Wil reviews the 2023 RockShox Pike vs Fox 34
Notching up over a decade of service, the RockShox Pike and Fox 34 are true stalwarts of the trail riding scene. These versatile suspension forks have found their way onto a huge range of different bikes over the years, having been produced in numerous versions across all three wheelsizes with up to 160mm of travel.
With the more recent arrival of the Zeb and the 38 however, RockShox and Fox have been steadily reshuffling their suspension lineup. No longer does each fork need to cover such a wide range of applications. Instead, each model is now optimised around a much narrower travel window to help reduce chassis weight and improve on-trail performance.
In the case of the Pike and 34, the latest forks offer 120-140mm of travel. Packing enduro-level damping and adjustability into a chassis that isn’t that much heavier than an XC fork, these new generation trail tamers have been purpose-built for aggressive mid-travel trail bikes like the Norco Fluid, Specialized Stumpjumper and Pivot Trail 429.
With both forks having recently been overhauled, we’ve been spending a load of time riding the 2023 RockShox Pike and Fox 34 across several different bikes. Here we’ll be diving into our experience of testing both forks to see how they compare to one another, and which gets our pick.
The RockShox Pike Ultimate
The 2023 RockShox Pike was unveiled alongside a new Lyrik and Zeb, with two new Super Deluxe shocks rounding out the launch. You can find all the details, specs and prices in our first ride review.
The new Pike retains its 35mm upper tube diameter, but it’s otherwise an entirely new fork from the inside-out. There’s a new chassis that’s said to be lighter and stiffer, and RockShox has also introduced pressure relief valves, updated bushings and Buttercups. Each fork is equipped with the latest generation DebonAir+ spring, and the top-end models usher in the brand new Charger 3 damper.
You can get the Pike in a variety of trim levels, with the base models featuring simpler dampers and less of the bells and whistles. All are offered with 120-140mm of travel and can be had in 29in and 27.5in flavours.
For our head-to-head review we’ve been testing the top-level RockShox Pike Ultimate in both 130mm and 140mm travel options.
The Fox 34 Factory Series
The Fox 34 is a year older, having been overhauled in 2022 with a brand new chassis and an updated EVOL air spring. Mick tested it last year, and you can read about his experience in our Fox 34 review.
The latest fork is defined by its rounded arch, which follows the same design theme as the latest 36 and 38. The magnesium lowers incorporate oil channels down the back of the fork legs, which are said to aid with lubrication of the foam rings and bushings. The channels also increase the air volume inside the lowers to reduce unintended ramp-up.
Having been optimised around 29in wheels and 120-140mm of travel, the Fox 34 chassis is claimed to be stiffer than its predecessor while being 100g lighter.
The 34 is offered at several different price points with a GRIP2, GRIP or FIT4 damper. The latter two options are also available with remote lockouts, which is something that you can’t get any of the latest Pikes.
Though we’ve tested almost all of the available options in the latest 34 platform, the fork we’re reviewing here is the top-end Factory Series model with the GRIP2 damper.
Price | Fox 34 vs RockShox Pike
Being the premium options from both brands, you’ll be parting with a fair chunk of cash for either the RockShox Pike Ultimate or Fox 34 Factory Series GRIP2 forks. Based on the prices at the time of writing, there’s just a $60 difference between the two forks with the Pike being slightly cheaper;
- Fox 34 Factory Series GRIP2 – $1,689 AUD
- RockShox Pike Ultimate – $1,629 AUD
- Fox 34 Performance Series – $1,309 AUD
- RockShox Pike Select – $1,149 AUD
As you’ll see in the list above, both the Pike and 34 are available in cheaper variants. These forks share the same chassis and air springs as their pricier counterparts, but utilise simpler dampers and skip some of the features to drop $300-$500 off the price tag.
Weight | Fox 34 vs RockShox Pike
Fox has the upper hand when it comes to weight, though only by a small margin.
The Fox 34 GRIP2 tips the scales at 1.86kg with a cut steerer and the QR15 thru-axle installed. Compare that to the RockShox Pike, which weighs 1.88kg.
The delta grows if you fit the Fox 34 with the tooled Kabolt thru-axle, which brings the total weight down to 1.83kg.
Zooming out for a moment, it’s worth acknowledging that the Fox 34 and RockShox Pike come in around 200g lighter than their bigger 36 and Lyrik counterparts. This means for riders who are looking at a 140mm travel fork (which all four forks can be had in), there’s a significant weight saving if you choose the 34 or Pike.
Installation & finish
The RockShox Pike and Fox 34 share similar fitments, with both forks featuring a 44mm offset, Boost hub spacing and direct mounting for a 180mm rotor.
