I already have the pikes but have been offered a set of 2014 float 34 fit kashima at a. Very very good price, I probably wouldn’t even be raising this question had I not had 2 sets of pikes fail in 6 months….having always run float 32 and no issues before I’m tempted to go back to fox

Now I know when they perform the pikes are amazing, but are they that much better than a 34 fit dampened float with upgraded 2014 internals?

I just want a fork that works and is reliable and creak free! So given I can have 34 at a really cheap price brand new is it worth going to try them or just get the pikes fixed/replaced and stick with them?

Any back to back users of a 34 care to report?

bumpidy bump

genuinely don’t know what to do, shall I just get the pikes fixed or try my luck with the 34 fit kashima jobbies?

If the price is that good you have noting to loose, as you could probably sell them on at a profit if you don’t like them.

Why wouldn’t you make another warranty claim on the Pikes?

Not tried the current 34 but there is method to correct damper issues
http://www.avalanchedownhillracing.com/Fox%2040/Fox%2034%20Open%20Bath%20Cartridge%20Kit.htm
My 34’s were at a price that I couldn’t turn down and with the avalanche they are still very good value.

PP – I did think that too, I could try them and im sure id sell them for pretty much what I got them for tbh

chief – cos they have gone exactly the same as the first pair, and I don’t want to have keep doing it every 3 months (with 10 day turnaround from sram)

im assured they are 2014 internals (not the 2013 which were known for issues)

would 1mm difference make difference on the stiffness of the chassis?

34 is a lot stiffer than the 32’s especially at the 160 mark. I’m 90+ kitted up and I’ve rattled them through some rough stuff just fine. As good as my old 36’s in normal trail stuff. Not going to be perfect in full on DH territory but thats not what they are for.

they are at 150mm mike, cheers the info, genuinely dunno what to do, dielmena being that they are so cheap it does seem worth a punt just to try….

ive only ever run 32 fox’s/Revs before the pikes so ive no idea if the 34 was a big step up like the pikes, but your obviously suggesting so….im only 11 stone so its no issue with my weight to chassis ratio (ie if I was 15stone plus id be going for 36’s etc)

They can be 140/150/160 with spacer changes I think.
[/url]Lunchtime by Mike Smith 79, on Flickr[/img]
The ex has/had 32’s on her LTc I rode it down a smooth jump track in Roto and they were just wrong for me not enough fork, the 34 is stiffer. I had the 2013 version but could only ever get it 90% right hence the avalanche. Roto was the test and 300km and 10km of down told me it had worked.
The ex tried mine and now has a set of pikes waiting to be fitted (after the first set were dead on arrival) we couldn’t find any cheap 34’s to convert at the time.

When I got my SB66 it was built up with the 32’s from my previous build. Great forks but a bit out of their depth on the 66.

Tried Pikes; read about how good they were, took the plunge. Stiffer than 32’s, damping OK but not as jaw dropping as I’d been led to beleive. But the top out clunk drove me up the wall. ” They all do that” was the cry.

So despite the bad press I got a pair of 34’s. Bog basic model without the FIT. 2013. A recipe for disaster if you believe the internet. And they are what I expect from a fork. They just work. Stiff; nice damping; good progressive travel. Set up as 160mm suit the Yeti well. A few clicks of rebound and a bit of air is all the tuning I’ve done.

I do wonder that if you are a bit of a scrawn they are difficult to set up. As a beefcake myself, I seem to be in the sweetspot of the setup possiblities.

I like them. I am looking for another pair because I want Kashima. Otherwise they are just the ticket.

Lots of bad press doesn’t make a fork bad.

mike – cheers, I think possible then they are as you say, 160mm probably spaced down to 150mm, which is standard with the frame design, so that makes sense, nice to know I could alter them in the future if need be, also the lowers on that pic actually look beefier than my pikes, god knows how big a 36 must look

im sure there is not much difference from a pike to 34 stiffness wise, but from a 32 to 34/pike I know for a fact there is as that’s where I came from

I had a really nice set of 32′ fit kashimas just before I got the pike on a old bike and the damping was absolutely spot on (and it was a 2013 model!), ive not actually heard any bad press about the FIT damper model anyways

scotchegg – so you’ve gone from a pike to 34? am I reading that correctly? how does the stiffness compare? obviously the damping will be slightly better on the pike compared to the basic 34, and I know they damping on the fit cartridge is decent having owned it myself

may just take a punt on them, even if it just ties me over whilst the pikes are fixed etc etc

Two Cotic BFe’s one with 2014 34 Talas CTD Adjust, one with 140mm 32 Float circa 2011. The 34 is by far the stiffer and tracks through rough stuff really well. I fiddled with it a bit a first but now just ride without even thinking about it other than to flick the CTD switch.

On the Pie Eater scale I come in at around 70 kg.

O_W – exactly that. The Pikes were much stiffer than 32’s. 34’s are about the same as Pikes (I couldn’t detect any difference)

I don’t think damping on the Pike is better, but I do think the operating window/adjustability is greater.

