Absolutely, especially for my local Philly trails, biggest drop probably 5ft (I can feel one harsh bottom out locally that’s a jump to flat in a river bed g-out). I had maybe 1 or 2 noticeable bottom outs at Mountain Creek with the Cascade and coil.


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Vorsprung maybe.

I’m curious how much this bad boy will be next year. EXT is ready to disrupt the mountain bike suspension game with its Aria Air Shock

 

Recommendations for a good starting point for settings?

Transition’s site sent me to the RockShox fork app which gave me suggested PSI and rebound, nothing for compression. Couldn’t find anything for the SDU.

 

Yeah for all their effort making the "trailhead" stuff it really is annoying to use. I personally didn't find a setup I got along with on the stock Lyrik and found my GRIP2 36 much easier to get somewhere in the region of "right" in it's stock form. Just dropped a Vorsprung coil into my Lyrik so we'll see how that goes, first impressions are good but I'm on an injured hand at the moment so taking it easy. Damper improvements might be in my future as well. For reference I'm 77kg to 80kg riding, fairly aggressive rider but no racing, and typical trails are natural tech trails in the PNW.

 

Which fork and SDU? I’m not great at suspension setup, but I usually go by feel. I start with air pressure with rough goal of 22% sag up front and 30% rear and wide open compression. I then roll off an edge in my neighborhood and stare at my shock to dial in rebound.

Then go for a ride - I do the biggest local feature to see if I need to add bottom out tokens, then I dial in compression to feel.

That’s my rough approach, hope that helps!


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Wow, Fox 36 is easy to get “right”????? Well just about every review on fox forks say you are the only one. I spent more than a month trying to get my fox36 preference “right”. I even changed the oil weight in the damper to try to get the fork more responsive. You want to know my fix? I bought a Zeb.

 

Yep I’m aware that my experience is out of alignment with general consensus. I also disliked the Zeb [emoji14] but in fairness to that one, it was a demo bike and I didn’t spend that much time bothering with it.

 

Agreed - the lyrik and SD are easy as hell to setup - i have the new lyriks on mine and once i set them up over a month ago ive not touched them, the new dials make it way easier

i too am very tempted to get a SD ult air 2023 to match the new lyrik - my fox x2 has a horrid knock/rattle which fox uk say is normal (helpful as ever!!!) lukcily i have a spare float x which touch wood is working perfectly and silent!

but it seems all new aftermarket 2023 SD ultimate airs are coming with a linear can and transition specifies the sentinel with a progressive can, so really not sure! it seems all aftermarket SD ultimate airs have a light and light tune to them so similar to the sentinel transition tune, but the wrong can

 

Did you ever ride the previous gen Lyrik to compare to the new one?

I have been curious about the Smashpot conversion. I actually just purchased a new second Lyrik Ult (previous gen) on sale for $649 for a future ebike purchase with some planned parts upgrades. Could have gone Zeb for not much more cost but I'm shooting for a 160/170f and 150/160r, 40-42 pound ebike so can't get too carried away.

 

My finished beauty! nicest & quietest bike ive owned, love the colour scheme so stealth but just looks right! absolute hoot to be aboard, so much more lively and fun compared the alloy version it replaced, that 3lbs sure does make a hell of a difference!

got a temp float x on there now, but enjoying it i must say, ( i had a EXT and float x on the alloy one) its nice and sprightly, hopefully my X2 gets fixed one way or another, otherwise ill get a factory one and try again i guess

but shes finished for now, feels around 31lbs max by hand, very light given how capable it is

build is

large carbon frame ti grey
RS lyrik ultimate 160mm 2023
2021 float x2 perf/ (temp float x perf)
I9 hubs on WR1 union
213mm bikeyoke revive
x01 carbon cranks
xx1 cassette and chain
gx eagle AXS (might go back to mechanical)
hope tech 4 e4 brakes with 200mm hope rotors
oneup 35mm carbon bar
RF turbine r stem 40mm stem
CB mallet E LS pedals
maxxis 2.4 EXO dissector rear / maxxis 2.5 dhf 3c front (tubeless)

 

Picked up this barely used Sentinel yesterday. Took it to a trail I’ve never ridden before as we’re SoCal scoping a potential new place to live.

Didn’t get to open it up like I’d hoped - trail had a few hikers and some tech bits that caught me off guard. The Lyrik felt plush, but I felt like it was diving more than I’d like. Might need to up the HSC.

Climbing was a pleasant surprise. No complaints until I got a little tired, and then it felt like a little more of a struggle to manage the wheel flop. I locked out towards the end and that helped but wouldn’t have been necessary if I was fresh.

Should I run more PSI in the fork than recommended? Also I’m running the rebound 1 click from closed on the SDU. Does that seem right?

