, perhaps a little too stiff in some situations. The damping is sublime though and once you get it dialled in it'll blitz just about anything. I would however consider the new 34 if I were buying aftermarket though as the 36 is a lot of fork and the 34 is lighter, not quite as brutally stiff and has a slightly easier but less adjustable damper settings, so swings and roundabouts really. Pikes are good but both Fox's have the edge IMO

rockmonkeysc

It will be for my Scout so will be dropped to 140mm. I wasn't sure about the 34, although the Scout is a short travel bike it does ride like an enduro bike which is how I ride it. I wasn't sure the 34 would be stiff enough

Thewaylander

I would say I'm still a pike fan in a terms of price to performance, its stiffer than a 34, but not as overly beefy as a 36.. I have found it once dialled in wonderfully supportive and great small bump performance. Also I have destroyed the stanchions yet which I have always seemed to have done on all fox I have owned.

There are fan boys of both, but when you can pick up a Pike for so little in comparison to the fox they'd need to be leaps and bounds better for me to pick one up if its not OEM on a bike, and simply they aren't really worlds apart in terms of bump performance.

So I'd say pike for after market. its stiffer than a 34 for less, and very similar bump performance, and lighter than the 36 with again very similar performance for a lot less.

John Wh

To be honest, the parts thing is the only issue stopping me from deciding on it. The Fox 36 seems to get great reviews though and I personally think they look better too (tart mode).

It's a tough decision though no matter which way you cut it.

lostboysaint

D'uh!! Bos Deville, obviously. Nothing comes close for balance of small bump sensitivity and big hit capability.

poah

don't discount the manitou mattoc either. I'm quite glad there was only the pike when I wanted a new fork, would hate to try and choose now (probably be pike again as its better priced)

rockmonkeysc

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19679494#p19679494]lostboysaint[/url] wrote:

D'uh!! Bos Deville, obviously. Nothing comes close for balance of small bump sensitivity and big hit capability.

It's a very good fork but I know someone who lives a few miles from the BOS factory and he can't get spares for his fork so I'm definitely not getting one.

lostboysaint

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19679597#p19679597]RockmonkeySC[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19679494#p19679494]lostboysaint[/url] wrote:

D'uh!! Bos Deville, obviously. Nothing comes close for balance of small bump sensitivity and big hit capability.

It's a very good fork but I know someone who lives a few miles from the BOS factory and he can't get spares for his fork so I'm definitely not getting one.

Much as I love them, and I really do, I know at least one distributor that has sacked them off simply because he couldn't get anything from them at all in terms of spares or support so it does make me reluctant to continue running mine. (Actually I have Rev Coils on the Bandit at the moment whilst the BOS languish waiting for me to put them back in - I just love the coil feel and whilst the Deville is the closest an air fork has got to it, it still isn't as good!)

rockmonkeysc

I'm starting to think maybe the 34 would be stiff enough after reading reviews. Plus it's 600g lighter than my Marzocchi 350 so I can eat more pies.

lostboysaint

The obvious question that hasn't been asked is why not another Marzocchi? Concerns over the future supply? Spoken to Windwave?

rockmonkeysc

Yeah, uncertain future spares and warranty is putting me off Marzocchi. Windwave will definitely have a positive bias if I speak to them, the have to really.

Thewaylander

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19679830#p19679830]RockmonkeySC[/url] wrote:

Yeah, uncertain future spares and warranty is putting me off Marzocchi. Windwave will definitely have a positive bias if I speak to them, the have to really.

Well production is continuing until 2016 hoping for a buyer, also seals and all aren't really produced by zocchi so I'm thinking for current models things will be alight

rockmonkeysc

Yeah, I have found that I can get all the seals for my 350CR through my local bearing supplier for a fraction of the price of Marzocchi spares and that's using SKF low friction seals instead of the original rubbish. If anything goes wrong with a damper or air spring they're finished unless it's something I can make (I have access to a CNC machine shop).
I found these for a bargain price but not sure if they are any good http://www.merlincycles.com/fox-34-float-650b-ctd-fork-75234.html

Thewaylander

Dooooooooooooo it

supersonic

If you like to adjust HSC externally, then the 36 has more options.

bob6397

You're using QR on your Scout? If not, those forks won't work..

rockmonkeysc

They aren't QR

bob6397

From the "Specifications" bit at the bottom of the page:

"Specifications:

Tapered steerer
Black
Kashima
27.5" (650b) wheel compatible
QR15mm dropouts"

Which appears to be a new standard..??

Antm81

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19680098#p19680098]bob6397[/url] wrote:

From the "Specifications" bit at the bottom of the page:

"Specifications:

Tapered steerer
Black
Kashima
27.5" (650b) wheel compatible
QR15mm dropouts"

Which appears to be a new standard..??

Normal 15mm shimano maxle, plus QR hubs wouldn't be 15mm anyway.

bob6397

Just checking... Spending £500 on a fork to find it was incompatible would be a little inconvenient..

rockmonkeysc

Fox call it QR15 instead of maxle which is SRAM'S trade name for the same thing.
34mm stanchions would be a bit pointless with a 9mm QR axle.

bob6397

Ah.. makes sense now.. I use rockshox personally and had therefore only known it as maxle..

Thewaylander

Got stuff yet?

mike hunts alpine

2013+2014 fox forks should be avoided unless they are 36s by any decent/ experienced rider. You would greatly regret throwing away £500 there. My xfusion forks on my bird zero feel better than them. Have you not seen any xfusion forks on CRC they have some stupidly good deals last time I checked.

rockmonkeysc

I have just been looking at the X Fusion Sweep HLR Roughcut. Reviews seem very mixed though, some very good and some not good. It is really cheap though

Hob Nob

Cheap 2013 Fox 34 (because no-one wants them) and buy an Avalanche cartridge to drop in it.