We’ve had the 2012 170mm Lyrik Dual Air Position (DAP) at our disposal for more than a year, and used it in half a dozen enduro events. Aside from the graphics, the 2013 version of the fork remains the same.
After such extensive use, it’s safe for us to say that the fork is consistent in its performance and has exceptionally durable seals. More than 100 hours were logged on it, and not once was there a hint of an oil leak.
We used the 30mm DAP travel adjustment constantly during testing, toggling back and forth on almost every climb and descent, and never so much as hiccuped an issue. On rare occasions where descents were completed in the 140mm short travel setting the fork performed the same as it did in the 170mm setting.
Adjustments are straightforward on the Lyrik’s Mission Control DH damper, with high- and low-speed on the top-right, as with the Boxxer. Nicely detented knobs make each adjusting click obvious, and the tweaks themselves offered noticeable variation in the fork’s performance.
Spring load on the 2012 Lyrik is set up via a Schrader valve on the top-left, and finding the correct amount of sag is made easy by anodized sag percentage marks on the right stanchion, a RockShox Air Spring Guide decal on the lowers, and travel/sag-measuring band on the right stanchion. Negative air is automatically balanced with the positive pressure internally, omitting the need for a second valve on the outside of the fork.
One Schrader valve handles both positive and negative air chambers
Performance-wise, the Lyrik felt somewhat progressive throughout its travel, regardless of damping setup and spring load pressure. It excelled with medium-to-big hits, offering an all but bottomless feel. But with small bump compliance, short of running over 30 percent sag, the little stuff often felt ignored by the damper. It wasn’t horrid, by any means, but the fork never felt as though it could be set up with a buttery smooth ride on the top end of its travel.
As for maintenance, we blasted our review fork with any and all conditions, and often put it away wet after spraying it off. Yet it still offered the same consistent ride quality throughout months of abuse. And once we actually got it serviced – approximately four times past RockShox’s recommended service interval – the seals seemed good as new and the bushings barely hinted at signs of wear.
Anodized sag settings help with air spring setup
Overall, durability was impressive, short of the paint, which chipped in multiple places without excessive wear. The stanchions survived multitudes of shuttle trailers and muddy days, the damper never appeared to leak a drop of oil, and air pressure in the spring chamber always held true.
One note on the Maxle Lite thru-axle, which had a tendency to loosen up just enough to give the fork a feel of worn bushings. It quickly became habit to reach down and adjust it on a daily basis.
Overall, the RockShox Lyrik DAP is a great option for bikes or riders demanding a stout, long travel trail fork in a single crown package.