The finish on the Pike Ultimate is just a little more premium thanks to its machined crown, alloy brake hose guide and heavily knurled adjusters. The pressure relief valves are kind of cool, though we’ve not found them to be overly useful given our near-sea level topography.
We like that the Pike’s dropouts will accommodate hubs with oversized Torque Caps, which increases the surface area between the fork and hub to improve torsional stiffness. If you don’t have a Torque Cap hub, bolt-in adapters are included to provide a neat fit with regular hub end caps. However, as seems to be the case with other RockShox forks we’ve tested, you still need to splay the dropouts ever-so-slightly when fitting a front wheel.
In comparison, the front hub always seems to slot in easily with the Fox 34, and the QR15 thru-axle is functional, adjustable and simple to use. For those who are regularly removing wheels to fit a bike in the back of their car, the tool-free lever is a welcome feature that the Pike lacks.
Otherwise there’s little to fault with the finish on the 34. The plastic hose guide isn’t as nice but it works fine. The anodised adjusters are neat, and there’s a threaded cap to protect the rebound dials at the bottom of the fork.
Setting up
Both Fox and RockShox produce guides with recommended pressures to help you with initial fork setup.
In addition to suggested pressures based on rider weight, the setup guide on the Fox 34 provides recommended rebound settings too. A manual is included with the fork, giving you a starting point for the high-speed and low-speed compression adjustments. There are also further details and suggestions in a handy online tuning guide.
There’s a large range of adjustment with the dials on the GRIP2 damper, so you’ll need to count clicks and keep a record of your settings to avoid confusion. There are no indexed markings on the compression adjusters, making it impossible to eyeball where you’re at in the range.
In comparison the Pike is an easier fork to setup. RockShox has moved away from anodised sag gradients on the upper tubes, and instead it recommends riders use the Trailhead app to calculate your starting air pressures and rebound settings.
Damping adjustments are less intimidating in general, with just a single rebound dial and fewer clicks for the high and low-speed compression adjusters. The tuning approach has also been simplified with the new Charger 3 damper, with RockShox encouraging riders to start with both of the compression dials in the middle of their range. From here, you have a few clicks either side to increase or decrease compression damping. The dials feature clear markings, so it’s easy to see where you’re at within their range.
Adjustability
In addition to air pressure, the Fox 34 and RockShox Pike can be tuned with plastic volume spacers.
The Pike doesn’t come with any Bottomless Tokens fitted as standard, though you can add up to five to increase bottom-out support. We’ve not found the need to add spacers with any of the new Pikes we’ve tested, since the DebonAir+ spring is inherently more progressive than prior designs. It offers excellent mid-stroke support, and we’re yet to encounter a full bottom out.
This does mean that riders on the lighter end of the weight spectrum may struggle to use all of the available travel. The compression and rebound tune is also quite heavy with the new Charger 3 damper, so those same riders are likely to find it to be a little too sluggish for their tastes. If you’re chasing a more active and lighter damping feel, it may be worth considering the cheaper Select model that features the Charger RC damper.
In comparison, Fox’s GRIP2 damper has a wider range of adjustment. The latest iteration no longer exhibits the heavily-damped feel of older forks, and it can be setup to be quite light and fast. Much of this comes down to the VVC (Variable Valve Control) design, which manipulates the shim stack on the high-speed rebound and compression circuits to provide a more significant range of damping performance. For those on either side of the bell curve, this means you’re more likely to achieve your desired feel without having to go down the custom tuning route.
The 140mm travel Fox 34 comes with a single volume spacer from the factory, which we’ve found to work well for our 65-75kg test riders. You can fit up to five volume spacers, which will be useful for heavier folks who need greater bottom-out support. Conversely, there’s also flexibility for lighter riders to remove that volume spacer if they’re struggling to reach full travel.
Testing the 2023 RockShox Pike
To be perfectly honest, things didn’t get off to a great start with the RockShox Pike. Despite all the talk around the Buttercups, friction-saving improvements and the new Charger 3 damper, the Pike just didn’t feel as sensitive on the trail as I was expecting. There was notable feedback and some spiking when riding at speed across off-camber terrain, which lead to hand fatigue on longer rides.
It wasn’t just the Pike either, as I encountered a similar sensation with the new Lyrik too. Despite trying lower pressures, speeding up the rebound and running the compression adjusters all the way open, the fork felt sticky and in some circumstances, kind of harsh.
This was in contrast to my experience with the Flight Attendant version of the Lyrik, which features exactly the same chassis and bushings, along with the Buttercups and DebonAir+ spring. That fork felt incredibly plush and very lively on the trail, leading me to suspect the Charger 3 damper to be the source of the problem.
