i got 36 Vans at the moment and im thinking of changing to either a pike or bos fork.
before you ask there isnt anything wrong with forks just fancy trying out another brand.
any of you out there can give me a little review of each fork.

Cheers
Chris

Have the Bos, they’re lighter than the 36s they replaced, plusher, don’t dive, and have been totally reliable.

Personally I’d go Pike. Reckon you’re more likely to have ‘issues’ with Bos, less likely to get them resolved easily.

Pike, without a doubt.

Every set of BOS forks i’ve had (3 in total now) have had issues, and everyone who i’ve ridden with have had some sort of issue with them.

Apart from aftermarket support in the UK is virtually non existent, so getting them sorted it s a real PITA. J-Tech can do most stuff now at least to the forks.

I still maintain they feel nice, but ‘nice’ doesn’t actually translate to better in terms of speed on the bike.

The Pike feels equally as nice i’ve been on. And it’s lighter. And I can get it fixed quickly & easily almost anywhere. Hell they even give you a full seal kit to DIY if you want to.

IMHO Air forks do feel different to coil. I liked the Bos Deville I tried as they do hold up in their travel and feel better than most other forks, as do my 36 Float and Marzocchi 55 RC3-Ti which have the same Avalanche damper inside. Even with the same internals the Float does not feel as smooth as the Marzocchi and hence for ultimate feel and traction for me the Marzocchi with the coil is the better feeling fork… but it gives away 500g compared to more modern forks like the Pike/34/Deville.

I like the idea of a lighter fork; but not at the expense of the ride as when I’ve tried Revelations I hated the twangy sensation. The Deville I tried was not as stiff as a 36 but I think I could live it, and I assume the 34/Pike will be similar. I’d like to give them a whirl… but I suspect my Coil Marzocchi will feel better, probably won’t make me any faster though and 500g is 500g and we are all weight weenies… buy what you like and then justify it with why you like it 🙄

BTW – Bos are now officially serviced both UK & Ireland, through Mad Elk Cycles, who are top lads, not just for servicing, but for trail building.

Not really a viable option shipping stuff from the Uk to Southern Ireland though.

~£100 for a service & more than that again to ship the forks there & back with insurance.

And despite what they tell you, they need servicing just as much as any other fork.

More than £100 to ship to them? Wouldn’t have thought it cost that much – they’re getting loads of forks in from Scandinavia etc. as they’re easier to deal with language-wise than France.

Would be curious to know why Surf Sales never got it together.

I’ve had no issues so far with my (140) Devilles over the year I’ve had them but have heard Jtec can sort out any problems and very good. So I don’t think there are too many worries as far as back up is concerned.

My Deville’s replaced a pair of Fox 32 Floats and I can’t really notice them “holding up” better on steep stuff or being less flexy. They aren’t so good over small bumps and I think that lets them down for general trail riding. They weren’t worth the money in other words and I should have stuck with the 32’s.

Both great forks, would have either, only issue is the supply of parts for warranty/repair/service with the BOS units which isn’t Mad Elk or Surf Sales (Irish & UK Distributors) fault.

So on balance would say Pike RCT3 s

Pikes have the same awesome control when things get really rough, but have the small bump sensitivity of Fox forks. That, plus servicing issues, means Pikes all the way for me.

new 160 pikes A to C is about 10mm less than a 160 fox.
can be bought a lot cheaper from germany (zahlungseingang bei bike-components.de) as well free postage and no import tax they come with full seal service kit and shock pump.

my 150s should be here soon 😀