RockShox is one of the biggest names in the best mountain bike fork realm and for a good reason. The company made the first suspension fork in the form of the original RS-1. Having been taken over by SRAM, RockShox produces a complete range of suspension forks for everything from hybrid and gravel to cross-country and downhill mountain biking, at a wide variety of price points.

• Your complete guide to Rockshox rear shocks
• Your complete guide to SRAM MTB drivetrains, from AXS and XX1 Eagle to NX 
• Your complete guide to the Fox Shox fork range

We'll run you through each of the models in the 2024 RockShox front suspension range, so you know what they're for, which specs they come in and which one is best suited to your needs. If it's rear shocks you want to know about, have a look at our comprehensive overview of the Rockshox shock range. 

RockShox fork range

There are 13 fork models in the RockShox range for 2023, each coming in several configurations with various dampers and spring options. You can jump to a specific fork by hitting the link below, and if you want to find out about those dampers and the tech inside of these forks, skip down to the bottom of the article. 

• ZEB
• Pike
• Lyrik
• Domain
• Yari
• Revelation
• SID SL
• SID
• RockShox 35
• Reba
• Bluto
• Judy
• Recon
• Fork technologies and jargon buster

Rockshox ZEB

Following in the footsteps of competitor Fox, the RockShox ZEB uses a similar 38mm stanchion and is built with stiffness at the forefront of its design. It's aimed at enduro riders looking for that bit extra to get them through the stage as quickly and comfortably as possible.

Against a 180mm Lyrik in its 29-inch flavour, the ZEB promises to be 21.5 per cent stiffer torsionally, 7 per cent stiffer under side bending loads and two per cent stiffer under for and aft loads. Inside, the fork gets the latest RockShox Charger damper and DebonAir air spring. Unlike the rest of the RockShox range, the ZEB also receives an additional negative volume for an even more DH-esque feel. The new fork also gets Maxima Plush fluid paired with SKF wiper seals in line with the RockShox range.

The ZEB is available in 650b and 29-inch wheel sizes with 160-, 170-, 180-, and 190mm travel options. You also get the choice of 38mm and 44mm offsets.

RockShox now incorporates the latest SRAM technology on this Enduro focused fork range. The top-of-the-tree ZEB Ultimate Flight Attendant gives riders the ability to focus on the trail ahead whilst riding. The Flight Attendant is an automatic suspension system that listens to the rider and responds in real time. By utilising a suite of sensors to read rider and terrain inputs, it anticipates the perfect suspension position. Otherwise, the rest of the fork matches the specification of the ZEB Ultimate. SRAM also offer the Flight Attendant suspension system as an upgrade kit for the ZEB Ultimate fork. Needless to say, this incredible technology will cost a serious wedge of cash.

The ZEB Ultimate gets a DebonAir+ air spring along with the RockShox flagship Charger 3 RC2 damper. Then, there are SKF wiper seals, RockShox's new Buttercups and Maxima Plush damping fluid. On the outside, the Ultimate model benefits from a lightweight machined and anodized crown, torque cap adapters, pressure relief valves and compatibility with the RockShox Premium short fender. The ZEB Ultimate will set you back £1,119.

The ZEB Select+ also comes with a DebonAir+ air spring and Charger 3 damper. In fact, it gets all of the goodness found on the Ultimate but without the Buttercups and machined crown. We don't have a price on this model as it looks like it's OEM only.

Next up, the ZEB Select is kitted with a DebonAir+ air spring, but it's downgraded to a Charger RC damper. The rest of the goodies follows suit with the ZEB Select+. The ZEB Select is priced at £864. 

Finally, the ZEB is the base model that still comes with a DebonAir+ air spring like the rest of the range. The base fork uses the new RockShox Rush RC damper to set itself from the rest of the range. Apart from that, the rest of the kit is the same as the ZEB Select, but the entry-level specced fork is destined for the OEM market only.

RockShox Pike

The RockShox Pike is a trail fork using 35mm upper legs. The original Pike fork was launched as a hit back in 2005 and then it was remastered and modernised into its latest incarnation back in 2013. It's recently seen several updates since then, gaining an updated Charger 3 sealed damping cartridge and a Debonair air+ spring. Also new for 2023 are pressure release valves, torque cap adaptors and the RockShox Buttercups tech.

