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RockShox Pike RCT3 Fork - 27.5" 150mm MaxleLite15

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ChainLove

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RockShox Pike RCT3 Fork - 27.5" 150mm MaxleLite15

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If you're anything like us, you remember where you were when you heard that RockShox was discontinuing the Pike. After all, it was the archetypal, aggressive-use single crown fork that was just as home on big jumps as it was on all day rides. Needless to say, we were ecstatic when RockShox brought back the Pike RCT3 fork in an all-new 27.5-inch flavor. Far from being content to simply reissue the classic, the engineers at RockShox went back to the drawing board, and the result is a fork that comes in at just over four pounds, yet is sufficiently strong for the most aggressive enduro racers on the planet. As the first commercially available fork employing the new Charger sealed damper, the Pike shoulders a heavy burden of expectation. However, with a handful of Enduro World Series wins, not to mention the overall title under its belt, we'd say the pressure is off the Pike and onto the competition. Welcome to the next generation of mountain bike suspension.
Most noticeable is the redesigned chassis. While the original Pike chassis has since found its way into the Argyle lineup, the current version of the Pike has been completely reevaluated in the pursuit of a lighter, stiffer setup. That makes the tapered steerer tube an obvious choice. By increasing the diameter of the steerer tube at the crown, stiffness is greatly improved, especially under hard braking. Affixed to the oversized crown are similarly oversized 35mm diameter stanchions. Like the tapered steerer tube, the extra-large stanchions fight deflection under hard braking and aggressive cornering. As you work your way down to the lowers, the Power Bulge is immediately noticeable, and it's not just for looks either. It's there to increase the amount of room for oversized bushings, yet again improving stiffness. The resulting chassis tracks so well that RockShox felt confident in outfitting the Pike with a lighter weight 15mm Maxle Lite quick-release thru-axle. It all adds up to a four pound fork that's proven its mettle at the highest levels of competition.
The brand new chassis is exciting, but what has really piqued our interest is the sealed Charger damper. Unlike previous iterations of RockShox's dampers, the Charger damper uses a seamless extruded bladder to create an airtight seal for the damper fluid. This minimizes the chances of air bubbles entering your damping oil, and as a result, providing unparalleled damper consistency, especially on long runs. The same reliable Solo Air spring that has become a RockShox staple finds its way onto the Pike. The rebound circuit uses SRAM's Rapid Recovery technology, which employs a finely tuned shim stack that keeps the fork riding high in its travel, only without sacrificing a controlled rebound stroke. This blend of technologies has proven to be a high watermark for the suspension performance that we've come to expect from RockShox. And this is no gimmick either.
In addition to a stunning breakout season with the Pike on the EWS, the Charger damper was tested in the Boxxer chassis by SRAM's Blackbox athletes on the World Cup Downhill circuit. The result was Blackbox riders taking home the overall titles in both the EWS and World Cup Downhill for the 2013 season. In other words, the Pike has the competition scrambling to catch up.
The RockShox Pike RCT3 27.5 Fork with 150mm MaxleLite 15 is available with a tapered steerer tube, a 15mm QR axle, and in the color black.

Price: $579.99 (42% Off!)
Regularly: $1005.00

Buy Now
 
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