The RockShox SID has been around for 19 years and most riders have ridden one of these forks at some point throughout their riding history. For 2017 SRAM wants to bring the SID back to its origins and presents an entirely new fork, that’s purely optimised for XC racing. We had the chance to ride this new goodie and tell you everything you need to know:

The all new SID brings the fork back to its original roots, XC racing. With 120 mm travel trail bikes increasingly moving towards more aggressive chassis like the Pike, RockShox wanted to create a fork built purely for XC performance. Reducing the travel to either 80 mm or 100 mm travel, the new SID could be designed with shorter and lighter upper tubes and air shafts, making it almost 100 g lighter than its predecessor. All SID forks are compatible with SRAM’s Torque Caps, that can offer additional stiffness when paired with compatible hubs.

The new RockShox SID comes with a revamped Charger damper.
The new RockShox SID comes with a revamped Charger damper.

Inside the new SID there’s a lot going on and the popular Charger damper finally found its way into the XC offering. The damper has been redesigned to meet the requirements of intended use and features a simple two-position “open” and “lock” mode interface. Compression can be adjusted separately in the open mode and the lock position comes with a blow-off that only opens under very hard impacts. The Solo Air spring offers a more linear spring curve than previously, making it suitable for a broader range of rider weights. Heavier or aggressive riders can fine tune the spring curve with Bottomless Tokens. The Jounce bottom-out bumper was adapted from the RS-1 and is intended to create a bottomless feel and the end of the stroke.

SRAM shows attention to detail with small tweaks like the tool-free brake hose guide.
SRAM shows attention to detail with small tweaks like the tool-free brake hose guide.
RockShox's Torque Cap offers a larger interface between hub and fork.
RockShox’s Torque Cap offers a larger interface between hub and fork.

Small details like a tool-free brake hose guide and new control knobs round up the package. Aftermarket forks are equipped with a Maxle Ultimate axle, OEM models with an optional Maxle Stealth. The lineup ranges from the top-of-the-line SID World Cup with carbon crown steerer unit all the way to the affordable SID RL with the proven Motion Control DNA damper.

SRAM’s Statement

“No mountain bike fork has epitomized success more than SID. Gold in every Olympics since 2000. More major international race wins than any other fork. An unwavering dedication to light weight, precision, performance and speed. A fierce commitment to competition. From its dedicated, 100 mm travel-specific chassis, damper and air spring, to its precise steering characteristics, and its every-gram-counts attitude — each element of SID’s design is focused on winning. Because whether it’s a gold medal on the line or simple bragging rights, SID’s sole purpose is success.”

SRAM's Jed Douglas designed the new SID and is proud of the result.
SRAM’s Jed Douglas designed the new SID and is proud of the result.

Specifications RockShox SID 2017

RockShox-SID-2017-Specifications RockShox-SID-2017-Overview-Table

Pricing

SID World Cup Remote € 1,336 £ 1,028 $ 1,225
SID World Cup Crown € 1,255 £ 965 $ 1,150
SID RLC Remote € 998 £ 768 $ 915
SID RLC Crown € 922 £ 709 $ 845
SID XX Remote € 922 £ 709 $ 845
SID RL Remote € 731 £ 562 $ 670
SID RL Crown € 655 £ 504 $ 600

Riding Impressions

Having ridden a number of XC focused forks, when testing the SID we were expecting good performance, but perhaps from a chassis that prioritises weight over strength; we could not have been more wrong! We tested the top of the line Charger version, similar to that found in the Pike, and instantly experienced the same excellent damping that left us comfortable enough to hit jumps and commit fully in compressions. Of course, it’s not as stiff as the Pike but it’s certainly no wimp, offering clean and crisp steering accuracy and highly supportive damping that made full use of the 100 mm of travel on offer.

We were impressed by the performance of the new RockShox SID 2017.
We were impressed by the performance of the new RockShox SID 2017.

New seals are claimed to reduce friction in the air spring and we all commented on the buttery smooth stroke. For race heads, the lockout is very firm, perfect for those looking to put down maximum power on standing sprints, and we were impressed with the very light action of the lockout adjuster. We all noted that the solo air cartridge is more linear than found in the SID’s bigger siblings, which works better with smaller XC riders, but bottomless tokens (we ran 2 but it will take up to 4) allow tuning of the spring rate. After one particularly rough section we noticed no harsh bottom out, but were surprised to discover that we had used all the travel, impressive!

The new SID makes great use of the 100 mm travel it offers.
The new SID makes great use of the 100 mm travel it offers.

From a servicing standpoint, we love the move away from 24 mm socket caps which are easy to scratch and round, to a cassette tool interface which not only provides a secure operation but also allows for more visually appealing low profile knobs.

In summary, the new SID offers surprisingly good ride quality from a chassis that’s incredibly lightweight. Light enough for World Cup XC, while offering enough stability and damping to encourage aggressive riding, we can see the SID being a popular fork on both the circuit and home trails.

More Information on the SRAM website
Words: Moritz Dittmar/Trev Worsey Photos: SRAM/Moritz Dittmar


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