Here's my 2 cents from recently trying a new 2019 Rockshox Lyrik RC2 27.5" 170mm fork with reduced offset (37mm) on my 'new to me' bike build for a couple rides. To me it mainly feels as if someone put a damper on the steering column. Some people will like the extra stability and the ability / necessity of steering using more body weight shifts (feels a little more like carving your turns) rather than just turning the bars while others will feel as if it is 'overdamped' and too sluggish because the steering feels less sharp and reactive to bar input.
The one thing that I'm still interested in exploring more is that to me the biggest benefit in the reduced offset seem to be when I was on steep tight corners while on the brakes at stall speeds; in this situation it seemed as if the steering was easier to control and less likely to tuck in and flop 90 degrees to the side. If I was not making up this feeling then for me this might be the single biggest benefit.
On a side note: If anyone is interested I've got this practically brand new fork for sale on PB at around $200 off the new price because I decided I missed having a 29er fork and wheel on the front of my new bike like I had on my old bike so I've got my old 29er fork back in front on the new bike. To me having a 29er front and 27.5 rear is really the next big thing for anyone who rides steep and technical and this makes a way bigger difference than a little bit of fork offset. Having the same size wheels front and back just feels super sketchy on steep terrain after you get use to riding this way. Each to their own I guess :)
June 20, 2018, 3:56 p.m. - Brad_xyz
Here's my 2 cents from recently trying a new 2019 Rockshox Lyrik RC2 27.5" 170mm fork with reduced offset (37mm) on my 'new to me' bike build for a couple rides. To me it mainly feels as if someone put a damper on the steering column. Some people will like the extra stability and the ability / necessity of steering using more body weight shifts (feels a little more like carving your turns) rather than just turning the bars while others will feel as if it is 'overdamped' and too sluggish because the steering feels less sharp and reactive to bar input. The one thing that I'm still interested in exploring more is that to me the biggest benefit in the reduced offset seem to be when I was on steep tight corners while on the brakes at stall speeds; in this situation it seemed as if the steering was easier to control and less likely to tuck in and flop 90 degrees to the side. If I was not making up this feeling then for me this might be the single biggest benefit. On a side note: If anyone is interested I've got this practically brand new fork for sale on PB at around $200 off the new price because I decided I missed having a 29er fork and wheel on the front of my new bike like I had on my old bike so I've got my old 29er fork back in front on the new bike. To me having a 29er front and 27.5 rear is really the next big thing for anyone who rides steep and technical and this makes a way bigger difference than a little bit of fork offset. Having the same size wheels front and back just feels super sketchy on steep terrain after you get use to riding this way. Each to their own I guess :)