Submitted by
stripes
a Cross Country Rider
from Bay Area, CA
Date Reviewed: June 2, 2008
Strengths: Extremely stiff, adjustable travel, adjustability for feel
Weaknesses: Way harsh for a coil shock, QC (stiction), never could get it to feel quite right
Bottom Line:
You know, if it weren't for the freaking stiction I'm having with the fork that developed after a year, I would have probably still been riding on it. However, even after taking good care of it, it still developed stiction, which is really annoying to not have the fork return all the way. It completely mucks with your steering (yes, I did the slick honey/lube/etc, but nothing works).
Other than that, it's a great fork. Really stiff, and eats bumps quite well. Only adjustable coil fork I could find. The other thing is I couldn't quite fine tune the high compression mechanism to my liking.
Submitted by
Bill N
a Downhiller
from Wellington, NZ
Date Reviewed: May 11, 2008
Strengths: Plush, responsive. Adjustable travel. Good value.
Weaknesses: Sometimes a little too responsive, can never relax while steering. Not sure if the stock spring is too soft for me. I will have to try out a stiffer one at some stage.
Bottom Line:
Kick ass all mountain fork for anyone that has to climb before they can descend. Eats all over my old Marzocchi Drop Off IV going down and the adjustable travel makes ascending so much better. I only ever use the flood gate on the road, turning it down to 115mm travel removes most of the pedal bob on the trails.
Sometimes get brake dive, but the standard spring may be a little soft for me (83kg). It would be nice if the compression adjustors helped with this issue more too, but again may be better with a different spring.
And like I said it is ultra twitchy because the steerer is set almost in line with the stanchions which most other forks don't do cause then they track in a straight line a bit better. But it is probably personal preference whether you like that or not.
Overall, it is perfect for what I want and much better value than a 66 (which is what I initially had my heart set on) as long as you're not into hitting massive road gaps or whatever.
Similar Products Used: Marzocchi Drop Off IV, Marzochhi 66.
Bike Setup: Norco 6 II (2006)
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
sixer
a Weekend Warrior
from Bloomsburg, PA, USA
Date Reviewed: April 13, 2008
Strengths: adjustable travel, smooth, no harsh bottoming, maxle is quick and strong, floodgate (if you are into that sort of thing)
Weaknesses: little bit heavy (compared to fox), no preload adjust, compression damping dials don't seem to do much
Bottom Line:
This is a great fork for me. I was a little put off when I found out that there is no pre-load adjust and the compression damping doesn't seem to do much. Luckily, I get good sag with the stock spring and the fork seems perfect for me with no compression damping. Perhaps at a bike park I will try more high speed compression if I start bottoming too much.
I don't really use travel adjust much, but it is cool. Same goes for the floodgate thing-a-ma-bob -I don't use it, but others may really like it. The maxle is great-much more convenient than regular thru-axles.
I have only had two big trail rides so far on this fork, but I am very happy with it. I would recommend it to people who ride hard (20 mm axle + 160 mm travel) and don't mind an extra half-pound or so on the front end. It is obviously not for XC racing or full-blown downhill or big freeride.
You may need some trial and error to get a coil that works for your weight. I am about 165-170 and I believe I am riding a stock spring.
Strengths: At first the fork seemed like a really nice unit. It was solid and stiff. The features also caught my eye.
Weaknesses: Quality control. I went through 3, YES THREE, forks in 3 months. The first had a creaky crown. The second also creaked and lost ALL LSC. The third had WEAK bushings out of the box.
Bottom Line:
I think that this fork has potential, but it seems that RS may have dropped the ball on the QC. When a consumer goes through 3 forks in as many months you have issues. Another thing worth mentioning is that I am only home to ride every other week. SO, that same 3 month period turns in to 1.5 months of actual use. 3 forks in 42 days. Not good odds IMO.
Similar Products Used: Marz 66 (not that their '08 stuff is any better)
Bike Setup: Turner 5-Pack
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
bj
a Weekend Warrior
from Snoqualmie, Wa
Date Reviewed: September 14, 2007
Strengths: Adjustability, toughness, very plush ride
Weaknesses: It is heavy but the weight is worth it
Bottom Line:
This shock is a bit heavy but my 6x6 Scott Ransom still weighs under 31. This shock is completely adjustable. I weigh 170 and have the stock spring. I go with about 130mm travel for climbing, 145 for XC and 160 for DH. It stood up well on Whistler DH tracks as well as epic loops with tons of climbing. Highly recommended shock. Bulletproof so far.
Strengths: The features of the fork allow it to ride like any other fork. I'm a mechanic at a shop and used to be a Fox fan. Rock Shox has really made a big turn around since it has now under Sram. The ease of servicing the fork, the features of the fork, the feel of the fork, and the value over its competitors makes this fork stand out.
The features of this fork are amazing. I cannot ride without the floodgate feature anymore. I used to love the plushness of my Marzocchi, however it had no place on a climb or course with hard pedaling. In the last Super D race, I left the floodgate on the whole time. I'm able to hammer through all the pedaling parts, yet absorb the big hits. Slow speed and high speed compression can also be tuned while the floodgate is on. If I turn off the floodgate, it will be just about as plush with small bump compliance as the 888.
Weaknesses: There are no major weaknesses, so far. If I was picky, I'd say that this fork is slightly heaver than the Fox 36 Talas. Then again, that fork doesn't have an adjustable platform valving for pedaling.
Bottom Line:
I would not recommend Manitou. I like Marzocchi and Fox. However, the Lyric has the features that I want. The price is very reasonable compared to its competitors. I'm thrilled how much I enjoy my new setup.
Strengths: Awesome and affective compression, rebound and lock out adjustments. Good looks. Big stanchions and stiff. Easy fast operating thru axle. Smooth as a smooth thing. Reliable.
Weaknesses: Just one - Makes me just want to ride all the time and push my limits resulting in one injury after another due to rider error.
Bottom Line:
Awesome fork. Swapped the coil from standard to the next lightest one for my 147lb weight as I had the adjustments all wound right back but the fork still felt really good. Now I have plenty of adjustment and it really works great. I just can't stay off my bike.
Similar Products Used: Manitou Splice Super Elite - pfff. Manitou Nixon Elite SPV air - good fork too.
Bike Setup: Giant Reign 2 Rockshox Lyric coil U-Turn Manitou Swinger 3-Way Sun Ringle` SingleTrack LX and XT Hayes 9 7"F and 6"R Conti Gravity Pro 2.3" tyres F&R
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Oskar
a Weekend Warrior
from Edmonton
Date Reviewed: February 28, 2007
Strengths: -buttery smooth -super stiff -great adjustability -performs well even at minus temperatures -good looks -Lock out for climbing (flood gate, with fine tuning) -HighSpeedCompression (to prevent bottom out) -LowSpeedCompression (to prevent pedalbob etc) -Rebound Adjustability (how fast fork returns to full travel)
Weaknesses: -none so far
Bottom Line:
good Fork, but still needs to be truly tested in summer when the 5hity snow's gone and the temp's are back to where the wiener does not fall off while riding.