The Pike comes in 120mm, 130mm, 140mm, 150mm and 160mm travel options in both 27.5- and 29-inch wheel sizes, with clearance for up to 2.8in tyres as standard. 

Topping the range is the Pike Ultimate, priced at £1,017. It comes sorted with a Charger 3 damper, a DebonAir+ air spring and SKF wiper seals. As the top model in the range, it gets the full techy shebang, including Buttercups, torque cap adapters and a lightweight, machined crown. This fork is available in Ultimate High Gloss Black or Gloss Silver and can be purchased with or upgraded to benefit from the SRAM Flight Attendant automatic suspension system if your budget can stretch to this level of technology.

Then, there's the Pike Select+ that runs most of what the Ultimate gets but it drops the lightweight crown and Buttercups tech. This one looks to be OEM only and isn't available aftermarket.

The Pike Select comes with a DebonAir+ air spring, Charger RC damper, and Maxima Plush damping fluid. Note that SKF wiper seals are seen here. This one is upgradable to use Pressure Relief Valves and comes with torque cap adapters. The Pike Select will set you back £763.

Rounding up the Pike range is the Pike base which comes with a Rush RC damper, DebonAir+ air spring and everything that we get on the Select model, including the opportunity to upgrade the fork to use Pressure Relief Valves. Like the Select+, this one looks like it's OEM only.

 

RockShox Lyrik

While the RockShox Lyrik might look similar to the Pike - it shares the same 35mm diameter upper legs - it's made for much more aggressive riding, with a beefed-up, stiffer and heavier, and accordingly heavier chassis. 

There are 150-, 160-, 170-, and 180mm travel options for both 27.5- and 29-inch wheels and the Debonair air spring system is used in the forks.

The Lyrik Ultimate tops the range with its DebonAir+ air spring and a Charger 3 damper. The Ultimate also employs Buttercups, the Ultimate Bushing Package, and Pressure Relief Valves. Then, there's Maxima Plush damping fluid, Dynamic suspension lube, and torque cap adaptors. The Lyrik Ultimate comes in either Ultimate High Gloss Black or the new Heavy Meadow colourways and it will set you back £1,069. For a significant further investment, the Lyrik Ultimate can be upgraded to punch trail duties with Flight Attendant automatic suspension technology. 

The Lyrik Select+ is OEM only and gets a lot of what's seen on the Ultimate fork. However, it forgoes the Ultimate Bushing Package and Buttercups tech.

Next up is the Lyrik Select. It gets the shame DebonAir+ air spring but a Charger RC damper is on this fork. This fork can be upgraded to run the Pressure Relief Valves but comes with torque cap adapters as standard. As with the rest of the RockShox suspension forks, this one uses Maxima Plush fluid. The Lyrik Select is priced at £813.

Rounding off the Lyrik line is the base-level model, which is equipped with a Rush RC damper, a Debonair+ air spring, torque cap adaptors and Maxima Plush Dynamic lube with damping fluid from the same brand. This one can be upgraded to use the Pressure Relief valves. The base level Lyrik is OEM only.

RockShox Domain

The Domain brings the stiffness of the ZEB's 38mm stanchions to a more wallet-friendly price point. The Domain shares many similarities with its bigger brother but it gets 6000 series aluminium upper tubes. Then, the Domain comes sorted with a DebonAir air spring.

The fork is available with 150-, 160-, 170- and 180mm of travel, offering space for up to a 2.8in tyre on both 25.5- and 29-inch models.

It also comes with either 1.5- or 1.8in steerer options for OEM e-MTBs and three crown sizes with 59mm, 63mm and 69mm options. The latter is big enough to fit that 1.8in steerer.

Costing just £530, the Domain RC gets a DebonAir air spring with a cheaper, less sophisticated Motion Control RC damper and Maxima Plush damping fluid.

The Domain R looks to be OEM only, but it gets a DebonAir air spring. With this fork, RockShox is rather quiet over which damper it gets, but you'll find Maxima Plush damper fluid.

 

RockShox Yari

The RockShox Yari is a more affordably priced version of the Lyrik, using the same chassis but less refined dampers across the range to keep the cost down. The Yari is a versatile offering with 100mm of travel up to 180mm and 37mm to 51mm fork offset options.

The Yari RC is the only entry to the range, and it gets a Motion Control damper. Unlike the Charger dampers seen in more expensive units, this isn't a sealed damper - it's an emulsion damper where air and oil aren't separated from each other. It's got adjustable rebound and compression damping. As with the rest of the RockShox fork range, it runs a DebonAir air spring, and this one will set you back £512.99.

