RockShox Damper Upgrade Kit - Charger2.1 RC2 [Rider Review]

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Sometimes suspension is hard to set up just right with the stock damper. Luckily, RockShox offers the Charger 2.1 RC2 Damper as an upgrade kit. Our friend, Juliana, just installed one in their fork. See how they're liking it!

Overview

Mountain Bike parts can be expensive and are constantly evolving. It can be hard to figure out when to make upgrades and will the cost be worth it. I have a 2017 Rock Shock Lyric RC2 on my 2017 Rocky Mountain Slayer. The fork is great, but I have always notice that my arms get tired during long chattery descents. I always felt like the small bump compliance had room for improvement. I read many forums online that discussed arm fatigue solutions. Many people recommended tiring out the shock-absorbing Revgrips or the foam-filled Spank Vibrocore bars. I figured that these products might help a little bit, but at the end of the day, I decided that my money would be best spent updating my fork. So I ordered the new Rock Shock Charger 2.1 RC2 Damper along with the updated Air Spring and Dust Seals. I was not sure if it would really be worth $. The total cost was about $ 400 to essentially turn my fork into a 2021 RockShox Lyrik Ultimate.

The Ride:

I can tell you now that it was completely worth it,

I could feel the difference immediately. The fork was noticeably more sensitive. The lighter compression tune combined with fewer frictions in the components allows the fork to work on very small bumps. When I add 2 clicks of compression the fork feels close to how it used to feel before the upgrade. So that is how noticeable the lighter compression tune is. The fork also sits a little higher in its travel even when set to the same sag. This is most likely due to the new air spring. This is not ideal for climbing but is a small price to pay for the benefits that it produces while descending. I find myself riding faster now because I feel like I can just float over break bumps with ease. On rocky descents, I feel like there is plenty of support even under braking, but it also feels very sensitive and supple over small bumps. Now I don’t have to choose over sensitivity or support. I can have both with this fork upgrade. My bike used to feel like a big trail bike and now it feels like a true Enduro machine, capable of plowing thru anything.

Installing the Charger 2.1 Damper:

The installation was very straight forward. It was not much harder than just changing out the dust seals and performing an oil change. The only additional tool that I had to purchase was a set of internal snap ring pliers.

Final Thoughts

I am psyched on this upgrade and truly feel that it has improved my riding and made it more fun. If you have a bike with an older RockShox fork that is compatible, this is easily the best upgrade available. You will actually feel a noticeable improvement in bike feel and experience less fatigue.