Idle Saturday night musing.

Currently have a 2014 RS sektor at 150 on my 650b bandit, mainly because it seemed like a good budget choice when I built it up.. It definitely flexes a bit – more than it did when I ran it at 140 but I like the way the bike feels at 150

If I were to upgrade to say an x fusion sweep roughcut or a pike or a yari, would I genuinely notice much difference?

I wouldn’t bother with the Yari, I hated it when I tested it. No experience of the Sweep, but I noticed a fairly big difference between my old 2014 Revs and a 2016 Pike. More controlled, easier to set up, doesnt dive as much, holds traction better. And I’m not anything more than average at bikes.

Defo worth changing to a Pike. I had 2014 Sektors which I thought were average. Change them for 2014 Fox CTD’s which were considerably better. Then changed them for Pikes and they are better in every way compared to the Sektors. Every aspect of the Pike is an improvement.

Really consider the Sweeps with the HLR damper. I had a Revelation at 150 on my Blur Tr then went to X fusion Slant (same as Sweep but for 26 inch). Night and day, and realised that the frame had been outclassing the fork, it’s much much better now. And I’m by no means a great rider, I spend a lot of time mincing around the trails…more than I’d like to admit!

Yes I think most people would be able to feel the improvement in damping by using Sweeps or the Pike. More aggressive riders will also notice the stiffer chassis. A few years ago the extra stiffness from a 20mm axle Rev and QR SID wasn’t massively different to me but as I’ve got better and ride harder I can really feel the difference now.

Pike / Slant / Fox 36 yes you would. I am pretty average and I can tell the different between my 110/150 Sektors and Fox 36’s on rougher steeper tracks. There is nothing I am capable of that I wouldn’t ride either bike / fork down but there is a difference

Add Mattocs to the list.

When I first built my 650b Bandit I had Sektors, replaced the, with Sweep (not the Roughcut ones as they weren’t around then) which are much more composed in rougher stuff. Feel way softer in the car park when set up for your weight but when you ride them they are much better.Recently put a Pike on there and that is better again; feels as good on the smaller/chattery stuff but better on bigger hits. I think it’s a bit stiffer too but that may just be me wanting my new forks to be better! The Pike is a little longer a to c & seems to sit higher in its travel which I found helped with raising the rather low bottom bracket the Bandit has.
Either way it was a definite upgrade from the Sektor to the other two forks.

Have sektors on the hardtail and sweeps on the FS. Massive difference and I’m decidedly average.

Apart from increased stiffness and lower weight, which are noticeable (32mm on a bike as capable as a Bandit will be very noodly!) you’ll notice a difference in the damping.

I upgraded my Xfusion RL2 Slants to the Roughcut damper and noticed a big improvement. In real terms there was less sensation of being knocked around on rougher trails. The front was more composed so I had more time to pick lines and could go a bit faster/smoother. The extra adjusters are also good, as I pedal out of the saddle quite a bit so dialling in extra LSC meant less bob. Extra LSC also meant more support in berms, which means I can go round them faster and carry more speed.

So overall it made riding my bike more enjoyable, which is what’s it’s all about really.

The RL2 damper was pretty good anyway; miles better than Motion Control and the basic Fox Evolution dampers, so upgrading to a Roughcut Xfusion will be a huge step-up. I think Xfusion are currently the perfect sweet spot of price/performance.

Well you would certainly notice the extra stiffness with the forks you mention especially running 150mm travel . I run a Yari and it is far and away the best fork I have ever used . Stiff , easy to set up and miles better than the Fox Float 140s that it replaced . I know it doesn’t have the charger damper but at my level I really can’t tell any difference .A bit heavier than the Pike but a bit stiffer and also a fair bit cheaper .

Looks like the sweep may be the go as it’s pretty much the same price as the yari. There’s a persuasive bit on the Cotic site about how they think the sweep compares really well against a pike.

Thanks for the opinions so far!

Definitely a good choice. My hardtail now has the Sweep on it, I only bought the Pike as they were at a price I couldn’t refuse. Wife’s Bandit also has Sweep on it.
As a matter of interest RicB where from & how much for the Roughcut upgrade?

As a matter of interest RicB where from & how much for the Roughcut upgrade?

This should give you an idea, although it’s main dealer service type pricing.

http://www.xfusionshox.com/service

I think the damper assembly in itself is about 200 dollars, which these days is what, about 200 quid? 😀

Ouch…

Yes it was £200 inc service from 18 Bikes. Not cheap but imo money well spent, as the fork is noticeably better.

Plus I was having a bit of bother with my RL2 damper somehow getting pressurised with air and losing 30mm of travel.

Swapped to X-fusion both forks and the shock on my full suss, haven’t looked back… Knocks spots off the RS stuff that the bike came with.

When I built up my Spitty I initially put Sweeps on it and then upgraded to a set of Fox 36’s and despite me being an average rider I most definitely noticed the difference as the Fox’s are stiffer, track better and sit higher in the travel than the Sweeps, but the Sweeps are an excellent fork and I’d recommend them to anyone who doesn’t want to spunk a load of cash on expensive forks like the Fox’s.

ultimateweevil – Member
When I built up my Spitty I initially put Sweeps on it and then upgraded to a set of Fox 36’s and despite me being an average rider I most definitely noticed the difference as the Fox’s are stiffer, track better and sit higher in the travel than the Sweeps, but the Sweeps are an excellent fork and I’d recommend them to anyone who doesn’t want to spunk a load of cash on expensive forks like the Fox’s.

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Not massively surprising that a 36mm stanchion fork is stiffer and tracks better than a 34mm fork….

It does depend on the sektor tbh, they have different dampers.

Til recently I was riding a bike with revelations (posh sektors) in it mostly, and they were great. I had Pikes in another bike and, they were alright. Stiffer, aye, and impressively light, and better out of the box but I preferred how the Revs did their business. Now, just replaced those Pikes with a set of 36s and to be fair, those are blimmin awesome. But the Rev/Sektor can still be a great fork.

For stiffness, I can perceive a difference but I really don’t care, after about 3 corners I’ve tuned into it and I just get on with things.

I’ve had all of these forks, the sectors great for the money, I had the top spec ones, they are very flex though. The sweep was a very good fork, not as plush as the pike at low speed, but just as good if not more supportive after half way through the travel. The pike is a great all round fork. The yari is what I run now at the moment, unquestionably stiffer than the pike and sweep, not very plush off the top but very supportive and a ridiculous amount of adjustment can be made. I’ve only had a very small carpark style go on 36s but they feel more quality than the lot from the moment you push them down. I’ve put an extra spacer in the yari and run less pressure to make them plusher. Worth noting that although they all feel different I had no noticeable improvement in riding performance between any of the sweep yari or pike.

I think mine are sektor gold solo air.

To be honest I can’t tell you that I’m aware of their shortcomings but I’ve not ridden any more expensive forks to compare. Hence my question – am I going to feel the bike rides better for my £400 plus investment?

It will feel nicer and stiffer but don’t expect to start blowing up strava sections as a result.