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Which 160mm forks
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WarrenpfoFree Member
I am currently running a set of 2012 Lyrik RC forks on a Carbon nomad and for some reason just can’t seem to get them working right. They came with the bike when I bought it and have ridden them for some time even giving them a service and changing oils and seals.
I have done a search and there is not much in the forum that is up to date on what the best 160mm travel fork out there is at the moment and so wanted to ask.
I was thinking maybe the new Talas 160mm fork as I have found that the front end does wander a little when climbing and is much better when would down to 130mm.
I have had a set of 2009 talas forks which where fantastic and really enjoyed them but just thought I would ask as they are new to the market and so not much news on them.
Any other forks to think about?
BoardinBobFull MemberIn what way are they not working right? Do you have the correct spring for your weight? Have you read the set-up guide on the SRAM site?
Lyriks are awesome forks and should work for you.
Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middling Edition
Latest Singletrack VideosFresh Goods Friday 696: The Middlin...thisisnotaspoonFree MemberLyrics from further up the spec ladder? LOCO might be able to sell you a higher end damper which might work out cheepest?
boltonjonFull MemberFitted some BOS Deveille a month ago and i’m thoroughly impressed with them
However, I understand that the STW crowd is somewhat divided on them……awaiting sudden rush of abuse 🙄
LimyFree MemberCould check out the new SR Suntour Durolux RC2 TA forks. Adjustable from 160mm to 120mm via handlebar mounted lever.
vinnyehFull MemberIs there any problem other than that the front end seems a bit wandery? I reckon for most bikes now travel adjust isn’t really necessary, a wee change to the bar/stem/saddle and a bit of body english sorts things.
Or are you really just hankering after a new fork? 😉
gravity-slaveFree MemberAs above, Lyirks are (or have the potential to be) awesome.
What model/damper have you got and can you be specific about your problems?
bwaarpFree MemberAn after market Avalanche Lyrik damper cartridge would sort your forks out.
You have the basic rebound only fork so it would really help.
WarrenpfoFree MemberAs mentioned I have the basic lyrik rs with motion control. So maybe an upgraded version may change things. it wanders only because the front end is to high but is great when dropped to 130mm. It’s only up steep grany ring climbs that it wanders not normal trail riding.
Yes a new fork would be great but I am happy to give the lyrik’s another shot with some changes. What I don’t like is there is no small bumb compliance…what ever the hell that means. By that I mean that rooty or rocky trail riding sends judders up my arms and it takes quite some force (in my eyes too much) to depress the forks but once going they feel good.
At pace it’s like riding a pogo stick up front. I am riding them at 20% sag which is hard to get wrong as they have the sag settings on the stantions. I have the right psi for my weight all geared up.
theroadwarriorFree MemberTry slowing the rebound setting right down- I had the same problem on my fox float 32s; going real slow on the rebound sorted it and it doesn’t pack down on repeated hits at all.
vinnyehFull MemberFWIW, I bought a cheap pair of Solo R Lyriks, and fitted mission control rebound and compression dampers- only used it twice before changing the dampers – the fork was imo an utter pile of cack with the original setup. Either get rid of, or swap out the dampers for current mico dh ones- it’s only a 30 minute or so job.
geetee1972Free MemberFitted some BOS Deveille a month ago and i’m thoroughly impressed with them
Same here – truly excellent fork but I suspect they need to be ridden hard to pay dividends. Go slows need not apply.
gravity-slaveFree MemberI’m on the Solo air RC2DH and the fork is very composed, patters nicely on the small bumps and tracks well through roots as well as soaking big bumps and drops.
Solo airs? Have you tried dropping the pressure a bit? This should help with the sensitivity.
I’m pretty sure the RC2DH dampers are a retro fit and could be worth exploring, much cheaper than a new fork.
messiahFree MemberMotion control was sh1t in Pike forks (a very overrated fork IMHO)… Upgrade to Mission control or Avalanche… I’d love to try the Avy.
WarrenpfoFree MemberIf I sold the forks and added the cost of the avy mod I’m close to adding a few quid and getting some new forks.