I ended up sending the Pike back to SRAM to have it serviced and checked over, and the fork that came back was considerably smoother. Looking around at consumer reports online, it appears that there are some Pike, Lyrik and Zeb owners encountering low lubrication levels from the factory, which may have been the culprit for the harshness I’d been encountering. Whatever the case, the rebuilt Pike has offered a dramatic improvement in small-bump sensitivity and overall compliance.
Adding to this, I noticed that RockShox has recently revised its setup recommendations via the Trailhead tuning app. It now suggests lower pressures and faster rebound settings compared to when the forks first launched last year.
For my 67kg riding weight, RockShox now suggests running 60psi instead of 65psi in the Pike Ultimate. The recommended rebound setting is three clicks faster that previously, and is now 12/20 clicks.
After applying these new settings and bedding the rebuilt fork in over the past couple of months, my feeling on the Pike has turned a bit of a corner. I’ve even been able to wind the compression adjusters back on, with the HSC dial at -1 click, and the LSC dial at -5 clicks.
With these settings, I’ve found the Charger 3 damper to provide masses of control and support. It holds the fork up in its travel, helping to keep it in the sweet spot for more of the time. There’s a lovely flutter through the mid-stroke, and it offers an incredibly smooth touchdown feel when the front wheel returns back to earth. On rowdier, chunkier trails, the Pike is capable of absorbing a huge amount of impact energy, delivering oodles of composure on high-speed hits for what is quite a lightweight and short-travel fork. And it manages to do all of this while being incredibly quiet, which I’ve appreciated more than I thought I would.
Downsides
Despite the improved performance of our thoroughly bedded-in RockShox Pike, small-bump sensitivity still doesn’t match the Fox 34 GRIP2. This is noticeable at slower riding speeds when you’re not directly loading up the fork, particularly when you’re pedalling up a rocky or rooty climb. It’s considerably better than when I first received the Pike, but there’s still perceptible hand fatigue on longer rides.
I think this mostly boils down to the Charger 3 damper. It’s worth noting that the damper is pretty much identical between a 120mm travel Pike and a 190mm travel Zeb, which are clearly two very different forks that are designed for very different applications. Yes, the Charger 3 damper is nice and supportive, but unless you’re pushing the Pike hard, it won’t necessarily absorb every ripple and bump in the trail.
The other part of the equation is the DebonAir+ spring, which as mentioned earlier, is quite progressive. The spring rate firms up through the travel, reducing compliance and making it difficult to achieve the full stroke. Of course you don’t want to bottom-out your fork regularly, but ideally you want to be access 95% of it when you need it most.
The sum of these two attributes means that the Pike isn’t likely to suit lighter riders and those who are after the plushest and most comfortable fork. It’s far better suited to sportier and heavier riders who are looking for maximum support in a lightweight package.
Testing the 2023 Fox 34 GRIP2
In comparison, the Fox 34 GRIP2 has proven to be a far less finicky performer than the RockShox Pike. It’s worked exceptionally well right out of the box, and we’ve found the recommended settings to get us into a good place without a lot of faffing required.
For a start Fox has done a killer job with the new EVOL spring, which offers smooth off-the-top sensitivity with a predictable and linear increase in support throughout the travel. The ramp in progression is less obvious than the Pike’s DebonAir+ spring, and as a result the 34 GRIP2 is more active deeper into its travel. There’s greater flexibility when it comes to tuning the spring curve with volume spacers, and because the 34 is so supple, it’s possible to run slightly higher pressures to increase the ride height without suffering from any untoward harshness.
On my Specialized Stumpjumper, I’ve trended towards running the higher pressure recommendation from Fox, with 78psi proving to be spot-on for my riding style and 67kg weight. However, this same setup was a little too linear when I fitted the 34 on to our Scott Lumen test bike. After adding a second volume spacer to increase progression, upping the pressure to 80psi and adding a couple more clicks of compression damping, the fork was absolutely singing.
Compared to the Pike, it’s possible to achieve a much sprightlier feel from the GRIP2 damper. I typically run the low-speed rebound damping slightly faster than halfway (8/14 clicks), and the high-speed rebound two clicks from its quickest setting (6/8 clicks). Up top I’ll set the low-speed compression adjuster anywhere from fully open to halfway through its range (0-8/16 clicks), and I’ll usually set the high-speed compression damping 1-3 clicks in from fully open.
Diving deeper into the damper architecture, it’s worth acknowledging Fox’s unique VVC design for the compression and rebound valves. Instead of simply preloading the shims as you increase damping, VVC manipulates the physical shape of the shim, and therefore its resistance to flexing under pressure. According to Fox, the result is a more nuanced range of damping adjustment that gives you a closer experience to a custom tune.
