[Cable0guy]

Can someone help me tuning this fork? I can't seem to get it dialed. 2008/9 model, about a month old. Just did an oil change. Replaced the stock medium with soft spring because I wasn't getting full travel. (My shop says this is common with Lyrik, and most riders go at least 1 weight down). I weigh about 190-95 with gear.

I am currently using default setup:

Sag: ~35mm (22%)
Reb: 12 clicks in from open
LS Compression: 4 in from open
HS Compression: 4 in from open
Floodgate: 1 full turn from open

No matter what I do with the controls, the fork feels about the same. Feels a little mushy with lot of brake dive. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.

 

[ducktape]

Hey I don't have that much experience, just when I had the pike which had floodgate & hsc.

I know on my pike if the floodgate was fully open or only a few turns in there wasn't a huge deal of difference. If floodgate was fully closed ond compression full on then it would be like a lockout.
But if you max out the compression and leave the floodgate open it didn't seem to do anything much from memory.

So try floodgate fully closed and then heaps more compression, it should feel firm or firmer?
I'll leave it to someone else to give you some better more specific settings.

 

[AZmtncycler]

give it some time to break in....

Can someone help me tuning this fork? I can't seem to get it dialed. 2008/9 model, about a month old. Just did an oil change. Replaced the stock medium with soft spring because I wasn't getting full travel. (My shop says this is common with Lyrik, and most riders go at least 1 weight down). I weigh about 190-95 with gear.

I am currently using default setup:

Sag: ~35mm (22%)
Reb: 12 clicks in from open
LS Compression: 4 in from open
HS Compression: 4 in from open
Floodgate: 1 full turn from open

No matter what I do with the controls, the fork feels about the same. Feels a little mushy with lot of brake dive. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.

i too thought the fork was too stiff upon first month of use. I bought the soft spring set-up and ran that for a bit and then it became wayyyy too soft. The bushings and seals finally were broken in. I went back to the 'standard' spring and life has been good ever since.

 

[ducktape]

True, I've ordered a softer spring for mine (Domain) as well partially because I thought I was never going to use more than 50% of the travel how firm it originally felt and partially going by RS spring chart and weight recommendation. Haven't received the spring yet (it's been weeks) but having go a few decent rides in I have noticed that the standard one has softened up and I'm using about 3/4 of the travel and have more sag than it used to, so may not need the soft one after all, but reckon I'll give it a go anyway - after all it's a DH bike.

AZmtncycler has a good point though, apart from figuring out your settings your fork should feel better after the "break in" period. For me it was probably about half a dozen runs down the hill before I noticed the difference and thought hey it's not so firm after all.

 

[hankthespacecowboy]

My Domain rode beautifully for me out of the box. Don't know if that means I am lucky or stupid.

 

[davep]

You dont mention it at all so I will...You do know that you need to pop up the LSC knob and activate the floodgate to notice much change in the LSC..

Think of it this way the floodgate determines the force or speed at which the LSC curve (more damping) becomes the HSC curve (less damping). You can adjust the damping on both sides of the floogate (before and after blowoff) as well as the actual threshold of blowoff.

Now, if you have the floodgate off (LSC knob down) you have effectively set the threshold to zero...the fork will blowoff into the HSC realm (less damping) with any and all impacts. TO have any significant LSC to control chassis movement/brake dive, you need to have the floodgate engaged (knob up).

 

[Cable0guy]

You dont mention it at all so I will...You do know that you need to pop up the LSC knob and activate the floodgate to notice much change in the LS.

You sure about this? From what I read and heard, I thought LSC is active and adjustable whether Floodgate is on or off. Most people wouldn't use Floodgate in their Lyrik/Totem/Boxxer, especially for DH/FR purposes. It wouldn't make sense to have LSC limited by Floodgate.

I will call SRAM and verify this.

I found a guide on Mission Control in the meantime.

http://www.sram.com/_media/pdf/en/rockshox/MissionControl_Guide.pdf

 

[bjj4202000]

You sure about this? From what I read and heard, I thought LSC is active and adjustable whether Floodgate is on or off. Most people wouldn't use Floodgate in their Lyrik/Totem/Boxxer, especially for DH/FR purposes. It wouldn't make sense to have LSC limited by Floodgate.

I will call SRAM and verify this.

I found a guide on Mission Control in the meantime.

http://www.sram.com/_media/pdf/en/rockshox/MissionControl_Guide.pdf

Cable Guy is right-- LSC and HSC are active with the floodgate off (silver button down). The allen screw in the middle is to adjust the amount of force it takes to blow off. You really can't feel the LSC when the floodgate is on as it always takes more force to open the gate than to bypass the low speed compression circuit. One thing I notice with my nicer forks (RS Mission Control, Fox RC2 and so on) is the compression adjustments are VERY subtle. Bouncing around in the living room it is very hard to tell the difference between full HSC and zero. Same goes for the LSC. Out on the trail, at real world speeds, the difference is profound. The only way for me to get the settings right is to ride for a while and get familiar with the feel before making changes, and then ride for a while again.

