Been trying to decide on a replacement fork so i can swop out one for another when sent off for servicing.

Choices were Pike, Lyrik, possibly Zeb, but the Domain is a fair bit cheaper, only its a good bit heavier. Weight isnt really a huge concern, would prefer lighter, but its £150 cheaper than the others which these days is a big plus point.
Reviews are hit or miss. Some are praising it, others are slating it, so i’ve no idea who to listen to there.

So anyone got one and what are your thoughts on it.

Current bike set up is 160(fox 36)150(frame) the Domain i think is 150mm so i can run it without any probs.

I had the same dilemma last week. Bought a domain rc from Pro bike kit which ended up being £341 which swung it for me.

Not ridden it yet as my new frame hasn’t arrived but it seems decent from having a quick play with it in the garage although it is fairly basic.

Probably no help whatsoever.

Could’ve sworn I saw earlier models of Lyriks for under £400 and a set of new Zeb ultimates for £450

I ended up buying a Domain earlier on this year after killing a couple of dampers on my pikes in fairly quick succession. The domain worked out cheaper at the time than a new RC2 2.1 damper for the pikes which had increased from an expensive £300 to a ridiculous £415!
Honestly have nothing bad to say about it beyond the obvious weight penalty. It’s stiff, supportive and the damping seems pretty good to me – and that’s on my hardtail (On One Hello Dave)that I ride and race dh on. Not quite as comfy off the top as my Zeb ultimate on the full suss but I think it’s a proper decent fork for the cash.

Zeb RC is 430 here https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/rockshox-zeb-charger-r-e-mtb-boost-debonair-forks/rp-prod200108 and it can be upgraded with all the 2023 stuff

The bigger discounts seem to be only for 27.5.

Thanks for that Horatio, but it seems the only thing available is a 180mm. The frame is 150mm, and i think 180mm is a bit much, and the cost of replacement air shaft, plus tools will bring the price up another 50. Still a good deal though 🙂

I really have no experience of modern fork servicing. Give me an old Marzocchi bomber and im right in there, but these modern air forks im totally clueless about.

I should actually task myself in learning the ins and outs, if not to keep the service costs to a minimum.

And thanks to the replies thus far, I hope we can have some reviews when you all get yours and have a chance to try them out.

Maybe that’s something that’s needed more. Some sort of sticky thread section for user reviews 😕

I like the Domain due to its price, but perhaps the weight penalty makes it not such a good deal really

I really have no experience of modern fork servicing. Give me an old Marzocchi bomber and im right in there, but these modern air forks im totally clueless about.

I should actually task myself in learning the ins and outs, if not to keep the service costs to a minimum.

Once you dive in it’s not much different. Damper side is way more complex than the spring side anyway! Main difference perhaps is making sure not to scratch anything on the air side.

Cheap as chips Lyrik on CRC with RCT3 damper, right spec for you as well

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/rockshox-lyrik-rct3-boost-fork/rp-prod212295

I’ve got a 150mm Domain RC on a Bird Forge and am pretty happy with it. I am moderately hefty at 120kg-ish though, so my experience may not be typical as I have to run pretty high pressures (~110psi+) and fork weight isn’t a noticeable issue. I have the stock number of tokens in for now, but toying with the idea of removing one or two as I’m not getting full travel even with cased landings/dropoffs.

I say fairly happy purely because the Domain is not as plush as my old (now cracked and dead) 2007 Fox 36 Float RC2s (on a now retired 26er Reign X). The Fox’s had a glued on feeling on local trails I know well, where the Domain just don’t seem as planted. Vastly stiffer, though, and the ability to pick a line through big rocks and nasty lines is hugely confidence inspiring as the front wheel just goes where you point it — there’s zero twang from the front end.

I’ve tried between around 15 and 20% sag and have settled somewhere around the 18% area as a sweetspot, along with 2/3 clicks of compression and fully slow rebound. More sag means no midstroke support and the fork quickly starts to feel uber harsh on bigger lumps. Compression also seems to ramp up hard above 4 clicks and kills small bump sensitivity — feels like 2/3 clicks is about right. Zero clicks is fine for tamer trails and chilled riding if you just want the plushest feel though.

The problem I’m finding is that the front end still does feel quite harsh now over high speed chatter. I think the combination of 35mm bars/stem and a stiff 38mm fork means that some vibration goes straight into the wrists: vibration which potentially used to be absorbed by some flex in the fork and bars. I’ve moved to Spank vibrocore bars which has helped a tad, but there’s a point where once you really start smashing the rockier downs that it becomes hard to hold on. Is it chassis stiffness? Damper out of its depth? I tried every possible permutation while setting the fork up (on Richard’s Down up in Aviemore fwiw), and the settings I ended up with were the ones which gave the best feel/times/least sore wrists.

TL;DR My (very unscientific) gut is that the damper is holding back the chassis. If you can opt for a lighter Zeb with a better damper, I think that would be more sensible. Finding a reasonably priced Zeb/Domain 2.1 Charger damper seems pretty tricky atm (I’m seeing Bikeinn @ £240 with a 2 month lead time), so it may cost you more to upgrade a set of Domains than just buying some cut price Zeb Ultimates with the Charger preinstalled. And you’ll never be able to shed the 500g from the Domain’s heavier chassis, so you’ll always wonder if you should have gone with a Zeb (or 35/36mm chassis fork) instead.

When I replaced my Pikes a few months ago I went through a lot of options with TF Tuned. I’m 100kg and though a smooth ex-BMXer (i.e. I’m not a bike/components smasher) I do ride aggressively. I hated the Pikes thought they were somehow faulty so I sent them for a service & tune, & was willing to upgrade damper and spring to a coil – I just wanted best bang for buck upgrades to get the feel I wanted.

I was told that I was riding the Pike beyond its intended use/capability and I was experiencing flex and binding, which was upsetting the performance.

Anyway, I was told that hands down, particularly for a heavier rider, the Domain is the best bang for buck fork out there. I was told that the lack of a more sophisticated damper wouldn’t be noticed so much due to the lack of flex – that is, the stanchions would be able to move freely throughout their travel instead of flexing and binding, and overcoming the damper and air spring.

I actually ended up with a 2021 factory 36 & it feels exactly how I wanted. Yes it was more expensive but it was a good deal that I couldn’t refuse 😄.

So although I can’t personally review the Domain all I would say is that TF tuned we’re particularly complimentary about its build quality and performance, and said it’s definitely better than they expected with the option of damper upgrades down the line. One downside is a little extra weight.

Cheap as chips Lyrik on CRC with RCT3 damper, right spec for you as well

Alas it’s 27.5″ and im 29″. My fault, i forgot the important info. Should have said 29er, tapered, 110x15mm axle, 160mm- (150mm could be acceptable).

I think the Domain might turn out to be too heavy, and i should look to see if i can get a
Zeb,Pike or Lyrik at a good price first.

If I was looking for a 2nd spare set I would be looking on Pinkbike for new removed from bike or an as new second hand set of Lyriks or 36s. If your prepared to wait and check daily they do come up
I’ve just let a new removed set of 29er Lyriks go to someone who needed a set for his Alps holidays for a steal. Both happy with the deal.