Forcella RockShox RS1

Back to the early days of Rock Shox. During the '90 this American brand released its first fork on the market: the RS-1. Now, almost 25 years later, Rock Shox revitalizes the RS-1. Fortunately, the technology exceeds time and both forks have almost nothing in common.

The RS-1 from these days is according to Rock Shox designed 'from scratch'. The only requirement was an improved connection between the front wheel and the fork legs. Choosing between a lightweight but flexible or stiff but heavy upside-down fork is something from the past with this RS-1, according to Rock Shox. The one-piece oversized carbon top legs, in combination with a new type of hub resulting in a stiff and lightweight (1642 grams) upside-down fork.

The stiffness of an upside-down fork stands or falls by the connection of the hub. Therefor, Rock Shox developed in collaboration with SRAM a new hub which increases the contact surfaces between the fork and the hub. This is called Rock Shox Predictive Steering. The axle of this hub has a diameter of 27mm and goes by the name "Torque Tube '. The axle ends have a rough and serrated edge that bites into the fork legs as soon as you close the 15mm Maxle tru axle. So becomes the hub an integrated part of the RS-1. Note: the RS-1 fork can only be used with predictive steering hubs.

The inside of the fork has been renewed. What about the Accelerator Damper. A sealed cartridge damper unit which is equipped with a preload spring for a extra stiff lockout. In order to optimize the damping Rock Shox uses a Dig Valve which prevents the fork to dive. Thanks to the Dig Valve, Rock Shox is able to apply the Rapid Recovery technology. The fork will come back faster and absorbs consecutive hits. Both techniques have some similarities of the famous low-speed compression and rebound damping.

An advantage of an upside-down fork is that the bearings and seals remain better lubricated than traditional forks. The fork feels smoother and has less maintenance. Something that goes quite simple with the RS-1.

The RS-1 comes with the X-Loc remote lockout and is currently only available in a 29''100 mm version. The Rock Shox RS-1 fork not only has a completely new look but the damper is also completely new. The ''Accelerator Damper'' combines impressive damping qualities with an ultra-efficient lockout. This ensures the slightest bump has no chance to surprise the RS-1 fork.

An additional advantage of this RS-1 fork is that the seals of the upper legs and the bearings are lubricated better. This gives you a smoother fork compared with the traditional forks, what provides noticeable results in less fatigue of both hands, arms and torso. According to Rock Shox the mountain bike world had it wrong for 25 years and now the time has come to do the things right.