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Why do I like the cheaper fork and shock more..? Sid Ultimate vs Fox Rhythm

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StokedSpokes

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Has anyone ever "upgraded" front fork and shock and just preferred the cheaper components?

I'd bought a transition spur in Nov 2023 that came with Fox Rhythm 34 and Rhythm shock. After 6 months of riding the stock setup, I upgraded to the RS Sid Ultimate and Sid Luxe Ultimate to shave off some weight (roughly 1.1 lb). Problem is, after riding this setup for 3-4 weeks, I'm just not sure if I'm crazy for NOT liking the so called "top-of-the-line" RS suspension for this bike.

The Rockshox fork and shock pressures/rebound were setup using the website, which I've fine tuned for my trails to hit 95% travel. But I feel like the Sid Ultimate has more flex and deflects me off roots quite a bit more, despite the 35mm RS vs 34mm Fox stanchions. I bought the torque caps and it only slightly solved the issue. Also, the Sid fork doesn't seem to want to accelerate and lift off of the ground as eagerly as the fox rhythm, even though the fork alone is 1lb lighter!

The "cheap and heavy" 34 just... felt more confident and playful... somehow.


Has anyone else been in this situation before? Am I overlooking something very simple or have I finally entered into the world of "ride what you like" territory and that cheap vs halo products can have serious tradeoffs?
 
#3 ·
StokedSpokes said:
Has anyone ever "upgraded" front fork and shock and just preferred the cheaper components?

I'd bought a transition spur in Nov 2023 that came with Fox Rhythm 34 and Rhythm shock. After 6 months of riding the stock setup, I upgraded to the RS Sid Ultimate and Sid Luxe Ultimate to shave off some weight (roughly 1.1 lb). Problem is, after riding this setup for 3-4 weeks, I'm just not sure if I'm crazy for NOT liking the so called "top-of-the-line" RS suspension for this bike.

The Rockshox fork and shock pressures/rebound were setup using the website, which I've fine tuned for my trails to hit 95% travel. But I feel like the Sid Ultimate has more flex and deflects me off roots quite a bit more, despite the 35mm RS vs 34mm Fox stanchions. I bought the torque caps and it only slightly solved the issue. Also, the Sid fork doesn't seem to want to accelerate and lift off of the ground as eagerly as the fox rhythm, even though the fork alone is 1lb lighter!

The "cheap and heavy" 34 just... felt more confident and playful... somehow.


Has anyone else been in this situation before? Am I overlooking something very simple or have I finally entered into the world of "ride what you like" territory and that cheap vs halo products can have serious tradeoffs?
Click to expand...
More expensive generally meanings more tunable, lighter, and potentially better performance, when comparing products intended for similar use. But a poorly tuned top of the line fork is not going to compare with a properly tuned mainstream fork.
 
#6 ·
jjyoung said:
Sid is meant to be lightweight XC fork. The airspring in my opinion is too progressive and Damper is tuned not to bob when pedaling. It is overall a harsh fork compared to a fox34/trail fork.
Click to expand...
Exactly. The SID's purpose is being light enough to win XC races and sacrifices good damping, chassis stiffness, and air spring to meet that objective.

The Rhythm 34's purpose is for trail riding and compromises weight to do so.
 
#8 ·
Curveball said:
Exactly. The SID's purpose is being light enough to win XC races and sacrifices good damping, chassis stiffness, and air spring to meet that objective.

The Rhythm 34's purpose is for trail riding and compromises weight to do so.
Click to expand...
additionally, the Sid suspension is going to have higher compression values in order to perform optimally at XC race speed, hitting things hard.

Your Fox stuff feels more "plush" I'm assuming.
 
#9 · (Edited)
For a Spur I think that if you ride it with the enthusiasm that it encourages, the SID is a little too light duty (that's definitely true for me who weighs in at 185lbs). My Spur came with a SID but I since upgraded it to a Fox 34. Having tried that and also run it briefly with a Pike I concluded that either a Pike or a F34 run at 120-130mm travel is optimal (A lyrik is too much in my view..). The Pike is a bit heavier so the F34 (and maybe a F34SC) is a good balance of weight versus performance. It rides really nicely with the Pike but the F34 turned out to be the better compromise of weight versus performance for me (I have been trying to keep this bike light as I seem to spend a lot of time pedalling it up hills!).

To answer your question, generally I find that upgrading a fork comes with an improvement but I think that in the example you describe, the more expensive fork you upgraded to may have been less "fit for purpose" and the "upgraded" features you paid for were not as well suited to your use as the original cheaper fork..

Just my 2c.
 