Happy to spend cash on the forks but don’t want to throw money away.
messiahFree MemberIf I sold the forks and added the cost of the avy mod I’m close to adding a few quid and getting some new forks.
Happy to spend cash on the forks but don’t want to throw money away.
But it “could” be argued that an Avy upgraded fork is better than any standard new fork**
**I’ve no idea if this is factually correct but Avalanche stuff does get good reviews.
mikewsmithFree MemberAt pace it’s like riding a pogo stick up front. I am riding them at 20% sag which is hard to get wrong as they have the sag settings on the stantions. I have the right psi for my weight all geared up.
Two things really
The PSI on a fork is plucked from thin air, the other numbers from the arse of whoever is around. Never had one that was anywhere near right.
When you set sag are you sat on the bike or in the attack position (one requires a mate)
Try setting to 25% sag in attack position then go from there with rebound etc.Best tip I had was to take a shock pump to a local trail with a bit of everything and ride laps till it was right.
BagstardFree MemberI have a mission control damper from my broken(CSU) Lyriks I am selling. If interested I will send it to you to try out, if it does what you want buy it, if not send it back.Nothing to lose, but time and postage. email in profile if interested.
unklehomeredFree MemberYou’ve loads of stuff above to try, and better damper would probably pay dividends, but on your current set up, less air/smaller spring, and slower rebound sounds like a necessary set-up adjust..
PSI/Weight on forks is nonsense, according to mine I should run >170PSI, I run 140/130 and that’s hard.
If you’re happy buggering about with forks internals I would take Bagstard up on his offer.
doug_basqueMTB.comFull MemberReally would recommend the Marz 55 RC3’s. Best forks I’ve tried.
WarrenpfoFree MemberBagstard Ill take you up on the offer, will PM you now as well as give all the above a go.
It would see less air is the key as the recommended amounts are too high, set sag too 25% in the “attack” position rather than just sitting on bike (which I am sure I did but will re check).
Give Bagstards damper a go and see how much of a difference that makes.
And report back.
unklehomeredFree Memberif still po-go like, slow the rebound off too.
Let us know how you get on. #is about to buy a 160 fork 🙂 #
Hob-NobFree MemberI think fix what you have, most of the high end forks are much of a muchness now.
I’ve ridden the 55RC3Ti’s, had a set of 2012 Float’s & a now some BOS Deville’s. They all feel different, but I wouldn’t say one is ‘better’ than the other.
vinnyehFull MemberWhen I changed the compression damper I was told to change the rebound one as well for mission control- the lower spec ones don’t move enough oil for the compression damper to work properly
At pace it’s like riding a pogo stick up front. I am riding them at 20% sag which is hard to get wrong as they have the sag settings on the stantions. I have the right psi for my weight all geared up.
Just saw this highlighted- I’m at nearly 30% sag. You won’t be doing yourself too many favours with that much air in the forks.
WarrenpfoFree MemberAfter having a discussion with Bagstard he has 09 U-turn mission control damper on offer. As i mentioned to him I don’t know if there are better than what I have currently or if there are even better out there.
It would certainly seem that I need to run more sag than what I have. I am now also not sure if its worth trying the new damper without changing the rebound as suggested.
I_AcheFree MemberI think the newer rebound is end of stroke biased and it sounds like you have newish forks. According to this your rebound is of the new design so don’t worry about changing that. The compression cartridge you have in there sucks balls.
http://www.sram.com/rockshox/products/lyrik-rc#/path/term-id/7
I have High and Low compression and floodgate on my Lyriks and they are brilliant.
continuityFree MemberI don’t know why people insist on hi and lo compression adjustments, hi and low rebound make much more of a difference to performance.
I_AcheFree MemberDual flow rebound in my forks they seem to sort themselves out pretty well, although I have never tried separate H+L rebound adjustment.
BagstardFree MemberI’ve never seen a for with H+L rebound (not saying they don’t exist.)
gravity-slaveFree MemberApologies if you know all about setup, if not, hope these pointers help.
My Lyirk Solo Air RC2DH is up there with all the other top performing forks I’ve ridden (everything from Boxxers, Dorados, Bombers, Shivers, Fox, Pikes, RLT Ti’s!).
