For 2012, the biggest news with Rockshox is definitely the introduction of the SID 29er fork, but there’s a lot more going on under the hood and across the range.
They were overly coy when it came to details on the insides of the taller SID at Sea Otter, but now we’ve got a little inside info (pun intended) on what makes it lighter than / different from the Reba 29er. There’s also additional options for the Reverb dropper seat post, a new Dual Position Coil height adjustment for their non-air forks and Revelation forks get a massive 140mm 29er travel option.
Out back, there are white color options that we spied at the Avid press camp in February made official, and a carbon fiber bodied Monarch rear shock – but that’ll come in a separate post, along with the Reverb info.
Jump past the break for more details on the entire 2012 suspension fork lineup…
UDPATED: Full weights, specs and options chart added for each model at bottom of post!
OPTIONS:
For 2012, Rockshox’s lineup includes a vast array of 29er options, including the entire SID lineup from top to bottom.
DETAILS ON THE NEW STUFF
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MOTION CONTROL DNA – Building on their current Motion Control platform, the new MC DNA uses a new, lighter “double helix” shaped spring mechanism to offer more supple performance. In a nutshell, Motion Control allows the fork to move a bit even when locked out so you’re bouncing around. On bigger hits, it opens the compression ports to let the fork break into full travel so you can stay in control, then returns it to lockout when the action subsides. For 2012, the new DNA version will only be on the SID and Revelation forks in XX, RCT3, RLT and RL trim, all with Dual Flow Rebound control:
For a technical look at what Motion Control does, check out our Tech Article from a visit to Rockshox’s CO HQ. |
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Dual Position Coil – The 2012 Sektor fork will get a new Dual Position Coil height adjustable travel option. Designed to improve climbing on longer travel bikes, the new system essentially traps the upper coil spring and reduces travel by about 30mm. When the trails turn downward, simply flip the lever to open and it releases the spring, making both of them active and restoring full travel.
The Dual Position Air remains unchanged and comes on various models of the Revelation, Lyrik and Totem. It works by opening ports in the central shaft, moving air from the main chamber into the negative air chamber and dropping the fork about 30mm. |
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29er Suspension Fork Travel Options – If you’ve been to an endurance race lately, you’ll notice that the growing majority of riders are on 29ers, and whether they’re hardtail or full suspension, most have a suspension fork on the front. The others, well, they’re gluttons for punishment.
For 2012, Rockshox has 15 models across various forks for 29″ wheels, Click on the image to enlarge for travel options for each, ranging from 80mm to 140mm. |
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2012 SID 29er – The 2012 SID WCXX 29er fork is lighter than the 2009 26″ model. Coming in at just 1582g (claimed) for the carbon crowned, 15mm Maxle thru-axle version, it’s pretty crazy light.
The RL and RLT models will be OEM only and start showing up in July, meaning they should be on some of the test bikes we’ll be riding this summer at various press camps. The other models will start coming available aftermarket in July and August with U.S. retail pricing between $750 and $1,190. Euro pricing will be €671 to €1065. |
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2012 Reba RLT 29er is as light as the SID 29er – You read that right. At a claimed weight of just 1584g, it’s only 2g heavier than the SID WCXX 29er fork. Of course, if you go with a standard QR, the SID can get lighter, but really, these days…
It saves the weight by using the same new, lighter lower chassis as the SID 29er, which drops 150g over the prior model. Another bonus, the Reba 29er finally gets a 15mm thru-axle Maxle option for the shorter travel 80mm and 100mm sizes, but it looks like they’ve done away with the longer travel options, likely deferring to the new Revelations. The downside? The RLT will be an OEM option only (along with the RL) for now. The new RCT3 and XX options will be aftermarket and available in August and July, respectively, with prices ranging from $765 to $930. Euro pricing is €684 to €832. Other changes include new sag gradient markers on the stanchions. |
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Other 29er Forks – Shown at left, the new Revelation 29er forks boast up to 140mm of travel and get the 20mm Maxle Lite thru axles. They get the new Motion Control DNA and have a claimed weight of 1806g (RLT).
At the lower end of the price spectrum is the new XC 29er fork. With 28mm and 32mm stanchion options, they’re likely going to be OEM placements only on entry level bikes, but they come spec’d with Turnkey lockout, Power Bulges in the lowers and are compatible with their Pushloc/Poploc remote lockout levers. Travel options are 80mm and 100mm. Weight is 2,200g to 2,263g. In the middle of the lineup is the Recon, which carries more of the higher end features and a respectable weight of just 1,755g for the Gold TK Solo Air model. Features for the line include Solo Air, Turnkey lockout with higher quality alloy knob (versus the plastic on one the XC forks) and forged hollow alloy crown. The Gold series gets alloy sliders and the Silver series uses steel tubes. 80mm and 100mm options. Lastly, they get a 20mm Maxle option. |
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2012 SID World Cup 26″ drops 100g – Lest you think only the 29er forks were getting all the attention, the venerable 26″ SID fork drops 100g off its 2011 model weight. Thanks to the Keronite coating, a new butted aluminum air shaft and the Motion Control DNA, it’s pushing things lower than we ever thought possible. Claimed weight is just 1311g for the World Cup in 80/100mm travel, and that’s with 15mm Maxle Lite thru axle and stiff carbon crown. If the body is anything like our SID 100/120 we reviewed, the performance should suit racers well.
Cosmetically, the Dual Air top caps get a bit of a redesign too, visible in the top photo on this post. Oh, and to put that weight into perspective for us yanks, that’s 1,311g = 2.89lbs. |
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Other 26″ Forks News – The Reba forks get SID’s lowers on the 26″ models, too, dropping 100g from their 2011 counterparts. Claimed weight for the Reba RLT is 1519g. It also gets the new sag gradients.
The Recon gets a 15mm Maxle option and also breaks into Gold and Silver levels like the 29er version. The Gold gets 32mm stanchions and Motion Control plus Turnkey Lockout. The 26″ XC forks get three stanchion diameter options, 28, 30 and 32, and they have the alloy Turnkey knob that’s missing from their taller brothers. Total price point option, but travel up to 120mm. The Revelation continues it’s mission as a lightweight, high performance trail fork. Travel options are 130 / 140 / 150, and they all get the new Motion Control DNA. The World Cup model gets their Black Box carbon fiber crowns and steerer and weighs in at just 1,489g (claimed). Dual Position Air is available on all models. The Sektor forks get both 15mm and 20mm thru-axle options, borrow the Revelation’s travel options and lowers, get Motion Control in the RL model and is the only fork to use the new Dual Position Coil. The Lyrik borrows the Boxxer’s Mission Control DH and uses Boxxer-like Solo Air and Compression knobs (spotted here). It has a Dual Position Air option with 160mm to 170mm travel on 35mm stanchions. The Totem, which sports the largest (40mm) diameter stanchions of any single crown fork, gets the same Boxxer-like features as the Lyrik, including a Dual Position Air option. (shown at left) The Boxxer updates were announced already, click here. The Domain, which got a new dual crown model recently, gets a new 20mm Maxle option and borrows the Boxxer’s compression knobs. The Argyle gets a new Grover Blue color, 140mm travel option and new graphics. Other options on all of these forks are shown in the chart near the top of this post. |
FULL WEIGHTS, SPECS and OPTIONS
Click on any image to enlarge to read all the weights and options for each fork model:
