Is it a step back am I going to be disappointed?
I’m looking at getting a new bike it has a Pike/Monarch combo, been using a Deville/Vip’r for the last couple of years and love it but got the new bike itch and don’t really have the cash to stump up for Bos again.

As someone who dislikes older incarnations of RS forks as they always came with faults that needed warranty work from new, I believe like most that RS are now sorted.

However I have just made the transition from X-Fusion to Bos Devilles and Bos Dizzys and gotta say, there is most definitely night and day feeling between them.

I would say if the Bos kit straight swaps over to your new frame then do it!
But then again, you could also give RS a go and join that following.
In the future, picking new forks and shocks would be a really tough choice imo as things have moved leaps and bounds over recent years so expect even more progress perhaps in that dept.

Only you can make the final call though, choose wisely and you shall jump far (Jedi voice)

I had a 170mm Deville fork and now have a bike with RS front/rear. IMHO the pike is for the most part, 95% as good as a well setup Bos fork. As most people won’t have their fork setup well, in the real world there is naff all difference. The rear Monarch plus shock I have is amazing. I’ve run some pretty nice gear over the years and dh bikes to compare with and I find the RS stuff is great.

However they do have some teething issues out of the box still, but I’ve found that true with most brands. I’d be wary of relying on a RS product without a sound warranty backup for the bedding in period when manufacturing issues can arise.

I think you might be a bit disappointed. The Pike performance is very good, but it’s not Bos level of working flawlessly and getting adjusted just so and there does seem to be various niggles with most of them, they just don’t feel as well built.

I’m sticking with my Pikes for the foreseeable future and it’s not a worry, but I do wonder if I’d have been better off spending the extra on some 36s (No long travel 29″ Bos or Manitou)