Fox grip2 vs rockshox charger 2.1

[MTBRIDER1234]

Howzit all, I am wondering which of the 2 dampers is more suited to the terrain found in tokai/stellies etc. I am a fairly hard rider and weigh 55 kg.

[El Duderino]

1 hour ago, MTBRIDER1234 said:

Howzit all, I am wondering which of the 2 dampers is more suited to the terrain found in tokai/stellies etc. I am a fairly hard rider and weigh 55 kg.

I ride Tokai...often. I've ridden Bridal Path, Donkey Trail, and everything in between. I'm 65kgs, but not a 'hard' or very fast rider, more of a plodding puzzler 😁

I reckon a Fox 34 or Pike with at least 130mm travel would be fine for someone who weighs only 55kgs. Not sure about the performance of the respective dampers. I've seen people on both going really fast with no issues. So, choose the one that suits your bike's colour best. 

[MajG]

Depends what you define as hard? doing big jumps & tail whips and fancy no handers drop offs in tokai DH0 - 4 then a 140-150mm is sufficient. But as you know, we like to overbike ourselves ( talking to myself ) so we go 150mm and more.

If you riding hard is like my definition, where a bigger fork saves my life at times due to me running short of skill & talent on DH where im hucking and landing nose heavy then 140mm + helps too lol.

as for the actual dampers between the two - well forums/media all seem to suggest fox grip2 is the one to have as has more street cred apparently especially if its in shiny gold coating. However rockshox new lineup seems to be giving Fox a run now ....until fox releases their new range atleast.

but i am by the opinion the far majority of us riders, cant tell or make full use of these forks and dampers FULL capabilities.

[DieselnDust]

What does “I ride hard” mean and what sort of feel are you looking for?

what is your desire to really into the forks working and time it correctly or we you looking for something that’s close enough and easy to set up?

[MTBRIDER1234]

2 hours ago, El Duderino said:

I ride Tokai...often. I've ridden Bridal Path, Donkey Trail, and everything in between. I'm 65kgs, but not a 'hard' or very fast rider, more of a plodding puzzler 😁

I reckon a Fox 34 or Pike with at least 130mm travel would be fine for someone who weighs only 55kgs. Not sure about the performance of the respective dampers. I've seen people on both going really fast with no issues. So, choose the one that suits your bike's colour best. 

Thanks, I am building up an enduro bike so considering a 36/38 or lyrik/zeb. I also ride tokai very often, so hopefully that helps people give me advice that might be more relevant to where I ride. 

I was mainly just wondering which damper suits rocky and loose terrain best, as I know the charger rides higher in its travel but I also think the grip2 is more sensitive?

Edited June 6, 2022 by MTBRIDER1234

[MTBRIDER1234]

33 minutes ago, DieselnDust said:

What does “I ride hard” mean and what sort of feel are you looking for?

what is your desire to really into the forks working and time it correctly or we you looking for something that’s close enough and easy to set up?

I ride fairly hard means tokai DH line, hellsend jump and dh trails. I meant it to say that I ride harder than most, by far. I do not mind a long set-up, I am always tweaking my bike to make it feel the fastest and the most composed.

 

Also I do agree that a lot of riders will never use the dampers to their maximum, but we definitely can use them to our advantage. I can firmly say that I have taken my motion control fork out of its comfort zone many times and have seen it get overwhelmed, and consequently not able to recover in time for the next hit. But it is an entry level damper so I guess that isn't the most rare occurence.

Edited June 6, 2022 by MTBRIDER1234

[DieselnDust]

21 minutes ago, MTBRIDER1234 said:

Thanks, I am building up an enduro bike so considering a 36/38 or lyrik/zeb. I also ride tokai very often, so hopefully that helps people give me advice that might be more relevant to where I ride. 

I was mainly just wondering which damper suits rocky and loose terrain best, as I know the charger rides higher in its travel but I also think the grip2 is more sensitive?

You would be right in that the grip 2 is more sensitive on smaller hits and charger 2.1 rides higher or rather requires higher speed to come into its own. However I’m not very experienced with the products you’re looking into so will defer to those more knowledgeable and experienced with the Fox36 and RS lyric /zeb.

maybe make contact with Chris Nixon at the BikePark Uitsig. He and his team work on and have used those forks extensively and will be in a better position to guide you. There are also a few peeps around here who have used or are using them.

[LazyTrailRider]

I'm willing to bet R1000 that in a blind test with two forks set up exactly the same, no one on this forum would be able to tell which is which between a Lyrik Ultimate and a 36 Factory.

Edited June 6, 2022 by LazyTrailRider

[thebob]

Any of those high end forks will do the job regardless. Being disciplined and bracketing to get the setup dialed as well as following strict service intervals are more important than the actual fork and damper chosen IMO

Edited June 6, 2022 by thebob

[LazyTrailRider]

@MTBRIDER1234 the important thing here is that you'll notice a drastic improvement from your Motion Control damper. 

In the last few years I've had several forks with Motion Control (Revelations, mostly), a Pike RCT, a Pike RC, and an older Fox 36 Factory.

I now have a Lyrik Ultimate 2.1 and a Fox 34 with a normal Grip damper (both are 2021 models). The step up from RC to Charger 2.1 is significant, and the difference between a normal Grip and the 2.1 is also very noticeable, albeit on a different chassis.

Get the one that looks raddest on your bike.

Edited June 6, 2022 by LazyTrailRider

[slickjay007]

1 hour ago, DieselnDust said:

What does “I ride hard” mean and what sort of feel are you looking for?

what is your desire to really into the forks working and time it correctly or we you looking for something that’s close enough and easy to set up?

I ride "hard" and not just mountain bikes 🤐

[MTBRIDER1234]

Thanks for all the responses guys, I just wanted to say that I appreciate everyone's inputs. One of the reasons I like bikehub as a forum so much is that people are very willing and able to share advice and opinions in a friendly and constructive way.

[DieselnDust]

1 hour ago, LazyTrailRider said:

I'm willing to bet R1000 that in a blind test with two forks set up exactly the same, no one on this forum would be able to tell which is which between a Lyrik Ultimate and a 36 Factory.

You’re 100% right .

the challenge is getting them set up exactly the same because each damper pushes a different amount of oil through slightly different circuits. Balancing the oil flow in the 2 designs will be challenging, especially considering the range of adjustment available from the external tuning dials. 
so from a practical perspective there may be one of the two that will allow better performance within the tuning range available?

 

[droo]

It's been said already, but setup and maintenance will make a far bigger difference than the actual damper. Both forks are great, but both can be made to feel rubbish if you don't know how to dial them in - and there are a lot of variables to control.

That said, the GRIP2 VVC system should in theory give more consistent adjustment through the range because of how the mechanism works.

[Steady Spin]

My feeling on this is that "if you have to ask then you won't notice the difference". I know I didn't.

If you are jumping from an entry level damper to the top of the line dampers then you will definitely notice it. 

Edited June 7, 2022 by Steady Spin

[Headshot]

Latest reviews put the latest RS Lyric with buttercup rubbers at the bottom of the damper and airspring shafts and a super quiet damper (that is now more like the grip 2 - i.e an IFP as opposed to a bladder (I stand to be corrected if I've got this slightly wrong) as ahead of the fox 36 Grip 2 in terms of performance.