We saw a sneak peek at the new 12omm long travel SID fork (right) at Sea Otter, and now it’s officially official along with an all-new 140mm Reba 29er suspension fork (left).
The SID will come in several variations including a World Cup model (shown) with tapered carbon crown. In fact, the WC model will only have a tapered carbon crown option, no straight steerer will be available at that level. For the XX, RLT Ti and RLT models (Rebound/Lockout/Threshold..aka, Floodgate), you’ll have the option of straight or tapered alloy crown/steerer tubes. All models will have the option of a 15mm Maxle Lite thru-axle or 9mm QR. Like the other SID forks, they use 32mm alloy stanchions with magnesium lowers.
If you think the travel difference and 15mm axle options are the only things new about this fork, you’re way wrong. The long-travel SID introduces several other new technologies that are already making their way to other forks and are a vision of the future. Check out the details, and that new 140mm Reba 29er, after the break…
One of the new technologies introduced on this fork, which is also coming on the Revelation World Cup fork, is the new Keronite magnesium coating. This coating has been used on the insides of brakes to reduce porosity and keep the DOT fluid from corroding the magnesium. On the forks, it’s used to protect the lowers from oxidation and tarnishing. Oh, and to save weight. Rockshox PM Jeremiah Boobar says the process eliminates the need for paint, which saves 20-30g. The result is this Keronite Grey color.
Hidden from view and hopefully something you’ll never need to service are new drilled out bushings, which saves another 5 grams.
Another new feature is the revised (and lighter) Power Bulge and sculpted upper bulges. By testing the stresses put on the lowers, Rockshox was able to slim down the Power Bulge on the outer edge, tapering it shorter on the side, and virtually remove the bulge from the inside of the leg. This feature will eventually be on all SID forks as the lowers are recast, as will another handy new feature: Built-in, detachable cable guides:
The black cable guide on the top of the left leg (shown on right from this perspective) coddles the brake hose and screws into the upper bulge. When you unscrew it, it remains on the hose so it won’t get lost. The World Cup version shown here is the lightest of the 120mm SID forks at just 3.00 lbs. That’s right, a 32mm stanchion, 120mm fork at just three freakin’ pounds.
The XX World Cup version is 3.11 pounds thanks to the addition of the remote XLoc, which means it has XX Motion Control versus Blackbox Motion Control. What’s the difference? With XX Motion Control, all compression settings are internal and you don’t have separate low-speed compression damping. With Blackbox Motion Control, you get Dual Flow compression damping with separate circuits for high- and low-speed compression, and you can adjust the low-speed compression externally, as long as you don’t add the optional remote PopLoc. In our opinion, the World Cup model with Dual Flow is the better option…it’s lighter and you have more user adjustability.
2011 140mm REBA 29er
The big news for 29er fans is the addition of a longer travel option in the XC-oriented Reba line. Already available in travel options from 80mm to 120mm, either fixed or adjustable, the new 140mm travel version will be available in three of the four trim levels: RL, RLT and RLT Ti. At present, there isn’t a 140mm version of their XX 29er. For a description of what Rockshox’s new model-letter naming scheme means, check this post.
All three 140mm versions weigh in at 4.1 lbs (1,869g), which is about 171g heavier than the 80/100/120 fixed travel model and 89g heavier than the 90mm-120mm Air U-Turn model.
Current Reba 29er forks have a 20mm Maxle Lite option, but the 140mm travel version will only come spec’d with it…no 15mm or QR options for the taller fork.
Also, we just got official word that the 140mm versions are shipping from their factory now, so look for availability in late July or early August. Pricing will be updated here when we learn it.
Oh, and just to reiterate, that rumored Blackbox carbon-crowned Reba 29er fork that JHK has been spotted riding? There’s no set release date, they’re just testing the technology. Assuming it did (and it likely will) make it to production, you could expect it to drop 100g to 130g off the fork’s weight, which would put it at about 3.47lbs for a 29er XC fork…which would pretty much make it the fork to beat for weight weenies, a crown currently held by the Manitou Minute 29er at 3.7 to 3.8lbs depending on travel (among readily available forks, anyway).
