RockShox Pike 454 Dual Air fork review

One of the first forks from the ‘SRAM powered’ RockShox launch, the ugly duckling Pike has proved itself a superb do-it-all hard riding fork.

The 32mm legs are only average diameter but the super neat, screw-in and lever lock Maxle QR lower legs give it great point and shoot precision.

Heading into rock gardens, big root nests or anywhere there’s no obvious clear line, it just blasts its way through like you’ve got the biggest über-weapon in the whole computer game. Even in this lightest Dual Air version it does add noticeable weight to the front of your bike, and U-Turn versions are heavier still. It’ll totally change the level of aggression you take to the trail though, and we don’t know many Pike riders who’ve switched back to lighter forks.

Typically for RockShox it takes a few rides before initial stiffness eases (coil versions are smoother starting), but positive/negative air springs and Floodgate threshold damping make it super easy to set up to taste.

Apart from keeping the screw thread on the Maxle clean, its longevity reputation is blemish-free too, so you can go gunning for the biggest trail trouble day in and day out without any downtime.

95-140mm coil, or 110-140mm air U-Turn plus other family options including neat Pop Loc remote levers are also available.