Right – I’m looking at a fork upgrade on my Liteville 301 and the Pike would be spot on I think. I’m currently running my 301 with the 160mm plates and 36’s, with 26″ wheels.

I’ll be on 26″ wheels for the mean time, but was wondering the difference between the 26 and 650b Pike? I’m thinking about future proofing here, so 650b would make sense. I guess the only difference is the axle to crown would be different and a little more mud clearance?! What is the actual difference?

Thanks all.

differences are…
pike 160mm, 26″ to 27.5″
AC is 10mm more, 542mm to 552mm
offset is 2mm more, 40mm to 42mm
thought about the same..
while definitely remaining on 26″ wheels…

So more than a Fox 36 @ 545mm then. I thought it might be less. Its a definite ‘hmm’ moment as that would rake it out even more than the current slack 66 HA!

Thanks for the accurate information by the way, that’s very helpful.

Thinking the same thing as its coming up to new forks time for my 26″ Covert.

So if the A-C is 7mm more than the current Fox 36 on it and I take out my (1 set) of offset bushes – should ride aobut the same??

I’m probably switching from my Float 36 160mm to the new Pike 160mm on my 2012 Mega and been thinking about this too. My Float 36 measures to 548mm with the bike completely unweighted, which I guess is how to measure it (545mm when sagged under the bike’s own weight). I’d definitely rather go slightly slacker than slightly steeper when I switch, so no problem running the 27.5 Pike with 26″ wheels?

Don’t forget to factor in the increased offset of the 27.5 Pike. This will reduce the trail and speed up the handling of the front end.

How much difference does the extra 2mm make? I have no idea ?

I’d have thought that the extra slackness of the a-c that would normally slow the steering will be offset by the extra offset that would quicken it!

Wonder if 150mm 650B is similar A-C of the 36?

Marzocchi 55s have a 44mm offset for 26″ and don’t seem to steer to quickly from the pair i tried, it would probably help offset the extra height and decreased head angle which would slow steering…

I may in be in a similar situation to he OP. The fox on my 301 have started creaking, so if its terminal I could go 650b and I’ve been looking at Pikes. Let me know how this turns out

FWIW I’m building my 301 and have the same dilemma. Spoke with upgrade Bikes this morning and they reckon the XFusion Sweeps will be available in November expected price £455 (seems very cheap maybe that’s ex VAT ?)

Planning to rum my 26″ rims on it until I get the cash for bigger rims.

Regarding rake on the already slack head angle you could always get the Variospin headset to reduce it (by 1.5 degrees I think).

I think the xfusion a have 46mm offset whatever difference that makes !! Apparently its 650b specific. I’m not very techy.

I wouldn’t wonder about the HA on it. I’ve been riding one for the last couple of weeks with a 160mm 650B Pike & it’s ~66 degrees, which is about the going rate for a bike like this these days.

Hob Nob – Is this with 26″ wheels front and back? Would you care to post some pictures please? Thanks 🙂

650 F&R on the one i’ve been riding, i’ll dig a picture out 🙂

I’m following this with interest. Looking to pop some 650b Pikes on a new Banshee build but want to stick to 26″ wheels for the time being with the option to run bigger when they cease to exist 😉

So for a A to C of 542mm I can run a 650b Pike at 150mm travel with 26″ wheels. That’s what I’m looking for….

Just a cheeky bump, anyone have any input on using 650b Pikes with 26″ wheels?

Thanks hob nob! So do the big wheels raise the bb too much? How does it compare? Im worried the big wheels will make it ride like youre on it, rather than in it, kind of thing…

Not really, it’s was 13.10″ something & that’s with some tall tyres. I tend to take manufacturers measurements with a pinch of salt, as they are very selective with the information they give you when talking numbers. Normally it involves the smallest tyres they can find & the shortest fork with the lowest A2C height.

I’m just over 6’2″ so the slightly larger wheels make more sense to me. I’ve been on 26″ forever, but recently been trying a Spec Enduro 29″ through a friend who works for Spec & as much as I didn’t want to like it, it worked for me, I suspect, mainly due to my height.

The LV feels nice to me, no odd quirks, easy to get on and just ride quickly. That being said though, I don’t like a bike with a super low BB anyway, i’ve noticed more recently when racing I pedal a lot more than I thought I did & I don’t want to have to worry about putting strokes in.

I certainly don’t feel perched on top if that helps 🙂

You’re a gent – thanks for the reply. Now how about a picture to drool over? 🙂

Same as OP question.

Im going for 150mm 650b Pikes rather than 650b 160mm as the a2c is too long on 650b 160mm when comparing to my current 26’er 150mm Mazz.

Plus do we really need 160mm for trail riding? No.

I’m running 150mm 650b Pikes on my Saracen Ariel. I don’t notice much if any difference in handling compared to the Lyriks I had before. Bear in mind that you can change from 150 to 160 by replacing the air spring assembly if you decide you want to.

Just still down and work out the A2C length (minus the sagged % of travel) and compare it to the numbers for your unacceptable 55’s and one of your of forks that was acceptable.

Honestly though, I don’t really understand why you’d go 650b. You seem to want as short an A2C as possible, and the idea of you future-proofing when you’ll swap the forks after 3 weeks anyway is rather laughable.

Hope tech confirmed that they have NO plans to drop 26.