In 1998, Rock Shox revolutionised the bike industry with its SID fork. Since then, the products in the SID range (for Superlight Integrated Design) have been aimed at racers looking for maximum performance with minimum weight. In order to remain competitive in the lightweight trail bike segment in particular, Rock Shox is bringing Rockshox now a SID with 120 millimetres of travel and 35 mm stanchions. This puts the Americans on a par with the Fox 34 Stepcast for the first time. BIKE has already been able to subject the new Rockshox SID 120 to an initial practical test and determine the first measured values in the test laboratory.
Rockshox SID Ultimate: a race fork with 120 millimetres of travel
The 120 SID will be available for all racers looking for extra safety and reserves on descents. Instead of simply extending the travel of the 100 millimetre fork, the new 120 mm version has been equipped with a completely new 35 mm chassis. This means that the Rockshox fork is even one millimetre higher than its Fox counterpart. With the new design, the SID Ultimate looks like the Enduro fork Pike is astonishingly similar. However, the weight at the latest shows that the new SID fork is aimed exclusively at racers and sporty trail bikers. Never before has a fork with 120 millimetres of suspension travel been so light. At just 1537 grams (without handlebar remote), the new model saves a whole 221 grams compared to the previous version. What's more, the new SID Ultimate is even lighter than the 34 Stepcast from Fox (1667 grams). Considering that the new family member uses aluminium instead of carbon as the material for the fork crown and steerer tube, this is considerable. At a price of 979 euros, without lockout on the handlebars, the new SID Ultimate easily undercuts the 2020 model (1200 euros). For 1059, the newcomer comes with either a twist or onloc remote. There is also a cheaper alternative. The slightly heavier Select version is available from 759 euros, which at 1671 grams is still lighter than the more expensive version from the previous year.
Trimmed for lightweight construction: the new SID Ultimate
Rockshox has developed a completely new concept for its 120 race fork. This makes the fork a whole 221 grams lighter than the previous model. An unintended side effect of extreme lightweight construction is often a lack of stiffness. But not with the SID Ultimate. Our laboratory test even revealed an improvement in the values. You can read the exact stiffness values in the tabular comparison and the first riding impression from 7 April in BIKE 5/20!
The suspension fork loses a large part of its weight thanks to the new Carger Race Day damping cartridge. At 92 grams, the new cartridge saves almost half the weight of the previous model. The only disadvantage is that the cartridge can only hold half the amount of oil, which could make the fork more susceptible to heat build-up. The cheaper Select version still uses the Charger RL damping unit.
The data for the SID Ultimate 120
- Wheel size: 29"
- Suspension travel: 120 mm
- Damper: Charger Race Day
- Offset: 44mm
- stanchions: 35mm aluminium
- Weight: 1537 grammes
- Price: 1059 euros with lockout on the handlebars
The data for the SID Select 120
- Wheel size: 29"
- Suspension travel: 120mm
- Damper: Charger RL
- Offset: 44mm
- stanchions: 35mm aluminium
- Weight: 1671g
- Price: 839 euros with lockout on the handlebars
Rockshox's new damping cartridge for retrofitting
If you want to make your fork a little lighter without buying a completely new one, you're in luck. The new Charger Race Day cartridge is backwards compatible with all SID forks (100-120 mm) up to 2017 and all Reba models up to 2018. The upgrade kit costs 280 euros and saves a whole 118.5 grams compared to the old SID cartridge (192.2 grams with oil).
New Debon Air air spring
To make the fork even more sensitive, especially in the first few centimetres of travel, the Americans have installed a larger negative air chamber. In addition, the change in the position of the dimple should make it even easier to exchange air between the positive and negative air chambers when the fork is fully extended.
Max Fuchs
Editor
