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another "gear for whistler thread" - pike race vs 66rc2x

mandown

Poopdeck Repost
Jun 1, 2004
20,126
7,674
Transylvania 90210
i hate to create this thread, but i need some input. i am getting a transition bottlerocket. it has 140mm of travel. i am serriously thinking about keeping the pike race currently on my hardtail and running it on the bottlerocket (i have a manitou splice that i can run on my HT, so i wont need a new fork). my other option is to get a 66RC2X for the bottlerocket and run the pike on my HT.

i am 185lbs and go medium. i plan to hit whistler, the shore, and some other mountain resorts with the bottlerocket. should i up it to the 66 or spend my money elsewhere (like on a new pimp enduro wheelset from industrynine)? the pike and a lighter wheelset could shave about 3lbs off my build weight.

or, should i take the 3lb penalty and go for the beefier 66 that i can switch up to 170mm of travel for the gnar-gnar?

is the 66 overkill for a guy that will never hit any big doubles or drops over 10 feet? is the pike underkill?
 

Bicyclist

Turbo Monkey
Apr 4, 2004
10,152
2
SB
Why not get a new 36 when it comes out for your FS, keep the Pike on the HT where it belongs, and sell your Splice?
 

davep

Turbo Monkey
Jan 7, 2005
3,276
0
seattle
There is nothing that big at whistler. The clown shoes drop is ths largest thing at 8-12 ft but it has a steep and thus low impact landing. Many people hit it on hard tails with small forks. I would be more worried about multi day riding and how your body will feel. You get SO much riding up there in a day that you will hurt (mostly hands), especially with extended play every day. I have felt beat to sh1t after riding with a poor performing 8" fork. I guess it just depends on how long you are going to be there and how long you want to ride per day as well as what trails you will ride(there are always 222's to dull the pain). A-line is a gigantic 4X track and would be a blast on a smaller bike, but there are some trails that are much rougher(upper mt, national DH, etc), especially later in the summer.
You should be fine on the shore with the pike.

BTW that little frame looks very cool, what is your expected delivery time??
 

RaID

Turbo Monkey
im definately voting 66
especially at the longer travel. I know it will slacken your bike, but you wont be complaining at whistler. Your hand will thank you for it at the end of doing 10000m vertical over the whole day.

For the shore id drop it back to 150mm

Plus I found the 66 to be more confidence inspiring then the pike.
 

redical

Monkey
May 19, 2004
388
0
I've gone through 3 pikes just in mellow 4X racing. I wouldn't take one up there to the gnar. Zocchi is the way to go.

If you are getting a Bottlerocket, I'd call Allen at dropnzone.com He'll have some stuff to tell you about them.
 

PatBranch

Turbo Monkey
Sep 24, 2004
10,451
9
wine country
He meant about doing stuff like 10' doubles.

I don't think it's overkill. It will help a lot in the rough parts. I rode a 6" 66 there last year. It was perfect for whistler.
 

PepperJester

Monkey
Jul 9, 2004
798
19
Wolfville NS
Netguy said:
Overkill for Whistler? I think its the perfect Whistler fork.
yaa what do I know, I've never been there. I was just going by what buddy said "is the 66 overkill for a guy that will never hit any big doubles or drops over 10 feet? is the pike underkill?"

And from what I can tell if your not doing drops over 10fr and not big doubbles. then In my mind a z1 would be a better choice. It will take the hits and save a bit of weight.
 

Bicyclist

Turbo Monkey
Apr 4, 2004
10,152
2
SB
I rode another Pike today and it reminded me of my Marzocchi MX Comp. Go for the 66 for Whistler.
 

sampo

Chimp
Nov 21, 2005
19
0
Another vote for the 66SL.

It is sub 6lb, but just as strong and stiff as the RC2X. 150-170mm travel (and it can be run below 150 easily, although this is not endorsed by Marzocchi). It is so tunable as well, can be set up for any kind of riding.

Just make sure that you break it in and give it an oil change after about 20hrs - it is very sticky to begin with. Smooths right out after a bit though.
 

mandown

Poopdeck Repost
Jun 1, 2004
20,126
7,674
Transylvania 90210
Bicyclist said:
Why not get a new 36 when it comes out for your FS, keep the Pike on the HT where it belongs, and sell your Splice?
which 36 are you thinking of? my first plan was to get a 36VANR, but my bud talked me out of it. lots of peeps have been saying the 36 "feels too linear." i have not ridden it, so i don't know. marzo's officies are closer to where i live, so i can take the fork to them if i have any trouble. marzo has a great reputation for helping riders out with thier forks. i have not heard the same about fox. i am not saying they are bad, just that i have not heard the same about them. i have been trying to sell my splice. nobody wants it :rolleyes:

davep said:
There is nothing that big at whistler. The clown shoes drop is ths largest thing at 8-12 ft but it has a steep and thus low impact landing. Many people hit it on hard tails with small forks. I would be more worried about multi day riding and how your body will feel. You get SO much riding up there in a day that you will hurt (mostly hands), especially with extended play every day. I have felt beat to sh1t after riding with a poor performing 8" fork. I guess it just depends on how long you are going to be there and how long you want to ride per day as well as what trails you will ride(there are always 222's to dull the pain). A-line is a gigantic 4X track and would be a blast on a smaller bike, but there are some trails that are much rougher(upper mt, national DH, etc), especially later in the summer.
You should be fine on the shore with the pike.