If the 34’s you are looking at are white, get them. I may have them off you if you don’t get one with them 🙂

as long as they are stiffer than a 32 and comparable to the pikes stiffness wise im not too bothered, I liked the damping of the fit cartridge on my 2013 32’s, so I can only assume its the same on the 34…

scotchegg- cheers bud, sadly they are black, otherwise youd be more than welcome to them if I didn’t like them

hmmmm decisions, decisions!

Oh and when I upgraded the damper I sold the old FIT one to one of the guys in the LBS who is lighter and he’s getting on well with it over the basic one.

After buying my Foxy XR I had anticipated my first move being to flog the 34 FIT on it and get a Pike as the pikes on my previous bike were so damn good. After riding them for 6 weeks I can see no real reason to change other than Fox’s usual problem of being pretty crap at small bump. Great fork, stiff and has never thrown me any surprises. I am 85 + pack.

I had pikes on my enduro and now have 2015 factory float 34’s on my 29er. I have ridden the 14 factory fit ones on a demo bike as well. To me all decent ish forks but the small bump is better on the 15 ones and they seem to hold better in the mid stroke more than the 14’s. I did prefer the pike to the 14’s as they seem to be more supple without diving. I do not prefer them to my 15’s though once I got them setup. They have taken a lot of fiddling on air pressure but are now very good. If you fancy the fox I am sure they can be improved with the different seals and oil.

I never had problems on the pikes relability wise in the 6 months I had them but I have 2 mates whose had to go back.

I went from 2014 34 Factory FIT Kashima model to Pikes. Night and day difference, the PIKE absolutely blows the 34 out the water performance wise.

The damper (contrary to what everyone seems to think) on the 34 is great, the problem is the air spring and it relying on a coil negative system, which if you require a firmer air spring is not strong enough to give decent small bump response. you can also feel/hear it disengage 1/3rd of the way through the travel (normal behaviour according to FOX), and it is HARSH. they have now dropped this system on the 36 and gone with an air negative (like the PIKE) and i can only assume the 34 will follow in due course.

I ran the 2013 fox 34 and i must have had a good set, as they were plush and really really nice. the 2014 attempted to address an issue that really didn’t exist (too much dive if i remember right) and they made them too firm imo.

Warranty the PIKEs and save your money, or spend it one other things!!

cheers for the info folks

will have a think about it, really no matter which way I go, I doubt ill be out of pocket (certainly possibly in pocket if I get the fox’s)

id love a set of 36’s but they cant be had for anything like realistic money

I may possibly just get the fox’s, use them whilst the pikes are off being fixed, and then make a decision when they come back, I can still keep the pikes and sell the fox, or probably make a profit and sell the pikes!

its annoying having to do this, or even think of it, just fed up with the pikes tbh, just want a worry free fork, that doesn’t need to be sent in every other month or so, I have also got the top out clunk, which like others have been told is normal, but it really doesn’t feel that normal in operation, it basically feels undamped the first 5-10mm travel and I know mostly every other persons who got them has the same issue

Looks like you’re doing a good job of talking yourself into buying them 🙂

I’ve had my 2013 29er 34 CTD FIT Floats for 2 years and I really like them. I was critical of them when I first bought them, due to the linear nature of their travel, but within a month I’d added 20ml of Float fluid 5ml at a time to the air side and that tweak helped them ramp up a bit, although I still had to run a bit less sag than I’d have liked. Then 9 months later I had them upgraded to 2014 spec, which made enough of a difference for me to be able to increase the sag, and the only thing I’ve had to do this year is service them.

They are starting to feel a bit notchy now so it’s time for a full strip down and service. I’ve been toying with the idea of fitting an Avalanche cartridge, as I have one in my 160mm 29er Pike Solo Air, but the 34’s aren’t seeing the same sort of abuse now they are on the Big Wig so I don’t see the Avalanche cartridge having the same sort of impact, plus I’d like to build a new wheelset for the Big Wig so I think that’s where my money is going to go next. There’s no point in me comparing the Avalanche Pike with a standard Fox 34, it just wouldn’t be fair, but I first tried a Dual Position 150mm Pike and it was just as divey as a standard 34 Float, and I couldn’t fit tokens to it to alleviate the problem. I then briefly had a 160mm Solo Air, which was better, but still not quite what I wanted hence the Avalanche upgrade.

My 29er 34s are 2013 and were 140mm travel.

I am near 100kg kitted and ride quite agressively.

The forks were quite frankly dangerous, no support and not much better with 20ml of fluid in them.

I was tempted by the Pikes but have heard of multipule issues and the need to look after them so decided that I would have the 34s pushed.

Turned out to be a good call. Came back from tf far to plush at what they had set them at but due to now not having a ctd (crappy terdy dogsplop) damper I have got them set sweet and i am very happy with them. Now at 150mm by the way.
I also got the chip/air volume adjuster fitted so I can control both the damping and the air spring rate.

The chassis is not oh thats stiff like a 36 or oh my thats not stiff like a 32, it is a ummm not really noticed it ok.

My favourite forks for dampering are still Bos.