Infrequent xc biffer – Bomber z2 or Pike Ultimates worth it?

Hi,

Wondered if people had some views please.

I’m running an entry level 27.5 fs (https://www.mbr.co.uk/reviews/full-suspension-bikes/jamis-dakar-a2-review) and I’d like new ~120mm forks as the ones it came with were rubbish and are FUBARed.

I don’t ride much with family commitments but tends to be tame cross country stuff and maybe the odd trip to Swinley, Afan if I’m lucky once a year. I’m restricted to cyclescheme retailers and have in my sights (net cost to me):

2023 Bomber Z2s 120mm (£315)
2021 Pike Ultimates RC2 Forks GRIP1 130mm (£355)

I could get Reba RL for about the same price but kind of feel the Pike’s are better value. Looked briefly at the 2023 Fox 34 Float AWL for similar money but seems to be a cheapened down ebike version of the range and as it has the RAIL damper I may as well get the Z2s instead of that.

Cheers

Get the Pikes and if you need to you’ll be able to re-travel them to 120mm with a new airshaft (less than £30) – or up their travel if you got a new bike.

Lovely fork.

“2021 Pike Ultimates RC2 Forks GRIP1 130mm (£355)”

Are you sure that is what it says it is? Grip is a Fox damper, not Rockshox.

£355 for new 2021 Pikes Ultimates?? Snap them up!

Chief – apologies, you’re right – steep learning curve and GRIP v RAIL was in my head from considering 2021 Fox 34 ebike forks v the AWLs.

I think it may be the pikes then! Only reason I was drawn to the z2s was that people say that they’re nice n simple if you don’t know what you’re doing dial wise but I could just learn! 🙂

The wheels are non-boost but I understand it’s an easy/cheap job to convert them to fit boost forks, and I believe we’re talking £100s for a boost hub + the rebuild of what are cheap wheels for very little benefit at my level.

£355 for new 2021 Pikes Ultimates?? Snap them up!

+1

The benefit of lower demand for 27.5in, no doubt.

I have the Select+ version and it’s awesome, the Ultimate offers an extra adjustment but it’s still easy to set-up.

I went from 2018? fox 34 rhythm to 21 pike ultimates at 140 (29er, £650 last year-bargain I thought)

not sure how similar the bomber z2 is to the 34 I have (plain grip damper)… but

Pike is noticeably better support in the midstroke. 34 more comfy and supple off the top. Pike needs no lsc adding. 34 was better with a bit of compression damping increase.

Other way to describe it would be pike is uncomfortable on trail chatter and 34 prone to dive if pushed a bit. extra adjustment on the pike not much advantage if you run it fully open all the time..

so I guess it depends on use. On paper the pike is “better”. If used for bimbling the 34 might well be more suited.

not sure how that helps other than to say the answer is always “it depends”

wasn’t there a 140mm fork test in the latest issue and the bomber was rated really well at rrp half that of all the others?

Cheers Doc, I welcome the alternative view as I’d read similar (“bimbling” certainly sounds like my riding!). I’d read that you can take the tokens out of the Pikes to address that to a certain extent (whatever the hell that means).

I don’t seem to be able to get the std Fox 34s for near the price of the Pikes, i’d need to go to a new-but-2021 ebike version to get the GRIP damper around the same money. Not that I mind the extra weight but hear they’re a bit stiffer so may be more chattery than the standard Fox 34

That’s half the trouble, the bomber seem to excel against it’s competition but it’s hard to find a comparison with the Pikes as they’re normally in a different price bracket.

Tokens seem to be more about making it easier or harder to use all travel. Not sure that’s relevant and if it would help with suppleness

There is a fork tuning company in nz I think that offers a “de-harsh” tune for that model pike…🤷🏼‍♂️

I have my divey/supple/comfy (delete as appropriate) 34s on a hardtail now and very happy with them.

https://singletrackworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/140mm-suspension-fork-group-test/

Son has the Marzs on his 27.5″ hardtail. He really likes them and the service intervals seem a lot more sensible than the Rockshox alternatives.

Had a quick ride and they seem nice, even though I’m a bit chunkier than him 😀

hah, one man’s divey is another man’s supple 🙂 That’s an interesting read, thank you

The wheels are non-boost but I understand it’s an easy/cheap job to convert them to fit boost forks, and I believe we’re talking £100s for a boost hub + the rebuild of what are cheap wheels for very little benefit at my level.

Or a 5mm spacer on each side of the axle.

TBH if it’s a cheap wheel, just buy another front (boost) wheel.

docrobster

Tokens seem to be more about making it easier or harder to use all travel. Not sure that’s relevant and if it would help with suppleness

They can help, in that you can run lower pressure without bottoming.

But then you lose what little mid stroke support you have surely?

although that may be what you want!

