The Rockshox Pike has been on the market since 2013. Since then, the high-end fork has served riders from the trail to the enduro segment. Its bigger brother, the Lyrik, on the other hand, is mainly found on thoroughbred enduro bikes. With up to 180 millimetres of suspension travel, the powerful fork even poaches among freeriders.
The fact that the concept of both forks also proves itself in practice was recently demonstrated at the Suspension fork comparison test in BIKE 11/2019. Conclusion: Both forks were able to pin our SUPER test rating on their lapel. The Pike even won the test against strong competition from Fox and co.
In the 2021 model year, the Americans want to build on their success and are polishing up the Pike and Lyrik range. Both forks are now on sale.
New DebonAir air spring for Rockshox Lyrik and Pike
It's no secret that some Rockshox models already have a few millimetres of travel even when stationary without additional rider weight. The Americans want to have remedied this with the new DebonAir air spring in the Pike and Lyrik. The two forks should now be significantly higher in their travel and no longer allow sag in still sand.
Rockshox achieves this by moving the seal head in the stanchion tube upwards by around one centimetre. As a result, the seal head is positioned exactly on the equalisation dimple and is intended to facilitate the exchange of air between the positive and negative air chambers when the suspension is fully extended.
In addition, the sealing head of the air spring has been reversed. Rockshox hopes that this move will result in significantly more air in the casting, which should improve the final progressiveness of the fork.
The new Rockshox Pike
Admittedly: Apart from the air spring update, not much has changed on the new Pike. The look remains the same. The 35 mm stanchions and the suspension travel of 130 to 150 millimetres are also very reminiscent of the previous model. The fork can be found everywhere between light trail bikes and powerful all-mountain bikes.
Rockshox also uses the tried-and-tested Charger 2.1 RC2 damping cartridge in the Pike with separate settings for high and low-speed compression. For even more sensitive response behaviour, Rockshox has equipped the new fork with lower friction SKF seals, which are designed to keep the inner workings of the fork free from dust, water and dirt.
The Maxima Plush damping oil should also reduce friction and ensure less noise. The Rockshox Pike is still available for 29-inch and 27.5-inch wheels.
The data on the new Pike
- WHEEL SIZE: 27.5", 29"
- SPRING TRAVEL: 130mm, 140mm, 150mm
- DAMPER: Charger RC
- OFFSET: 37mm (27.5"), 46mm (27.5"), 42mm (29"), 51mm (29")
- STAND TUBE: 35mm aluminium
Rockshox Pike: models and prices
The model range also remains the same. The Rockshox Pike Ultimate for 979 euros with a new DebonAir air spring and Charger 2.1 RC2 damping cartridge marks the upper end of the price range. For 759 euros, the Pike Select works with the same air spring.
Here, however, the damping is provided by the simple Charger RC cartridge. The Select version also dispenses with the SKF seals. The new Rockshox Pike is available with 130, 140 or 150 millimetres of travel and 37.46 millimetres offset for 27.5 inches or 42.51 millimetres offset for 29 inches.
The new Rockshox Lyrik
The Lyrik is also aimed at downhill racers in the new year. With its 35 mm aluminium stanchions and up to 180 millimetres of travel, the new enduro fork is designed to flatten out everything that gets in its way on the downhill. As with the Pike, the biggest change to the new Lyrik fork is the new DebonAir air spring.
Damping is handled by the Charger 2.1 RC2 damping cartridge with separate settings for high and low-speed compression. Like the Pike, the Lyrik also has SKF seals and Maxima Plush damping oil on board, which are responsible for sensitivity, suppleness and low noise levels.
The dates for the new poetry
- WHEEL SIZE: 27.5", 29"
- SPRING TRAVEL: 150mm, 160mm, 170mm, 180mm
- DAMPER: Charger 2.1 RC2
- OFFSET: 37mm (27.5"), 46mm (27.5"), 42mm (29"), 51mm (29")
- STAND TUBE: 35mm aluminium
Rockshox Lyrik: Prices and models
The Lyrik is available with 150, 160, 170 or 180 millimetres of travel and is available for 27.5 and 29-inch bikes. The fork has a 37.46 millimetre offset for 27.5 inch or 42.51 millimetre offset for 29 inch bikes. The top-of-the-range Lyrik Ultimate model is available from 1039 euros and features the new DebonAir air spring and the Charger 2.1 RC2 damping cartridge.
The more affordable Lyrik Select costs €819 and also comes with the new air spring, but only uses the more favourable Charger RC damping. The high-quality SKF seals are also reserved for the Ultimate version of the Lyrik.
Retrofit kits for old Pike and Lyrik models
If you're hoping for better fork performance from the new air spring, but don't want to shell out a fortune for a new purchase, you can count yourself lucky. Rockshox offers a complete DebonAir retrofit kit for 47 euros for forks up to 2018. For models from 2019 and 2020, you only need to replace the seal head and the bottom groove. The tuning kit is available for 29 euros.
Max Fuchs
Editor
