[blkdout]

The bike I bought this year came with a 35 and, man-o-man, is it notchy. I don't know how else to describe it... NOT SMOOTH lol. I read another post where someone dissected it, deemed it a pile of hot garbage and concluded it should never be installed on a bike. Therefore, I have no interest in rebuilding it. I'm no pro and never thought anything much more than basic components is what I need. My other bikes have never been top of the line stuff and I never had a complaint so naturally thought the 35 would be fine. I was wrong lol.

So my question is, what's a good replacement for this fork? I was looking at the Pike and Lyrik and they seem to be comparable but I'm not guru enough to understand all the differences. Price also seems negligible between the two. As far as my research on FOX, I have read more than once they tend to leak and just aren't as reliable... but people still love them. I personally lean towards reliability so I'm probably bias toward RockShox from experience but still open to opinions.

For reference, the bike is 150/150.

 

[The_Bob]

Pike if you won't be hitting really steep and gnarly trails, Lyrik if you will be. As for Fox, their stuff has always been dead reliable for me and many others. If you look at them a 36 would be what you are going for. Don't overlook forks like the DVO Diamond, Manitou Mezzer, Cane Creek Helm and the Marzocchi Z1

 

[Grinchy8]

You probably just need your bushings burnished. This service only takes a few minutes. Your local suspension shop might call it bushing sizing. Long thread on it here. . . Seems to be an issue with most new shocks.

all that said, the dampers in the Pike and Lyrik will be miles better.

 

[Cary]

Pike if you won't be hitting really steep and gnarly trails, Lyrik if you will be. As for Fox, their stuff has always been dead reliable for me and many others. If you look at them a 36 would be what you are going for. Don't overlook forks like the DVO Diamond, Manitou Mezzer, Cane Creek Helm and the Marzocchi Z1

This. All work well, each has their own feel. People who like the feel of Rockshox tend to not like the feel of Fox and vice versa.

 

[Senderdeep]

Recently upgraded the 35 on my bike to a Pike. Very happy. Seems like a great trail fork.

 

[Amt0571]

The bike I bought this year came with a 35 and, man-o-man, is it notchy. I don't know how else to describe it... NOT SMOOTH lol. I read another post where someone dissected it, deemed it a pile of hot garbage and concluded it should never be installed on a bike. Therefore, I have no interest in rebuilding it. I'm no pro and never thought anything much more than basic components is what I need. My other bikes have never been top of the line stuff and I never had a complaint so naturally thought the 35 would be fine. I was wrong lol.

So my question is, what's a good replacement for this fork? I was looking at the Pike and Lyrik and they seem to be comparable but I'm not guru enough to understand all the differences. Price also seems negligible between the two. As far as my research on FOX, I have read more than once they tend to leak and just aren't as reliable... but people still love them. I personally lean towards reliability so I'm probably bias toward RockShox from experience but still open to opinions.

For reference, the bike is 150/150.

I have a Fox and it's the smoothest thing I've ever tried. However, I agree it's not the most reliable thing on the market. I had a Suntour Axon RL-RC on my previous bike and it was rock solid and really well built, especially considering the price was half of what a Reba cost. I would check the "expensive" Suntours, I really really liked how it was built.

 

[sumayasol]

If the 35 fork is notchy it's one of two things, both of which can be warrantied through a bike shop if you're the original owner.

1) The lowers are out of tolerance, a known problem with these forks.
2) One or more bushings are dislodged and no longer properly aligned. The 35's bushings are glued in place with epoxy that can fail. This was my experience, and I rectified that with a DIY bushing driver.

See here for my experience and DIY fix. I was denied warranty service, not being the original owner.

 

[blkdout]

Thanks all for the info! Likely getting the Lyrik Select. I probably can't do the Ultimate version much justice lol.

p.s.: The 35 is under warranty and I am the original purchaser but it just left a bad impression with me in such a short amount of time.