Lyrik not getting full travel

My 2012 Lyrik (RC2DH damper/Dual Position air spring) has been feeling a little off lately, and I noticed I haven't been getting full travel even though I've felt the fork bottom a few times.

I let all the air out of the DP-air chamber and compressed the fork, it "bottomed" out after using 4.5" of travel so somethings up.

All other adjustments (LSC/HSC/rebound/travel adjust) still work flawless, even though the fork is a few years old. NSMB mechanics, help me trouble shoot this.

Hydro-Lock

Hydro-Lock

Kind of what I suspected; since I haven't changed the lower leg oil in…a very long time, I can only wonder if water has made its way in there. Should be fun to find out when I pull it apart

Over time, the seal head on the damper side (the seal that separates your damper oil from the oil in the lowers) can allow oil to be drawn up into the damper. If you drop the lowers off the fork, you will quite likely find that you are unable to fully compress the damper side alone, as over time (since most people change the lower leg oil many times before ever checking the damper) it has drawn in oil.

At this point, it would be a good move to service the damper and especially replace the rebound damper seal, though be aware that almost any seals that are cycled at high speeds under reversing pressure gradients will tend to allow for some degree of oil migration like that - in other words, it'll happen again over time.

I have the same exact fork and had the same problem a few months ago. For me, it was the exact opposite of what vorsprung said, it was the damper oil leaking into the lowers. You will find out when you remove the lowers, there was a LOT of oil in mine. I replaced the o-rings around the baseplate and rebound shaft, problem solved.

Over time, the seal head on the damper side (the seal that separates your damper oil from the oil in the lowers) can allow oil to be drawn up into the damper. If you drop the lowers off the fork, you will quite likely find that you are unable to fully compress the damper side alone, as over time (since most people change the lower leg oil many times before ever checking the damper) it has drawn in oil.

At this point, it would be a good move to service the damper and especially replace the rebound damper seal, though be aware that almost any seals that are cycled at high speeds under reversing pressure gradients will tend to allow for some degree of oil migration like that - in other words, it'll happen again over time.

My understanding of hydro-lock was simply that there was too much oil (or contaminates) in the lower legs, I guess there's more at play. Sounds like I need to pull the fork apart today and have a closer look.

I have the same exact fork and had the same problem a few months ago. For me, it was the exact opposite of what vorsprung said, it was the damper oil leaking into the lowers. You will find out when you remove the lowers, there was a LOT of oil in mine. I replaced the o-rings around the baseplate and rebound shaft, problem solved.

Good to know. Did you use RS parts or were you able to source the o-rings from somewhere else?

If enough dirt/water/crud built up in the lowers to stop movement after 4.5", well, pinkbike it to some kid and buy something new.

I'm gonna side with Lanka since you said you haven't serviced the fork much.

Are you sure the compression damper has an effect in the first couple inches of travel? A quick check without removing the lowers would be to remove the compression assembly and measure the distance from the top of the leg to the oil. It should at least submerge the shim stack/valve head with the fork at rest. If that isn't the case, then you'll probably find all that oil in the lower leg, and you need some new o-rings.

Are you sure the compression damper has an effect in the first couple inches of travel? A quick check without removing the lowers would be to remove the compression assembly and measure the distance from the top of the leg to the oil. It should at least submerge the shim stack/valve head with the fork at rest. If that isn't the case, then you'll probably find all that oil in the lower leg, and you need some new o-rings.

Looks like you nailed it. Pulled the compression assembly, oil is approx 2.5cm below the bottom of the valve head - guess I know whats up now! Must have really let go in the last ride however since before yesterday the compression adjustment was working fine and while the fork felt a little funny, it wasn't a major issue.

So what exactly do I need to get this thing operational again?

I bought the basic service kit for 2012 lyrik solo air on Ebay for something like 35$ shipped. It's a full seal kit including the oil seals and dust wipers. RS part 00.4315.032.100, but you might want a different kit for your dual position even if the o-rings for this specific job are the same.

