RockShox SID Team: Not just for racing anymore

By James Huang, Technical Editor

The RockShox SID has been the most successful fork on the World Cup cross-country circuit in history but it was long overdue for a major overhaul. The new version is vastly improved in every way but one – SID isn't just a racer's fork anymore.

The venerable RockShox SID platform was many things to many people but two things had always remained constant: it was one of the lightest forks available but also among the flexiest and most unpredictable in technical terrain. Thankfully, this latest iteration firmly puts that old reputation to bed with a new trail bike-stout chassis, competitively light weight and highly tunable and effective internals that should not only keep it at or near the top of racers' wish lists, but also make it a viable short-travel all-purpose trail fork, too.

Weight is kept in check with shorter stanchions and internal shaft lengths which also decreases oil volume. Though RockShox had originally hoped to roughly match the old SID on the scale as a result, our numbers suggest that it fell well shy. A previous generation SID World Cup was just 1375g (3.03lb) with a Pushloc remote and uncut carbon steerer; our comparably equipped 2008 SID Team tester is markedly heavier – though still lightweight – at 1585g (3.49lb).

Read the complete review of the RockShox SID Team and the Monarch.