Currently running a set of 2012 26″ Fox 36 float rc2 on my SC Nomad 3. They work very well but do feel like it’s time for an upgrade but not sure what to go for.

New fox 36, bos deville or pike rct3. Not interested in travel adjust, I do also like the look of DVO’s but ideally want to make the bike a little lighter with this upgrade.

I love the idea of BOS but the aftersales support worries me (is it a risk?).

I live in Cardiff so the Fox option with mojo just up the road is attractive.

I like the price of Pikes but how good are they compared to a 36 for stiffness/performance. Tried pikes on trail center stuff and feel fine. I ride/climb a lot but also descend a lot of the south wales DH courses so have reservations moving from a 36 to a pike.

Any input welcomed.

bump – Fox/BOS/RS Pikes? anyone?

I just got some new 2016 fox 36rc2 for my nomad and can say without doubt they are the best fork I have ever ridden. I had 34mm fox before which are great but these are next level. I haven’t even touched any settings yet I just adjusted the air pressure to set the sag. My first proper ride on them was down the rangers path on Snowdon and they were amazing. I suffered none of the arm pump I normally get down there and they just felt so well controlled and well behaved, like they could respond to anything I sent them down better than anything I have tried before.
I have gone for the 170mm with the intention of spacing them down if I found the bikes front end wondering on climbs but so far they felt about the same as the 160mm I had before.
I have tried a few pikes and always thought they felt ok but never amazing, a bit cheap feeling which cost wise they are. I wanted the best and didn’t mind spending the money so bought the fox.

How about the RC2DH Lyrik’s? I’ve been running a pair for about a year and am very impressed with them.
Thinking of going 27.5 soon and will be seriously considering the new ones.

stevied – Member

How about the RC2DH Lyrik’s? I’ve been running a pair for about a year and am very impressed with them.
Thinking of going 27.5 soon and will be seriously considering the new ones.
I swapped some 2010 36’s for these forks, they’re much better (new for old at least).

Having Mojo up the road is great for Fox stuff (I live in Cardiff too) but do fox still make 26″ forks? I know you can buy them new, but are they new, new? or new-old-stock? You might find that whilst you’re paying new fork money, technology wise you’re only gaining a year or two’s worth and you might get the same sort of upgrade from a decent service.

Thanks for the input all, my nomad is 27.5, (just run it with 26″ forks) so the fox 36’s would by the new current 27.5 type.

New Lyrics sound very interesting, I’ll take a look at the weights and how they compare to the 36’s. Think Pinkbike had a review recently…

Any Bos deville users out there?

I can offer some input to this.

I’ve run Bos – I wouldn’t buy new, because I couldn’t cope with trying to deal with Bos if something goes wrong, even though they have a UK distributor, they are still painfully slow to do anything. However, set of Deville can be had for ~£3-400 now second hand.

They all take a 650b wheel, but clearance can be a bit tight on bigger tyres. Apparently the new 2016 fork has a redesigned lower with increased clearance.

Most things can be done by the likes of J-Tech now, but they are generally pretty reliable, sloppy bushes are the biggest thing.

Pikes are pretty much fit & forget, they suffered from creaking crowns early on, not sure if that’s an issue, couple of little issues they can be known for, but nothing massive. They can be a bit overwhelmed in fast, nasty stuff, but for the most part are a well behaved fork.

36’s. I had a set of 2016 36’s which I sold a couple of weeks ago. On paper, it should have been great, it was an unreliable, heap of crap though. 2 replacement RC2 cartridges, knocking issues, and a nasty top out clunk.

Mojo & Fox in Canada were very helpful, but I could never get them feeling how I wanted – the harshest of the lot, always fighting for a balance of some top stroke suppleness, which didn’t turn the fork into a diving pig, or brutally harsh (yet great for racing).

I tried a few other bikes with them and found the same feeling – it got so bad they aggravated an old hand injury.

I have some new Lyriks, which are a bit like a Pike. Sits somewhere between a Deville and the 36 for feel, maybe a bit stiffer? Haven’t pushed on enough or done any racing to really tell yet. My hand approves now though.

If it were me, it would probably be between the Lyrik & a second hand Deville. My own experience of the 36, and other bikes running them put me off. Which is odd, because all the reviews suggest they are comparable to the Pike in that respect.

The GF is running Devilles on her Capra and they are by far the most composed fork I’ve ever tried. They’re not the lightest due to being open bath, but just seem to handle anything that’s thrown at them no problems. She no longer suffers from arm pump with them which is something she has always suffered with since riding (including long alpine DH days and UK uplift days).

I had a ride on her bike a few weeks ago and threw it down some of our local trails and (even though it’s way to small a frame for me) they were so composed flat out through the rough stuff when going at full tilt. They felt better than any pair of Pikes I’ve ridden over the past few years including well set up and tuned versions and as supple as my Marz 55 RC3 EVOs which are about as plush as you can get.

Much better than my old 36 RC2s and her previous 34s (even after TF played with them).

Being open bath they should be fairly reliable and are apparently easy to drop the lowers and change the oil (simple how to int he included manual).

I’d get a pair if I was planning on switching my forks.

Tom K

PS – Not ridden the current Fox 36s for comparison

Bos Devilles are great. Long service intervals, open bath, brilliant damping. Mine have been flawless, and the oil that poured out of them after when I serviced them after two years of riding was spotless.

But other brands have caught up to BOS in terms of damping, and are a bit lighter. And don’t have the customer service issue hanging over them if something does go wrong. As a very happy Deville owner, I’d buy a 36.

New Lyrics sound very interesting, I’ll take a look at the weights

About 2030g’s if I remember correctly.

Pikes are good. I have a set of 160mm, I also have Devilles 140mm on my HT running a 27.5 tyre & 180mm Idylle SC on my NS Soda. I love BOS forks & service my own as i used to do all the warranty before Jungle.