In the real world, you can crank on the adjuster dials to get a very firm and supportive fork. Or you can wind them all off to have an incredibly lively and active-feel on the trail. No doubt the range of adjustment is wider and more usable than the Charger 3 damper on the Pike.
With the 34 GRIP2 set up to preference, it’s an impressively plush fork. It’s actually even more supple than the 36, which makes sense due to the 34mm diameter upper tubes producing less surface contact with the bushings and wiper seals. The result is an almost hypersensitive action that sees the front wheel getting out of the way of obstacles with minimal lag and little force being transmitted to the rider. It’s active and compliant, making it a great match for lightweight trail bikes like the Stumpjumper and Trail 429.
Downsides
In our collective experience, there are few downsides to the Fox 34 GRIP2. I do wish the damper was as quiet as the Charger 3 on the Pike, as it produces a bit more squelching and squishing as oil moves through the valve stack.
The price of the Factory Series model is admittedly high, which isn’t helped by the blingy gold Kashima coated upper tubes. Frustratingly, Fox doesn’t offer the all-black Performance Elite model aftermarket, which is a shame as its on-trail feel is identical to the Factory Series version.
We’ll note that you’ll still get a very good fork in the cheaper Performance Series 34, which features the excellent GRIP damper. It offers a similar level of plushness and sensitivity, albeit with far less adjustability and high-speed support. It works well for lighter riders, but hard chargers and heavier folks will benefit from the added range of adjustment from the GRIP2 damper. It is possible to purchase the GRIP2 damper on its own, so if you already own a Fox 34, there are options to upgrade your existing fork rather than having to buy a whole new one.
Servicing & durability
Aside from the original compliance issue we encountered with the Pike, both of our test forks have performed well throughout testing. However, having spoken with a variety of riders and looked around at reports online, it would seem that neither Fox or RockShox are immune from issues. There have been anecdotal reports of excess grease in air springs and incorrect oil levels in the lowers from the factory, which will result in compromised performance.
This is something of an inevitability for mass-produced forks, and we expect that those problems have been amplified over the last couple of years due to the incredibly high demands being placed on factories during the pandemic-induced bike boom. Needless to say, if your new fork doesn’t feel great then it will be worth checking for proper oil and grease levels. In the case of the Pike, it was a different fork when it came back from being serviced.
While I’m on the topic of lubrication, it’s worth noting that Fox builds in oil channels into the lowers on the 34. These allow oil to be more easily distributed up to the foam rings underneath the main wiper seals, especially if you store your bike by hanging it from the front wheel. It’s difficult to measure the benefit of such a design, but it surely can’t hurt.
Both forks are relatively straightforward to pull apart, with easy-to-follow manuals online to help you perform lower leg services and travel changes. Specialist oils are required for each fork, so make sure you source the correct ones before pulling anything apart. Those oils and air springs are readily available aftermarket, making it easy to adapt each fork should you wish to move it to a different bike in the future.
Fox recommends performing a full service every 125 hours of ride time or once per year, whichever comes first. RockShox splits its servicing requirements in two, recommending a simpler lower leg service every 50 hours of ride time, and a full rebuild every 200 hours.
As for warranty, RockShox comes with a better 2-year warranty compared to the 12-month warranty from Fox.
Flow’s Verdict
Testing the Fox 34 and RockShox Pike has been a fascinating experience. Indeed we’ve spent a lot of trail time with each fork over the past 12 months, and truth be told, they’re both top-notch performers.
Thanks to their highly adjustable, enduro-derived dampers, the 34 and Pike deliver an outstanding level of support and control in a svelte package that is noticeably lighter than their bigger siblings – the 36 and Lyrik. That makes them a great match for the latest crop of aggressive mid-travel trail rippers for riders who appreciate a lightweight bike that can still be pushed hard.
We did struggle somewhat with the RockShox Pike to begin with, though thankfully it has bedded-in over time. Along with a rebuild it’s feeling significantly smoother than when we first rode it. Even still, it doesn’t provide the same level of small-bump sensitivity and comfort as the excellent Fox 34 GRIP2.
And that’s really the biggest difference that we encountered during several back-to-back test sessions with these forks. Along with the fact that the Pike’s DebonAir+ spring is already quite progressive without any volume spacers fitted, we’d suggest that lighter riders and those chasing maximum small-bump compliance will be better served by the Fox 34 GRIP2.
We do love the finish of the Pike and its simpler approach to damper adjustments. The quiet performance on the trail is wonderful, and the ‘touchdown’ sensation and overall support of the Charger 3 damper gives it a premium feel that will suit heavier and more aggressive riders that are looking for a fork that stays high in its travel. However, it is possible to achieve a similar ride quality out of the highly-tuneable Fox 34 GRIP2, and that makes it the more versatile fork out of the two.
