Ebay is always good for a surprise. In December, the Canyon race truck was on sale. A few days ago, Rockshox Boxxer Ultimate forks turned up - in a version that is not even on sale yet.

After eight years, the "Five Friends" test format is now retiring. There is a new, exciting concept for 2026. For once, the five products tested have no common denominator. Or perhaps five "friends" that don't fit in anywhere? But that would be misleading, because they are all exciting products that have proven themselves.

Björn Riley is one of the most up-and-coming and technically refined riders on the World Cup circuit. The US biker from the Scott-Sram team masters his everyday sporting life with meticulous precision, quite unlike his leisure time. This is when the pro transforms into a free, wild artist. The short film "Dual Lines" reveals a unique perspective on Riley's worlds - on athleticism and artistic expression.

The Rudy XL from RockShox is a gravel fork for uncompromising adventures. With up to 60 millimetres of adjustable suspension travel, space for wide tires and a stable chassis, it offers comfort, control and efficiency - on asphalt as well as on rough trails. Perfect for riders who see gravel as a challenge.

Since 1998, Rock Shox has been producing suspension elements under the name Superlight Integrated Design - SID for short - that have only one goal: To be as fast as possible on cross-country courses. This is particularly true of the SID SL fork, which at around 1390 grams with 110 millimetres of travel is also impressive on the scales.

The new dropper post from Rock Shox rolls in with up to 250 millimetres of travel. But that's not all: the entire inner workings have been renewed and the battery mount has been realigned. Activation of the dropper post via radio remains on board as usual.

Rock Shox has revised all its suspension forks in 2024 and equipped them with the new Charger 3.1 damping. The Pike is the only model to have been given a new air suspension. This gives it a completely new riding character and an even wider range of applications, it rides like never before.

For the 2025 model year, RockShox presents the new suspensions, including the Pike, Lyrik and ZEB suspension forks with Charger 3.1 damping and the SuperDeluxe and Vivid Coil shocks, which boast new technologies. The suspension manufacturer is also updating its TrailHead app.

Not so long ago, 100 millimetres of suspension travel was the standard in cross-country racing. Today, however, many athletes are riding bikes with 120 millimeters, because the race tracks are becoming more and more demanding. Rock Shox has recognized this and revised its XC forks and shocks accordingly.

What are buttercups? These rubber vibration dampers are familiar from chainsaws, where they prevent vibrations from reaching the hands through the handles. Rock Shox uses the same technology in its suspension forks. Here it is called "Buttercups", the task is the same. Rock Shox explains the Buttercups in the latest article.

A new shock not only brings a different characteristic to the suspension system, but also other tuning options or even difficulties. To avoid these difficulties, Rock Shox has published a tutorial for the new Vivid shock.

Big, beefy and built to maximize downhill performance. The legendary Vivid has evolved to suit everything from downhill and e-mountain bikes to enduro bikes. An air shock with steel spring-like suppleness? That's exactly what the new Vivid is.

Since the SID shook up the World Cup in the 90s, it has been one of the undisputed champion forks among cross-country forks. Rock Shox is now continuing this tradition with the new SID SL. Of course, a matching shock should not be missing, the SIDLuxe shock completes the new setup.

World-class downhillers such as Vali Höll and Loris Vergier have helped Rock Shox to develop the best Boxxer yet. The downhill fork comes with a new, stiffer 38-millimeter chassis and improved air suspension, which offers racers more progression but also the finest response. The Boxxer is damped with Rock Shox's Charger 3 RC2 damping and rounded off with vibration-damping butter cups.

Good mountain bike manufacturers give good recommendations on how to set up the suspension. Ideally, you should be able to adjust the compression, compression and rebound settings of the suspension elements according to these recommendations and your own rider weight in no time at all, and the basic settings should already be pretty good. Santa Cruz now offers an interesting insight into who tests and validates the suspension setups.

What does Rock Shox have in store for the Pike, Lyrik and Zeb? On board is a new damping system and pressure relief valves that are easily recognizable from the outside. New technology is also being introduced for the dampers.

Sarah Blakeslee's penchant for technique began at the age of 18. She moved to Colorado Springs to train at the rifle shooting training center and make it to the 2004 Olympics in Athens. With curiosity and perseverance, she made it to front suspension engineer at RockShox, where she continuously improves suspension forks. Find out more about Sarah's talents in the latest episode of "Brains Behind the Brand".

