Forks: Talas vs Pike

[schleppp]

So here it is: I am currently riding an Ellsworth Id and I am going to change the forks, I have narrowed my decision to either the Talas or Pike and would like some input. I am an intermidiate to advanced intermidiate all mountain rider. The bike has 5.25" of travel in the rear, and I want a fork that can easily be adjusted from 100-140mm of travel which both of these do. Weight is not a real issue. I thank you for your "expert" comments...

Kevin

PS: God bless those that are affected by the fire!!

[Sprockethead]

Go with the Pike, it's got a 20mm thru axle which will be stiffer and your bike will track better in the rough stuff. I've only read good experiences with the Pike & ID on the Ells board on MTBR.

[stinkyrider]

I love my rock shox pike. It tracks extremely well. It's nice and stiff. It's pretty plush yet still hard to bottom out. It seems to have the right balance of plushness without feeling too rough or too soft.
I'm loving the maxle, it makes removing the front tire super quick and easy.

I've never ridden on the talas so I couldn't compare the two, but I have been extremely pleased with the pike.

[allison]

I love my Talas! But, never tried a Pike.

[PacMan]

It depends on which TALAS you're referring too. I would say if you can go 36 TALAS, then do that. Otherwise, it's a toss-up between the 32 TALAS and the Pike. I would lean towards the Pike out of those two. Just my opinion.

[Von-Skipp]

I used to run a 32 Talas on my 5spot then upgraded to a PIKE 454. Huge improvement on the technical stuff and lots stiffer. If your looking for something a little plusher and active for the downill defintely go PIKE. BTW, I could not notice the extra weight of the PIKE when I got it.


Be sure you have through axle hubs if you decide on the PIKE.

[allison]

Yeah, I've got a Talas 36. Though, I had a Talas 32 that worked well, but it's not quite like the 36

[mechmann]

i wouldn't buy a 32mm stantion fork, but that is me.

Talas 36 is the way to go IMO

[PacMan]

Originally Posted by mechmann

i wouldn't buy a 32mm stantion fork, but that is me.

Well ya, but you're not human either, so...

[schleppp]

Originally Posted by PacMan

It depends on which TALAS you're referring too. I would say if you can go 36 TALAS, then do that. Otherwise, it's a toss-up between the 32 TALAS and the Pike. I would lean towards the Pike out of those two. Just my opinion.

Originally Posted by allison

I love my Talas! But, never tried a Pike.

Why do you guys like these? Ride, adjustability, tracking? Or "D" all of the above??

[allison]

Originally Posted by schleppp

Why do you guys like these? Ride, adjustability, tracking? Or "D" all of the above??

It's plush, I've used mine for trail riding and for DH racing. It's easy to go from the "climb" setting to the "DH" setting.

I'm a girl.. I have no technical words available for you

I've beat up that fork and haven't had any issues. Now I'm knocking on wood.

[Sprockethead]

According to the OP, he mentions 5.25" on the Talas so it can only be the 32. The 36 is either going to be 5.9" or 6.3". Go with the PIKE, but as Kipp says, you'll need a thru axle hub.

[schleppp]

Originally Posted by Von-Skipp

Be sure you have through axle hubs if you decide on the PIKE.

HHHmmmm.... How do I know? I have a set of Mavic XL crossmax wheels? will those work??

[PacMan]

Originally Posted by schleppp

Why do you guys like these? Ride, adjustability, tracking? Or "D" all of the above??

D--all of the above. You can't beat the stability and tracking of a thru axle fork. The adjustability is really nice to have too. It lets you ride so many different kinds of trails easier. Dial down for the climbs, dial up for the DH and find the sweet spot in between for the rest.

You may also want to check out the Marz 55's. I saw them at Beyond Bikes' Biketoberfest and talked to the Marz reps. The dual air 55 has 35mm stanchions and only ways 4.6 lbs, with adjustable travel from 125-165mm and 5 position TST. The coil version is cheaper and only weighs 5.2 lbs. Very awesome stuff.

[andino]

having ridden both, i'd say go for the pike only because it's much stiffer due to the 20mm TA. the talas is nice but it flexes in bumpy conditions where the pike plowed through with no problems

[alank]

pike!

[ericfoltz]

I 've got 5000+ miles on my Pike and love it. Real plush and easy to maintain.

[Sprockethead]

Kevin, what fork are you running now? If you've got quick release skewers on your front wheel you have regular QR hubs. You'll know that you have a 20mm hub, when you take the front wheel off, you should be able to easily run your finger through the hub, hence 20mm diameter of the hub.

If you're in OC, give the Path a call, they can hook you up with a wheel if you need it. I may be wrong, but I think some of the CrossMax wheelsets have an adapter that you can buy to change it from Quick Release to 20mm Thru Axle.

[DISCO]

I have heard complaints of the travel lever wandering on the talas, not to mention the flex with the 32. The pike 454 air weighs less than 4.25 lbs and is strong enough to dirt jump, currently it is the object of my fork lust. If you are on a tight budget the coil versions of the Tora are a bargain. 130 mm travel, regular QR axle, and the butted Cro-moly legs are flex free in a 4.8 pound package with damping control for under $300. The travel adjust is great for prolonged climbs and does a great job eliminating bob, get your proper spring and you are set. I have ridden the one without the damping for a year and have not had a single complaint.

[guero]

this is a trip. i have one of each; a TALAS on my SuperLight and a PIKE (air) on my Dawg. the TALAS feels really good. i havent experimented too much with the many adjustments, but the travel adjust feature works great, although the travel adjust on the PIKE is much more noticeable as you can actually feel the fork wind down when cranking the knob. when riding the SuperLight i turn the travel adjust dial about 10 'clicks' to bring the fork down about an inch so i have a 'true' 4 inch travel bike. i usually keep the rebound about 1/2 out, i forget exactly how many clicks it is, but it is very responsive.

the PIKE also feels really good. when riding my SuperLight i tend to take it a little easier on the descents as i feel like my SuperLight is much more fragile than my Dawg. i still ride fast, but i don't push it as hard as i do on my Dawg with the PIKE. point being, i dont notice any 'flex' when descending with the TALAS.

honestly i am not super anal when it comes to my equipment, and couldnt tell you the mid stroke compression feels better on this fork vs. that fork, but what i do know is that they both feel great. maintenance wise, im not sure which one would be easier to work on, as that stuff is way over my head. if you are gonna be riding aggressively i'd suggest the PIKE as it is equipped with the 20mm '360 maxle' which is a breeze to fasten. if you are more xc oriented, the TALAS might be a good call.