How tough are RS Lyrik ?

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How tough are RS Lyrik ?
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flag bennettfreeride
Posted: Nov 12, 2009 at 13:45 Quote
I am wondering which fork to go for, i want a lightweight freeride all mountain fork that can handle light dh. and the occasional rough landing.
How does the lyrik compare to the 36 float or vanilla ? is the lyrik a tough fork that requires little maintainance ? however i can service rockshox forks if need. i would like to know if they can handle it. Thanks
flag hampsteadbandit
Posted: Nov 13, 2009 at 3:35 Quote
the Fox 36 is definitely tougher and stronger than a Lyric, but requires more regular maintenance to keep the fork working sweet!

I've had Lyric 2-Step (big fail), Lyric coil (good fork) and Fox 36 Talas RC2 (awesome fork for aggressive riding, but not as sensitive on small bumps as Lyric)


the Fox 36 feels much more solid under hard braking (where you could see the lower legs on the Lyric "twang"), landing big drops and running into square edge bumps

weirdly, the Fox forks are also lighter than the Lyrics, despite being stiffer!

I also bought a Domain 318 Coil U-Turn whilst my Lyric was being warrantied, and it felt much more like the Fox 36 in terms of stiffness, although the damper was no where near as capable as either the Lyric's Mission Control or the Fox's RC2 unit


I ended up ruining my Lyric coil - I stretched the crown and steerer by abusing the fork a little too much, which developed into a scary clicking / creaking noise under hard braking or landings - to be fair to SRAM they warrantied the CSU no issue and I sold the fork on to a buddy...


Lyric Coil U-Turn is definitely a good, relatively tough fork for all-mountain and will handle some DH and light FR but you will end up killing it, if you do full-on stunts regularly!

photo
flag dobby
Posted: Nov 13, 2009 at 3:39 Quote
The lyriks are awesome forks!!! Unlike the Fox 36, they are just slightly skinnier (35mm sanctions). Iv got the U-Turn coil version which has more than enough adjustment required for its price range including Mission control settings. The only time your gonna get adjument like that with Fox is with the more higher up, meaning higher prices ones (like Floats, RC2 models etc).
flag hampsteadbandit
Posted: Nov 13, 2009 at 12:08 Quote
Fox 36 Talas and Lyric Coil U-Turn are actually about the same "street" price in the UK

unfortunately, SRAM put up all their prices on 2009 Rockshox forks, pushing the Lyric coil u-turn to £865, the 2010 Fox 36 Talas RC2 is £930 as a comparison - not a big difference when you take into account the slight discount many bike shops offer

the Fox 36 Van and Float come in around the same price as the Lyric Coil U-turn

photo


probably the biggest difference between the two fork ranges (Lyric and 36) is the ability to adjust travel

both the 36 Float and 36 Vanilla are not travel adjustable (in terms of "on the fly", external travel adjustment on the trail) - its quite easy to strip down the 36 Float and lower it internally, but this is not an option on the 36 Vanilla (coil)

the Fox 36 Talas is definitely not as smooth running as the Lyric Coil U-Turn (I have owned both as previously mentioned)

the 36 Talas has more initial friction and is not as sensitive on the small bumps - the Lyric Coil U-T in contrast is buttery smooth on the small stuff which makes it easier on your wrists and adds an element of control to your front wheel


the Fox 36 Talas feels very nice after a "lowers" service which takes about 10-15 minutes and requires Fox Float fluid and Fox suspension oil, plus some Judy Butter or Slicky Honey and basic tools (allen key, rubber mallet, clean rags)

unfortunately, due to the design of the sealing system on the 36 Talas, the fork soon loses this buttery smooth feeling as dirt and water starts to ingress into the fork lowers, its not terrible but the fork gets stickier and stickier as time goes on, I do my lowers service every 6-8 weeks Frown

photo


if you are prepared to work on your 36 Talas its a great fork, and its the only external travel adjustable version of the 36 fork you can buy - it would be very cool to see Fox do a travel adjustable 36 Vanilla but their technology would not work in that respect Frown


a great feature of the 36 Talas for all-mountain riders is the switch-driven travel adjuster, Rockshox's Lyric is driven by a windable dial

