When the light blue Sid with the eye-catching black banderoles was first fitted to bikes a decade ago, it ushered in a new trend. Because it proved that air suspension can be both comfortable and reliable, it made lightweight suspension technology trail-ready again and ushered in a wave of lightweight construction that continues to have an impact today. A lot has happened since then, disc brakes required new fork leg designs, drivetrain and damping were increasingly decoupled from each other and Rockshox itself moved under the Sram umbrella. Minor and major adjustments changed the Sid over the years, but it continued unchanged as the lightest cross-country fork in Rockshox's top price segment. In recent years, the Sid has been somewhat quiet; its in-house competitor, the Reba, threatened to overtake it. To mark its milestone birthday, the engineers at Rockshox have now given the longest-serving fork range a complete overhaul. With all the changes, they carefully ensured that the focus as a lightweight high-end fork was retained.

Advanced damping
As in previous years, the top model in the Sid line is the World Cup, followed by the SidTeam and Sid Race. All three models feature the well-known RockShox Dual Air suspension system with differently adjustable positive and negative chambers. Damping is provided by the "Motion Control" technology, which has already proven itself on other RockShox models. This allows the rider to individually adjust the desired degree of lockout without losing responsiveness on small bumps. The two more expensive models, World Cup and Team, rely on the further developed "Blackbox Motion Control", in which a lightweight titanium spring controls the breakaway torque of the fork.

The Sid's stanchions and downtubes are completely new. The diameter of the stanchions has increased by four millimetres to 32 millimetres, which increases the torsional rigidity of the fork. As a result, the new Sid is less sensitive to the one-sided forces of disc brakes and can be steered more precisely around sharp bends. The new World Cup features carbon inserts on the triple clamp for additional stability and weight reduction at the same time. All three Sid models now have the reliable post-mount disc brake mount instead of the previous IS2000 mount. Each of the forks is available with either 80 or 100 millimetres of travel.

Rockshox is spoiled for choice when it comes to the color options. All Sid forks, which are sold individually, are available in two basic colors. Each fork comes with two (World Cup) or four (Team, Race) adhesive kits, which can be used to customize the dip tubes to the bike. The new forks have been available from Swiss importer Amsler & Co since the beginning of April and cost between CHF 938 and 1598.