I think if you can ride happily with them and the forks don't get in the way of having fun, then there's no issue. I'm sure the Pike's are a solid fork. I have yet to ride them so I can't compare the two.
Pretty much you want to ride the cheapest fork that does the job. If the Pikes do it for you then I'm all for it. I was very very tempted to pick up a set, but I didn't for a couple silly reasons that no one needs to know about LOL.
It's not so much the HSC adjustment that I need... like you say Zaf, you can always get a aftermarket upgrade for them, but that does come at a cost. The issue is the factory designed "target operational weight" that the forks are made for... so it's always a risk for me.
The issue for ME, is that I'm only about 63kg ish... and unlike a coil, you can't just switch out an air spring unit. What I am afraid of is the factory tunes on most forks have a certain range which is usually around 70-90kg. Perhaps the Pikes have dialed their negative air unit to work perfectly across a wider range of riders... and this is probably the case since they are raved about. I've not seen a single bad review, only "not as good as" reviews. So I'm sure it's a solid fork. I just don't want to spend however much it is to find out it won't work for me.
I wouldn't go as far as NoFilter and say the DVO's are better, and I don't think there's anything wrong with 3 year old suspension tech. But personally, the OTT adjustment just eliminates my main issue and adds an extra dynamic in tuning - e.g. in my mind I'm thinking I could run more OTT and higher pressures, or less OTT and lower pressure. The adjustable HSC is something I found with my old 66's and 36 VAN's that made a big difference, and being able to dial it in for my riding style and terrain. It also means I might not need to get the forks custom tuned, and in this case have the shim stack adjusted. Another thing I liked about the DVO's is that like forks I've had in the past, you can also tune ramp up with oil levels (the Pike and 36 effectively do that with volume reducers).
At the end of the day, the weakest link is still me. But I enjoy wrenching and tweaking.
On another note, just went out for a spin... did about 20km before hitting the single tracks, feeling rather crappy due to lack of fitness and shoe fit issues, and still got plenty of PB's. The DVO is amazing... I'm seriously blown away. I had pretty low expectations which helped. I'm running 100psi, which is a little more than the base tune they recommend, and two clicks of rebound. LSC at 1 (I'm assuming this is fully open, but doesn't feel it- anyone know?), and HSC two clicks. OTT 1.5 turns.
In one word I'd say they are just very well behaved. They were pretty tame trails, just around the Yarra up near the Ivanhoe dirt jumps, and I'm only using about 75% travel. I'm probably running too much pressure, sag is about 25%. I didn't change the air pressure in the forks to ensure I could get my head around how the other adjustments on the fork behave. They ride really high, and are so stable. Very supple, carpark test is smooth as butter... I was afraid there wouldn't be enough feedback, but on the trails I'm finding my midstroke a little stiff like when I hit rooty sections... again could be too much pressure (I tried backing off my HSC to see if it's the damper, but not carrying enough speed to really notice the difference so I'm going to put it down to pressure). I'd like to know at setting 1, what the LSC is doing. Initial impressions is if the LSC isn't quite open, shim stack could be retuned to ramp up more, so I can run a little less air pressure with current compression adjustments... it's the top end of the stroke that usually needs work for me.
On another note, I also fitted a set of Minion SS's on the rear... and I'm kinda regretting going so 30mm internal width rear rim. It seems like both the HR II 2.3's and Minion SS 2.3's run quite square. Especially the SS, where the inside edge of the side knobs are level with the centre of the tread which in under weight is flat. No issues with the DHR II 2.3's on the front though. So really looking forwards to the WT range when it's available. Only Minion DHF, DHR II and HRII initially... for trail riding I'd like less rolling resistance, hence the issue comes back to rims too wide. I reckon a 28/29mm internal front and 25/26mm internal rear would be perfect.
But I haven't done any DH runs yet... the 30mm would be awesome with 2.5" ST rubbers (I'm hoping).
Zaf where did you get the Pikes at half the cost? New they're still around $900-$1000 online. The DVO Diamonds retail in Australia for $1250 - and yes the in country support was a factor in purchase.
I guess they can be picked up around $700 second hand.
