2018 Pike RCT3 Issues

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rangie83

Squid
Hi everybody,

I'm just wondering if anyone has had any issues with the new 2018 Pike RCT3 29er.
I bought a Pike in 140mm to go on my Banshee Prime, I cannot for the life of me get it setup to a point that I'm happy with. I've tried all sorts of combos, pressures, tokens, dampening etc over the last 400-500km
I weigh about 80kg with kit and have to run 60psi to get 25% sag and have 1 token installed to use full travel and LSC open. It's very notchy when trying to check sag as it compresses in 2-3 "stages" so unsure how accurate it is.
If I run about 5-6 clicks of rebound (from open) its great on tech climbs, slow tech descents and fast smooth flow type trails.
If it gets rocky and tree roots appear at speed it's a mess (high speed compression), my arms do most of the suspension work. Flicking it into "trail" mode it's still harsh but way more controlled, same if I run about 10-12 clicks of compression in open mode.
I have another 29er bike with a 130mm FOX 34 fit4 and run within 5psi of recommended and within 1 click of rebound dampening it is both super plush and controlled regardless of speed.
I've sent the pike back to where I purchased it (Cyclinic) and they didn't find any manufacturing issues.
I've also got a Cannondale Scalpel with a 100mm lefty thats less taxing to ride over long periods on rough terrain.
Sorry about the length of the rant, any help would be great :)
Cheers
 
c3024446

c3024446

Likes Bikes and Dirt
But you havent got it back yet? Its not uncommon for them to be poorly greased from the factory


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mark22

mark22

Likes Dirt
Try pumping it up 30-40 psi and jump on it a few times to equalise the the neg air spring chamber before you pump it to the desired pressure.
 
R

rangie83

Squid
Hi, yeah I've done that couple of times normally pump it up a little then compress a few times then pump to 30-40ish and do it again.
 
teK--

teK--

Eats Squid
Your weight is pretty much what most forks will come tuned for as a median, out of the factory.

There is a possibility maybe the negative spring transfer port is blocked with grease? Cyclinic probably would have checked this but it is still possible.

Try pumping the fork up to the maximum limit and then really leaning into the fork hard to push it past the first 50mm or so of travel. The high pressure should push through any grease blocking the transfer port.
 
R

rangie83

Squid
Thanks I'll give it a go this arvo before my ride and see how I go. One other thing the only time the fork has behaved well is when I left the whole bike in a hot car all day. Fork felt great for the first 15-20mins of the ride. Can you run lighter oil in the damper??
 
S

SummitFever

Eats Squid
Assuming Cyclinic have given the fork a service, there's a few other things that may be causing your issues:

- measure your front wheel hub width. For non-boost it needs to measure exactly 100mm or 110mm for boost. If this is off in any way from those measurements then the fork will bind/have too much stiction/ride harshly;

- check your thru axle. If its bent or damaged or otherwise not clamping up properly then you can get similar issues to above;

- measure the inside faces of the fork/hub interface on your fork. As with the hub, it should measure exactly 100 (or 110mm if boost).

Any of these measurements being out of wack will not be noticeable to someone servicing the fork, but will manifest themselves when you mount and wheel and ride it.
 
R

rangie83

Squid
lucifuge said:
rangie83 - did you sort your Pike out in the end??
Click to expand...
No not really, I just run very low pressure.
I was going to send it away and get a FAST damper or get it revalved by shockcraft in NZ but I now have a Pivot 429 with a Fox 34 Factory and just ride it now instead, a shame really as I like the Banshee Prime just wish I had bought a different fork like a DVO or even a FOX when I built it.
 
L

lucifuge

Likes Bikes
So I had a 2014 Pike that I just gave up on. Complete nightmare. I'm now on a 2017 Lyrik and it's a lot better. As a lighter rider I had this tuned by Rockshox with a fast rebound and it's really quite good.

Reading your initial spiel, I was surprised you had the rebound so fast. I would be starting from slow and backing out. Check this out at the time at 7:21


It will either confirm or get to change what you've got. Also, the 25% measured the way he does it is good.
 
R

rangie83

Squid
I should take it for a ride and do abit more adjusting, it's just frustrating that both bikes I have that have Fox 34's were super easy to setup.
I started with the Fox recommendations and was within a few psi and a few clicks on the adjusters. I do tend to run my rebound a little on the faster side.
I also find it super hard to check sag as the fork doesn't compress in a linear fashion, it goes down in "steps". I was pretty much told by the place I purchased it from (and sent it back to) was that I should have got a fox 36 and that they do not want to touch the compression shim stack.
 
Hipstar

Hipstar

Likes Dirt
Sell pike, buy DVO.

Wiggle have one 29er diamond left for under 1k.

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