New RockShox SID’s robust build responds to increased demands of modern XC racing

Revamped suspension designed to also be more capable away from the race tape

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By Robin Weaver

Published: July 27, 2023 at 3:00 pm

The RockShox SID fork is steeped in mountain bike history, having helped win numerous cross-country World Cup and World Championship titles over the years.

RockShox no doubt plans on adding even more silverware to the cabinet with the latest range of updates across the SID family of forks and shocks for 2024.

While there’s no questioning that the latest forks (and shock, for that matter) are designed for cross-country racing, RockShox claims they’re more than capable on the trail too.

RockShox last updated the SID forks and shock back in 2020, impressing just about everyone who rode them, as well as racking up countless cross-country (XC) titles over the years that followed.

While the SID SL continued to use the established 32mm upper tubes (aka stanchions), the SID shifted over to stouter 35mm legs – a big move in a world focused on keeping weight as low as possible.

There’s no denying the impressive performance of the SID fork, but many RockShox-sponsored athletes, as well as masses of the brand’s customers, continued to opt for the lighter, skinnier-legged SID SL.

According to RockShox, preferences in the pits are shifting slowly towards the burlier SID fork, though, potentially due to just how gnarly modern XC racing has become and the ever-increasing demands put on the bikes and riders.

It’s no surprise, then, that RockShox has thrown just about everything at the new SID when it comes to its development. However, it has been sure not to leave the SID SL behind because it’s clearly still very popular among pros and punters alike.

While the new SID fork has been designed with XC racing in mind, RockShox claims the changes for 2024 make it a far more capable fork on the trail outside of the race tapes.

At a claimed 1,476g (110mm travel, 44mm offset), it’s fairly light too.

According to RockShox, having studied how its forks worked during races, the brand realised it needed to expand damping adjustment options beyond just ‘open’ and ‘lock’ to provide more traction and a more forgiving ride.

The new Charger Race Day 2 damper is featured on the Ultimate and Select+ SID forks. Similar to Scott’s TwinLoc system and RockShox’s own Flight Attendant, this gives riders three damping modes to choose from.

Switching between ‘open’, ‘pedal’ and ‘lock’ alters the low-speed compression damping. This effectively firms up the fork and makes it bob less, and therefore, in theory, means it’s more efficient.

The big talking point here is the inclusion of the ‘pedal’ mode – the halfway house between ‘open’ and ‘lock’.

RockShox says the goal was to ensure riders could maintain traction and keep the front wheel tracking over bumps, but without the fork moving excessively when the rider puts the power down.

Another goal was to boost damper durability and ensure that when the fork is locked out, it really is locked out.

Apparently, as SID forks aged, the lockout force on some models seemed to fade. RockShox has designed a new seal head, working closely with seal manufacturer, SKF, to help mitigate this issue.

The new main seal, O-ring and bushing assembly add a touch more friction to the damper, but we’re told you’ll be hard pressed to feel it on the trail.

If you’ve always been happy with just the two positions, though, the new SID will be available with a two-position damper option.

For those with the previous-iteration SID or SID SL fork, you can, for £289/$269/€319, retro-fit the Charger Race Day 2 damper should you wish.

RockShox offers the latest SID fork with 110mm or 120mm of travel. This comes courtesy of the all-new DebonAir+ air spring, which features on all four SID models.

With the last iteration of the SID being so progressive, RockShox wanted to ensure the new air spring enabled all riders to access the full amount of travel without having to huck off a cliff to achieve it.

However, it was also important to ensure there was the support required through the mid-stroke for riders really looking to push the bike hard through turns or compressions. And, of course, it needed to remain sensitive and supple enough to keep the front wheel tracking the trail.

In order to achieve this, RockShox has tweaked the positive and negative air volumes significantly.

While the positive air volume jumps up by 16 per cent, the headline figure here is the 50 per cent increase in negative air volume.

These changes should combine to help the SID sink easily into the first part of its travel, as well as lessen the progressive ramp up at the end of the stroke, enabling riders to access every single millimetre of bounce.

Further boosting initial sensitivity and hopefully eliminating any unwanted top-out ‘thunk’ – another thing that could happen on the previous SID fork – is the use of a top-out coil spring, as opposed to the rubber bumper of old.

The top-out coil spring (along with the larger negative volume) should help keep the initial bit of travel supple by reducing hysteresis (the lag experienced between switching from the compression to rebound phase as the fork moves in and out of its travel).

Should you manage to hit full travel, the small, conically shaped Jones bumper is there to cushion the bottom-out.

Sadly, the new DebonAir+ air spring isn’t backwards-compatible, because many of the changes are linked to the chassis alterations.

The 2024 SID also sees some significant changes to the chassis, though continues to use 35mm upper tubes, just as before.

RockShox reduced material in key areas throughout the lower legs, which not only helped to shave weight but was also responsible for the positive and negative air spring volume changes.

Naturally, RockShox was keen to ensure the SID remained stiff and accurate, though. By increasing the length of the upper tubes by 25mm, and spacing the bushings out more, overlap has been increased and, according to RockShox, helps to reduce side load on each bushing during impacts, limiting friction.

RockShox says this also boosts overall durability.

Finally, the SID Ultimate gets a fresh crown. This is a new, heavily machined alloy number, which is said be to lighter than its predecessor.

