The little rings of metal are from the lower leg holes and form when the shafts are pulled in to their interference fit on the first installation (ie factory assembly).
there is no way they can be floating around inside the fork unless the lowers have been removed and reinstalled without removing the little rings.
I see it on many of the Pikes I service, I've never seen them cause damage.
keep in mind that Rock Shox/SRAM recommend a lowers service every 50 hours and a full service every 100 hours.
Typically for me, this is about every 3 to 4 months for lowers. (3 to 4 hours a week).
If your Pikes are 2015 model, it's highly likely, you've pushed those service intervals and little filings you can see in the oil is actual wear and tear.
I've seen the black anodizing wear off the lower part of the stanchion after heavy use without service inside the first 12 months.
A lowers service in a Pike is almost child's play.
Tools required:
Saftey glasses & nitrile gloves
Shock pump
5mm allen key
2.5mm allen key
plastic or rubber mallet
0/30w RX Pike oil
Slick Honey, Slickoleum
isopropyl alcohol
Syringe with at least 5ml capacity and markings.
plastic or wooden dowel
clean lint free rags
Remove air from top left of fork, record PSI with shock pump to save time.
2.5mm allen key remove red rebound adjuster.
5mm allen key loosen both foot bolts and un-thread to about 5 or 6mm out.
with fork horizontal tap foot bolts with mallet until the shafts break free of lowers, un-thread foot bolts out.
slide lowers off and keep horizontal, fish out pesky swarf rings with a seal or dental pick or tweezers.
tip lowers upside down over oil tray and let oil drain, clean with isopropyl and a lint free rag on a plastic or wooden dowel.
inspect stanchions and shafts for wear.
inspect damper side side seal head, if it has an energizer spring, write down 10ml if it does not, write down 5ml.
apply slick honey to dust seals and upper bushes.
remove energizer rings and slide them up the stanchions.
install the lowers about 5 or 6cm's
with fork horizontal, use syringe to squirt 15ml of 0/30w Pike oil into the air side foot bolt hole.
they squirt 5 or 10ml into damper side hole.
slide lowers all the way on and engage both foot bolts, tighten to 7Nm
install energizer rings, rebound adjuster and pressurize air spring.
cycle fork several times and say "mmmm buttery smooooth"