#10 ·
Curveball said:
Exactly. The SID's purpose is being light enough to win XC races and sacrifices good damping, chassis stiffness, and air spring to meet that objective.

The Rhythm 34's purpose is for trail riding and compromises weight to do so.
Click to expand...
From what I’ve found when it comes to suspension, light weight comes at a serious cost, and more expensive doesn’t equate to more better.

At the end of the day, suspension needs oil to function, and a good amount of it.

Oil is heavy.

If you get an XC fork and try to rail it on regular trail conditions, you’re probably going to be sad.

Honestly, I think most riders would be happier on coil suspension and properly fed dampers than they would ever be by a number on a scale that they seem to be chasing.
 
Discussion starter · #11 ·
mlx john said:
additionally, the Sid suspension is going to have higher compression values in order to perform optimally at XC race speed, hitting things hard.

Your Fox stuff feels more "plush" I'm assuming.
Click to expand...
Bingo. Plush and linear, which I now think I prefer for this particular bike.

The Sid Ultimate definitely feels all over the place, in terms of how it behaves through its travel.
 
#13 ·
The "race day" SID fork damper is seriously minimalist. IMO, you don't want that anywhere near your bike unless you are in an XC race where you think you need the lightest weight.

I have the Sidluxe rear shock on my XC race bike. It is significantly stiffer/firmer than my Fox Float. It's ok for racing, but I prefer the Float DPS for everything else. Again, the SID rear shock is for racing.

I also have a Fox 34 SC Fit4 and it's pretty damn harsh. I don't like running it. I have another Fox 34 sc with an Avalanche damper. It's like butter comparatively. So good. I'm not surprised you'd prefer the Rythm and the 34 sc/Sid chassis is definitely going to be flexier than the beefier "full" 34 chassis.

Sometimes more cost doesn't mean better suspension.
 
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#14 ·
I wouldn't call this an upgrade, more like getting more expensive parts meant for a different purpose.
Like other people have said already, SID stuff is all about weight savings and XC, while your 34 is a more general purpose trail fork. And yeah the SID has slightly larger diameter stanchions, but that alone doesn't always mean more stiffness.
When it comes to upgrading suspension, I'm a much bigger fan of tuned mid level stuff vs higher priced stock stuff. I'd rather have a mid level fork, send it to a good tuner to check the bushings and get a custom tune, maybe even a different spring. That doesn't work when you want to save weight to.
 
#15 ·
FrankS29 said:
From what I’ve found when it comes to suspension, light weight comes at a serious cost, and more expensive doesn’t equate to more better.

At the end of the day, suspension needs oil to function, and a good amount of it.

Oil is heavy.

If you get an XC fork and try to rail it on regular trail conditions, you’re probably going to be sad.

Honestly, I think most riders would be happier on coil suspension and properly fed dampers than they would ever be by a number on a scale that they seem to be chasing.
Click to expand...
I have an Ohlins Coil 36x160 on my hardtail and sold the Fox Performance Elite 36x160 (upgraded seals, damper and MRP RC cartridge) I used to run on it because the coil feels so much better. I do miss the adjustability of air at times, but I also have another bike with a 38x170 (RUNT installed) for doing stuff that might need different set up.
 
Discussion starter · #17 ·
mlx john said:
additionally, the Sid suspension is going to have higher compression values in order to perform optimally at XC race speed, hitting things hard.

Your Fox stuff feels more "plush" I'm assuming.
Click to expand...
Fox stuff rides more linear to me! I hate the way the sid suspension behaves so very differently throughout the travel.
 
Discussion starter · #18 ·
HollyBoni said:
I wouldn't call this an upgrade, more like getting more expensive parts meant for a different purpose.
Like other people have said already, SID stuff is all about weight savings and XC, while your 34 is a more general purpose trail fork. And yeah the SID has slightly larger diameter stanchions, but that alone doesn't always mean more stiffness.
When it comes to upgrading suspension, I'm a much bigger fan of tuned mid level stuff vs higher priced stock stuff. I'd rather have a mid level fork, send it to a good tuner to check the bushings and get a custom tune, maybe even a different spring. That doesn't work when you want to save weight to.
Click to expand...
I definitely understand that, now!

When I was researching what fork to buy, I became a sucker for marketing. Headlines in a nutshell for the sid were: 35mm stanchions are better than 34mm and 1lb lighter couldn't POSSIBLY have drawbacks anywhere else, ahah...

Thanks for the recc, but I don't think I'll be dropping any more cash on the sid. Instead, I'm learning that the sid is best suited for actually lifting the front over obstacles, instead of bashing through them like I could with the Fox Rhythm stuff. I'm finding my lap times are getting a bit faster with the sid, that way.
 
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StokedSpokes
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