It’s so light, in fact, that when we quizzed RockShox as to why there isn’t a carbon option, it said it has achieved a stiffer crown at a comparable weight, so the added cost was unnecessary.

All in all, these changes equate to a small weight saving of 30g.

Working alongside Maxima Racing Oils, a new, proprietary blend of lubricant has been developed (Maxima Plush Dynamic Suspension Lube), which will now feature in the RockShox line-up.

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Although RockShox clearly ploughed a lot of time and energy into the overhaul of the SID fork, it was keen to boost performance in the very popular SID SL, too.

While the changes aren’t as dramatic, they’re still worth noting.

This lightweight fork continues to use skinny 32mm upper tubes to help save grams. In fact, according to the claimed weights, the SID SL Ultimate 3P fork in its 110mm-travel guise will save you around 100g, tipping the scales at 1,352g.

Like the SID, the SID SL also moves to three-position damping for 2024, using the Charger Race Day 2 damper on both the Ultimate and Select+ level forks. And, like the SID, two-position damping options will be available, too.

If you already own an SID SL, you can fit the updated Charger Race Day 2 damper into the previous-generation fork.

There’s now a 110mm-travel option for those looking for a little extra comfort over the standard 100mm, although the SID SL doesn’t feature the new DebonAir+ air spring.

Instead, the air spring from the previous-generation SID SL stays put.

And, just like the SID Ultimate, the SID SL Ultimate fork gets a new, machined alloy crown to help shave some weight. RockShox says its top-spec version weighs in at a claimed 1,352g.

Like other RockShox forks, the SID SL uses Maxima Plush Dynamic Suspension Lube in a bid to keep it moving smoothly.

Like the SID and SID SL forks, for 2024 the SIDLuxe shock moves to a new three-position damping system.

Externally, the chassis remains more or less the same as the previous version, though receives a few alterations to the remotely operated damping dial, which now looks a little sleeker and more refined.

RockShox has made changes, internally, though.

The idea here was to create a shock that closely mimics the feel of the fork, avoiding any harshness and improving overall smoothness.

To do this, the new SIDLuxe gets increased oil flow through the high-speed compression valve, enabling it to ‘blow off’ faster when slapping into really rugged terrain.

RockShox says this will not only work when in the ‘open’ mode, but in the firmer ‘pedal’ mode also.

Understandably, enabling the shock to use its travel more quickly and easily in these situations (due to the change in compression damping) means bottom-out resistance needed to be increased.

The SIDLuxe now features a taller, tapered bumper to handle those bigger impacts in a controlled fashion. According to RockShox, it gives a similar feel to the ‘Hydraulic Bottom Out’ feature found on the Deluxe and Super Deluxe shocks.

To further bolster bottom-out resistance, volume spacers can be fitted to alter the air spring curve, though these are different from those that could be used in the 2021 SIDLuxe shock.

That’s due to the alterations to the air piston and seal head (done so, in part, to ensure the lockout remains consistent and firm as the SIDLuxe ages over time). That means if you’re keen on upgrading and often use spacers, you’ll need to invest in some new ones to fit the 2024 SIDLuxe model.

Otherwise, the SIDLuxe remains largely familiar, with the same volume and minimalist design in order to help keep the weight in check (the 190x45mm shock weighs a claimed 246g).

You’ll still need a 2.5mm Allen key to alter the rebound damping (if you have the SID or SID SL fork, you can pop out the 2.5mm Allen key that doubles as the rebound dial and use that).

RockShox has worked with an extensive list of brands to develop specific tunes for a number of bikes.

These include the likes of the BMC Fourstroke (2021+), Canyon Lux TR (2022+), Mondraker F-Podium (2020+), Mondraker F-Podium DC (2020+), Santa Cruz Blur (2022+), Santa Cruz Blur TR (2022+), Specialized Epic Evo (2021+), Transition Spur (2020+) and Trek Top Fuel (2020-2022), to name a few.

The SIDLuxe Ultimate 3P shock will set you back £479-539/$439-509/€539-609.

The handiest way in which to toggle through the fork and shock’s three-position (or two) settings is using the updated TwistLoc remote.

This Grip Shift-inspired remote has been slimmed down somewhat for 2024, and now comes paired with two different push-on (rather than lock-on) grip options.

There’s now smooth foam or textured grips to choose from, depending on your preference. Sadly, there’s no lock-on option.

The TwistLoc Ultimate remote is pried at £119/$117/€133.

Technical editor-in-chief

Rob Weaver is BikeRadar's technical editor-in-chief. Rob manages all of the testing here at BikeRadar and across our magazines, Mountain Biking UK and Cycling Plus. Rob first graced the pages of MBUK back in 2001 when working as a freelance writer and went on to start testing bikes for the title in 2007. In 2010 he joined the team full-time and has been keeping a close eye on all things test-related ever since. Rob’s expansive knowledge of bikes comes courtesy of his passion for racing. He cut his teeth racing cross-country mountain bikes in the early 90s before finding his feet in downhill. After many years competing on the UK national circuit (including a year attempting to race UCI DH World Cups), Rob realised his know-how and passion for bike setup, tech and writing clearly outweighed his racing ability. A degree in sports technology and decades of riding experience all help to give Rob a thorough understanding of what’s needed to create a great bike or product. While Rob’s a mountain biker at heart and never happier than when he’s sliding down a Welsh hillside, he’s more than happy to put the miles in on the road or gravel bike, too.

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