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. 

Front wheel traction is one of the most important factors when it comes to mountain bikes. Not only are tires important, but so is the suspension. Keeping the front wheel on the ground with a nice fork is indeed very noticeable. Our friend, Andrew, has been running the RockShox Lyrik. See what they think! 

Overview

I'll start with why I wanted to replace my fork in the first place.I took my bike to Snowshoe bike park in West Virginia - one of the closest lift access downhill parks to me - for the first time. I ride a 2020 Trek Fuel EX. The factory fork was a Rockshox 35 Gold. The fork had served me well in my home state of Ohio - mostly XC trails and one small downhill park. However, I was starting to notice that it was being pushed to its limits on fast chunk. Snowshoe certainly offers that, and the fork blew an internal seal on the first day there.

I decided that instead of rebuilding a mid-level fork for a second time, I would look at replacing it with something higher end. I wanted something in 150mm of travel (from the factory, not increased or reduced after buying), under $1,000, and in a color that matched my bike. From what I could tell, most vendors did not have much in stock in the way of Fox that fit my requirements. Rockshox on the other hand was widely available (both Pike and Lyrik) and was considerably less expensive than Fox.

After what seemed like an exhaustive (and exhausting) amount of research, the Lyrik Ultimate seemed like the best choice for the money and for what I would be throwing at it. I read that it was slightly heavier than the Pike, stiffer, and able to handle a bit more abuse. After triple checking, I made my choice.

The fork shipped SUPER fast (I think I had it in like 48 hours). WWC always delivers on customer service, but this might be the fastest I've ever received anything. Thank you guys for that!

I went through installing it - including the anxiety of cutting down my first steerer tube to size. Thankfully that all went fine. I used the Rockshox Trailhead app to set a starting point for the rebound and air pressure, and proceeded to a local trail - hand cut singletrack with plenty of root chunk.

The first thing I noticed was how different the fork felt compared to my previous one. Roots felt... softer. Square edge rocks felt rounded. The harsh shock that I usually get over rock gardens felt smooth and more uniform. I was pleasantly surprised as I didn't expect much of a change in feeling, just a fork that could handle more than my old one.

Over the next few weeks, I worked on dialing in rebound, low speed compression, and air pressure. This particular model came with two volume tokens already installed, and I found the progression to be just about right for me. I was able to reduce the air pressure pretty far below what Rockshox recommended. This made the fork feel even more supple - especially with small bumps and low speed hits.

Final Thoughts

It was time to go back to Snowshoe. My favorite trail there is called Dreamweaver, a fast chunky blue trail. The Lyrik performed perfectly. I was blown away at how much it took the sting out of braking bumps and rock chunk. A friend who rides a Pivot Firebird with a Fox 38 also took my bike for a lap. He commented that he couldn't believe how good the new fork felt. I think a made the right decision, and thanks again to WWC for being fantastic!”