 

RockShox Revelation

As the Yari is the more affordable version of the Lyrik, the Revelation is to the Pike, with a 35mm legged chassis derived from it, though not precisely the same. It's offered in 120-, 130-, 140-, 150-, and 160mm travels for 27.5- and 29-inch wheels, though one solitary fork is available in 26-inch. All the forks get the Debonair air spring.

The Revelation RC uses the Motion Control damper with rebound and compression damping adjustment and a DebonAir air spring. It then gets Maxima Lower Leg Performance Lube to reduce friction. This fork costs £479.

 

RockShox SID + SID SL

The SID SL is the all-out cross-country racing fork in the lineup and in 2023, it got a range of updates. Now, in 2024, it's available equipped with RockShox's Flight Attendant tech.

SID SL is an out-and-out race fork that gets 32mm stanchions, 100mm to 110mm of travel, a 44mm offset, comes for 29ers only. This fork uses the latest Race Day 2 damper.

Introduced in 2023, there is also a burlier 35mm stanchioned model available that offers from 110mm, to 120mm of travel. This chunkier fork benefits from increased bushing overlap and bolt-in torque cap adapters. This fork is claimed to tip the scale at 1,476g.

At the very top of the range is the SID SL Ultimate Flight Attendant. RockShox promises that this is the lightest cross-country fork but it gets the brand's very latest Flight Attendant technology. On top of that, there's a Charger Race Day 2 Flight Attendant electronic damper that automatically changes the compression between an Open, Pedal and Lock position. It also features Adaptive Ride Dynamics that means that the electronic system can learn from the rider and terrain for even better performance. It's sorted with a 32mm chassis with 100 or 110mm of travel and its crown is machine to shed weight. Along with Maxima Plush Dynamic suspension lube, there's the brand's DebonAir air spring.

The SID SL Ultimate tops the non-Flight Attendant equipped SID SL range with its DebonAir air spring, lightweight Charger Race Day 2 damper and machined and anodized crown. As with many other RockShox forks, it gets SKF wiper seals and Maxima Plush damper fluid. This fork is compatible with only 29-inch wheels and comes with 100mm, to 110mm of travel l. It's available in the Signature SID Blue Crush colourway or Ultimate High Gloss Black and will set you back £959.

On high-end Specialized bikes, you'll find the SID SL Ultimate with Spesh's Brain tech. It gets special Position-Sensitive technology and the Inertia Valve that automatically opens up and locks out the suspension based on the bumps it senses.

Then there's the SID SL Select+, an OEM fork that gets a DebonAir air spring, a Race Day 2 damper and SKF wiper seals. There's also Maxima Plush damping fluid, and just like the range-topping fork, it's available with 100mm or 110mm of travel and for 29-inch wheels. 

The SID SL Select comes with a DebonAir air spring, Charger XC damper, SKF wiper seals, and Maxima Plush damper fluid. With a remote, it'll cost £739

Finally, the SID SL looks like another OEM fork, but this one gets a Rush XC damper with a DebonAir air spring. This fork gets the same seals and fluid as the rest of the range.

The standard SID range is available in all of the models stated above, including Ultimate Flight Attendant but this fork boasts a larger 35mm chassis which ups the weight against the SID SL but adds stiffness. The SID forks also offer a 120mm travel option.  

Though what's important to note is the Ultimate's damper has been machined to shed weight, whereas the Select's damper hasn't.

Rockshox 35

The RockShox 35 is a fork that you'll find on lower-end mountain and e-bikes. As its name suggests, it gets 35mm aluminium stanchions and comes with 100mm of travel up to 160mm along with 37mm to 51mm fork offsets. It fits up to a 2.8in tyre and is compatible with two or three-point fenders. It's also available with a 1.8in tapered steerer.

The top of the range 35 Gold RL comes built with a Motion Control damper with a DebonAir air spring. This one is priced at £489.

Then, there's the 35 Silver TK which has an e-mtb focus. RockShox is quiet about the damper in this fork, but it uses a coil spring or the Solo Air spring. This one comes with a TurnKey lockout, but it's OEM only.

Also, OEM only is the 35 Silver R. It gets all of the bits and pieces you'll find on the 35 Silver TK apart from the TurnKey lockout, and it only gets the coil spring.

