2016 Pike not getting full travel

antop34
antop34 Posts: 62
edited August 2018 in MTB workshop & tech
Trying to figure out my next steps - my 2016 Pike RCT3 has recently been converted to 130mm from 120mm but I cannot seem to get full travel out of it.

I have released all air and it will use the full stanchions but when set to 78psi which is about right for me I get about 90mm of Travel max.

No idea if it has any tokens in there - I presume it is stock.

Anyone had similar issues and resolved them?

Comments

  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    Are you saying it’s not extending so you have full travel available, or it’s extending and then when riding you are only using 90mm of travel?

    If it’s the latter, what sag are you running? How do you get to 78psi being ‘about right for me’ ?

    As for tokens, there is no such thing as stock unless it was bought aftermarket in which case it will probably have 5 and you are meant to remove some as you tune it, take the air cap off and find out!
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • steve_sordy
    steve_sordy Posts: 2,453
    As the fork can be fully compressed and therefore can travel 130 mm when without air, then there is nothing to physically prevent full travel when under pressure. Provide the pressure is correct and your ride aggressively enough.

    I have a Pike RC with 130mm travel. It has two tokens in it and 75psi gets me 25% sag. I prefer to use 65psi for a slightly softer ride at 28% sag. In my riding gear I weigh about 14.5 stone (203lbs or 92kg). I run it with the Charger Damper set at 7 clicks away from fully open (13 clicks total). I am very happy with the set up.

    I have never reached full travel when riding it, for which I'm truly grateful! I shudder to think what drop I would have to be surprised by that would generate full travel! However, I do achieve 85-90% on a regular basis.

    As you may surmise, I am not a fan of the school of thought that says unless you are using all your travel on every single ride, then you are not using your suspension to its full capacity. I am quite happy to have some capacity in reserve for emergencies.

    What is your riding weight? What %sag does 78psi generate when you are in full riding gear and in the attack position?
  • antop34
    antop34 Posts: 62
    Thank you for your feedback,

    I am 12st 10 in riding kit and like quite a responsive plush ride.

    I actually didn’t know you could remove the tokens without affecting the oil etc - so I did that. I had 5 in there and immediately took it down to 2, reinstalled and set at the recommended psi of 95 (for weight). Too harsh, so took it down to 75 and it’s spot on.

    Shall play around with charge damper settings and rebound but thank you for the advice and giving me confidence to take off the air cap!!
  • joebristol
    joebristol Posts: 327
    No wonder it was spiking / not getting much travel with 5 tokens in there! I find 2 tokens in my Lyrik is too much, so 5 must really ramp up hard.
  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    Stop setting by pressure, set by sag, the ‘recommended’ pressures are always too high.
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • steve_sordy
    steve_sordy Posts: 2,453
    antop34 wrote:
    ................

    I actually didn’t know you could remove the tokens without affecting the oil etc - so I did that. I had 5 in there and immediately took it down to 2, reinstalled and set at the recommended psi of 95 (for weight). Too harsh, so took it down to 75 and it’s spot on.

    ..........

    Who was the previous rider, the Hunny Monster? :shock:

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