Rockshox SID leap in time: From the first suspension forks to a technological marvel
Jan Timmermann
· 04.06.2024
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When Rockshox presented the very first SID suspension fork shortly before the turn of the millennium, the concept of a mountain bike with suspension was still in its infancy. Just ten years earlier, in 1988, Paul Turner and Keith Bontrager had brought the world's first suspension fork into series production with the Rockshox ONE. Since then, however, the triumph of suspension and damping has been unstoppable.
The initial scepticism of rigid fork fans quickly evaporated in view of the increased control and added comfort off-road. In the colourful 90s, the cross-country discipline entered a whole new era during the upswing of the mountain bike hype, which culminated in the first MTB competitions at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Rockshox recognised the need for a high-performance XC suspension fork and invested a lot of resources in order to be able to present the first SID in 1998.
What happened next reads like a modern technology fairytale, because in 26 years, one innovation after the next was proclaimed under the model name SID. The American company's cross-country suspension forks have accompanied the rapid development of mountain bike technology with all its trends right up to the present day. Rockshox recently added the latest electronic Flight Attendant system to the SID. Reason enough to look back in time and compare old with new.
Facts about the Rockshox SID suspension fork 1998 & 2024
Rockshox SID from 1998
- Suspension travel: 63 mm
- Weight: from 118o g
- Price: from 700 US dollars
- For wheel size: 26"
- Standpipe diameter: 28 mm
- Axle standard: 9 x 100 mm quick release
- Brake mount: V-brake rim brake
- Steerer tube: 1 1/8" continuous
Rockshox SID Flight Attendant from 2024
- Suspension travel: 100 / 110 / 120 mm
- Weight: from 1480 g
- Price: from 1,499 euros >> available here
- For wheel size: 29"
- Standpipe diameter: 32 / 35 mm
- Axle standard: 15 x 110 mm Boost thru axle
- Brake mount: Postmount disc brake
- Steerer tube: 1 1/8 - 1 1/2" tapered
History lesson: The beginnings of the Rockshox SID
The Rockshox SID fork has always been one thing: light. Hence the name abbreviation: Superlight Integrated Design. The very first version from 1998 weighed just under 1.2 kilos and was therefore almost 300 grams lighter than the latest Flight Attendant version. This was made possible by the filigree stanchions with a diameter of 28 millimetres and the cross-drilled titanium rim brake mounts.
Just over 60 millimetres of travel and a hollow, polished crown hardly weighed anything on the scales. Retro standards such as quick-release mounts, 26-inch compatibility and a thin steerer tube throughout also made the original SID light. On the bikes of cross-country legends such as Miguel Martinez and Paola Pezzo, it won world championship titles and World Cup victories.
However, the first Rockshox SID was not practical. In order to fill the air chamber, a needle valve was required, which is still used today to inflate footballs, for example. For this reason, some professionals travelled with appropriate needles in their hand luggage - always wary of security checks. Inside the 1998 SID, an air-based positive spring worked together with a coil-based negative spring. The behaviour of the fork could be individualised via three damping cartridges. And there was another thing the original SID was not: stiff. This is why the first and only double-bridge fork in the model series was launched just one year later.
Seriously, a double-bridge SID? Yes, the Rockshox SID XL weighed less than 1.8 kilos and offered up to 100 millimetres of travel. However, it was only one variant in the now more differentiated SID series. 1999 was a decisive year in this respect, as Rockshox used two air chambers and easy-to-operate Schrader valves for the first time before the turn of the millennium. The new C3 damping offered compression and rebound adjustability via a single lever. Revolutionary!
Just in time for the second MTB appearance at the Olympic Games in 2000 and in keeping with the venue at the time, Rockshox presented a new special version called SIDney. In addition to the new Pure damping, this version featured another world first. The fork could be locked out via a low-speed compression adjustment, but had a blow-off function to release the stroke if necessary. On the big Olympic stage, the SID was also part of the first cross-country fullys under the regiment of athletes such as Travis Brown. At the start of the new millennium, Rockshox founded the Blackbox programme for professional racers, which continues to this day.
The first Blackbox SID was used in 2002 and had a stiff carbon fork crown. The standard SID of the same year had golden stanchions thanks to a low-friction titanium nitride coating. However, this coating was quickly abandoned due to problems with durability. It was not until 2008 that the switch was made to stanchions with a diameter of 32 millimetres, even then in response to the increasingly demanding cross-country sport. The stiffness and comfort of the suspension fork reached a new level. At the same time, it remained competitively light thanks to the open design of the lower tubes.
In the new decade from 2010, the progressive development of XC technology gathered pace. First, the SID XX model was introduced, which harmonised with the new ten-speed drivetrains from Sram. Then, in 2012, the first Rockshox SID for large 29-inch wheels came onto the market.
In 2017, the name SID replaced the Upsidedown fork that had appeared in the meantime RS-1 (here in the 2015 test) and from then on was once again the undisputed top product in the American company's portfolio. 2021 saw the differentiation between the SID and SID SL with an XC-specific DebonAir spring. While the super-light SL version continued to rely on 32-millimetre stanchions, the SID Ultimate was available for the first time with 35-millimetre thick tubes and 120 millimetres of travel.
In 2024, the current series of the Rockshox SID family with Race Day2 damping, 2P or 3P compression adjustment and DebonAir+ spring offers more efficiently usable options than ever before. A 50 per cent larger negative chamber promises more sensitivity. Of course, development has not stopped at the design of the crown, the revision of the bushings and the optimisation of the chassis. Even today, the Rockshox SID is a race fork with the highest standards. For the future, however, it has a very special ace up its sleeve.
Rockshox SID Ultimate Flight Attendant: Technology carrier of the future
The history of the Rockshox SID is the best example of the fact that technical development in mountain biking never stands still. After component giant Sram launched wireless electronic shifting with AXS technology in 2019, it was only a matter of time before wireless control of Rockshox suspension elements was on the cards.
However, nobody could have guessed how sophisticated the electronics would be. In 2021, Rockshox came around the corner with the first Flight Attendant system. Initially designed primarily for enduro and trail use, Rockshox suspensions were now able to react automatically to the surface, rider input and bike position with appropriately adapted settings.
The latest highlight came in mid-March 2024, when the suspension specialists presented the first SID cross-country forks with the Flight Attendant System. From now on, the spearhead of electronic suspension technology can also make XC race bikes faster. Thanks to a link to AXS power meter sensors, a special algorithm collects all kinds of data about the rider and gets to know them better and better over time. This enables the electrified SID suspension to provide a customised setup.
During a 90-minute race, the electronic servomotor makes over 1300 adjustments, acting around 80 times faster than a human can blink. Almost all Rockshox athletes now use Flight Attendant suspension forks and dampers in the Cross Country World Cup. This year, they will be competing for gold with their SID forks at the Olympic Games in Paris.
The comparison between the first SID from 1998 and the new Flight Attendant version shows impressively: the Rockshox SID has come a long way from needle-operated air chambers to fully automatic suspension with robot technology. The further development of cross-country sport is far from over and the electronic ecosystem is still in its infancy despite the technology already being fully developed. The bike world can certainly look forward to seeing what the Rockshox engineers have in store for the SID in their development offices.
Want more MTB history? Leap in time - MTB technology and accessories then & now
Jan Timmermann
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