 

RockShox Reba

The Reba is a more affordable cross-country and light trail riding fork, offering 100-, 120-, 130-, 140- and 150mm travel options in 26-, 27.5- and 29-inch wheel sizes. It uses 32mm upper legs made from aluminium and is available in tapered and straight 1 1/8th steerer tubes. This fork is compatible with either OneLoc or TwistLoc remote lockout switches.

The Reba RL is the only fork in the range and uses a Motion Control damper with rebound and compression adjustment with a Solo Air spring. With a remote lockout, it's priced at £613; without, it'll be £538.

There's also the Reba 26, which gets all of the kit you'll find on the RL, but it's tuned for lighter and smaller riders. However, this one doesn't get remote lockout compatibility.

 

RockShox Bluto

The Bluto is one of the very few dedicated fat bike suspension forks available. It's based on the 32mm legged Reba chassis but stretched to accommodate super fat rubber on a 26-inch rim - up to 4.8in wide. It comes in 80mm, 100mm and 120mm travel with a Solo Air spring.

It only comes in one model, the Bluto RL, which gets a Motion Control damper with seals and grease that's specially rated for low temperatures to maintain consistent performance through all conditions. RockShox is asking for £669 for this fork.

 

RockShox Judy

The Judy moniker is another blast from the past. It is designed as a low to mid-range fork that offers plenty of clearance for Plus tyres up to 2.8in wide, using Boost hub spacing to achieve this. It comes in either 100mm or 120mm of travel and 27.5- or 29-inch wheel sizes.

The Judy Gold RL is the higher-spec model, with a Motion Control damper featuring rebound and low-speed compression adjustment to lockout. It uses a Solo Air spring and gets aluminium uppers only with a tapered steerer. It'll set you back £439 with a remote lockout or £369 without.

The Judy Silver TK entry-level model with Turn Key damping offers a lockout and rebound adjustment. Again, there's a Solo Air spring with a tapered aluminium steerer. Still, the upper legs are made from heavier steel. This one costs £319 with a remote lockout and £289 without.

Then, Judy gets a factory-set rebound, a TurnKey lockout, and it's compatible with 9mm QR axles. It also comes with a coil spring. This fork is OEM only.

 

RockShox Recon

The Recon is designed as a cost-effective, high-value cross-country fork built with 32mm stanchions. With travel from 80mm up to 150mm. It also fits up to 2.8in tyres without fenders.

The Recon Gold RL is the more advanced fork in 27.5- and 29-inch versions. It uses the Motion Control damper with rebound and compression damping adjustment, and the steel 32mm upper legs are black anodised. Note that this fork is OEM only.

The Recon Silver RL comes with a Motion Control damper with low-speed compression to lockout. There's also a SoloAir air spring. This is the only fork you can pick up off the shelf, and it'll set you back from as little as £239 with 9mm QR compatibility up to £357 with boost spacing and a 15x110 axle.

Rounding off the whole RockShox fork offering is the Recon Silver TK. It gets boost spacing and the TurnKey lockout. This is also an OEM-only fork.

 

RockShox Fork Range - fork technologies and jargon buster

Charger 3 damper

The Charger 3 damper is the latest damper unit RockShox's newest damper. This time around, it gets what the brand claims is truly independent high-speed and low-speed compression damping, eliminating any cross-talk, or the overlap in functionality that ties the two together. This means that riders can adjust their fork however they like, without compromise.

This is thanks to a new damper design which uses an Internal Floating Piston (or IFP). A coil spring opposite this piston boosts responsiveness on impact while making the fork feel more consistent through its travel. It's claimed that the Charger 3 is pretty quiet, too.

Charger 2 damper

This is RockShox's previous range-topping damper. It's a fully sealed unit that uses a bladder to isolate the damping oil from the air. It's available in different formats depending on the application. Still, the three main specs are the basic RC with adjustable rebound and low-speed compression to lockout. The RCT3 has a three-position compression setting from lock-pedal-open with low-speed compression adjustment in the open mode and the RC2 gets high and low-speed adjustable compression damping plus rebound. The latter is only seen on dedicated gravity forks.

Charger 2.1 damper

This is an updated version of the Charger 2 damper seen on 'Ultimate' forks with some changes to the valving, such as less high-speed compression damping and more low-speed compression damping to make the fork sit up high in its travel. 

