Your complete guide to the RockShox fork range

RockShox is one of the biggest names in mountain bike suspension, and for a good reason. It made the first suspension fork in the form of the original RS-1. Today, having been taken over by SRAM, RockShox produces a complete range of suspension forks for everything from hybrid to cross-country and downhill 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
[Updated 21th July 2021]
We'll run you through each of the models in the 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, click here for our guide of the Rockshox shock range.
RockShox fork range
There are 15 fork models in the RockShox range, 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, 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, RockShox has unveiled the ZEB. Using a similar 38mm stanchion, the ZEB 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" flavour, the ZEB promises to be 21.5% stiffer torsionally, 7% stiffer under side bending loads and 2% stiffer under for and aft loads. Inside, the fork gets the latest Charger 2.1 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" wheel sizes with 160, 170, 180, and 190mm travel options. You also get the choice of 38mm and 44mm offsets.
The ZEB Ultimate gets a DebonAir air spring along with RockShox flagship Charger 2.1 RC2 damper. Then, there's SKF wiper seals and Maxima Plush damping fluid. The ZEB Ultimate will set you back £969.
The ZEB Select+ looks to be OEM only, but it comes sorted with a DebonAir air spring, a Charger 2.1 RC damper and the same seals and damping fluid as its pricer sibling.
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 rest of the range. The ZEB Select is priced at £779.
Finally, the ZEB is the base model still coming with a DebonAir air spring. Still, there's a Charger R damper and Maxima Plush damping fluid. This fork does away with SKF wiper seals for a cheaper alternative. This model costs £679.
RockShox Pike
The Pike is RockShox go-to trail fork, using 35mm upper legs. Initially launched in 2013, it's seen several updates, most recently moving to Boost-only hub spacing and gaining an updated Charger 2 sealed damping cartridge and a Debonair air spring. The Debonair spring uses a higher volume negative air spring to help reduce breakaway friction and hence improve sensitivity.
The Pike comes in 120mm, 130mm, 140mm, 150mm and 160mm travel options in both 27.5" and 29er wheel sizes, with clearance for up to 2.8" tyres as standard.
Topping the range is the Pike Ultimate, priced at £869. It comes sorted with a Charger 2.1 RC2 damper, a DebonAir air spring and SKF wiper seals. Then, as usual with RockShox forks, there's Maxima Plush damping fluid, and this model comes in a Gloss Silver Signature or Ultimate High Gloss Black colourways. The Pike Ultimate is priced at £869.
Then, there's the Pike Select+ that runs a DebonAir air spring, a Charger 2.1 RC damper along with low friction SKF wiper seals and Maxima Plush damping fluid. Much like the ZEB Select+, the Pike Select+ looks to be OEM only.
The Pike Select comes with a DebonAir air spring with a Charger RC damper and Maxima Plush damping fluid. Note that SKF wiper seals are seen here. The base model Pike Select will set you back £679.
RockShox Lyrik
While the RockShox Lyrik might look similar to the Pike - it does share the same 35mm diameter upper legs - but it's made for much more aggressive riding, with a beefed-up, stiffer and accordingly heavier chassis.
There are 150mm, 160mm, 170mm, 180mm travel options for both 27.5" and 29" wheels and the Debonair air spring system is used in the forks.
As usual, the Lyrik Ultimate tops the range with its DebonAir air spring and a choice of a Charger 2.1 or Charger 2.1 RC2 damper. Then, there's a pair of low friction SKF wiper seals, Maxima Plush damper fluid, and there's a BoXXer Red Signature colour option. The Lyrik Ultimate will set you back £929.
The Lyrik Select+, as with other Select+ models, is OEM only and it's sorted with a DebonAir air spring, a Charger 2.1 or Charger 2.1 RC damper with SKF seals and Maxima Plush damper fluid.
Rounding off the Lyrik range is the Lyrik Select. It gets the shame DebonAir air spring, but on this fork is a Charger RC damper. This fork drops the SKF wiper seals but keeps the Maxima Plush damper fluid. This fork will set you back £729.
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 2.8" tyre on both 650b and 29" models.
It also comes with either 1.5" or 1.8" steerer options for OEM e-MTBs and three crown sizes with 59mm, 63mm and 69mm options. The latter being big enough to fit that 1.8" 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 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. It comes with 100mm of travel right up to 180mm with 37mm to 51mm fork offset options available.
