Rockshox Lyrik RC 29 setup help please

[BillyWhizz2020]

Hey all,

I have literally as of this post just finished doing a lowers service using the SKF 35mm kit but at the same time upgraded the debonair air shaft to the new 2021 C1 160mm kit (00.4020.572.002). Standard travel was lacking slightly on the Lyrik at 150mm and the 10% sag without any weight on the bike made it more like 140mm, so for £37.80 from biketart the 160mm travel upgrade kit is a no brainer I thought.

Now, inputting my 150mm fork serial number into Rockshox Trailhead it states that for a rider in full kit weighing 92kg I should put in 107psi and use -8 clicks of Rebound from full ?. I have 2 bottomless tokens fitted so I have dropped the psi to 97 thinking it was a good idea, does that make sense to anyone or will I require more psi?

Also, what the hell do I do with the Compression dial, it only has 5 clicks and to be honest I have no idea where is should be?!

I've never really understood compression so please be gentle lol ?

 

[Doug Stampfer]

Oh dear we didn't warn you that posting suspension questions will unleash a plague of angry wasps...
Have you had a look at the suspension sticky post above? Watch Seb Stotts videos & he will guide you through the set up & let you know what the compressions do. I had to watch twice for it to soak in but he is really good at explaining.
How does it feel when you ride it?
The PSI is about setting the sag height however it is not fixed & can differ accordingly to how you ride & your preferences. The big thing I got from all my research is sag is not a definite measurement in that some prefer riding harder pressure & some like a cadillac feeling. In fact what I got from my research is there is no actual formula to get the right setting, it seems to shift depending on the style of track & the way you want to ride. i guess you either find a compromise for all your usual tracks or tweak the knobs at the start of different type tracks.
The other option is to borrow or hire a shockwiz. I used one & it got me in the ballpark for general settings.
Sorry if this isn't very helpful and happy to be proved wrong about the above points.

 

[aarfeldt]

My tip:

1: get the sag about right.
2: set the rebound as suggested by Trailhead
3: start with compression fully opened.

Now go for a ride, and see how it feels.
Try to remove the tokens....can make a big difference.

ps: also play with tyre pressure...quite important.

 

[Gary]

As above. Read the sticky topic on suspension set up.
Ignore recommended psi on the rockshox trail head site. It's generally way off.
Set spring pressure by measuring sag. And fine tune by trial and error and bracketing on the terrain you ride.
I wouldn't rely on a shockwiz either. Suspension set up isn't difficult once you have a basic understanding. And despite all the settings/choices shockwiz software can't know a riders actual preferences or "how" they ride.

 

[Tone461]

My Tips.
Test on a trail that you know well. Dedicate time just to setup, i.e maybe alone but not flying around with a bunch of mates. You've just spent a ton of money....give it the time it deserves.It needs to be technical but not that scary, you need to be thinking about the changes you have just made, not about how many near misses you just had. The sag o rings can be a really useful tool in set up, but they have their limitations. If you ride a trail with 10 medium hits but one big hit, this is all it will show. The amount of travel for that one obstacle. It will tell you nothing about 95% of the trail you've just ridden. Just something to bear in mind.

A very experienced suspension tuner ( who had probably forgot more than I'll ever know.) told me its all about compromise. You will never get it 100% right. Its a difficult subject that is huge but give it a go, it can be frustrating but very rewarding. Or you can pay someone else.
But what do I know eh

 

[Gary]

Once you know what you're doing you should be able to set up your suspension to within 90% of your ideal set-up going no further than a flat section of road/path outside your house. Then when you first ride the bike on the sort of trails you regularly ride you can fairly quickly fine tune your settings to preference.
As above it's always going to be a balancing act and as such will always be compromised. Of course that compromise can be reduced. But don't lose sleep over it. Folk worry far too much about perfecting that final 10% when in actual fact most riders would benefit more from simply riding more.

 

[steve_sordy]

I have always believed in setting up the bike you buy the best way you can before you start looking at new forks or other upgrades. I had spent the time, but I was still unhappy. Fortunately, I was able to borrow a Shockwiz but the only thing it told me was that my bike was already set up very close to the best it could be (in the opinion of the Shockwiz guys that wrote the program). However, despite it telling me that I did not need any tokens in the shock, I fitted one anyway and it was much better.

