RST made my first suspension fork, full of elastomers and with a bolt-on crown and steerer tube. Since then, they’ve shown some interesting stuff, including an inverted fork and wireless electronic lockout prototype, but the new Elev8 dropper post and Stitch enduro fork have regained our attention. They’re ready for market, fully featured and priced for anyone. Oh, and they’ve got the First 24″ suspension fork with a thru axle and tapered steerer…
Get the full run down in this video, closeup pics below with a few bonus details, and the new First 24″ thru axle fork at the bottom.
There’s a lot to like about the RST Stitch. It offers 160, 170 or 180 mm of travel, is still available in a 26″ wheel size along with the newer 27.5″ standard, and it comes in $300+ cheaper than other forks in the same category. It’s got 36mm stanchions, and adjustable low speed compression and rebound.
The lowers are the same as on their Killah dual crown downhill fork, which means a 20mm thru axle and 180mm post mount brake tabs.
The post comes in 30.9 and 31.6 diameters, with under or over mounted remote levers, and external or internal routing. The saddle clamp is an easy-to-adjust double bolt system, and the fully sealed hydraulic cartridge can be replaced without having to remove the post from your bike.
The RST First suspension fork is a common sight on high end kids’ mountain bikes, and now it’s offering the first 15mm thru axle option. Tapered steerers are still rare on bikes for this market, but they’re offering it (or a standard 1-1/8″ straight steerer) to future proof it. Your little shredder may not be pushing the fork to its limits enough to notice any stiffness improvements, but the safety of a thru axle should ease your parenting mind when they’re getting rad.
