New Super Deluxe and Deluxe Rear Shocks from RockShox

RockShox have announced their brand spanking new “Deluxe” and “Super Deluxe” rear shocks, which you’ll see on a variety of OEM bikes from this summer.

So what’s the deal? Well, first up there’s the issue of new ‘Metric Sizing’, which was announced last week in conjunction with a load of other suspension manufacturers (with the notable exception of Fox*), on March 31, so a lot of people (including us, if we’re honest) assumed it was an April Fool. But it’s not.

(Fox says “FOX will continue to work with its customers to provide specific rear shock applications that best suit their frame designs. This support includes imperial, as well as, metric based applications.” by the way)

The idea is to reconcile a lot of the old ‘legacy’ measurements (which actually derive from imperial numbers, even if they’re spoken about in metric terms) into a handful of new metric ones. Shock length and stroke as well as trunions and bushing diameter, will all be affected. RockShock claim it’ll be able to increase the percentage of bushing overlap, and a variety of other measures which will apparently hugely improve and facilitate shock design in the years to come. Which is nice.

So what of the new shocks then?

First up, let’s take a look at the Super Deluxe – which apparently was engineered in such a way as to do for rear suspension what the Pike did up front. RS claim that it’s the world’s lowest friction shock. They’ve used those new Metric Sizing parameters to increase bushing overlap, and they’ve used this with a new spangly ‘bushing profile’ to “virtually eliminate friction” in the shock. There’s a new damper. We like the last line in the release for the Super Deluxe: “Unshackled from the old obstacles of shock design, Super Deluxe is free to tackle new ones — on the trail. This changes everything.”

Here are some key points from the press release:

• Metric sizing and a sophisticated new bushing design allows this to be the lowest-friction rear shock we have ever made.
• Super Deluxe has three independently tunable compression settings.
• Increased bushing overlap allows for better sealing and decreased friction.
• Mounting options: Trunnion mount, bearing mount, Standard DU.

TECHNOLOGIES

• Solo Air™
• Rapid Recovery™ System
• Sag Gradients™
• METRIC SIZING™

And what of the Deluxe, then?

More Metric-augmented damping improvements, DebonAir, three new mounting options, apparently the Delixe will ‘redefine your ride’

• Metric sizing.
• Incorporates proven damping performance of Monarch.
• Mounting options: Trunnion mount, bearing mount, Standard DU.

FEATURES AND BENEFITS

• Increased bushing overlap and sophisticated new bushing design decreases friction, which increases performance and durability.
• New scraper seal technology increases durability, improves performance in colder temperatures and lengthens the intervals between required maintenance.

TECHNOLOGIES

• Solo Air™
• Rapid Recovery™ System
• Sag Gradients™
• METRIC SIZING™

For more information, take a look at the RockShox website.