2006 Pike 426 or 2005 Z1 FR1

[g_k]

The title pretty much says it all: 2006 Pike 426 or 2005 Z1 FR1 for a 5 inch all-mountain bike?

[sampo]

Pike. Maybe the best AM fork out there? Stiff, great damping, light weight.

[Znarf]

Had both, if the axle to crown of the Pike suits your frame (it´s quite low)
then it blows the Z1 away.

The Pike is as stiff as the Z1 and the damping is MUCH better, at least for trail riding.

Had both, sold the Z1 bought 2 Pikes =)

Greetings Znarf

[miufahkiu]

Haven't ridden a Pike yet, but I have a 2003 Z1 FR, which has pretty much the same internals and damping as the 2005 Z1 FR1. It has the small bump compliance and plushness that you would expect in a coil/oil fork, and the HSCV damping (same as Super T/Shiver/early 888) keeps the suspension active when the going gets rough (i.e. it doesn't spike). It doesn't have much adjustability other than external rebound; like all coil forks, you have to get the appropriate springs for your weight. The only adjustment for compression is changing oil height and/or weight; however, once you have the right springs and oil levels, the fork is dialed. It's low maintenance, requiring maybe an oil change or two per season. It also has ETA, which allows you to lock the fork down in travel for climbing. I find that it is helpful on long ascents.

That said, I believe the Pike 426 is an air sprung fork. It's got more external adjustments, and you don't have to swap springs, and it's lighter since it's air sprung. I can't comment on the quality of the damping though. I think that the 2006 Z1 SL is more of an equal comparison to the Pike 426.

Znarf, what was the specific year/model of your Z1? Marzocchi makes several variations of the Z1, some which have inferior damping. The majority of reviews that I have read state the contrary, saying that the Marzocchi coil/oil damping blows the Pike away.

For the record, my Z1 is mated to a Titus Motolite frame (5" travel all-mountain bike).

[Ed von Schleck]

I have a 2006 Pike 426 U-Turn on my All mountain slopestyle street downhill freeride enduro Specialized P2 and it's an awesome fork. You can't go wrong with a Pike imo. Sure there are better Freeride / Cross Country / DJ specific forks out there but nothing beats it in terms of weight, adjustability, versatility and reliability. They have the Maxle system, look great, damping is great and they aren't that expensive.

[smoochy]

had a pike air, it was OK, but i wasn't a huge fan. found it had:
1) low stiffness - lots of back and forth deflection
2) strong "progressive" air feel that i couldn't get rid of
3) basic damping that wasn't too bad, but with hysteresis (ie: the same dial location didn't always give the same damping feel).

i did like the:
a) Maxle QR
b) ability to adjust the spring rate with air
c) light weight


Ride then decide!

[Neal]

have you thought about the Domain 318? Same feat. as the Pike but stiffer.

[pump]

Had both, if the axle to crown of the Pike suits your frame (it´s quite low)
then it blows the Z1 away.

The Pike is as stiff as the Z1 and the damping is MUCH better, at least for trail riding.

Had both, sold the Z1 bought 2 Pikes =)

Greetings Znarf

Znarf, I'm pretty interested in eithe the Lyric or the Pike, have you had any problems so far?(o-ring/seal)

[MknZ1BikR]

I really like the Z1 FR1, very durable and reliable fork. I've put and seen many different Z1's through lots of abuse and they've all held up.
The FR1 has pretty good adjustablity and it feels nice. I dont think it's as smooth as the Pike though. Pike's are a very plush fork...buttery!

If we are talking about new forks here I might take the Pike over the Z1, especially if your gonna be using it for its intended purpose ie; aggressive trail riding (not quite FR).
If you plan on using the fork for some heavy riding or these forks are pre-owned the Z1 would probably have to be the pick for me. IMO they're one of the most durable and versatile forks on the market.

[ZHendo]

pike fo sho, coil feels best though imo.

[stubz]

i have a 07 454 for sale if your interested

[Znarf]

Hi,
First I had a 2005 Pike SL, sold it and got the Z1 instead (dumb, just did it because I wanted to try something new)
I bought an 2005 Z1 FR1 150mm, the one with the "good" damping. Full HSCV and ETA. Had it on my bike for 7months, didn´t like it at all. I am only 150lbs, Marzocchi didn´t offer softer springs at that time. So I rode one side coil, one side air. It sucked. Then they offered a soft spring kit. Bought it. Felt exactly like the medium kit. :deadhorse: I fiddled some more with oil heights, viscosities and then I got rid of it and bought a Pike again!

I think the Z1 was "ok", but the damping didn´t react quickly enough on really fast repeated hits. It spiked. It wasn´t stiffer than the Pike and didn´t have the U-turn, which is great on technical climbs.

My Pike 426 2006 Coil-U-Turn: Got a soft spring and rode it for the past season. I rode it a lot and really enjoyed it. Awesome fork. Extremely versatile. SUPERB damping, it doesn´t spike really super plush.
Now after a year of abuse the O-ring on the motion control unit started to leak a tiny bit of oil from time to time. Wouldn´t bother most people probably and is easy to fix.
But I sent it to the German SRAM distributor, they´ll fix it under warranty and they will fill fresh oil into my fork (I won´t pay anything :greedy: )


I got a GREAT deal on a 2006 66SL in the meantime, bought it and love it, too. Damping in trail situations is equal to the Pike, but it is A LOT stiffer and feels better overall. But that is just because it has 175mm of travel. In fact it feels so nice, that I am looking for a frame with more travel to put it on (I run it at 150mm on my Heckler, I don´t want to kill my Heckler as I start to go bigger and bigger)

And if I can afford it, I want to keep my Heckler with the Pike (once I get the fork back from the damn distributor, it´s almost 4weeks ago that I shipped it there).
I think the Pike is really one of the best forks in the 6" category. One thing to pay attention to is the axle to crown. It´s really low for it´s travel. That´s good on some bikes and bad on others.

I think the Z1 was ok, but the damping didn´t react quickly enough on really fast repeated hits. It spiked.
The Pike doesn´t, at least when it´s dialed perfectly. It was stiff enough.


Oh man, that was a long post. And my english is :lemon: bad.

If you have any questions, just ask.


Greetings Znarf

[Dantes Inferno]

Pike becuase its RS.

[g_k]

Thanks for the input, went with a 2006 Pike 409. Has been shipped today, will arrive next week.