In anticipation of there hopefully being some races later in the year I've completed my planned 2020 bike upgrade. After 4 years flawless service my DT Swiss fork has been replaced with the new Rock Shox SID SL Ultimate.
The DT's were lightweight, but the new SID's take lightness to a whole new level. 1248g after I'd cut the steerer to length!
A suspension fork however is judged more on the performance than the weight. I had my first ride yesterday over to the local singletrack playground at Whiteways. Unfortunately I ripped a tyre sidewall on the way so I had to show a little caution and wasn't able to push the fork as hard as I'd have liked. Despite this I was very surprised to see a number of PR's (personal records) pop up on my Strava feed when I got home. So it seems without even trying the fork was fast!
My initial impression is that it is far more supple that my old DT. Very little initial stiction allows it to smooth out the smaller rough stuff on the trail. On the bigger hits I noticed less of a difference, but this may partly have been because I was trying to nurse the tyre.
I'm about 72kg in my cycling gear and used the Rock Shox app as my starting point for the set-up. I put in just over 100psi and wound the rebound on 7 clicks. Usually it takes me several rides to tune suspension to how I like it, but this felt pretty much spot on and by the end of the ride the O-ring was up at the top of the crown, suggesting I'd made the most of the 100mm of travel.
To be honest I wasn't sure about the blue when I ordered the fork (black was out of stock), but now it's here I'm pleased with the SID signature colour. I've never been one for bikes with the subtle "stealth" look anyway!
So first impressions:
It looks good, satisfies my inner weight weenie and makes me faster. I can't wait for the next ride!
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