Other 160 options are 36’s, DeVilles, Marzocchi but once they are all tuned right, the differences from one to another are not really huge.
Certainly in terms of chassis stiffness, spares and durability, I’d say the Lyrik is one of the best. The damping on the base models can need some work.
If you are changing dampers, you really need to make sure you have the dual flow rebound in there, makes a big difference over previous RS forks.
As you say, you could sell up and by a better fork but I’d check how much an RC2DH damper and dual flow rebound assembly is from TF or LoCo.
Initially though, try some setup tweaks – if these are heading in the right direction but not good enough, it might give you confidence to go for the damper upgrade, if not, you’ll know what you want in a new fork.
Find a typical tough section and session over and over while playing (and noting) with settings.
Sag 25-50%.
Too much air looses small bump sensitivity and ramps up too fast on big hits. Drop the sag and see how they ride, if you are bottoming out, add 5psi at a time.Compression – back right off so there’s none and add a click or two at a time if the forks are diving too much.
Rebound – if the forks are pogoing, the rebound could be too fast. Set it 12 clicks out as default and tune from there. Go higher if you have more PSI,
http://www.sram.com/sites/default/files/missioncontrol_tuningguide_en.pdf
superfliFree MemberIf you go for new forks, dont over look the cheaper brands. I just bought some x-fusion vengeance and the build quality from the outside looks excellent! Tough paint, machined screw on cover to go over hi/lo compression adjust, seem very stiff. I’ve only just fitted them, so not had a chance to ride yet, but apparently the damping is very good, each click has a meaningful change, whereas all the fox+RS forks I’ve had in the past didnt do anything until the last few clicks.
Also worth bearing in mind, if you upgrade your existing forks, you are unlikely to get (much of) that money back on resale.
WarrenpfoFree MemberI have emailed Loco and will take all thepointers from here to the trails tomorrow and have a play.
crashtestmonkeyFree Memberif you fit a standard mission control compression damper, ditch the floodgate lockout. It improves small-bump compliance and is what RS did as part of the DH damper, takes 5 minutes and is reversible. I had solo air lyriks which were brilliant, improved with the mod, but arent a patch on my 55RC3Tis which really are sublime.
http://www.pinkbike.com/news/technical-tuesday-lyric-mod-2010.html
RopeyReignRiderFree MemberMy Solo air RC2DH’s are sublime.
And mine! The best forks I’ve ever ridden and just do everything from XC mincing (where the low speed compression damping stops them bobbing about) to DH.
love ’em, get yours upgraded!
fisgardFree Membermy deville’s were great for a couple of weeks after they were setup by a knowledgeable mate, 3 weeks later and suddenly the sag and compression had gone, 2 weeks away getting fixed, had lyriks before, kinda regret not getting lyriks again
WarrenpfoFree MemberUpdate – I have decided to push the button and get both the compression and rebound damper for a RC2DH and fit it to my fork. A very kind member on the forum sent me a PM with details on where I can purchase both new and delivered to my door for £140.
Its worth a go at that money.
One last question I have is will fitting the above dampers still allow me to use the 2 step function of the fork?
almightydutchFree MemberI’m running my lyriks with 35% Sag. No way would 20% sag be of any use. It makes them way too hard and yes you get the wandery feeling.
I’d personally set them up with more sag and slightly speed up the rebound.
What I presume you dont like is the fact they go through quite a bit of travel and want the fork to sit high, hence the fact your using 20% Sag.
To be fair I’m sure Santa Cruz say you should be using 30% as a minimum on Nomads, I know on my Blur LT2 if i use les sag then the bike feels slightly more taught on the flats and hills but it reall;y eats into the small bump compliance and doesnt feel good at speed, skittish and no traction.
I have the 2 Step function on my forks and it never gets used. Running 160f/140r and never feel the need to drop down the front end but I do understand the nomad is a high front end anyway so that might benefit you when climbing.
Where abouts are you Warren as you might benefit from getting someone to have a look for you and giving some knowledge as you dont sound like you know how the changes are affecting your forks.
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