 

the older lyrik is much softer off the top and doesnt hold up as well through its travel - so yep depending on your ride style/preference you may want to increase your psi to make it feel a little firmer throughout

not sure on the SD as ive not owned one for a while, but i remember at 11.8 stone being pretty much open on the LSC and rebound fairly fast with about my body weight lbs in psi

 

I haven't ridden the Sentinel yet but lots of other 4 bar bikes and they're pretty active compared to the DW link. That combined with the geo difference, My guess is the Ripmo would need an angleset and coil shock in the rear (to make it more active), to match the downhill ability of the Sentinel. In stock form with an air shock, Ripmo is just a little more of a long legged trail bike/Enduro light than a full enduro bike.

Other options on the Ripmo would be a 170 fork and Cascade Link for even more downhill ability. Of course the Sentinel can also take a 170 fork, Cascade Link and coil so lots of options on these two bikes.

There's also people on mtbr long shocking the Ripmo AFs to, I believe 168 and 172 travel, depending on stock or Cascade link.

 

Not sure how long shocking would work in the Ripmo. I had issues with small rocks getting caught between the links and the seat seat tube. The links get really close to the seat tube when the suspension is compressed. Also I’d you add a longer shock, you push the links way down…… this is important, the DW link needs the have the sag set very carefully to the right level, to much sag, peddle loads compress the suspension, to
Little sag, the bike”inch worms”. IMO, you over shock a Ripmo, you would have to run way more sag on the bike or the bike would climb like crap. The links HAVE to be at the right angles when you are seated and spinning or the bike is a turd.

 

I don’t have experience myself but some others do in the long shock thread on here as well as the Loam Ranger on YouTube. Seems to work better on the alloy frames as they have more clearance.

Personally I won’t be doing it. Maybe a Cascade Link, coil or 170 air shaft some day but pretty content for now with my Topaz and Lyrik at stock travel.

 

Just wanted to throw my two cents on the Sentinel, specifically the AL, as I now have three people on them, my son a 170 pound Cat 2 DH racer using it as a trail bike, a strong 230 pound rider who is using it from trail to days at Northstar, and a 6'2" rider on a XL using it for a one bike do all and has considerable experience riding and racing downhill, but not super fast. I have spent a fair amount of time on my Son's which is setup with a Fox 36 Factory and Luftkappe, including taking it for a Tahoe trip (had lent my Banshee to a friend, needed to get away and it was just staring at me). I am 50, 205 pounds, technically strong (can comfortably ride pretty much any expert trail at DH parks (Northstar, Mammoth, Snow Summit, Whistler), stay away from pro lines and big jumps), but not an aggressive or very fast rider. Here are my observations:

• Handling- I was really concerned the bike would feel slow and lethargic with a 63.6 head angle. When we built my son's, we started with angleset to steepen the head angle, then pulled it out. The bike is very stable, but I have no issues with it wandering on climbs (including slow low gear grinding). It is not snappy at low speeds, but far from dead. It requires a bit more body english than my Banshee, but nothing excessive, and is easy to keep the front weighted (still working on fully adapting to riding over the front).
• Float X Shock- Really not sure what Transition was thinking about when including .7 of volume spacers in the shock from the factory. With the shock setup this way, you end up running a lot of sag (about 32-35) while running into a wall of spring right past sag, so it doesn't use the travel well. Removing the .6 spacer and leaving the .1 while upping the pressure about 20 psi resulted in sag dropping to about 26-28%, but riding much better as it now uses the midstroke, but still ramps up at the end, so no hard bottoming. If you are big hucker, the extra spacers may be needed. The Float X definitely has a digressive tune in it, which leaves it feeling a bit dead, but nothing that can't be solved by having it retuned come service time.
• Weight- There is no getting about it, the AL frame is a bit porky. It is slightly over 10 pounds with the hardware and shock. By comparison, my Banshee Prime with hardware and the shock (the Prime uses the same tubeset as the Titan) weighs 9 pounds. That said, the frame is solid and also incredibly quiet, it just plows through chunk with a nice solid feel.

Overall, a great bike in my book, made better by the incredible price relative to its competitors. For me I like the geometry a bit better on Banshees (slightly longer chainstays, taller head tube), but that is a preference thing. If I couldn't get the Banshee, I would happily grab a Sentinel.

 

The sentinel was designed to ride upstate Washington and the north shore ,the volume spacers are for drops…

 

Can anyone confirm the fit of the EXT Storia on a medium frame with a stock link? I've read that the E-Storia clears nicely, but for the extra money I would probably move over to the Push ElevenSix.

 

Can’t help with a medium, but here’s a Storia v3 on an XL. Call EXT, they’ll know if it fits.

 

Finally had the chance to ride the float x air shock against my kitsuma coil with progressive spring. 91kg kitted, intermediate rider.

Float X just felt lighter obviously and on the trails was easier to pump through trails. On steep rock gardens, the rear end had plenty of feedback and felt good in general.

Kitsuma coil traction felt better, feedback was less than air though it was alot easier to handle and more plush down the rock gardens.

