The RockShox Lyrik has long been a staple on the front of many trail and enduro bikes due to its balance between weight, chassis stiffness, and overall capability. The latest version of the Lyrik Ultimate maintains the same chassis, air spring, and ButterCup technology, with the exception of the updated Charger 3.1 damper. I have spent the past four months aboard the Lyrik, splitting time between the Charger 3 and Charger 3.1 to get an understanding of how they perform compared to one another. 

RockShox Lyrik Ultimate Details

Use: Trail/Enduro

Wheel Sizes: 27.5” / 29”

Travel: 140, 150, and 160mm 

Offset: 37 or 44mm for  27.5” / 44mm for 29”

Configuration Tested: Lyrik Ultimate 29" Charger 3 / 3.1 - 160mm - 44mm Offset

Differences Between Charger 3 and Charger 3.1 

While the Charger 3 damper system was well received upon initial release, RockShox has further refined the damper in their pursuit of creating the best suspension possible. The new Charger 3.1 damper maintains the same Internal Floating Piston design of the Charger 3 while introducing a variety of internal redesigns to offer a broader range of compression adjustments.

One of RockShox's primary objectives when designing the Charger 3.1 was to decrease overall compression damping in the system. Compared to the Charger 3, the 3.1 damper is more open in its middle base setting. A new mid-valve check spring increases the system's oil flow, providing less overall damping. The Internal Floating Piston (IFP) spring has an increased spring rate, which accounts for this increase in oil flow.

While the Charger 3 and 3.1 have the same number of clicks, RockShox has increased the range of adjustment, providing a damper that feels more open or closed on either end of its compression range compared to the previous Charger 3. The orifices that oil flows through in the Low-Speed Compression circuit have been enlarged, allowing for a 68% increase in oil flow in the fully open position. This increased flow provides less damping if desired in more open settings, while still providing support and the ability to run a higher amount of damping if desired. Compared to the Charger 3, the 3.1 LSC circuit is more sensitive to low-speed events, muting out chatter and providing more traction. The High-Speed Compression of the Charger 3.1 has been altered to provide more damping in its closed position. To achieve this, RockShox increased the size of the compression pyramid and decreased the flow of oil through the HSC circuit. 

RockShox also provides new Shim Tune kits to further customize the Charger 3.1 based on rider size and preference, with two compression and three rebound tunes.

How to Upgrade from Charger 3 to Charger 3.1

Thanks to the new damper's shared architecture with its predecessor, riders with a Charger 3 damper can convert to the Charger 3.1 via the RockShox upgrade kit. 

DebonAir+ / ButterCups

The RockShox Lyrik Ultimate maintains the same DebonAir+ air spring found across the rest of the RockShox lineup, with the positive and negative air volumes tailored to the Lyrik’s intended ride characteristics. Regardless of the damper model, I found that the DebonAir+ air spring does a fantastic job of providing a sensitive, off-the-top feel while providing ample mid-stroke support and maintaining a high ride height without violently diving at every hole and harsh impact. 

RockShox’s ButterCups are a set of rubber pucks situated at the bottom of the damper and air spring sides of Ultimate series forks. The ButterCups absorb high-frequency trail chatter, dissipating energy that would otherwise be fed directly to a rider’s hands. While these little rubber pucks may seem insignificant in the grand scheme of the fork’s internals, their ability to help mute out harsh vibrations and chatter adds up over the course of a day in the bike park.

Riding Impressions

Over my four-month testing period with the RockShox Lyrik, I split my time between the Charger 3 and 3.1 dampers. I tested a 160mm travel Lyrik installed on my Stumpjumper Evo, entrusting it to navigate me down everything from local trails to post-Crankworx bike park laps when the braking bumps were at their worst. Throughout my time aboard the Lyrik, conditions varied from perfect late spring dirt to dust over hard pack, allowing me to get well acquainted with the two dampers across a variety of conditions.

With the Charger 3 installed, I set up the fork following RockShox’s suggested 80 PSI for my 170lb weight with one volume token installed. I eventually settled at 78 PSI and no volume spacers, regardless of the damper model, for the remainder of my testing.

I began testing the charger 3.1 with both HSC and LSC in the middle positions before spending some time bracketing the suspension to see how it responded to various amounts of damping. While higher amounts of damping weren’t so abrasive that they affected my ability to hold on to the bars, I found that I had to run LSC nearly fully open to suit my preferences, and even then, I felt I could have done with a bit less low-speed compression. 

Similarly, for HSC, while the full window of adjustment was usable, I settled in the middle setting to provide the support I wanted later in the stroke on sharp impacts.

With 18 clicks of adjustment, the rebound range for the Charger 3 should accommodate most riders as it spans from slow to hand-rattling fast. I found that eight clicks from open was the sweet spot for me, although that changed when moving to the Charger 3.1, settling in the middle of the range at nine clicks from open. 

When switching from Charger 3 to Charger 3.1, the most noticeable impact on setup was the ability to run less HSC and more LSC than what I previously felt comfortable with on Charger 3. I went from running -5 LSC and "middle" HSC on the Charger 3 to running -3 LSC and -1 HSC on the Charger 3.1. This falls in line with the updates RockShox made to the internals of the damper, increasing the oil flow in the LSC circuit, while the updated pyramid in the HSC circuit provides more damping compared to the previous model. When bracketing through the Charger 3.1, the wider range of adjustment could be felt, and it seemed that each turn of the compression knob provided a bit more of a distinct difference in suspension feel than the outgoing Charger 3. 

Once set up to suit my preferences, the Lyrik Ultimate 3.1 delivered a ride quality that struck a balance of lively reactiveness and calm composure through any rock and rock-riddled section of trail I pointed towards. Compared to the Fox 36 Grip2 I had previously been running, the Lyrik provides a sensation of staying tall in its travel while still offering excellent small bump sensitivity, which I couldn’t get the 36 to achieve unless I sacrificed the end-stroke feel I preferred. Additionally, while not ride-altering, I appreciate that the Lyrik is dead quiet, unlike the slurping noise that the Fox 36 produces.

The Charger 3.1 isn’t a complete overhaul but rather the introduction of incremental refinements that improve upon what was already a great product. This latest iteration of RockShox suspension is a fantastic option for riders who enjoy the ride quality of the Charger 3 but are looking for a larger range of adjustability or want a damper that provides a slightly more open feeling at its baseline positioning. While the Charger 3.1 boasts a range of incremental improvements, riders with a Charger 3 shouldn’t feel any buyer's remorse for not having the latest and greatest. Instead, they should have peace of mind that RockShox has provided them with the option to upgrade their existing damper if they so choose.

Verdict 

The RockShox Charger 3.1 damper system builds on the success of the Charger 3 by refining its internal design for improved compression adjustment and damping performance. The new damper introduces enhanced oil flow and a more versatile range of settings, making it possible to achieve a more open or controlled ride depending on the rider’s preference. The Charger 3.1 offers better sensitivity to low-speed compression and increased composure at high speeds compared to its predecessor. Overall, the Lyrik Ultimate equipped with the Charger 3.1 delivers a balanced ride with improved responsiveness and a quieter operation compared to the competition.