If you’ve recently taken possession of a new Pike fork then it probably came with a little bag of plastic Bottomless Tokens in it. But what are they and what do they do?

Well don’t worry, we’re here to explain why you might want to use them and show you that fitting them isn’t anywhere near as scary as you might think, in fact it only takes about 5 minutes with minimal tools and will drastically alter how your suspension performs.

>>> 5 ways to perfect a Pike set-up

What are Bottomless Tokens?

Bottomless tokens are nothing more than bits of plastic that change the volume of the air chamber of the fork. If you add tokens then your fork will feel more progressive and will ‘ramp up’ towards the end of its stroke.

This means that the closer you get to bottoming out your fork, the harder it will be to use any more travel. This allows you to run softer pressures but avoid bottoming out as the progression stops you bottoming out.

If you remove tokens, then your fork will feel more linear – it will take a similar amount of force no matter where you are in your travel. This means you can run higher pressures and still use all of your travel.

It roughly works out at about 5-10 psi difference in pressure depending on how many tokens you use, so it’s definitely worth considering if you want to overhaul your suspension.

How do I fit Bottomless Tokens?

This really is a more easy job than you might imagine. It doesn’t involve dismantling your fork or getting your hands covered in oil, so feel free to experiment to your heart’s content.

1. Remove the dust cap from the top of the fork leg.

2. Let all of the air out of the fork’s schrader valve.

3. Unscrew the top cap assembly from the fork using a 24 mm socket and pull it out.

4. Add the new Bottomless Tokens on to the bottom of your current tokens (or the top cap if none are fitted)

5. Re-assemble the fork. The top cap should be installed to 28Nm.

6. Re-inflate your fork with 5-10 psi less than before.

That’s it, you’re done. you can now hit the trails and start experimenting with your new set up.

Top Tips

• Dual Position Pike forks don’t have this feature.
• As with any suspension product, it’s well worth making a note of your settings as you play with them so that you can always return to a good benchmark.
• If you ride somewhere new, you may have to adjust your settings to suit the terrain. For instance, go somewhere fast and rough, like the Alps, and you may have to run slower rebound damping, or change your air pressure.
• Keep your Pike running sweetly with a lower leg service after approx 200 hours of riding. Watch our step-by-step video guide here.