10-16-07 // Previewed: '08 Sid Takes On 24 Hrs Of Moab
The delrin MCD spring on top compared to the BlackBox Ti MCD spring on bottom. To bad we didn't get to ride the Ti spring yet.
Alan Davis |
Three models of Sids will be available, the Race, the Team and the World Cup. All models utilize the proven Dual Air spring system with travel adjustable from 80 to 100mm via the previously-used All-Travel spacer system. The new Sid damper is, again, derivative of the Reba and Pike models taking full advantage of Motion Control Damping technology, but with some differences between models. The Race (which we road) features an MCD spring tube made of Delrin, like the Reba but shorter. The Team and World Cup models will receive Special BlackBox Titanium MCD spring tubes plus high and low speed rebound circuits. The World Cup model sets itself apart by utilizing carbon fiber PowerBulges and more carbon fiber reinforcement in the arch. Race and Team models will be compatible with V or disc brakes while the World Cup model will only be disc brake compatible. All the forks are compatible with a bar-mounted MCD platform remote lever.
Weight has always been very important on the Sid, the Race model weighs 1450 grams, or 3.2 pounds and the Team model is the same. The previous Sid Race fork was 1304 grams, or 2.9 lbs, so SRAM has increased the weight of their fork slightly, but it's been done in the name of steering performance and durability. The World Cup model sheds about an ounce coming in at 1425 grams or 3.14 pounds. The forks also feature sag gradient graphics on the stanchions, 9-10 different color options (although we only got to see blue) and tapped holes in the back of its arch for a, currently BlackBox-only, fender. Prices for the new forks have not been determined yet; expect production to begin in February.
The Race
This was my first foray into 24-hour racing so I was a bit worried when I preroad the course. Located south of the town of Moab, this course (a map of my first lap is HERE) has little in common with more popular Slickrock and Porcupine Rim trails. Sitting at 15 miles in length and following a rough 4x4 trail with about 1,700 feet of climbing, the trail is a mix of singletrack, slickrock that frequently deteriorated into rough eroding slabs of sandstone, often placed at odd angles to the trail and deep nasty sand. Several sections left me wishing for a trail bike instead of a high-posting race machine.
Thankfully, after the race got underway much of the sand packed down and the Sid really proved its worth steering through all that rock—not surprisingly it felt comparably stiff to a Reba. The new design is a significant upgrade over the old model and really took a beating on the Moab course without failure. Nobody on the four SRAM teams had mechanical problems with their Sid and aside from a few scratches there weren't even any casualties-something unheard of at most media events. We weren't privy to production versions of the Sid or using it on trails that could really take advantage of the platform damping system, but after one weekend on the fork it's clear that RockShox has a new winner on its hands. We can't wait to get a production model on a test bike for a comparison on our local trails.
SRAM knows how to camp in style - there's a campfire left, paella being cooked on the right, and a pig—that's right, an entire pig, roasting in the big box front and center.
Alan Davis |
Go HERE for the complete gallery of images for this story.
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