I constantly switch between the 130mm and 160mm settings whilst riding the Fox 36 Talas on my All-Mtn bike, the 100mm setting is redundant on any all-mountain bike with 6" of rear travel as its messes up the geometry even for climbing; I would prefer Fox to offer 120mm, 140mm and 160mm settings for the Talas 3 position switch

a slight problem with the Lyric Coil U-Turn is that the travel adjuster is time consuming to rotate, and cannot be done "on the fly" as you ride along like the 36 Talas can, so many riders don't bother using the Coil U-Turn on the Lyric

it can be useful to setup / fine tune your bike geometry, but not perhaps as a trail-usable travel adjuster


photo

the Lyric Coil U-Turn probably takes the win, in my opinion because it requires less maintenance, runs smooth and is tough / stiff enough to suit most riders needs...
flag bennettfreeride
Posted: Nov 13, 2009 at 12:36 Quote
Thanks Hampsteadbandit, it was a really detailed response, been really helpful and i think i've made my decision and i will go for the fox 36. However, i do like working with RS forks due to the easy instructional videos and simple services. How would the totem feel on a banshee wildcard, as i know you ride these a lot. It will be mostly run on the 5 inch setting, but occaisonally changed to the 6.5 setting for ruffer stuff. Does the totem lower internally to 160mm ? Thanks
flag hampsteadbandit
Posted: Nov 13, 2009 at 13:17 Quote
the fox 36 is also quite easy to work on, but you will need to buy Fox Float fluid (75 weight) from Mojo, you can substitute the Fox suspension fluid for any 7.5wt moto oil, but its easier in some ways to just grab both products from Mojo!!

the Fox Float fluid is used to lubricate the foam wipers (you remove them from the lowers, and soak them in the Float fluid before re-inserting)

The Totem cannot be lowered, and will probably feel too tall on the Wildcard due to the Totem's long crown-to-axle height (same as 200mm Boxxer)

the Totem really suits the Banshee Scythe or perhaps the new Legend Mk2, more than the WC

there is not any issue of strength running a Totem on the WC, its more the effect it will have on the geometry; it will substantially slacken the head angle, seat angle; raise the bottom bracket and increase the front centre / wheelbase of the bike - this will have a detrimental effect on the WC's nimble handling and precision - pretty much the reason for buying a mid travel FR bike like the WC

the WC will ride better with a Totem, if the WC is set on 6.5" rear travel


if you want to run a WC on 5" rear setup, definitely look at the Fox 36 or Rockshox Lyric series of forks Wink




Keith (Banshee / Mythic design engineer) with my Team WC (Domain 318 Coil U-T) and his AMP prototype (Argyle 318 ) at Woburn Sands, England

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taking my Team WC with Domain 318 Coil U-Turn through the main line at Woburn Sands

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my Team WC with Domain 160mm 318 coil u-turns

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flag badgermeister
Posted: Nov 13, 2009 at 13:40 Quote
i've just got a set of 2010 float 36 rc2's for a super cheap price. i was considering a set of totems and tf tuned said they could sell me a set reduced down to 160mm. i had a set of 2009 36 vans and they were the best set of forks i've ever ridden - hence my decision to stay with fox.
flag bennettfreeride
Posted: Nov 13, 2009 at 14:08 Quote
great. thanks for the help guys.
flag Lester22291
O+
Posted: Jan 17, 2012 at 11:20 Quote
Ive never owned a fox 36, but ive had a lyric for about two years now and i love it. I ride everything on it, ive raced both dh and xc on it, and i do a fair amount of freeride on it. Its held up just fine, im very happy with the fork.
flag exnvanlocal
O+ FL
Posted: Jan 17, 2012 at 23:57 Quote
Like Lester above i've never owned a 36 but have a Lyrik u-Turn on my SC Nomad. I'm pretty heavy at around 210lbs but running with higher compression i find the fork pretty damn good.... especially for the money. I'm running the 1.5 steerer.... and havent found flex to be an issue.

Agree that the travel adjustment isnt worth changing mid trail, but if you know you're going for a flowy all mountain ride it's nice to set it a bit lower and enjoy the better climbing.... and if you know you're shuttling, crank it all the way out for the day.... only takes about 4-5 seconds to go from 115mm to 160mm

On a side note, i paid $225 for it new on eBay ($305 all up shipped to Australia) - so keep your eye out for a good deal....... and that was from a bike shop in Idaho or somewhere.

Cheers
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