I have the same exact fork and had the same problem a few months ago. For me, it was the exact opposite of what vorsprung said, it was the damper oil leaking into the lowers. You will find out when you remove the lowers, there was a LOT of oil in mine. I replaced the o-rings around the baseplate and rebound shaft, problem solved.

This is another common situation, based on failure of the same seal, however the reason I suggested migration into the damper originally was that the OP said the damping adjustments were working correctly (though from a later post it would appear that isn't the case). As the damper loses oil into the lowers, the compression adjustments typically stop working at the start of the travel.

My understanding of hydro-lock was simply that there was too much oil (or contaminates) in the lower legs, I guess there's more at play. Sounds like I need to pull the fork apart today and have a closer look.

Hydro-lock can occur in any chamber (ie your lowers or your damper cartridge) that has too much oil in it. The easiest way to be certain which it is, is to drop the lowers. If more than ~15ml of oil comes out, you have damper oil in your lowers. If no oil comes out but the damper cannot be compressed fully whilst still in the stanchion, bath oil has migrated into your damper (this is particularly common in Fox FIT cartridges and many air spring systems).

Looks like you nailed it. Pulled the compression assembly, oil is approx 2.5cm below the bottom of the valve head - guess I know whats up now! Must have really let go in the last ride however since before yesterday the compression adjustment was working fine and while the fork felt a little funny, it wasn't a major issue.

So what exactly do I need to get this thing operational again?

Assuming that by valve head you mean the compression piston (opposite end of the assembly to the topcap), then your damper is losing oil either through the topcap (unlikely since you'd see it) or into your lowers. Drop the lowers and you'll know for sure.

In either case, the required work is the same - you need to replace the rebound seal head o-ring. You can purchase a Rockshox service kit (parts lists are in their relevant technical manuals on their website) and fully service your fork while you're at it, or for certain forks you can just buy the seal head itself (includes new o-rings) or you can get the o-ring from an industrial supplier provided you can accurately measure the size. If you haven't got experience measuring up seals, I would recommend just getting the service kit or seal head so you can be sure you've got the right parts.

If you're not comfortable doing the work yourself, feel free to hit us up, but if you don't want to mail your fork off, chances are there's a local shop who is capable of doing the work too (your location says you're in the Kootenays - Sacred Ride in Nelson would be a good start).

Hope that helps!

How about a Lyrik DH that doesn't seem to accept any air in the negative spring? Everything else functions fine. I've opened it twice and checked that the internal valve works and that everything is in place. Any ideas before I pop a new spring assembly in?

Cheers

How about a Lyrik DH that doesn't seem to accept any air in the negative spring? Everything else functions fine. I've opened it twice and checked that the internal valve works and that everything is in place. Any ideas before I pop a new spring assembly in?

Cheers

Which spring system are you using, and exactly what are the symptoms? How does the fork behave when you try to compress it at your normal riding pressure?

Solo Air. At normal riding pressure it has very bad sensitivity on small bumps but medium and big stuff feels fairly normal. Tops out harshly. It feels pretty much the same as a Dual Air fork with pressure only the positive chamber.

probably too complex to be asking about here but any tips would be appreciated, thx

Solo Air. At normal riding pressure it has very bad sensitivity on small bumps but medium and big stuff feels fairly normal. Tops out harshly. It feels pretty much the same as a Dual Air fork with pressure only the positive chamber.

probably too complex to be asking about here but any tips would be appreciated, thx

The first thing I would do is pull your Solo Air assembly apart and check whether much oil comes out of it. It should have enough oil in there that the surfaces of the air piston and topout bumpers are a bit "wet" but no more - it should not have enough oil in there to pour out as such. If there is any substantial amount of oil in there, it will take up volume in the negative spring chamber, meaning that as soon as the fork compresses, the pressure in the negative chamber will drop extremely rapidly, causing very high stiffness early on in the travel. This can be caused by improper oil volumes installed in the air spring during servicing, or by oil migrating from the lower leg lubrication. In either case, drain the oil from the spring, replace the air shaft seal and rebuild with the correct oil volume in the lowers and only oil-moistened surfaces in the air spring.