Mountain Bike Reviews Forum banner

Lets Talk About The Sid Ultimate 35

75K views 176 replies 58 participants last post by  jdadour 
#1 ·
I think I am going to have to get this for my 2020 top fuel I got yesterday. It currently has a regular PE Fox34 on it which is right at 1800g. The spread between that and the 34SC in weight has been so small, I have never pulled the trigger on a Stepcast. The spread is much larger going to the SID 35 and seems worth the spend (~300g savings).

It matches my bike and my silver Hydra hubs. ;)

Change My mind

Anyone have time on both forks yet? I'm a wheels off the ground heavier XC racer that rides lots and lots of techy, rockgardens, drops. I use the punch maneuver a lot in my riding. The F34 has been great. Should I just stay put? Will this smaller ultralight raceday damper be a service nightmare or get overwhelmed? I tend to go past recommended fork service intervals, and I also dont mess with my fork tune once it is set, and dont even use the lockout on the F34.

https://www.bicycling.com/bikes-gear/mountain-bike/a31684408/rockshox-sid-ultimate-review/
 
#8 ·
Every time they try to reinvent suspension they screw it up (the industry).

Lets take what works...and take away the parts that make it work!
 
#72 ·
Just got mine installed on the bike. Before installation, it was 1535g. After cutting the excess steerer tube, the ~2" of steerer weighed 35g on my scale. So, 1500g for a 35mm stanchion 120mm XC fork. After I get an Extralite thru axle, should be about 1490g. Not too shabby...

Should be riding it outside this weekend.
 
#73 ·
Hi, I am new to mtbr, I was reading this thread since I am trying to upgrade from a Judy tk silver to something better and I been doing research on the SID(not SL). after 6 months of owning the Judy significant play has raised so I though a higher-end fork would not have this problem and now I am also stuck on my decision of getting a SID. A seller from Pinkbike is selling their 2021 SID Select + and I got a deal of $500 and I asked them about the infamous play issue and they have not replied yet. Knowing that I would be buying second hand so the warranty is voided, what are my best option in fork upgrade or anything in general?
 
#131 ·
Did a precautionary lower service on my new SID 35 this morning. One leg definitely had more oil than the other. Wipers were pretty dry. I also ran my 35mm bushing tool through them and they opened up a bit after two passes. Lubed the seals with some Slickoleum and 10ml of Fox Gold in each leg. Fork feels really good now. Will keep an eye on it for bushing play. As soon as I feel it a Pike will be ordered
 
#4 ·
I'm not very enthusiastic about the new Rock Shox Sid forks. They might be lighter than the old ones but that's down to making the damper smaller and reducing the amount of oil contained within it.

I just look at it and think heat issues and a shortened service life.

"RockShox says that size doesn't matter, though, at least in the cross-country world where grams count for a lot. Such a small damper probably wouldn't be appropriate in a Pike where there's much more demanded of it, but inside of a cross-country fork?" Pinkbike

This picture shows the difference between the new and old dampers:

Product Wood Brown Stationery White


The SID's 88-gram Charger Race Day damper on the top, and the older damper on the bottom. The difference is nearly 100-grams.

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/review-rockshoxs-all-new-sid-goes-bigger-and-lighter.html

.
 
#10 ·
The Fox 34 SC Fit 4 damper isn't exactly great for everyone, either. I realize that the Grip 2 is coming out, and that might be a more workable product, but my Fit 4 has given me a lot of trouble. I've never had to do this much work to a fork to get it to work properly. It's strange to have a fork that is at once not supportive AND not compliant.
 
#90 ·
It's been more than a year since this forum started. Wonder if anyone is happy with the 2021 Sid 35 long term? I've read so many reviews about bushing play and even damper failures.

I'm considering 2021 Sid 35 for a hardtail. An alternative is to repurpose the existing F34, or even get the F34 2022 and run it at 120-130mm. There is so much tempting about the Sid though. It's 35, very light, supports 2.6 tire, has perfect travel / offset / a/c for my application. Even the price is very competitive, considering it comes with a fender and a bolt-on axle. But is it reliable? Or should I maybe wait until Sram releases the "2022" version?
 
#124 ·
So I just dropped the lowers on my SID, there wasn't a bad amount of oil in there unlike the one or two drops some people were reporting. It definitely seemed a bit less than 10ml though. The wiper seals seemed to be well greased but the foam rings certainly weren't fully saturated with oil. I soaked them, topped the fork back up with 10ml in each leg and the bushing play seems to be completely gone now. Appreciate the advice!