Ref, what docrobster said – I’ve had 2021 Pikes in 27.5 and 29 flavours and the 27.5 were miles better. No idea why, maybe my 29s need more tuning fuss made over them, but the 27.5s just slung in the right pressure and rode and they were dreamy.

Get the Z2.
Much less to go wrong in the medium-long term, so more reliable; simpler to set up and will stay that way too.
For real-world, xc and trail riding the damper is every bit as good as the one in the Pike but without the potential for confusion created by the Pike having so many adjustment options.
I have a 120 Z2 on a steel hardtail that I use for local trails and for teaching; it is, quite simply, perfect in that setting.

Just to contradict the above poster I wouldn’t get the Z2 – the bushings in the leg are moulded in (non replaceable) and some Z2’s have worn prematurely causing issues with the fork.

The Pike will probably be lighter than the Z2 as it’s a top end RS trail fork vs a Fox /Marz bottom end fork constructed down to a price. The grip 1 damper is fine though – better than a rockshox motion control damper (which is in the Reba).

The Pike has a better air spring and better damper than the Z2 – and it’s not difficult to get a decent setup. I have a 2021 Pike Ultimate and you can basically run all the compression fully open, get the sag setup for about 25% and just tweak the rebound so it’s not a pogo stick and it’s perfectly rideable just like that.

I think I’ve since added 1 click of hsc (there are only 5 clicks) and 4 of lsc. The former controls how quick the fork goes through its travel on high speed hits, the latter is just to control the amount of bob pretty much.

Pike is also very easy to do a lower leg service on with no special tools – and Sram / Rockshox have very detailed service guides online.

For £355 that fork is a bargain.

I’ve been exploring light trail bikes for weeks.

The Bomber Z2 was on the cheaper Marin bike I was looking at, the Pike Ultimate fitted to the more expensive bike. The Pike was very highly reviewed across the board.

Cheers all, just to say thank you for your input I really appreciate it and have decided to go for the Pikes.

I recall while the head tube is tapered the forks are straight and as I have no expeience of this I’m hoping it means the existing headtube is a bog standard tapered headset that I can reuse and I can just get rid of some kind of additional “reducer” ring they’re using to hold the straight steerer in the taperer headtube.

I’ll take it to bits tonight but the spec sheet says “FSA Orbit 1.5 Zero-stack” so I can’t believe FSA would make a all in one reducer headset.

Edit: when I say the “forks are straight” I mean the existing forks. The Pikes are tapered as is the bike’s headtube.

Fingers crossed for you – assume it’s either got a reducer or a specific 1/18th bottom cup. You won’t know until you take it all apart.

Pike definitely the better fork vs a Z2 which is essentially a cheaper Fox 34 Rhythm I believe.

Thanks @joebristol. I prised the crown race off the old fork, I’ve not seen one before but am guessing they’re not normally this big so assume it’s a crown and reducer in one.

Neither top/bottom bearing came loose with a tug so I need to have a read as I started worrying that maybe they’re not meant to be removed lol

docrobster
But then you lose what little mid stroke support you have surely?

Not necessarily. Depending on how many tokens, and how much you reduce the psi, a token will likely make the fork slightly softer off the top. If running the same sag, by the time it reaches mid-stroke, it will firm up (due to the decreasing positive volume) and then ramp up even further for bottom out.

Right, it’s on it’s way! Surprisingly fast process really.

I assume I need to buy a race crown (as the one I have is a reducer affair to fit the old forks which were straight) and starnut. Anyone know if they are all roughly the same for a casual cyclist so I just buy them cheap off ebay?

Or should I really be going the expanding but or even a headlock modified with a big washer so it fits the tapered fork?

Cheers

Good choice on the pike IMO. Get a Hope lower crown race as it comes with a seal and most don’t. Do you have a star nut to go in your new forks? Also you’ll need to cut the steerer down. Test fit the fork with all the bits you’re going to fit and mark the steerer. Get a pipe cutter and go slow and steady. 3mm below your mark.Then use a file to just de-burr the cut.

Edit: just re-read. Get a cheap star nut and it goes in from the top. Buy a cheap bolt and support the crown of the fork with a bit of wood longer than the fork legs.

There’s loads of info on bike maintenance on the park tools website that’s well explained but there’s plenty of help here too.

Cheers @Del (not sure if there’s more to @’ing someone on here!).

The retailer said it comes with a race crown, and then it didn’t, so i’ve asked them to send one. I see they only do Hopes so all is good!

Thanks for the works of wisdom on cutting it down, will do (along with watching 100 videos before taking the saw to them!).

I had a poke at the dust cover/lower bearings thinking I should clean them up but they weren’t shifting and I got scared so will clean and grease them up in situ. I mention in case you/anyone feels that’s an incredibly bad idea! 🙂

Thanks again

Just in case you don’t know, and none of you seem to: Z2s have non replaceable steel bushes which can rust and score the stanchions. They are not, as useless journos keep saying, Rhythms with different damping.