Besides, being told that you don't need to spend any money on your suspension..... where's the fun in that!

 

[Mikerb]

As above. Read the sticky topic on suspension set up.
Ignore recommended psi on the rockshox trail head site. It's generally way off.
Set spring pressure by measuring sag. And fine tune by trial and error and bracketing on the terrain you ride.
I wouldn't rely on a shockwiz either. Suspension set up isn't difficult once you have a basic understanding. And despite all the settings/choices shockwiz software can't know a riders actual preferences or "how" they ride.

I agree with Gary here. None of the forks I have used have been set at anything like the factory recommendations.....I set them up largely by trial and error. Even setting up SAG varies greatly depending on exactly how much weight you apply forward of the BB and by the head angle of the bike. For me a good suspension set up needs to achieve 3 things. A good balance between front and rear, a plush initial response but with enough ramp to avoid bottom out on the roughest stuff I ride, and damping to suit. ...and I do most of the set up by riding the bike.

 

[BillyWhizz2020]

Thanks for all the info guys, much appreciated. I've set the psi to 97 not 107 due to the 2 tokens fitted and set rebound as per Trailhead suggested -8 and compression is fully open for now. I'm going to ride my usual trail/enduro loop a few times and dial the compression in a lap at a time, I'm anticipating 2>3 clicks of compression out of the 5 may be the sweet spot ?

Cheers.

 

[Dave_B]

Set the sag to what you prefer, either 25 or 30%. Then take note of your psi. That is your starting point.
Go and ride.
Do you use all the travel? If not, remove a token, set the same psi.
Go ride.
Do you use all the travel.
Repeat adding removing tokens until you are happy.
Be careful not to set rebound too slow, the shock will become harsh.
I leave compression fully open on my ultimates in wet conditions. When it’s dry, I may add one or two clicks.
I crank on quite a lot of slow speed compression, it arrests some of the momentum movements from the heavy ebike during braking.

 

[Mikerb]

Cant say I agree with that! Adding tokens reduces the volume of the airspring chamber. The pressure you need to achieve a good sag setting will change when you do so you have to start from scratch. If you arrive at a point where you have set sag to somewhere between 25 and 30% AND are happy with the small bump compliance but you blow through the travel too easily, that is the time to consider adding a token. Keeping in mind that any suspension setting is a compromise, you may alternatively increase the pressure/reduce the SAG slightly. That will probably reduce the small bump compliance ( feeling of plushness) a little whilst reducing how easily all the travel is used. Also consider that using all of the travel is a GOOD thing.....what you want to a void is harsh bottoming out. Most forks come with the number of tokens...usually one or two ( possibly none) which the manufacturer considers right for an average weight rider, in average terrain, taking into account the factory set tune of the damper. So you should be able to get a good compromise without changing tokens unless your weight or type of riding is not "average".

 

[Gary]

Most forks come with the number of tokens...usually one or two ( possibly none) which the manufacturer considers right for an average weight rider

in the case of Rock shox.Their forks come with appropriate number of tokens for the travel.
ie. a longer travel fork has less tokens (for hopefully obvious reason)

Rider weight is irrelevant to spring curve (progressiveness). but not spring rate.

 

[Gary]

Far too many riders blindly ram their fork full of tokens complaining of bottoming out when they are simply running not enough pressure to support their weight.
Many then consider going to a coil conversion which uses a linear spring rate.
ie. closer to a higher pressure, Less tokens set up in an air sprung fork.

 

[BillyWhizz2020]

Today my sag was 25% with 95psi, rebound -8 clicks from full slow, LSC full open but started with 2 clicks out of 5 and 2 tokens fitted. I couldn't fault it to be fair it worked great down some steep tecky stuff, there was plenty of drops, roots and ruts and full travel was used a number of times with no bottoming out, I think it's sorted cheers ????

 

[Gary]

If you're happy. We're all happy

?

 

[BillyWhizz2020]

Ha ha nice one cheers ??