Jump To: Rock Shox Totem | Rock Shox Lyrik | Rock Shox Boxxer
I’ve been mountain biking since 1986, and over the years I’ve owned every major brand of suspension fork on the market. I’m sure other mountain bike riders have experimented with various forks too. Whether you’re a Marzocchi, Manitou, Rock Shox, DT Swiss, Romic, Cannondale, or Foes Fan, I bet you have good and bad things to say about all of them.
I’ve come to the conclusion that you never know what to expect from these manufacturers. Some years they dominate, and other years they produce junk. I think Rock Shox is back in a glory period again, and hopefully it will last. It will take a few really good years on their forks before I forget some of the junk I bought from them years ago. I had some bad experiences, and after that I was pissed off at them until I purchased the Totem in 2007….but I am proud to announce I am very pleased with the level of performance and quality workmanship inherent in their current product line.
Before I made my purchase, especially since the fork was so new, I combed mtbr.com for any data I could get my hands on. I learned immediately that Totem 2-Step had issues. Every manufacturer struggles with that feature, and for me, it has always been a big gimmick. I never use it, don’t like it, and hope like fork lockouts, it will just fade away.
I decided to go with the Totem Solo Air, but believe me, it was a real hard choice to make over the Totem Coil. As I get older, I have become more weight conscious, and I pulled the trigger on the Totem Solo Air. Actually you will be getting a bit more bang for your buck on this review, because my real good riding buddy also purchased one as well, and another friend has the coil version, so my data will be based on all of our forks.
Rock Shox Totem Solo Air / 2-Step / Coil 180mm 1.5”
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Best Deal / Pricing / Sale on the Rock Shox Totem3 of my favorite places to shop (all of which are fully loaded into the bikeoptions.com search comparison engine) are cambriabike.com, pricepoint.com and jensonusa.com: 2008 Rockshox Totem Solo Air Suspension Fork - $979.98 (Save 10%) - Pricepoint 2007 / 2008 Rockshox Totem 2-Step Air Race Suspension Fork - $1059.95 (Free Shipping) - CambriaBike *Note: Pricing subject to change, so click the links often for best pricing. |
Stats / Details (2-Step Air)
Air model adds a fully active hydraulic travel reduction feature (180 down to 135mm) via top accessible knob.
* Available 1.5″ (OnePointFive) steerer or traditional 1 1/8″ steerer
* New Mission Control damper system
* Internally adjustable down to 150mm of travel
* Offers external air preload, seperate positive/negative air adjustments, high/low speed compression, floodgate on/off, and external rebound adjustment
* Maxle 20mm QR throughaxle
* 74mm post mount for disc brakes (DH mount designed specifically for 8″ rotors)
* 6.6 lbs (measured in shop)
Travel 135-180mm
Travel Adjust 2-Step
Target Weight* 2857 g (6.3 lbs)
Spring 2-Step
Spring Adjust Air Pressure Via Single Schrader Valve
Damping Mission Control
Damping Adjust External Low Speed Compression, High Speed Compression, Rebound and Floodgate Switch, Internal Floodgate
Lowers Magnesium, Post Disc Mount (203 min rotor) and 20mm Maxle only
Crown Forged AL 66-TV Aluminum
Steerer Tube Aluminum 1.5″ or 1 1/8″
Upper Tubes 40mm Taper Wall 7000 Series Aluminum
Standard Colors Galvanized, Glossy Black
* Weight measured with 1.5 Aluminum Steerer and Maxle 360
Stats / Details (Solo Air)
The Totem Soloair from RockShox is a killer aggressive use fork and delivers up to 180mm of travel all in a single crown fork.
* Available 1.5″ (OnePointFive) steerer or traditional 1 1/8″ steerer
* Mission Control damper system
* External rebound, high speed compression, low speed compression, Floodgate switch and internal Floodgate
* Magnesium, Maxle 360 20mm axle,
* Post mount disc(203mm min rotor)
* Forged, AL 66 TV, anodized aluminum crown
* 74mm post mount for disc brakes (DH mount designed specifically for 8″ rotors)
* 40mm 7000 series straight wall aluminum, low friction anodized upper tubes
* Claimed 5.9 lbs
Fork Air System
The air system is top notch. Neither of our forks ever lost a drop of air, and the chart on the fork leg is a very accurate estimate of the weight you should run. Also I like the fact you don’t need to add that little adapter, just standard Schrader valve. The aluminum cap that covers the air system is very nice (unlike other companies that might slide in a plastic on to save a couple pennies), and neither of ours ever came loose.
