[Closed] new fork for smuggler?

Rather than the top end Pike I’d be looking at a top end Lyrik - it’s a beefier chassis at your weight and on a bike designed to be ridden aggressively.

I think after those the z1 should be a little bit better than the Yari but not by much.

Yari has the moco damper which can be a bit spiked and I believe the z1 has the Fox low end grip damper - although that’s probably better than moco.

This probably also comes down to price - if there isn’t much difference between the 2 lower end forks and a Lyrik / like then definitely go with one of the latter as the charger damper in both is better by some margin.

If they’re too expensive then I’d probably pick out the z1 and Yari by which you can get the best bargain on.

Just a thought - the manitou Mattoc 2 Pro is pretty good, as is the x-fusion sweep. Last time I looked the mNitou was sub £400 on CRC and the x fusion was £400 on Planet X. Depends whether they are the right spec of boost / non-boost and correct wheel size though.

thanks, I had looked at the lyrik too but i think with the lyrik i'd have to commit to the travel upgrade to 150mm and not sure... maybe not a bad thing but a couple of people have advised against based on wandering steering and warranty. I've had 5 yrs on a 'budget' fork and want a bit of performance upgrade so looking at the best quality i can get for the money. the dampers in the z1 and yari will still better than the trace RL??

Grip damper is great, much better than the Yari's.  I'd go for the Z1s

2017 is 115m rear right?  I use 150mm on my 2018 smuggler (Fox 36, which they now spec on smuggler's as standard, was 34's before)

brink have some bargains now

https://brink.uk/fox-36-ex-display

https://brink.uk/ohlins-rxf36-evo-ex-display

Lyrik is a bit heavier, but its noticiably stiffer than a Pike. You can pick them up second hand pretty cheap. Fit a 2019 air shaft, which is a big improvement over the old RS one, I prefer it to the the luftkappe, which I've found to be a bit inconsistent in setup at times.

yup 115mm travel, i don't thenk the extra 10mm will make much diffference to the handling apart form improving the downs!
how about the new lyrik select? rc damper, debonair spring? they seem good value and less faffing than changing airsprings etc. priced a bit cheaper than the z1's

Try and get a test ride on one of the new DT F535's they have a pretty distinct feel to them but those who get one with them seem to rate them very highly.

Brink have demo units in store.

I ran a Pike on mine, 140mm ones, and they were really well suited- very capable, but it's still a lively bike. It's not an enduro bike, and the stiffness difference between Pikes and Yaris isn't significant enough to worry about. I'm only 75kg though.

There's also the DVO Diamond if you want something less main stream. I'm running a 150mm Diamond on my 2016 Smuggler and don't feel any wandering, but then I've never ran it with any other fork..

I’ve got the same forks as you on my smuggler - can’t afford new forks but you can just upgrade the damper.

I am similar weight to you Op kitted up also on a 2017 XL Smuggler, am running an Ohlins RXF 34 at 140mm travel, I rate the fork better than the Fox 34 I had. They are a great performing fork for 90+kg riders. With a CCDB IL coil on the back it makes a very stable & planted bike!

how about the new lyrik select? rc damper, debonair spring? they seem good value and less faffing than changing airsprings etc. priced a bit cheaper than the z1’s

Lyrik Select RC looks ok to me -
Probably similar to my rct3 version - just without a 3 position threshold low compression setting. Should be a charger 2 damper so that’s pretty awesome. The ultimate / rc2 versions have more adjustment but unless you’re picky I don’t think you’ll notice the lack of high speed compression adjustment.

You should be able to run a Lyrik at 140mm travel with the right airspring as the Yari can be run at that and it’s the same chassis - just a different damper.

150mm fork on the original 115mm rear Smuggler will unbalance it too much, that was the advice I was given by the guys at J-Tech.
I’m running a 140mm DVO Sapphire 34, Cane Creek DB in-line air on the rear and it’s completely transformed the bike compared to the original setup.

I had one of these and found a 140mm fork was perfect.

In my case it was a Fox 34 but you are a good deal heavier so I'd agree with munrobiker and recommend a Pike.

Yari damping will be more basic and a Lyrik won't go lower than 150mm, IIRC.

If you haven't felt too much flex in the existing fork then a Pike will be fine anyway.

And yes, a decent shock also does wonders for the bike (as do offset bushings and a slackset).

I have a CCDB air to fit one, if you're interested.

😉

140mm Pike on mine and as mentioned above I think it's spot on

I wasn’t impressed with the pike on my jeffsy, went for a MRP ribbon coil. 700 quid from crc. Tuneable, buttery smooth, comes with extra coils, ramp control and adjustable travel. Only 1 ride in so far but I’m really impressed.

10mm extra travel really isn't going to turn a great bike into a pig - I don't know where these ideas come from.

JP

10mm extra travel really isn’t going to turn a great bike into a pig

140mm is 10mm extra travel

150mm is 20mm extra

The 2017 smuggler came with a 130mm fork. So 20mm.  It will change the head angle, seat tube angle , bb height, wheelbase and effective top tube.  It’s a fairly solid idea JP.

I’m sure I’ve seen a very lightly used 2018 Pike RCT3 140mm on eBay recently ....can’t think who might be selling it😉

Thanks guys lots of good feedback there. I’ve been running at 140mm which is the designed max travel for my model with no issues. I personally don’t think the 10mm would make much difference especially on an Xl where those sort of changes aren’t as pronounced imo. I’ll give it a bit more thought. Bowglie can you point me in the right direction will have a look?

Have you used offset bushings or an angleset?

Much better idea than just more fork travel.

What do offset bushings do to the Smuggler? And where to get them? 🙂

Well I'm running 160 pikes on my 115mm travel smuggler and prefer it to 140. Climbs fine