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hi guys
anyone know if there is a way of reducing the ramp up in the end stroke of travel in the older style pikes?
Even if I run very low pressures in the positive and or negative chambers they are super smooth and soft until the last 20mm then suddenly really hard and can’t be bottomed out even if the sag is nearly half travel!
oil levels are as recommended in the manual
oddly the travel seems to vary depending on how much negative air is in them. The less negative air the less the ramp up seems to be and more travel is available
thanks
I've got some of them. There's a really good guide on this forum somewhere for setting them up, it's worth hunting for.
The negative air is used to overcome the initial spring resistance and will account for +/- 5mm of travel, but it won't affect how the fork ramps up under compression.
I'm sure that a few cubic centimetres of oil in the positive air chamber will even out the progression by reducing the air spring capacity it'll make the fork more linear and less progressive. It should be an easy modification, just release the air from the negative spring, then the positive and then remove the valve core from the positive spring before adding the oil.
You can buy 32mm top caps and screw-in volume adjuster spacers as used in later Pikes. Not 100% certain, but they may well fit the non U-Turn Pike Air.
Edit: Bottomless Tokens. I'd forgotten the 'proper' name.
PJM: are you sure that's right? Would have thought reducing the +ive volume will make them more progressive?
What happens if you let all the air out, can you get full travel? When were they last serviced? I find mine get pissy and need a service after every 6 months or so. Currently they're leaking air from -ve to +ive
Thanks guys,
I service them pretty regularly and to be honest they hold air perfectly in both chambers, my next chain thought was that perhaps there is a little bit too much oil in the negative or positive chamber which perhaps is acting a little bit like a bottomless token on the newer pikes reducing the volume ramping it up. What’s so odd about it is that they are really soft until suddenly becoming much stiffer.
Sounds to me like they are working properly. Having them ramp up at the end of their travel stops them bottoming out, which is basically like going from smooth travel to rigid without any ramp up. That's not desirable.
Putting extra oil in the positive chamber will reduce its volume, which will increase the ramp up (i.e. less linear, with plush travel at the top but much stiffer at the bottom). I set up my Revs by releasing all the negative chamber pressure, then adjusting the positive chamber pressure so that they use most of the travel on the steepest, roughest descent that I ride, without bottoming out. Then I adjust the negative chamber to give an inch or so sag, so they feel supple over small roots and bumps. I think that's the standard way of setting them up.