[Apolonios]

I'm about to pull the trigger on a new bike and I'm deciding between a Lyrik Ultimate RC2 or a 36 Grip 2.

There's plenty of articles that compare them in term of performance with the common theme being that the Lyrik is slightly better in the small bump smoothness and the 36 being slightly better in the repeated big hits.

However there's very little comparison in terms of how reliable they are and how easy or hard they are to maintain.

From the manuals it seems that the 36 requires a damper service every 125hrs and the Lyrik every 200.

However I'm not too experienced in this area so I'm not sure what it entails.

In essence both forks seem to perform similarly, what I'm trying to figure out is which is easier to keep working that way or is more prone to failure.

PS Im aware that there is no hard data and I'm just looking for user experiences.

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[Apolonios]

Does anyone have any input on this?

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[Jesse Hill]

Does anyone have any input on this?

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They’re realistically probably equal on reliability but the Lyrik being a sealed damper with a bladder has one more potential failure point. That said I don’t think I’ve heard of a single charger 2 bladder failure yet. As for service again probably equal but the fox requires special tools to protect the airspring shaft and damper rod from damage when removing from the lower legs. Rockshox requires a bleed kit to service the damper but Charger 2 is probably one of the easiest dampers to service. Fox needs chamferless sockets to remove the top caps while rockshox only needs a cassette tool (I’m a big fan of this).

 

[Apolonios]

Thanks for the input.

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[dlocki]

Ive had a few pairs of forks over the past year so this is my opinion.

Grip2 - poor small bump and not good at slow speeds but great hard hitting for when things get rough. a luftkappe helps.

Lyrik rc2. great small bump but soft midstroke. the hsc setting didnt seem to make much difference. it seems to blow the travel very easy then ramps up hard at the end.

Currently i have a lyrik rc2 with the new push hc97 kit fitted and its an amazing fork. supple yet firm. its night and day better than stock

I would buy a 2019 lyrik and get the push kit fitted - this would be about the same as the 2020 ultimate cost wise but a much better fork.

 

[JohnnyC7]

I’ve not seen this lowers tool, or are you talking about the footnut hammer?

Chamferless sockets are essential but best practice for any fork. A normal socket and a file can get the same result if you don’t want to pay out for a socket you’ll use once or twice a year.

It’s really hard to split both brands for me on the servicing front..,,maybe fox gets the nudge since the damper is actually designed to be fully disassembled and cleaned as well as replacement parts are available for it

 

[Miker J]

Dropping the lowers frequently on all my sram forks, including Pikes and a Boxxer, keeps them running super smooth for a long time. That includes new foam rings, and occasionally seals. A rare damper bleed, and internal seals change too.

 

[Apolonios]

Dropping the lowers frequently on all my sram forks, including Pikes and a Boxxer, keeps them running super smooth for a long time. That includes new foam rings, and occasionally seals. A rare damper bleed, and internal seals change too.

Would that constitute a full rebuild (aka the 200hr maintenance)? How long does it usually take?

I think I'm fairly handy with tools so I'm not afraid of doing some of my own maintenance, but I'm just wondering if this is something that needs to be done a few times a year or should be done every month or something.



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[Apolonios]

I’ve not seen this lowers tool, or are you talking about the footnut hammer?

Chamferless sockets are essential but best practice for any fork. A normal socket and a file can get the same result if you don’t want to pay out for a socket you’ll use once or twice a year.

It’s really hard to split both brands for me on the servicing front..,,maybe fox gets the nudge since the damper is actually designed to be fully disassembled and cleaned as well as replacement parts are available for it

Thanks for the input. Since its a new bike I don't think I can request the 2019 version. Or specifically I don't think I'll get $$credit for specifying that as a request.

However is the high speed compression adjustment actually useful for someone in the 170-180lbs range?

Should I just go for the Lyrick Select + (charger 2.1 with only LSC adjustment)?

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[teej83]

Local shop said the Lyrik is not as stiff/robust as the 36. No comparison I’ve read actually mentions this so I’m thinking it’s due more to the differences in the midstroke moreso than stanchion flex.

 

[Jesse Hill]

Would that constitute a full rebuild (aka the 200hr maintenance)? How long does it usually take?

I think I'm fairly handy with tools so I'm not afraid of doing some of my own maintenance, but I'm just wondering if this is something that needs to be done a few times a year or should be done every month or something.



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The full service guides are on Sram site with a complete walk through on what’s involved. The intervals are on there too, I believe it’s 200hrs for damper service and 50hrs for lower leg. What that means for monthly vs yearly depends how much you ride and in what conditions that’s why it’s broken down into hours.

 

[Miker J]

Would that constitute a full rebuild (aka the 200hr maintenance)? How long does it usually take?

I think I'm fairly handy with tools so I'm not afraid of doing some of my own maintenance, but I'm just wondering if this is something that needs to be done a few times a year or should be done every month or something.



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Seems that if i do a simple lowers service often I can get away with more involved service less.