If I had the chance to test ride a sentinel air and coil prior to purchasing, I would've settled with the air shock. For me, I don't think the coil is $1000aud better then the air.
Also had to buy multiple coils and still haven't found the 'one'.

 

Finally had the chance to ride the float x air shock against my kitsuma coil with progressive spring. 91kg kitted, intermediate rider.

Float X just felt lighter obviously and on the trails was easier to pump through trails. On steep rock gardens, the rear end had plenty of feedback and felt good in general.

Kitsuma coil traction felt better, feedback was less than air though it was alot easier to handle and more plush down the rock gardens.

If I had the chance to test ride a sentinel air and coil prior to purchasing, I would've settled with the air shock. For me, I don't think the coil is $1000aud better then the air.
Also had to buy multiple coils and still haven't found the 'one'. View attachment 1995376
View attachment 1995377

You realize that by not preferring the coil, you will now be banned from MTBR.

 

Little upgrade:

Too long right now at 170, but a sweet fork all around.


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How’s the avy tuned Bomber? Did you keep the stock stroke length?


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Anyone a heavier rider running the cascade link? I’m 250lbs and have been having some trouble with setup with my superdeluxe air. At 30% sag the back end feels too gooey with not enough support, and bobs a decent amount climbing. I bumped up the pressure which put me at about 26-27% sag which feels like it has more support but obviously comes at the expense of some off the top feel, and it still doesn’t seem to have as much support in berms as the stock link with a megneg can installed.

Reached out to a local suspension tuning shop who thinks the cascade link is exacerbating the lack of damping that’s already there for how heavy I am, and recommended going with a custom tune and the stock link. Just curious if anyone else has any thoughts


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I can't speak to personal experience as I'm at a lower weight, but I do have a superdeluxe coil with a vorsprung tractive tune for the sentinel with the cascade link and it's very nice. The nice thing about the tractive tune is that it takes into account your weight, riding style, and frame (even with cascade links) and gives a fairly ideal tune for that rider, and doesn't rely on the experience/intuition of the tuner which is sometimes wrong and takes multiple tries to get right.

As far as using the cascade link or not, I would just consider how you want the bike to ride. The CC link increases the travel on the v2 sentinel by 15mm, which is a fairly drastic change.

 

new shoes on the senty - 2.3 butcher t9 up front and t7 eliminator out back - awesome awesome combo, these spesh tyres have come a long long way from years ago! they feel every bit as good as any maxxis combo ive had (and tried everything!) butcher t9 is stupidly grippy/sticky - grippier than a dhf 3c and not far off a assegai - and eliminator has tonnes more traction than the dissector it replaced, overally a similar rolling speed to the dhf/dissector combo, maybe a touch slower, but so so so much more grip front and rear.. very impressed!

 

Shhhhh don’t tell everyone, then they’ll get more expensive! Let them buy maxxis [emoji38]


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Anyone here still using the stock Lyrik Ultimate and SDU? I'm curious how different everyone's settings are from Rockshox' suggestions. The fork feels good. The shock feels.. neutral? I feel like I don't have enough mid-stroke or small bump sensitivity, but I also don't feel like I'm just blowing through the travel. I feel like I can squeeze a little more performance out of it with just the compression and rebound adjustments.

 

Just install a meg neg can and it will solve those problems

 

Anyone run a 65mm stroke shock with the stock link? Specifically looking at trying one on the AL, but want to see if there are any clearance issues.

 

any one running a new 2023 Super Deluxe ultimate air yet? after numerous issues with my X2 im tempted to strap on a SD ultimate and hope i get some reliability

 

Using a SD select +and loving it,waiting for the meg neg just because

😏

 

I assume this has been covered but my search skills are failing so: anyone have experience with the DHX Coil? Feel and fitment on a carbon frame? I’m tired of dealing with a blown up X2 - saying it happens monthly is barely hyperbole.

 

lol, my x2 has had to go back twice for rebuilds. The first because it was making swishing noises and needed the damper bled, and the second time it just got stuck down in its travel and wouldn't fully extend. Fox did the repairs under warranty both time. Never blew out the damper entirely like above. Fingers crossed it doesn't have to go back, it won't be covered under warranty soon. If it does I'm getting SD Air or a DVO

 

Anyone running a OneUp guide without any rubbing? I tried installing one and the side closest to the frame seems to rub and it doesn’t look like I can use any spacers to fix that.

 

carbon? my bash guide doesn't even come close to rubbing (damn it needs a bath)

 

I was able to get some clearance, but it's still really tight. No rubbing so far!

 

the only time mines is close is when using that rubber bung guide on the pivot that the gear outer goes through - i cant rotate the one up guide enough back to clear the big 52t cog - however removing the rubber bung allows me to rotate it back enough, luckily the outer gear cable is taught enough that it doesnt cause a issue

 

any one running a new 2023 SD ultimate coil yet? hows it feel on the v2? also any ideas on weights with a standard RS spring?