RockShox Pike Ultimate Review

For the 2023 model year of forks, RockShox gave us a nice update to the line. Usually identified by fresh decals on the lower stanchions, this update packs more than just cosmetic flash. I’ve been riding the new 2023 Pike Ultimate in 140mm of travel for the past year. Here is what I have to say right off the rip: smaller stanchions are the king of plush.

To my surprise, the first and best thing I noticed when opening the box was the included fender. I thought that was going to be a separate purchase. Past the fender, you’ll receive an axle, volume spacers, a star nut and torque cap adapters for your front wheel should you be running the standard 21mm end caps on the hub. (I built a new wheel set which included torque caps - so I get to experience the added “rigidity” of the torque cap interface) In contrast to receiving a Fox fork, I wish it was shipped inside a recyclable plastic bag or similar to keep cardboard dust off. It’s a turn off when you open your Ultimate branded gear and the item is covered in small cardboard debris. Something I noted in the SRAM Code Ultimate Brake Review also.

Installation is straightforward and nothing special here compared to other brands. Always ensure you measure 5 times before cutting the steerer tube! I opted to not install any additional volume spacers in the lowers. I wanted to experience the fork right out of the box, and considering my riding weight is around 160 pounds, I most likely wouldn’t need them anyways.

One of the main attractors for this fork is the Charger 3 damper. Internal changes I’ll go into a little bit more in a second, but the operational benefit is the ease of adjustment to compression. The new top dials for High Speed Compression and Low Speed Compression start in a neutral position. In other words, instead of having to remember how many clicks from open or fully closed, you have a very clear visual representation of how far from neutral you’ve adjusted each compression circuit. It’s simple, but effective. Because face it, no one will ever ride their fork fully open or fully closed, so shipping it in a neutral position breaks down the barrier of having to get the setup just right before taking a driveway spin. Most people may even find the neutral position for both HSC and LSC to be what they like. Heck, I rode it like this for the first few months and got on great with it. Only changing the HSC 1 click after getting more comfortable with my new bike and recognizing how I want the front end to respond in chunk.

In the first few sentences I mention this is the king of plush. For more ways than one. First off, I forgot that with smaller stanchions, you inherently will have a smoother ride. The larger the stanchion the higher the friction potential from the fork seals. I most recently had been riding a Fox 38 on my enduro bike, and even after a fresh rebuild on that, it doesn’t compare to the 1 year ridden version of the Pike. It takes so little effort to get into the travel and with zero hesitation from the top of the stroke. The other factor for plush is the inclusion of Buttercups to both air and damper lower assembly. These small rubber pucks soak up high frequency chatter before your fork has to react by engaging the damper. When riding, this definitely does not feel numb and it doesn’t dull the riding characteristics in any way. It simply makes my hands and forearms feel less rattled after hitting my favorite local rock garden. Reducing arm pump is a nice feature no doubt! Besides being plush, the other riding feedback I picked up on was the silence. I can not hear the fluid move through the damper when riding. And I know this is a big improvement from previous dampers of RockShox. Between a super quick setup aided by the RS TrailHead App and smoothness of riding, I honestly don’t have any negatives to report.

Not everyone will want to spring for the Ultimate version of the Pike, or any of the other components that wear that designation. So what’s the difference? Well for just the Pike fork range we have the standard Pike, Select, Select+ and then Ultimate. I had trouble finding a site that would let me compare the feature sets - so I made a handy table comparing them for you:

It's interesting to me that the Ultimate version of the range comes in at the heaviest weight. So,
if you are considering the Pike for a weight conscious build, definitely consider your options
here. Consistent across all variations of the Pike range is the Air Spring and Chassis design.
Each version utilizes the DebonAir+ air spring which has been tweaked for the 2023 onward
model lineups to have better support through revised air volume chambers. The result is a
confident and supportive fork that doesn't dive too quickly into the travel when you hit some
really steep terrain. Also consistent in all 4 options is the new chassis. An eagle eyed user of
RS could tell when looking, but untrained eyes would not. The fork crown is more chiseled
angled/refined. In an effort to reduce weight and increase strength and rigidity. The lowers are
also more chiseled in areas. Change is also seen by the inclusion of the air bleed off valves. A
critical piece of tech to help release any air buildup from altitude changes or degrading seals.

The final feature I want to touch on is the Charger 3 Damper. In this iteration, RS has claimed to have truly given us independent high speed and low speed compression tuning. In damper designs of the past, when adjusting one circuit you would often notice the other be impacted as well. This is made possible by utilizing an IFP (internal floating piston) design that boosts responsiveness as well. An IFP does potentially create some long term considerations in the reliability department. But no issues to report on my example at least. Referencing my setup impressions, I am completely impressed with the Charger 3 in execution. Super easy to adjust and understand where you are at in your tuning quest. What’s cool too is that the Charger 3 damper can be installed in other Pike, Lyrik and ZEB forks if it didn’t come with it originally. There are some limitations to this, so be sure to check the product page here: Charger 3 Damper Upgrade. This means if you need to rebuild you standard Pike or Pike Select down the road, consider throwing in a fresh Charger 3 kit instead.

I think I might be a RockShox convert… at least in the front suspension department. The new Pike fork checks all the boxes for me. Capable in any terrain I’m willing to throw a 140mm travel bike. All the adjustment, reliability and serviceability I need. While looking good in the process. Oh, I forgot to say, you can have the Ultimate version in silver too - if that fits your vibe. The new Damper, Spring and Chassis really makes this 2023+ offering hard to ignore. She’s a keeper for me!

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