You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
My 2020 Pike select has a charger RC damper and I'm not sure if it's due to needing high psi for my weight but I don't really feel as though it does much in any of the settings to be honest.
Would one of the charger 2.1 dampers either the RC2 OR RCT3 be a decent upgrade over my RC model.
Or should I be looking elsewhere.
I like the idea of being able to pretty much lock the fork out for hills or road sections etc.
Thanks.
Have you tried fitting tokens in the air side first so you can reduce the air pressure?
I think the select with the charger rc has the previous years Revelation charger RC damper in it - so it’s not a full charger damper with the bladder solution in it. It’s better then moco but not as good as a proper charger.
So the rct3 / rc2 2.1 charger dampers would be an upgrade - the rc2 isn’t designed as a lockout though. I think I’m the Pike you get high and low speed compression dials but no quick way to lock it out then revert back to your previous setting. The rct3 obviously has the open mode where you can set lsc for off road - but then you can turn the main dial to pedal or firm easily. It’s not a total lockout but it does make a difference.
My 2017 Pike RC (now sold) definitely did make a difference when I turned the dial from fully open to fully closed.
What pressure are you running in the fork - the compression damper should make some difference - although I suspect it’s not designed as a quasi lockout?
Cheers for the replies.
Ive extended the fork out from 150mm to 160mm and since then the damper doesn't feel as though its doing much.
100psi in the fork and the sag is set at the 20
% on the 160mm marker.
However, the fork is ramping up nicely at the end of its travel.
The fork used to get quite firm when the Charger dial was turned fully clockwise but now its not making a difference at all. Fork feels quite wooden TBH.
If you have extended the forks by 10mm then that means the bladder will not be expanding at the same rate as before so will feel different for any given movement. Try bleeding it or alter the shim stack a bit which is what I did. Also try moving the Dial round a bit to give you a better closed position as I found in the open position it did next to nothing for the first 1/4 turn.
That's a good point, I think it's possible to put the dial back on in the wrong position so to speak.
Might be worth removing the dial, close the valve fully then refit the dial in the closed position and see if that was the issue.
Cheers for the advice.
Even in the fully clockwise position there is little or no damping effect that I can feel.
Could the dial have been incorrectly fitted from the factory?
I wouldn’t have thought you’d touch the damper dial whilst changing the airspring - no need to touch that side of the fork unless you did a general service at the same time.
20% sag is quite firm - is that your preference?
I think my Lyriks (140mm travel) are running around 25-30% but ramp up at the end so I don’t quite bottom them on the majority of rides (the little red band did reach the crown at BPW / BMCC recently but I didn’t notice a hard bottom out - got 3 tokens in the forks but perhaps I need a 4th if that’s possible).
No harm in trying, it's only a case of removing the screw in the centre and popping the dial off to see if the valve is fully shut.
As per @joebristol my pike RC makes a big difference between shut and open.
As per @joebristol my pike RC makes a big difference between shut and open.
To be fair these did until I'd changed the air spring which is why I don't understand what's going on.
Definitely didn't touch the damper side at all when doing the airshaft.
Very bizarre.
If you've got a 2020 Pike Select, it has an internal floating piston "Charger RC" damper completely different to the Charger 1/2/2.1 dampers which have bladders. The Pike RC up to 2019 had a bladder Charger damper that was compromised for riding but did provide a lockout. The high speed compression circuit on these was set ridiculously hard so that closing off the low speed adjuster resulted in almost total lockout. The newer damper now has high speed compression designed to make the whole damper work well for off-road riding. Lockout provision isn't as compromised but I can't explain why it used to work and now doesn't since your spring upgrade.
So you're in a strange position. Your damper is probably better for off-road than its predecessor but less good for lockout. I've never been massively into lockout as a feature - definitely a nice-to-have.
RCT3 has a special implementation which separates the lockout function without compromising the general characteristics as much. Pricey upgrade, so not great value for money.
RC2 doesn't have any sort of lockout.
Has the damper had a proper chance to self-bleed all the oil back after the work your did? Does the damper sound squelchy?
Has the damper had a proper chance to self-bleed all the oil back after the work your did? Does the damper sound squelchy?
I didnt even know it could do this. How do i get it to do it?
It doesnt feel or sound squelchy. It just doesnt feel any different between the settings and also the fork just feels like apogo if that makes sense, very wooden.
Im keeping the bike for a while so if I can upgrade tot the RCT3 damper would it be a good compromise. The fork is on a long travel hardtail which I also use as my do it all bike so like trips to the shops or down the canal with my kids on their bikes etc. I would like the option to firm up or even lock the fork out for these instances.
Regarding bleeding the damper, I've been told by 2 suspension 'experts' (guys that do this for a living) that the Pike & Lyrik Charger damper is completely linear, so it performs the same through the whole stroke. Therefore it doesn't need to be bled between travel changes.