Rock Shox Lyrik 2-Step Air 2008 or fox 36 talas r?

kenone
kenone Posts: 113
edited October 2008 in MTB buying advice
Want to upgrade the front end on my giant reign, got 32 floats on at the minute. Good forks but want something a bit more rigid with a thru axle. Was gonna go straight for fox as so impressed by the floats but the lyriks are the same price and have more adjustment.
Im starting to ride some fairly technical natural stuff now, both here and abroad and there is a freeride park down the road that i ride atleast once a week too.
Obviously gotta upgrade my front wheel/hub to accomodate the thru axle, any suggestions appreciated.
cheers
Get your dog off my lawn!

Comments

  • dave_hill
    dave_hill Posts: 3,877
    Both excellent forks and the Lyriks are good value for money given the features that they incorporate. Don't forget that the Talas R only has adjustable rebound.

    However, there have been reliability issues with the 2-step system. Early models had a problem with the 2-step mechanism creeping down from 160mm to 115mm and staying there. Sram claims to have cured this problem with later models and the 2009 range, but there still may be some early ones hanging around.

    Also, the Lyriks are nearly a pound heavier than the Foxes.
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  • kenone
    kenone Posts: 113
    Yeah i know the talas r only has rebound. for the extra money for the rc2 forks i didnt think i would appreciate the difference. My current floats are the rlc model and i never use the lockout and dont fettle with compression as much as the rebound.
    Spoke to one of my mates and he mentioned the teething problems with the 2 step system. He did say theyve ironed that problem out now.
    Gotta get the bill on the evil plastic card down first though lol. So will prob be waiting till nearer xmas time, hopefully they might come down a few quid then anyway.
    Also, my front hub wont accept a thru axle, which routes should i go? Im assuming its not cost effective to re-build the wheel with a compatible hub. Surely you can run different wheels front and back?
    Wheel build suggestions maybe? Sorry for so many questions, this forum has always been really helpful to me.
    Get your dog off my lawn!
  • dave_hill
    dave_hill Posts: 3,877
    You can't re-use your existing rim with a new hub - the stress that it has been under will mean that it will look like a taco when you unlace it from the hub!

    So unless you are running a front hub which can be converted to 20mm, then I'm afraid it's new wheel time too.

    I run Hope Pro II hubs on both my bikes without any problems, although good alternatives would be DMR, Nuke Proof, or Halo. Mavic and Shimano also do complete wheels with 20mm hubs but they do tend to be on the expensive side by comparison.

    There's nothing to stop you running different wheels front and rear, unless the lack of symmetry causes offence!
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    Help for Heroes
    JayPic
  • Chaka Ping
    Chaka Ping Posts: 1,451
    I've put a 36 Talas on my Yeti 575 and loved it - though it's had to go back under warranty at the moment.

    The key deciding factors for me in picking it over the Lyrik were...

    1. It's lighter, as Dave pointed out.

    2. The 100mm, 130mm, 160mm adjustments seemed more useable - and this proved to be the case, as the 130mm setting is perfect for normal riding on my bike.

    3. I'd previously had better reliability from Fox than from RS forks - although that may have been a red herring!

    I got a new front wheel, Mavic 819 on Pro 2 hub made up by merlin for about £115. I was tempted to get the XT wheelset for £200 from them though. Still sometimes think I should have done that.
  • ride_whenever
    ride_whenever Posts: 13,279
    I'd go for the foxes, the talas system is relatively proven and the steps are more usable.

    as for wheel, pro2 and your choice of rim, either 721 or 719 for not ust or 819 or 823 for ust.

    and get it from merlin.
    Neeermad
    Carbon 456
    456 lefty
    Pompino
    White Inbred
  • kenone
    kenone Posts: 113
    Yeah i was pretty keen on staying with fox anyway. The lyrik has alot of adjustment im not sure i would use, hence why i was thinking of getting the talas forks just with the rebound adj in the first place (i i have hardly touched the compression damping adjustment).
    Will now have to keep my eye out for set, was possibly thinking of buying second hand or a new 07 set if i can find some.
    Thanks for the help guys.
    Get your dog off my lawn!
  • grantway
    grantway Posts: 1,430
    I have the Fox 36 r on my Orange 5 AM 2008 model Fantastic fork
    With a flick of a switch you change the settings and always incontrol.

    Orange used to offer the Lyrics but stopped giving you the optional
    upgrade has Dave_Hill had pointed out the reliability issues.

    I lnow the Fox now is even lighter and weighs in at around 4.6 lbs

    My favorite riding is smashing into roots, just love it because these
    forks kill them dead and your then hunting for the next rough section

    And the front end is stiff. Simply point and shoot riding

    Never had any problems with mine though

    Dont buy the 07 model as a lot of uprading was done to the 08 model
    including the quick release, has a lot of people was over tightening
    the allumn key and cracking the bottom of the fork.
    Which is now a common problem with the Specalized own forks
    as they use the same designer from Fox who made the 2007 model.

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