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Luckily, in a world of difficult to source parts, I've got an option on these forks. The Helms £100 more but I get it sooner, Lyrik about a month wait. It's going on an orange stage 5 so looking at 140/150 front travel. Really like the look of the easy travel change on the helm. Both well reviewed. Anybody have experience of both to compare?
Will you be home servicing? If so, check how easy it it on both, and the availability of spares should you need them.
I'd be tempted by the Helm if it was the coil version.
Otherwise I'd probably favour the Lyrik as it's such a great fork, easy to work on and £100 cheaper anyway.
Just go 150mm travel straight away on the Stage 5.
Thoroughly enjoying my Helm 2. I would have thought the chassis is a closer match to a Pike than a Lyric, but at 10st, its not a major factor for me.
My experience with earlier Pikes pushed me towards the Helms as any initial savings on purchase price soon got blown on custom tuning to make them work right. The Helms haven't needed that. Newer RS forks may not either - your guess!
Cane Creek stuff on the whole doesn't seem massively user-serviceable. I can't even do an aircan service on my IL shock, and there's no info on stripping and rebuilding the damper on Helms. Lower leg service is pretty straightforward though.
Please can you share a link to this information?
“Lower leg service is pretty straightforward though.”
If probably take the Lyrik - but then I’m Rockshox all the way at the moment with a Pike Ultimate RC2 on the hardtail and a Lyrik RCT3 (charger 2) on the full suss. The Lyrik has seem a lot of abuse over the 4 or more years I’ve had it - been at 140 / 160 / 170 and now 150mm travel in that time. Had a solo air shaft in it to start with and since then it’s had B1 and now C1 airshafts. It started life as a Yari but then got the charger upgrade, SKF Lyrik seals and debonair air shafts.
What I like about it is how it’s been upgradable and to date everything has been backwards compatible. I’ve also managed to crash it and have some scratches in the left stanchion but that doesn’t seem to have been a problem for the fork and it’s not even taking much dirt through the seals due to the scratches.
Really user serviceable - the only thing I haven’t done is the actual charger damper itself. I’m taking the don’t fix it if it isn’t broken approach on that. I do regular lower services though and the airshafts have been changed fairly regularly so haven’t needed a seal refresh.
The Helm is always billed as very adjustable, but an Lyrik Ultimate now has a lot of adjustment with HSC / LSC / Rebound / tokens / air pressure.
Maybe the Helm is lighter as it’s more at the level of a Pike? When I bought my Pike Ultimate I considered the Helm / Pike / Selva / Fox 34 / DT Swiss forks and other then the Selva I wasn’t tempted with any of the others. If a Selva R had come in the same price as the Pike I might have gone for it just to have something a bit different but it was a few hundred quid more.
Given the Lyrik is also cheaper I’d definitely go with that I think.
Helms need riding a certain way to get the best from them, need to load the front and work the fork. If you don't tend to ride like that then I'd go RS.
I only have mk1 Air on juniors bike but have ridden it enough to say that is a good fork, the feel is bit different from most other forks but very controlled.
Helm 50hr service (aka lower leg service) instructions are here: https://canecreek.com/support-documents/ Amount of splash oil in legs is quite small (5 and 7mLl) so I have been trying to do this at about recommended intervals but haven't replaced seals that often.
Thanks for the thoughts. Helm actually comes in a touch heavier than the lyrik I think. Pike might suit my riding a bit more but can't find any availability.
Will probably attempt lower service myself but will send off for anything else.
Was thinking 150mm straight off if only to get the front up a bit due to some neck pain.
I'd be keen to save the cash between them, it's just I've got the rest of the bits for the bike ready to go and getting impatient! There's always the chance that said delivery date gets pushed back too at the moment..
Please can you share a link to this information
Follow the instructions for doing travel adjust in the manual - that tells you how to get the lowers off. Oil volume is on p21
I agree with Steveh in that the Lyrik is a better all rounder (than the mk1 anyway) but the Helm is still great you just need to work it a bit harder. The other plus for the helm is the ability to change progression and travel without needing extra parts..
Given the price difference I’d probably go with the Lyrik though..
Wanna buy my fox 36 performance elite... ?! 150mm 185mm steerer...
Excellent nick.. Happy to post to an stwer....
DrP
Dr P - Says the listing has ended?
Ah yeah, can see it now. Unfortunately I've convinced myself I need a short offset through reading too much bike blurb.
Why are you selling if you don't mind me asking?
Cos the more depressed I get at my never ending divorce... the more bike bling I buy 😄😄
Got some 2021 36 Factory forks... eek!
I like the 51mm offset... it's not a floppy front end, especially with 150mm+ travel...
DrP
I have a Pike Ultimate 2020 B1(tried the 2021 C1 airspring upgrade and hated it.)...and Helm mk2 coil, in ludicrous pink no less.
Helm coils are superb forks, the more stupid you ride the better they get...unfortunately they've just developed the dread CSU creak and are going back to TF tuned for warranty:/ I don't have the best of luck with creaky CSUs from all sorts of brands.
If you want air I'd probably go with the Lyrik, coil go Helm..
Think I'm going to save the difference and wait for the Lyrik. Bit cheaper, service intervals are longer and perhaps easier to work on myself, plus it sounds like a slightly better all rounder. Also tf tuned have found a b1 head and nut so I can swap it over to the old spring if I feel it's needed (I had another thread asking about that a while ago, seems to split opinion).
Thanks for the offer drp but I'd prefer to buy new and get a warranty. Plus Push conversion, is that a coil?
Not coil, no....
It's a damper circuit upgrade.
DrP
I’ve got a C1 airspring in my Lyrik @ 150mm travel. Prior to that it was on the same bike but with a B1 airspring.
I can’t say I’ve noticed it feeling harsh - if anything I prefer it as on steep stuff the fork sits higher in its travel. Feels pretty plush to me too. If you had the B1 and C1 back to back at the same travel, other than the C1 possibly feeling higher up more of the time I doubt I could tell the difference. That is a charger 2 damper rather than the latest 2.1 charger.