There is also a new piston wear band inside the damper, which is said to better manage oil flow, while a new rod seal from SKF is claimed to reduce friction by upwards of 30% at the rebound shaft.

It is available in RC2 and RCT3 versions, with the same differences in adjustment as the regular Charger range.

Buttercups

Buttercups are little rubber pucks that live in a gold-coloured housing which sits at the bottom of both sides of the fork. The idea of this tech (which is also found in chainsaws and off-road vehicles) is that they damped high-frequency vibrations before they get to your hands. In fact, they're tested to eliminate trail chatter by 20% on average. Buttercups are found in all Ultimate forks but the full lineup can be upgraded to run them.

Bottomless Tokens

This is a term for volume spacers that can be added to the fork's air spring to adjust how much progression there is - how much harder it becomes to move the fork as it goes deeper into the travel. Adding more makes the fork harder to bottom out under hard riding; having fewer means of achieving full travel for a given starting pressure is easier.

To fit them, you need to take all the air out of the spring and then remove the top cap using the correctly sized spanner or splined cassette tool. You can put multiple tokens into a fork as they thread together and attach to the top cap. Different colour tokens fit different fork models.

• Black bottomless tokens fit these Solo Air forks: RS-1 SID, Reba, Bluto, Revelation.
• Grey bottomless tokens work with these Solo Air forks: Pike, Lyrik, Yari, Pike DJ, BoXXer.
• Dark red bottomless tokens fit in these Dual Position Air forks: Pike, Lyrik, Yari.

Debonair+ air spring

The Debonair+ is yet another brand-new air spring from RockShox. Building on everything the brand had learned from its previous springs, the aim was to further improve performance. This air spring is claimed to be softer at the beginning of the suspension's stroke, become supportive in the midstroke and ramp up better than before towards the end stroke.

Debonair spring

This is the premium air spring that RockShox offers. It uses a higher volume self-balancing negative air spring relative to the standard Solo Air design to offer a reduced breakaway force for better small bump compliance and a more linear starting stroke.

Dual Position Air spring

This air spring allows you to externally adjust the travel by up to 30mm, depending on the fork.

Motion Control

This is the mid-range damper and it comes in a few different formats. All are emulsion dampers, where the damping oil isn't separated from the air in the fork, which can lead to less precisely controlled damping when the two materials mix -become an emulsion - under more extreme use. Not having the damping oil under any positive pressure - as it is in a sealed damper - can also lead to loss of damping control due to cavitation, though this is rare.

Solo Air spring

This is the standard air spring seen on RockShox forks. It's called Solo air because you only need to add air to a single valve, and the spring will equalise the negative chamber by itself. At one point, they had a Dual Air spring that required you to do this via a second valve, hence the name.

Sag gradients

RockShox is the only company to anodise sag markers onto their fork legs to ease setup. All of their forks - except budget ones - have this feature. 

Turn Key damper

This is the most simple and hence affordable damper seen on RockShox forks. It's a basic emulsion damper.

Ultimate Bushing Package

Only found on the 2023 Ultimate model forks, the Ultimate Bushing Package is designed to be tougher than bushings prior. These use a larger internal bushing overlap to minimise friction and the lower bushings are 53% longer with the same aim.

Pressure Release Valves

Another bit of tech found on Fox's recent forks is the Pressure Release Valves found just underneath the fork's seals. These are designed to release unwanted pressure in the fork lowers that are caused by variations in altitude or temperature. Simply give them a push and your fork will return to normal, restoring its performance.

Hub End Cap Adapters

These, new for 2023, add an additional 5% of torsional stiffness but are removable if you're not interested. 

Flight Attendant

Flight attendant was introduced into RockShox's range in 2021 and it's a completely wireless spin on Fox's Live Valve self-adjusting suspension. Through a Bluetooth connection and special gubbins found on the top of the fork, shock, and inside the crank spindle, Flight Attendant senses the kind of terrain you're riding and adjusts the suspension's overall compression to offer what it thinks is the best setting for the given situation. For example, while you're climbing, it'll firm up the suspension for better pedalling and as you roll into a descent, it'll automatically open up the suspension for the best performance downhill.

This can be adjusted to suit your preferences and to either hold in its firm setting more frequently, or not so frequently.

Flight attendant is found on just the Ultimate Flight Attendant Pike, Lyrik and ZEB models for now.

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