 

[woodyak]

With my 08 Totem I found the money setting was the floodgate. To take away the brake dive completely close (clockwise) the floodage. This should take away the brake dive and make it feel kind of harsh, you can then tune out the harshness by dialing out the floodgate. Once you have that figured out then you can fine tune with the HSC and LSC. If the floodgate doesn't do it for you then you're spring is too soft.

Personally, I like a fork that is on the plush side but gives you a firm midstroke with a bottom out that's practically impossible to bottom. I like to be able to tune it so that it climbs well and stays higher in it's travel for AM riding and the make it more plush when I'm doing FR/DH trails. To get this with my Totem Air I'm running the following:

Air - 47 psi
Floodgate - 2/3 to all the way in depending on terrain
Rebound - 2 clicks from full fast
LSC - 2 clicks from full soft
HSC - Full soft

 

[Cable0guy]

With my 08 Totem I found the money setting was the floodgate. To take away the brake dive completely close (clockwise) the floodage. This should take away the brake dive and make it feel kind of harsh, you can then tune out the harshness by dialing out the floodgate. Once you have that figured out then you can fine tune with the HSC and LSC. If the floodgate doesn't do it for you then you're spring is too soft.

I used to have a Totem, and found it much easier to tune it. Lyrik for some reason much harder.

Are you saying I should be riding with Floodgate on? I never turn it on, even for climbs. Don't need it with my bike. Or are you saying that the Floodgate control (even when off) indirectly impacts LSC/HSC settings (which some people have told me)?

 

[woodyak]

I used to have a Totem, and found it much easier to tune it. Lyrik for some reason much harder.

Are you saying I should be riding with Floodgate on? I never turn it on, even for climbs. Don't need it with my bike. Or are you saying that the Floodgate control (even when off) indirectly impacts LSC/HSC settings (which some people have told me)?

Yeah, the 2nd thing you said. I never turn my floodgate on either. Tuning it definitely affects the ride. I verified it both on my Totem and my buddy's Lyrik coil.

 

[bandit350]

My Issues: Not Getting Full Travel, Not Supple

don't mean to poach but wanted to weigh it my current and similar woes. 2008 lyrik u turn on 07 yeti 575. 5'11", 190 lbs. i've probably taken it on about 15 rides. THE PROBLEMS: NOT GETTING FULL TRAVEL, THE FORK IS NOT SUPPLE, AND THE REBOUND IS NOT REALLY THAT GREAT. when i loaded my fox 36 before a jump or drop it helped spring me off the jump. the lyrik feels like i am pushing down on a pillow and i don't get any spring return feeling.

per other posts, i changed the bushing oil and damper oil using torco (rockshox) oil. also lubed the seals. i've gone over pete verdone's site to make sure i bought the right oil. i didn't want to do the damper but after pushing up the damper rod i went too far and lost oil. nice move, right?

anyways, just as before the oil change, i am not getting full travel. after my ride today i am only getting 90mm. the sag is approx. 25mm (15.6% w/ compression settings at lightest). the other issue is that it is not supple through the travel. the initial travel is very supple and prone to brake drive. however, when i hit bumps on sweeping turns it seems to wash out and act harshly instead of being supple and taking the bump in stride.

thoughts? i've thought about changing springs but this is my heaviest wt ever and will soon be cruising in the upper 170's - low 180's. not sure how that will affect this but wanted to throw that out there. according to some other posts, the break in period may be quite lengthy. thanks for any input.

 

[Cable0guy]

I was bottoming out with the soft spring on DH runs with serious rock gardens, even with compression almost to the max. So I changed the spring back to medium yesterday. On normal XC/AM type of trails, I was getting 90-95% travel.

On today's ride, I was getting about 70% travel with all the compression off and rebound fairly slow. I am about 190-95lb with gear like you. It definitely wasn't supple. And like you I felt like the front was washing out on railing turns.

I might try the 5W Amzoil synthetic oil (instead of 15W used by RockShox) recommended by Enduro Fork Seals.

Other than that, the only other thing is to mess around with the cartridge, which I don't really want to do.

 

[bandit350]

where to buy the springs?

did you get the spring from your local shop? how much do they run?

this is my first coil, but from what i understand they're a pain to set up but once you get it right your good to go. luckily it's the winter and i am patient....

suspension experts is here in asheville. i think i'll send kevin and email to see what he thinks.

 

[Cable0guy]

I got it from LBS. I took it to them thinking there was something wrong with the fork since I wasn't getting full travel, and they told me to go lower with the spring after testing the damper.

Universal (and probably Jenson) has them also.

I don't know if I will ever get it right. My Totem Coil was a breeze to set up and performed really well. Also, the Firm spring instead of the Medium spring worked for me on the Totem.

Too bad Push doesn't work on Lyrik. I should have gotten the Fox Van or Talas instead.

