RockShox’s simple big-hitter isn’t light but it’s a great fork for those who want solid long-travel reliability. Based on the Lyrik fork but with steel stanchions, the Domain is a serious chunk of weight, but that translates to serious stiffness and strength.
There are two dual-crown versions if you want an even stiffer fork and can cope with less steering lock, along with a shorter-travel (160mm) single-crown version that offers optional U-Turn travel-adjustment.
The Motion Control IS damping on the 180mm model is workmanlike rather than super-fluid and the rebound can get confused if you hammer it down a long steppy descent. Ninety percent of the time the gently progressive spring rate is fine though, and there are no obvious spiking or top-out issues even on big slams. You get a full set of seals in the box for servicing too, which is a nice touch.
This article was originally published in Mountain Biking UK magazine, available on Apple Newsstand and Zinio.