Who actually designed the suspension forks or the shocks that mountain bikers demand so much from? In the short film series "Brains Behind the Brand", RockShox introduces the people who were involved in the development of some RockShox products. The series also shows personal notes of the protagonists, rather than just the inventors behind the products. It starts with Jesse Jakomait, senior design engineer at RockShox.

Perhaps the result is a bike with the ultimate wide range of use - and fun potential: With the so-called XPLR collection, Sram brings technology to gravel bikes that has learned to ride on mountain bikes and has set a precedent. If this continues, the only difference between a hardtail and a gravel bike, to put it bluntly, will be the drop bar.

After the ZEB, Rock Shox is launching the affordable Domain. This also comes on a Rock Shox 38 millimeter stanchion base and offers an integrated mudguard option. The fork is available from 160 to 180 millimeters stroke and is sprung on the DebonAir™ air spring. The Motion Control RC damping ensures perfect control. The Domain RC costs just under CHF 600 and will be available around mid-July 2021.

Rock Shox has fresh tips on how to get a fresh suspension fork: Namely with a service. If you want to do it yourself, you can now get help on YouTube. Mitch Ropelato shows you how it's done in appealing tutorials.

The Rock Shox Zeb follows in the footsteps of the legendary Totem freeride fork and, with its 150 to 190 millimeter stroke and generous 38 millimeter stanchions, doesn't shy away from even the most rocky terrain.

Rock Shox did some serious work on the internals. The result: improved DebonAir air suspension and new Charger 2.1 damping. In the Pike Ultimate trail fork, it should provide unrivaled control and precision - a real trail machine. To achieve this, very low-friction SKF seals and Maxima-Plush damping oil are now also used, which, in addition to the response behavior, also reduces noise and improves durability.

When Nino Schurter rides to the podium, he does so with a Rock Shox SID. And this legendary cross-country fork is now rolling into a new era: the fork has almost nothing in common with its predecessor and is slim, light and, according to Sram, brutally fast. Sram is also sending a matching damper into the race.

With the Reverb AXS, the wirelessly controlled dropper post, Rock Shox recently provided an innovation boost. Now it's the turn of the hydraulically activated version with an update: this has more travel and service should be easier.

Nine months ago, the electronic Eagle groupset was first seen on Nino Schurter's bike. It is now ready for the market and will soon be available from specialist dealers. Alongside the groupset, Sram also presented the Reverb AXS, which, like the Eagle AXS, is operated electronically and wirelessly. We had the opportunity to take both parts for a short test ride.

For 2019, Rock Shox has completely revised the Pike and Lyrik suspension fork models and equipped them with new technology. This innovation is now also available separately as a cartridge for retrofitting to older models. Ride had the opportunity to equip an "old" Pike with the new "Debon Air air suspension" and thus give it more power.

A steady stream of gold at the Olympics and more victories at international competitions than any comparable fork: Rock Shox's SID is a force to be reckoned with. To keep it that way, the US suspension pioneer has tuned the flagship fork even better for the demanding cross-country courses. A casual remote on top of that.

The bike season is only hesitantly in the starting blocks - and Rock Shox is already presenting the new forks for the 2019 model year. Among the innovations, the Enduro forks have been given a new inner life and the new Lyrik in bright red is particularly eye-catching. The shocks for enduro and trail use have also been given a high-quality update.

The Sektor, Reba, Recon, Judy, 30, Pike DJ and Bluto forks have been given a major update. The suspension fork pioneer has taken a look at the inner and outer values of the mid-range forks.

It was partly responsible for the first Enduro boom in the mid-noughties, Rock Shox revived the fork in 2013 and has since established it as a benchmark. And now the Pike is due for a comprehensive renovation. Rock Shox is also adding innovations to the Lyrik, Revelation, Yari and RS-1 forks.

Modern single-chainring drivetrains make the shift lever on the left-hand side of the handlebars superfluous - and there is plenty of room for a thumb switch to operate the dropper post. Rock Shox has now also recognized this and is sending a hydraulic remote for the Reverb to the cockpit.

In the mid-nineties, this was a hot item of desire: Rock Shox's Judy suspension fork. A good twenty years later, it is celebrating a comeback - as an attractively priced fork that will poach in the plus-size tire segment in the future and features the technology and look of the now legendary Pike fork.

In spring 2016, Rock Shox launched a shock absorber revolution: The installation dimensions have changed, the installation bushings have been tuned for smoothness - and these innovations were initially reserved for air shocks. Now Rock Shox is stepping on the gas with steel spring dampers, which guarantee a fine response but should not bob even with a sporty riding style.