Rockshox Lyrik Damper leaking oil

Absolutely gutted. I paid for a fork service a few weeks ago at my LBS. Apparently they didn’t touch the damper side of the fork (only done lowers) but the lockout and adjustment dial felt smoother. One ride after service my fork was making a knocking sound upon compression and the fork was dropping down a couple of cm’s and had some play there.

It’s leaking a fair amount of oil around the dial on top.

Took it back to the shop and they said it’s going to need a whole new damper. Feel like the service was a complete waste of money now. Is it worth repairing or would you suggest I suck it up and buy a new fork?

The service seems pointless now if I don’t change the damper but that’ll be a couple hundred surely.

Been absolutely cursed with this bike since I’ve had it and now the fork is outside of warranty 😢 maybe it’s just a coincidence but I know my fork worked perfectly before the service (only had it done just because I’ve never serviced it before and felt it was overdue). But maybe that was my problem, not servicing it sooner ha.

Thanks all.

Do you know what year / model Lyrik it is?

The damper units aren’t mega expensive, but you can buy seal kits for them too. It could be something really simple.

Thanks. The fork is RCT3 solo air, I think from 2016. Feel like I’ve been pouring money in to this bike recent months 🙁

Yeah I feel like that all the time, frankly I can’t think of many other things consumers would accept such terrible lifespans for serviceable items. My RS shock is 75% worn out according to TFT, it’s 2 years and about 2500km old. I had to replace the air spring on my Lyriks at the weekend, visible wear on the shaft, same time scale, add in the usual brake pads, chains, cassettes. I needs two new brake levers now. Can you imagine needing that sort of work on a Car or Motorbike after 1800 miles?

Anyway.

The service guide for your fork is here:

https://www.sram.com/globalassets/document-hierarchy/service-manuals/rockshox/front-suspension/gen0000000005042-rev-d-2016-2017-lyrik-service-manual-english.pdf

Details on stripping and servicing your damper is on page 30.

It might be worth stripping and working out where the leak it coming from, I think the early Charger dampers suffered with leaky bladders (don’t we all as we get older) you can get replacements from the German sites for about £35.

Don’t mention the car, I have just as much bad luck with that haha.

Thanks for the link will certainly take a look. Had two new pads myself last month and that was nearly £50. Tyres due soon, and they’re almost as ouch as a car. Ouch. Sometimes I wish I had a cheaper hobby ha.

Don’t mention the car, I have just as much bad luck with that haha.

Thanks for the link will certainly take a look. Had two new pads myself last month and that was nearly £50. Tyres due soon, and they’re almost as ouch as a car. Ouch. Sometimes I wish I had a cheaper hobby ha.

MOT last months, they called me “you need brakes” to which I replied “discs or pads, fronts or rears?” she just said “Yes”. £500 later.

Tyres are £150 a pop on mine, for a **** Skoda… I’m going at a Golf R later in the years, running costs are way lower than my Skoda, how, I don’t know, but they are.

So depending on the model year, you can buy seal kits from RS. Last year, I bought one for my 2015 Pike. However, RS changed the damper design (maybe in 2017-18?) and don’t offer seal kits for the newer version. This makes them a lot less serviceable so it’s really shitty behaviour by RS.

Taking apart the damper isn’t really for the faint-hearted. I wouldn’t recommend doing it yourself unless you’re happy doing the lowers servicing with your eyes closed.

However, if it’s leaking from the top cap, that’s not the bladder and in fact you don’t even need to take the damper apart fully (or even out of the fork leg to replace the top seals and bleed the system (Page 35 onwards in the manual linked above).

Having said all of that, there are aftermarket companies that will service your damper for ~£100. This same question cropped up recently and this place got several recommendations. I haven’t used them. http://www.slickandslide.co.uk

That manual does not show the compression assembly stripped (no longer part of a service according to RS, as the dont leak, ha ha (nor do bladders split)), if you look at a 2014 pike manual it will show you how to replace the compression adjuster o rings.

If its a charger damper you should be able to replace the compression adjuster o rings in a service.

If its a Charger 2/2.1 Slick and Slide can sort leaking compression adjusters rather than replacing the damper.

Hardest thing about a charger damper is learning the Knack for getting the new bladder seated.

Pretty much everything inside is just a stack of bits held together with a nut.
The hardest thing about any of that is making sure to remember to lay it all out and put it all back in the same order.

Found a small amount of oil in my Zeb charger rebound adjuster this morning – assume that’s come from the damper. Another job on the list. So from this thread, dampers are now non-serviceable, or just RS say they don’t need it?

My bike shop said they have done something to new dampers to stop them being serviceable which is a shame. Not sure if mine is yet.

Would something as simple as a washer and leaking oil cause a knocking sound upon impact though? Or will a bleed fix that? The shop thinks they’ve narrowed the leak down to a washer thankfully so may get away without a new damper but would something as small as this caused my knocking sound every time I hit rocks under speed?

I can fix leaky charger 2 compression dampers.

2, or 2.1?