BTW that little frame looks very cool, what is your expected delivery time??
the endurance factor is definitely in my head. i think the pike could handle anything at whistler. however i think the more time you spend on the mountain, the more the travel quality, amount of travel and stiffness will become an issue. i rode whistler on a 5" travel brodie with a marzo DJIII on it (some of you know this story). it was a rough week of riding, but i did it. the pike would be better than that for sure. however, my last two years at whistler have been on a BB7 and a Shiver. i am concerned that on the upper rough stuff, the pike will be hurting.

the expected delivery for the bottlerocket is mid-june to early july.

Monkeybidnezz said:
How about saving some weight and getting the 66 SL? I dig the 36 idea too so that you don't go too slack..
not sure i want to deal with the air on a 66SL. air adjustments bum me out. no real reason why, they just make me feel funny. that has been part of my concern about the 66RC2X. i may just end up back at my plan to go with the 36VANR.


thanks for all the input. at this point, i am shying away from the pike and leaning back toward the 36VANR. i would love to hear more about this fork. in other threads i have seen, peeps seem to be a bit down on it. it is interesting that it is getting some love in this thread. i also know the 66RC2X won't be a bad option, and i am sure i would like it. i am just not convinced that i will love it. it seems i could save a few dollars and a few pounds by going with the 36. i am open to more suggestions, so bring them on :thumb:
 

Lex

Monkey
Dec 6, 2001
594
0
Massachusetts
I just got a Travis Single 150 with the Intrinsic damper and rode it for the first time this weekend on my newly configured BB7 (see link below). Great fork so far and people are selling new ones on this board (where I got mine) and ebay for really cheap. Mine was plush right out of the box with no break-in needed and I really like how it feels overall on fast and semi-rough terrain. I'll be using it at Bromont this weekend instead of my Boxxer.

http://www.bustedspoke.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?t=23694
 

mandown

Poopdeck Repost
Jun 1, 2004
20,126
7,674
Transylvania 90210
i did look at the travis. if i have mixed feelings on manitous. i like some of them. others piss me off. i think if i am getting a new fork, i will lay out the dough for the 66 or the 36. the 66 would give me the option to go from 150mm to 170mm. the 36 would give me the weight savings. the $$$ savins would be nice for the mantiou, but it is not as persuasive a factor.
 

Lex

Monkey
Dec 6, 2001
594
0
Massachusetts
mandown said:
i did look at the travis. if i have mixed feelings on manitous. i like some of them. others piss me off. i think if i am getting a new fork, i will lay out the dough for the 66 or the 36. the 66 would give me the option to go from 150mm to 170mm. the 36 would give me the weight savings. the $$$ savins would be nice for the mantiou, but it is not as persuasive a factor.
What does a Fox 36R/RC weigh? What is it that pisses you off about some Manitou forks?
 

mandown

Poopdeck Repost
Jun 1, 2004
20,126
7,674
Transylvania 90210
the fox 36R is a hair under 5.5lbs. that is about a pound under the manitou.

the things that have bugged me about manitou in the past have been the adjuster knobs. they don't do squat. i can never feel any change after turning them (2003 breakout). they have also been flimsy and broken off (my old x-vert). the travel adjust on my breakout kept breaking.

oddly enough, my splice is a nice feeling little fork. however, my other manitous have not felt so nice. my buddy has a 2004 or 2005 breakout plus with SPV and it feels awful to me. he digs it, but i don't like the way it rides. the platform makes small bumps too harsh. there is also something odd about the way the travel feels. oddly enough he also has a stance single crown that feels pretty good. it broke on him pretty quick. but it is back and running and feels ok. i think i like the cheaper damping mechanisms manitou uses, as far as feel goes.
 

Roasted

Turbo Monkey
Jul 4, 2002
1,488
0
Whistler, BC
Netguy said:
Overkill for Whistler? I think its the perfect Whistler fork.
Agreed...but then again I believe everyone elses application of a device can't apply to anyone else. I am a 270 pound hack...haha I can't really listen to the average 5'7 150 pound rider that lives here haha
 

mandown

Poopdeck Repost
Jun 1, 2004
20,126
7,674
Transylvania 90210
i guess it all depends on the whistler experience you want. the pike might be fine for hitting a-line all day. however, the roots up on garbonzo will probably eat that fork. my concern was that i was undersestimating the power of the pike. i know it can handle big slopestyle drops (i've seen the video and pics). however, the all-day endurance bombing of garbonzo might take a toll on it.

right now, i am back on board with the 36VAN R. anyone else wanna change my mind?