 

[d-bug]

I got my Lyrik dialed perfect for me.
With gear I weigh about 225lbs.
With the factory oil in the damper, the medium spring was perfect. I know it's 2 springs softer than what RS recommends, but it was only a recommendation, right? It was smooth on trail riding, but never bottomed it, even off 3-4' jumps. I decided to try a lighter weight oil, and found the medium spring to be too soft, so I put in the firm spring. The fork is amazingly smooth right now.

This is the oil I put in it.
http://www.ebikestop.com/golden_spectro_5_weight_85150_fork_oil_1_liter-LU7600.php
This site has it listed as 5wt, the LBS where I bought it put a sticker on it saying it's 2.5wt. I don't give a damn what weight it is. All I know is it's thinner than the factory oil, and my fork performs awesome now (aside from the bushing slop). I've found every fork I have ever owned felt better once I put a lighter oil in it.

I also run HSC and LSC fully open. Only time I ever use the Motion Control is when I want to "lock" the fork out for climbing out of the saddle.

 

[Phil_S]

You dont mention it at all so I will...You do know that you need to pop up the LSC knob and activate the floodgate to notice much change in the LSC..

I have seen you post this before and I would like to understand it. You mean you ride with your floodgate turned on? If I rode my Lyrik with the floodgate on, it would be really bad (very very harsh) even at the lowest threshold level.

This is what I have noticed about my Lyrik. Changes to LSC can not be detected in the garage on the bike. Only when using a ziptye and repeating a section of trail over and over and playing with the adjustments can a difference be seen. Also, when I take the fork apart and change the damper fluid in the damper cart, and play around with the damper rod in my hand and change the setting (with out influence of the spring in the other leg), I can tell a difference in the setting. So I know they do something. If you want a change that is widely different, you could consider changing the oil weight in the damper cart. I have always assumed that I will not be able to test HSC in the garage.

Some have wrote that with the floodgate even in the off position, the threshold adjustment still determines the break over from LSC to HSC damping. I don't know about that one and am interested to find out.

I am also in the camp that believes that unless you are only on the brakes for a fraction of a second, damping is a poor way to control brake dive. IMO the spring rate or air pressure is the only way.

Also for me the front fork has to be a compromise (that's all front forks, not just lyrik). You can have it plush when your setting on the seat in the pedaling position and it will have to much sag and be too soft when you're standing in the attack position and hit an obstacle. You can adjust it for the attack position and larger hits and it will be harsh when sitting on the seat pedaling IMO. Or a compromise in-between the two. I choose to run mine on the harsh side when pedaling on the seat.

 

[ddraewwg]

did you get the spring from your local shop? how much do they run?

this is my first coil, but from what i understand they're a pain to set up but once you get it right your good to go. luckily it's the winter and i am patient....

suspension experts is here in asheville. i think i'll send kevin and email to see what he thinks.

I got mine from Universal cycles....just put in the spring yesterday (soft vs standard). Shakedown ride is today but unfortunately, there aren't any drops/jumps that would even challenge this fork. Sunday should be a good day to test as I'm going to a place with a lot of med. sized jumps (3 ft).

I only weigh 156....so maybe 166 w/ gear....which should be a standard spring, but it seems that most people run 1 spring lighter than designated.

I never bottomed with the Standard spring (stock oil)....got about 1 3/4 in. shy on a 3-4 ft. drop to flat (on the street too so the impact would be greater than on dirt).

Using that as my standard, I figured I would be able to go 1 spring lighter to see how much of a difference it would make. If it was too soft, then what I could do is put in the Standard again and thin out the damper oil (I just bought 5 wt).

I figure one of these settings (soft spring/15 wt oil), OR standard spring/5 wt. oil has to work.

Oh....I never use the Mission Control/Floodgate. Even when standing and hammering, I don't think it's making such a huge improvement to my speed/momentum. Not like I'm trying to win any races anyways. If I get to the top of a climb first, all that means is that I have to wait longer for my buds anyways!

For LSC, I have 5-6 clicks in.....although it's hard to tell what an actual "click" is....kinda vague. Haven't messed with HSC since I haven't bottomed the fork.

 

[d-bug]

I figure one of these settings (soft spring/15 wt oil), OR standard spring/5 wt. oil has to work.

ddraewwg,
The 15wt oil only goes into the lower legs of the fork, it does not affect how the suspension works. It's only there to lube the bushings. The 5wt oil is what is in the damper. If you put 15wt oil in the damper you'll have a nearly rigid 6" suspension fork :eekster:

-Dan

 

[ddraewwg]

ddraewwg,
The 15wt oil only goes into the lower legs of the fork, it does not affect how the suspension works. It's only there to lube the bushings. The 5wt oil is what is in the damper. If you put 15wt oil in the damper you'll have a nearly rigid 6" suspension fork :eekster:

-Dan

Oh right...dur. I just looked at the set up guide. Says 112 ml of 5 wt in the UPPER LEG. 15 wt in the lower.....i just overlooked that. Having never changed oil before, I don't know how viscous various weights are.

I think i'm going to UC** this weekend.....how 'bout you?