Let's hope it can get me through next season without any issues!
 
#173 ·
I loved my SID Ult. Had it for three seasons. Each year I’d get 2-3 months of phenomenal performance and then bushing play and knock would start. SRAM would replace the lowers late fall and the cycle would begin again the next summer. After season #3 they sent me a whole new fork, but with a manufacture date from two years prior. I had zero faith this would solve anything so I sold it for a Pike Ult. Though I notice the weight difference, the increase in tracking, traction and tuning easily offsets it. It’s not slower.
 
#174 ·
Picked up a SID Ultimate and Pike Ultimate to try out on my 120 steel hardtail. Going to have to try out both of them on my trails here in socal to really figure out which will work best. FWIW, I reached out to SRAM regarding if the Race Day or Charger 2 RL was better performing on descents, and they said the Race Day was better than the Charger 2 RL in every way. Maybe thats there marketing talking or them pushing their higher end fork, but I am going to have to believe them at this point.
 
#177 ·
Got some time on the SID Ultimate, and now on the Pike. The SID Ultimate is a good fork and I thought it performed well on smoother trails. But as others have mentioned once it gets rough its not as good as the Pike. The Pike tracks better and is more confident in rougher sections. Not surprising, but it was worth trying out both. Also, I couldn't really feel the 300 gram weight penalty while climbing, which really seals the deal for me. My bike is a hardtail, the fork performance may make more of a difference than a full suspension with the rear shock helping as well.
 
#2 ·
Finally glad you got a new, hopefully beefier for you, XC machine!

Thoughts on Fox vs RoxShox: RS did hit it out of the park on color scheme with the new line being more matchy matchy with MOST bikes, but to me....it's still a RoxShox dampener in there and without having tried one, have they finally figured out how to make a damn good, all around tune-able fork like Fox continues to have? The biggest knock on RS is small bump compliance and reaction right?

Regarding Fox- it works, its reliable. You already know you can set it and forget it. You know HOW to set it up to your personal feel. Why not just go with a Factory SC34 in all black instead of the performance Kashima and know exactly what you're getting.

You've never been much of a weight weenie anyway. Are the grams in a fork really that much of a selling point for ya?
 
#3 ·
300 gram loss is a very compelling reason to spend 700, 150 grams (aside form wheels) Not so Much. I am a weight weenie, Ive even considered removing weight from my body. I just prioritize fun at times. That fun includes The food I feel like eating, Nobby Nics and carbon Dropper.

My stanchions on the F34 are wearing and I am thinking of moving it to the Hardtail and giving my Manitou to a family member.



Side note:
This year I ditched the camelback and practiced using 1 bottle, went rigid post/carbon seat, racey tires. Light bikes are addicting, and apparently I can rip with Sketchy tires too. In February I figured if I cant put the Peanut Butter Cups down and loose 3 pounds, maybe I'll just take it off the entire setup... Im down 4KG since you and I last lined up in March. :) Miss ya!
 
#5 ·
If you're heavier or ride more aggressively, you may find issues with the new damper in its stock form, it has quite light damping (mentioned in the above pinkbike article, and have heard some first hand accounts), and I'm really not sure what the tuning options are at this point
 
#9 ·
LOL. Dude tell me about it! I hit up lots of stores looking for that discount Easter candy for "proper" ride fuel. ALL THE JELLY BEANS!!!

I'm not surprised you're down weight. Less stress, more chill riding in Bentonville(you shouldn't have left) and I'm assuming less travel for you? 8-9 lbs is impressive.

Looks like everyone agrees with me. Stick to FOX!
 
#13 ·
Thought I would add some info to this thread.
Here's the weight with axle:
Electrical wiring Technology Cable Machine Electrical supply


And here is an interesting pic showing the difference in crown height compared to an Ohlins 120.
Blue Bicycle part Bicycle accessory Bicycle frame Bicycle
 
#18 ·
I've got a Revel Ranger on order, which come with the SID, and they claim that they spoke with RS about this issue, and RS said they were aware, and that it's limited to early production run units, will be covered under warranty, and won't affect later run forks.

I changed my order to a 120 Pike, anyways...
 
#22 ·
I have an "early production" Sid sl ultimate with this issue of bushings play. Sram has changed the lower legs of my fork under warranty but it has the same identical problem, so I'm not sure that it's limited only to the early production or it's something different...
I want to think that it is the normal play that must have in order to work correctly with his tolerances...
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top