The latest RockShox Pike Ultimate literally reams out the QC problems of the old fork, which was beset by problems and often choked by damping and bushing issues when pushed hard.

And much of the credit must be down to the new, broader spectrum and radically different in feel Charger 3.1 damper. It helps create an ultra sensitive, controlled and grippy fork that’s ready to rally hard. It might take more time to find your perfect Pike set up, but it’s right up there with one of the best mountain bike forks on sale today.

The Pike Ultimate keeps the same chassis the old model had, with 35 diameter stanchions and a 1.5in tapered steerer

Design and specifications

Externally nothing has changed, which is fine by us as the 35mm stanchion chassis is noticeably stiffer than the Fox 34 Float Factory Grip2 while only weighing 50g more. The top cap is hollowed out more to increase the negative spring volume though and RockShox has “developed new production specs for lower leg reaming alongside new bushing sizing requirements, resulting in the lowest possible friction for an overall improved system.”

There’s a new High Speed Compression damping pyramid, which give you a way bigger window of usable adjustment

The Charger 3.1 damper has 68% more low speed oil flow than before, controlled by a new mid-valve check spring backed by a stiffer IFP (Internal Floating Piston). There’s a new HSC (High Speed Compression) damping ‘pyramid’ too. So while the double decker damper knobs still have 4 HSC and 15 LSC (Low speed Compression) clicks, they now cover a wider span of compression adjustment.

Performance

I started out with recommended sag and compression settings for my weight, and immediately found the new damper to be more sensitive. The start stroke assistance from the bigger negative spring and smoother flowing damping are very obvious and help the Pike get into its stroke.

The Charger 3.1 damper is way more sensitive than the old one, I had to add in more air to the spring to prop the fork up

If you’re old enough to remember old Marzocchi 888 forks that were plush enough to compress slightly under their own weight, you’ll be right at home here. The way the front wheel can stretch into ripples and ruts and suck up smaller roots and rocks gives exceptionally consistent traction and easy roll over too.

Spring settings for weight are still printed on the side of the fork

There’s no trace of the damper spike or bushing bind of the old model, something that could savage your wrists when braking or taking a sudden hit. That makes the Pike a really comfortable fork on long descents and long days too. It shows the same sensitivity right through the stroke too, with an ultra fluid mid to end stroke that lets it handle more seismic impacts like a much bigger fork.

This much easier movement and the bigger negative spring means you’ll potentially spend a lot of time deeper in the stroke than you’re used to. That sensitivity translates into more speed and in turn into heavier braking than I was used to on a mid weight fork, and I was soon looking for ways to stop the fork pushing its red ring right to the crown on every run.

The Pike Ultimate is one of the best forks for short travel bikes, it’s super active and sensitive

Despite the Charger 3.1 damper apparently having both a slower and faster maximum range of compression damping the dials weren’t enough to stop that ring abuse alone. Increasing the air pressure unsurprisingly reduced sensitivity though so I added three volume spacers to increase end stroke ramp up. That decreased the bottom out but at the expense of a rampy feel, with less mid stroke support, so they came out again. Eventually I found a sweet spot with three or four clicks of HSC and 11-13 clicks of LSC depending on trail conditions, but a high level of rebound damping also helped settle the hyperactive mid stroke feel.

Video analysis of that set up proved that while it was still using full travel on most descents, it was normally only once or twice per run, which is actually my optimum set up. It did confirm the feeling that the Pike spent a lot of time in the 60-80% stroke range rather than the 40-60% range. Even with a lot of damping dialled in its behaviour in that range still tends to be very fluttery and fluid rather than firmly supportive so it feels more at home in rough or off-piste sections than catch berm and pump runs.

The Pike Ultimate on my jazzy pink hardtail

We’ve just taken delivery of the latest Flight Attendant Zeb fork with Charger 3.1 damper inside, and there are also Flight Attendant versions of the Lyrik and the Pike here. Adding SRAM’s clever AI-powered compression adjustment technology could be just the ticket for the new Pike, letting you use that ultra-plush travel without wallowing in the depths of the stroke.