RockShox RS-1 Turns XC Suspension Upside-down

For several weeks, the folks at RockShox have been teasing their all-new inverted RS-1 suspension fork. We all thought that inverted forks were relegated to DH use only and impractical for anything else. But, apparently, the folks at SRAM felt otherwise — releasing an all-new inverted suspension fork built for XC racing with 29-inch wheels only (at this time).

Coming from the heritage of the legendary SID, the RS-1 will have a lot of expectations heaped onto it. And, riders will have to pay dearly to play with one. At $1865 MSRP, the RS-1 gets into crazy money territory, but will the promised performance justify the high price tag? At some point I’ll swing a leg over one and let you know.

What I do know is that it will require the use of a proprietary hub design that I’m sure SRAM will license to others. Refreshingly, however, it does use a standard 15mm Maxle (phew), but the magic lies inside the hub with what’s called the Torque Tube. This new design enables the hub to be a structural part of the fork — optimizing stiffness with minimal weight penalty. So, you’ll need a new wheelset or at least a new front wheel build to get in on the RS-1 action.

As far as the overall performance of the RS-1, this about sums up the why and the how:

“On the journey to find higher levels of rider efficiency, we observed that many XC racers tune their suspension to the hardest possible compression setting, looking for maximum pedaling efficiency under power. This leaves them having no choice but to endure the natural undulations and braking bumps found on every square inch of the trail. But this approach transfers speed killing, energy robbing vibration to the rider. Nothing solves the issue more efficiently than RS-1: the nature of the inverted design ensures the seals are constantly bathed in oil and minimizes binding between stanchions and bushings. The result is an unprecedented amount of small bump sensitivity, helping you stay more efficient everywhere on the trail and racetrack. “