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 RockShox' fork range, it runs a DebonAir air spring, and this one will set you back £479.
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 120mm, 130mm, 140mm, 150mm, and 160mm travels for 27.5" and 29" wheels, though one solitary fork is available in 26". 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 SL
The SID SL is the all-out cross-country racing fork in the lineup. 2020 saw radical updates to the platform in two SID forks, the SID and the SID SL.
SID SL is an out and out race fork. It gets 32mm stanchions, 100mm of travel, a 44mm offset, comes for 29ers only, and interestingly has an alloy steerer rather than carbon. Rockshox says they focused research on alloy crown/steerers first rather than carbon ones; potentially, they will follow on, we reckon. This fork weighs a claimed 1,326g.
The SID SL Ultimate tops the SID SL range with its DebonAir air spring, lightweight Charger Race Day 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" wheels and only comes with 100mm of travel. It's available in the Signature SID Blue colourway or Ultimate High Gloss Black and will set you back £849 with a remote and £779 without.
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 Charger 2 RL damper and SKF wiper seals. There's also Maxima Plush damping fluid, and just like the range-topping fork, it's only available with 100mm of travel and for 29" wheels.
The SID SL Select comes with a DebonAir air spring with a Charger RL damper, along with SKF wiper seals and Maxima Plush damper fluid. With a remote, it'll cost £649, without, it'll be £579.
Finally, the SID SL looks like another OEM fork, but this one gets a Rush damper with a DebonAir air spring. This fork gets the same seals and fluid as the rest of the range.
RockShox SID
The second fork, the SID, is a 120mm fork with a 35mm stanchion. That's the same size as Revelations, Pikes and even long-travel forks like the Lyrik too. Rockshox says this new chassis is stronger and stiffer with just a little weight gain.
The SID Ultimate gets the Charger Race Day damper, a DebonAir spring, and a 44mm offset. Again the Ultimate comes in that electric blue colour as well as black, weighing in at 1,537g. There's then the same anodized and machined crown you'll find on the SID SL, and of course, there are SKF wiper seals and Maxima Plush damper fluid. This fork will set you back £949 with a remote lockout or £869 without.
Another OEM for the SID Select+ comes with a Charger 2 RL damper, a DebonAir air spring, and the pricer fork's wiper seals and damper fluid.
The SID Select fork, as you might have guessed already, gets all of the kit you'll find on the Select+ but with a Charger Rl damper. With a remote, it's priced at £749, without it's £679.
Finally, there's the SID, which again is seemingly OEM only. It gets the Rush damper, DebonAir air spring with SKF seals and Maxima Plush damper fluid.
You might also be interested to know the Charger Race Day damper is backwards compatible with all 100-120mm SID and Reba forks all the way back to MY14.
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 2.8" tyre and is compatible with two or three-point fenders. It's also available with a 1.8" 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 £439.
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 100mm, 120mm, 130mm, 140mm and 150mm travel options in 26", 27.5" and 29" 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 £565; without, it'll be £495.
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" rim - up to 4.8" 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 name 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 2.8" wide, using Boost hub spacing to achieve this. It comes in either 100mm or 120mm of travel and 27.5" or 29" 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 is the entry-level model with Turn Key damping that offers a lockout and rebound adjustment. Again, there's a Solo Air spring, and it has 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. It does not come with Boost spacing, but it does come with travel from 80mm up to 150mm. It also fits up to 2.8" tyres without fenders.
The Recon Gold RL is the more advanced fork, coming in 27.5" and 29" 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 £339 with boost spacing and a 15x110 axle.
Rounding off the whole of RockShox fork offering is the Recon Silver TK. It gets boost spacing and the TurnKey lockout. This is also an OEM only fork.
Fork technologies and jargon buster
Charger 2 damper
This is RockShox current range-topping damper. It's a fully sealed unit that uses a bladder to keep the damping oil isolated 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, which 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.
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 less means it's easier to achieve full travel for a given starting pressure.
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 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 is an air spring that 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 lead to loss of damping control due to cavitation as well, though this is rare.
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. Very welcome it is too.
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.
Turn Key damper
This is the most simple and hence affordable damper seen on RockShox forks. It's a basic emulsion damper.