We’ve spotted these classy silver lowers on the bikes of their pro athletes this year, but maybe you too will soon be able to get ahold of a limited pro edition RST fork. A little further down the development pipeline, RST are also working on wireless electronic suspension controls.
Plus, they have a tidy AirTag tracker that securely fits into your tapered steerer and will help keep tabs on your beloved bike. And you can already get that one now…
RST Limited Team Edition mountain bike forks, coming soon?
RST is certainly most known for affordable suspension forks that get heavy OEM spec on entry to mid-level bikes. But while a lot of their forks focus on affordable value, their internals and performance still seem pretty solid. So in a move to shift a bit away from the budget feel of black decals on black forks, RST has been giving all of their sponsored athletes special edition forks this year.
Bringing back a look I remember from their team XC & DH forks in the late 90s (when 26″ wheels were big and 180mm travel seemed unbelievable) these new pro Team forks get classy silver magnesium lowers and shiny retro red decals. And wow, do they look a lot cooler.
RST says the feedback has been great from their sponsored athletes. And fans of the brand also seem pumped. Silver forks are faster, right?
So, now RST are toying with the idea of releasing a limited team edition of the silver forks. And they showed us this 38mm stanchion Stitch 29 Air enduro fork, which would likely be the first one available to consumers – in 160, 170, or 180mm travel.
Electronic suspension control
Again, RST makes us think about value-oriented suspension, not necessarily the cutting edge, right? Well, it looks like even mid-tier suspension is going to be getting electronic damping controls in the near future.
In fact, we’ve seen RST working on affordable electronic controls for years – like their Elev8 E wireless dropper. And this wireless prototype electronic fork damping controller has been in the works for several years too.
RST say they have sorted out all of the electronics inside the fork leg, and paired it to an existing wireless remote.
And now, they are really just refining the installation.
This prototype used more complex system wiring that allowed for multi-directional communication. But RST thinks they will move to a simpler setup that will allow for slimmer wiring and connectors to a battery pack that sits securely inside the bottom of the fork’s steerer tube.
No official word on how long it will be until this makes it to market. But since it’s targeting affordable OEM spec, we’d expect it wouldn’t be until at least MY26.
RST Smart Tag system Apple AirTag bike tracker
And finally, while you’ll have to wait for the RST Team fork, here’s something you can buy from RST right now.
Their latest Smart Tag Platform bicycle tracker has a fun PR campaign right now, with your bike’s fork sending you a postcard from a tropical beach somewhere.
Hopefully, the idea of securely mounting an Apple AirTag inside the steerer tube means you will be able to get back a stolen bike or ebike quicker than it can travel around the world on holiday, though.
The ~$20 / 20€ Smart Tag holder bolts almost flush into the 1.5″ opening at the bottom of your fork’s tapered steerer with a tamper-resistant Torx security bolt. It’s a simple solution, with an open expander layout designed to be both secure and to allow for good wireless antenna communication.
It should help keep tabs on your bike in populated areas where bike theft is most common. And if you act fast with tracking, you should have a good chance to recover your bike before the tracker is discovered and tampered with or disabled.