Forks Compression System
The fork offers a lot of adjust ability by featuring both high and low speed compression. I weigh 150 lbs. (160 lbs with gear) and my friend weighs 165 lbs. (175 lbs with gear). We both start with base settings in the middle of both low and high compression and worked from there. I should note we both ride very aggressively and have raced our bikes on several national downhill courses this year, including hundreds of trips on our Santa Barbara local trails, and also our gravity parks, Mammoth, Northstar, etc. Saying my friend is getting old. His name is Chris. Chris found some setting for him that he likes applying both high and low speed compression. For myself, I just can’t find any settings that I like, so I run no compression at all. I am not sure if it is my weight or what, but every once in a while I get a bug up my butt and start thinking, all right you have a $1000 fork with all these adjustments; you better start adjusting. In the end, every time I end up at the same place, 0 high speed, 0 low speed.
Forks Rebound System
All right, I said no compression, but yes, I do use rebound. The rebound works great.
Lower Stanchions
Bomber. Oh wait that is the other guys. How about bullet proof? I have the living crap out of them on rocks, whacking who knows what, and they are very strong.
Upper Stanchions
They are 40mm and very tough, super stiff and the coating exceptional.
I did scratch one of them on a rock at Mammoth, and I was pissed. Super pissed. I sanded it out, did the nail polish thing and the repair is working perfectly. Let me make a quick side note here in case this happens to you, or you have been gun shy about fixing your forks. I found an article online that was very helpful. I had a pretty good idea about how to fix them I just wanted confirmation before I went for it. (See my article on repairing your mountain bike fork stanchions from scratches and dings.)
Fork Seals
40mm seals definitely require more maintenance. There is a lot more friction and you are going to wear out seals faster than you would on smaller forks. I hate to say it, but that is just a fact of life. All the forties go through seals probably 2x faster than smaller diameter forks. I do have one good tip below.
Maxle
Someone is a pure genius, what the !@#$ took so long? For those still messing around with the 4 small bolts to pull their front axle, sorry!
Finish / Paint Scheme
Lame! Are we skateboarders or mountain bikers? I do absolutely give high props to Rock Shox for the quality of the paint used.
Maintenance / Repair Costs
The shock has been reliable with the exception of the seals wearing out every 6 months to a year. This appears to be normal on 40mm stanchion mountain bike forks. However, I never had these problems on my dirt bike forks, so maybe they will get better. Obviously mileage will vary based on riding style, terrain and frequency. I might add that I wouldn’t trade the fork. Every high performance product requires more maintenance. If that scares you, don’t ever own a Ferrari or Ducati.
Tips (from one who knows)
Extend the seal life by cleaning the stanchions after every ride, and spray the legs with Silicone before each ride. This technique extended my seal life on my forks over Chris’s by 2 times.
What not to do
I get the retard award here. I was racing in Bootleg Canyon in Vegas and it was so rocky, I thought maybe if I soften the shock (release the air to 40 lbs) I could get a little more fluent / plush action. It worked great till I hit a 8’ jump and blew out the compression side. I ruined the whole compression cartridge and blew the oil out of the seal. Note to self, don’t do that. It cost me $300.
Air vs. Coil
Each has advantage and disadvantages. The weight of the air is less but not that much. The air is performing fantastic for Chris and me, but Ryan who owns the coil is extremely happy with his as well. I rode his briefly and it feels great. You may have to change the springs, and the weight penalty is small, but many people like the feel of a coil a little better. I think the air system is pretty close to the feel of a spring.
Final Thoughts
Like any fork it took me a bit to get use to it, but the difference it made in my riding speed and enjoyment was huge!!! I replaced it with 170mm Manitou Sherman Plus that came stock on my Cannondale Gemini 2000 and never looked back. Stiffness and how! Some might even argue it is too stiff, and should have some more flexibility. I say the stiffer the better if you have the strength to muscle it out those pucker moments. Personally between the 40mm stanchions, Maxle and 1.5” Steerer tube, I think you could drop from a 40’ on the front end, and the fork would say, whatever.
Rock Shox Lyrik ( Lyric ) 160mm 1 1/8” & 1.5”
Lyrik Review
Stats / Details (Lyrik Coil U-Turn)
RoxkShox Lyrik All-Mountain forks feature the Mission Control damping system: independent high and low-speed compression damping, Floodgate adjustment, and Floodgate on/off switch.
* Intended application: All Mountain
* 35mm aluminum upper tubes
* New Mission Control damping system featuring independent high and low-speed compression damping, Floodgate adjustment, and Floodgate on/off switch
* All control knobs are machined aluminum and featured detents
* External rebound adjustment with detents
* Maxle 360 QR thru-axle system for quick wheel changes and 360-degree lever position
* Post mounts for direct 160mm mount. Accepts larger rotors with correct adapters.
Stats / Details (Lyrik 2-Step Air)
The Rockshox Lyrik with the additional beefiness of a 1.5″ (OnePointFive) headtube. Features Mission Control damping with independed high and low speed compression damping adjustment.
* OnePointFive headtube (1.5″) - does not fit 1 1/8″ frames
* 35mm upper tubes
* All knobs are machined aluminum
* Maxle 360 throughaxle system for faster wheel changes (accepts 20mm hubs)
* 74mm post mount for disc brakes
* Claimed 5.4 lbs
Review of Lyrik
I don’t own one, but the fork has the same internals so it is going to have the same benefits and problems as the Totem. As I mentioned the 2-step system had some issues, that I am not sure if Rock Shox has fixed yet. I have never been a big fan of the u-turn system, as it had issues on my Psylo (which we called a Pile’o). However in the Psylo’s defense it was very plush, took a hell of beating and I don’t think I had the top of the line model, so my internals were lacking. Of course in retro, I should have got the best model. Remember, the internals are everything so don’t dare skimp there. The 35mm stanchion seals will probably be more reliable then the 40mm seals and with less friction on the legs, the fork should be a bit plusher than the Totem. Of course, your bike geometry will determine if you go Totem or Lyrik, and there is no substitute for travel. Also if you have a choice, get the new headset don’t reduce to 1 1/8”. Buy the 1.5” (one-point-five). The stiffness difference is very noticeable.
Rock Shox Boxxer World Cup Solo Air 203mm
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Best Deal / Pricing / Sale on the Rock Shox Boxxer3 of my favorite places to shop (both of which are fully loaded into the bikeoptions.com search comparison engine) are cambriabike.com, pricepoint.com and jensonusa.com: 2008 Rockshox Boxxer World Cup Solo Air Suspension Fork - $1479.98 (Save 7%) - Pricepoint All Rock Shox Boxxer Pricing / Availability - JensonUsa 2007 / 2008 Rockshox Boxxer Race Suspension Fork - $654.95 (Free Shipping) - CambriaBike *Note: Pricing subject to change, so click the links often for best pricing. |
Boxxer Review
The Boxxer World Cup is the holy grail of forks. On the race circuit almost every rider is running it. Insanely light, and its stiffness is very impressive. Chris had one on his Turner and he loved it. I rode it and was very impressed. Again don’t skimp, you have to go top of the line to get best internals, or you will be disappointed.
Glossary of Rock Shox Technology
Motion Control allows the rider the ability to tune the desired level of efficiency, yet retain small bump performance. Besides being light, durable, consistent, and easy to service, it offers a wide range of usable set-up choices. With functional adjustments that can be felt by the rider and easy “on the fly” adjustability, Motion Control is loved by XC, All Mountain, and DH riders alike. Are you in control?
Maxle QR a 20mm thru-axle system that is entirely toolfree, Maxle is faster than a standard quick release lever yet retains all of the stiffness benefits of a 20mm system. Far 2007, all Maxles feature the 360i lever design. Put it where you want it!
Solo Air uses a single Schrader air valve to simultaneously fill both positive and negative air chambers, while retaining the lightweight and plush ride of Dual Air. Long Travel Solo Air™ employs a patented floating negative chamber, to optimize the spring curve for single crown forks over 130mm.
BlackBox Technology are developed through RockShox’s unique BlackBox Racing program. Through interaction between BlackBox athletes and the BlackBox development team, RockShox creates products that allow their riders to achieve higher levels of performance. These products undergo rigorous testing by both the world’s best racers and, most progressive athletes to ensure thay can consistently perform at he highest level of their sport.
