RockShox Lyrik Ultimate [Rider Review]

Our "Rider Review" article series features the honest reviews from verified purchasers of Worldwide Cyclery. They contain the photos, thoughts, feedback & overall review you are looking for. 

 When RockShox was designing the Lyrik, they wanted a fork that can handle burly descents while being light enough to get back up those steep climbs. And that's exactly what they achieved with the Lyrik. Our friend, Ethan, has been running the fork. See what they think! 

Overview

My bike is a 2020 Specialized Stumpjumper that came stock with a Fox 34 Rhythm in 150mm of travel. The stock fork performed well but felt a little under-gunned for some of the technical descents we have here in Colorado. Also, the geometry numbers on the standard Stumpjumper are slightly on the conservative side of things for modern mountain bikes. That being said, I was interested in raking out the front end a bit with a more burly fork. Enter Worldwide Cyclery!

As most would expect, I was deciding between the Fox 36 and RockShox Lyrik, both in 160mm travel. Granted I don't think you could go wrong with either option, the wealth of information and entertainment available from Worldwide help me make an educated decision. I ultimately went with the Lyrik due to what I perceived as a more straightforward setup along with a slightly lower price tag. I also have only ever run Fox suspension on my bikes, so I wanted to see what RockShox felt like. Dialing the fork in was a straightforward process - I started with the RockShox website to find my starting rebound setting and then honed my compression settings after a few test rides. The rebound was spot on the recommendation, but the compression took a handful of rides before I finally settled on my preferred high and low speed for my style of riding and local trails.

Once I settled on which components I wanted, there was no question about where to get it from - Worldwide Cyclery. The breadth of product offerings, service, and shipping speed makes for a five-star experience. On top of that, their Youtube channel and podcast always provide some solid entertainment and some good education. It is also evident that the company is run by a team that lives to ride and wants to share the stoke. Why would anyone not want to support a company that rad?! I can't wait to purchase my next part from Worldwide!

Final Thoughts

So, how does it ride? AMAZING! The additional travel is very noticeable, but the quality of travel is what really impressed me. The fork rides so plush that I am always amazed when I find the travel indicator at the top of the stanchion because no-hit ever feels harsh with this fork. Once I dialed in the various clicks on the fork I was able to create a ride that was soft off the top, had strong support against pedal bob when mashing in a standing position, and resisted bottoming on more gnarly trails. I replaced my rear Fox DPS with a Fox Float X (gasp, yes I did mismatch my fork and shock, feel free to stop reading now) and the bike feels like an entirely new machine in combination. I like to ride aggressively, but also prefer technical trails, so I didn't want to buy a crazy long enduro bike with a super slack head angle, but the trail bikes felt a little bit mellow. With the upgrades, my Stumpjumper now strikes the perfect balance between tight trail manners and bruiser downhill handling.