SID Ultimate SL adds Brain damper tech

SID Ultimate SL PS-TA Brain
SID Ultimate SL PS-TA Brain reads the terrain and has a 44mm offset for 2020 (Image credit: Specialized)

Specialized has already added an upgrade option to the new SID Ultimate SL.

The launch of RockShox’s new SID portfolio of lightweight forks, with the option of 32- or 35mm stanchion chassis, has excited both cross-country and trail riding mountain bikers.

As the SID has an established legacy as a lightweight racing fork, optimised for XC and XCO events, Specialized thought they’d take its promise of efficiency even further. The result is a slimmer and more efficient version of the new SID Ultimate.

Structured around a 32mm stanchion, featuring 100mm of travel, capable of rolling a 2.3in tyre and weighing only 1505g, the RockShox SID Ultimate SL PS-TA Brain is your definitive off-road racing fork.

During a high-intensity training session, riders can often be so close to their threshold – that triggering fork lockout levers or remote switches isn’t functional. Specialized has a solution in the form of its proven Brain damper system, providing a baseline lockout function which opens to terrain absorption as you roll over that first bit of technical terrain.

Specialized has tuned its inertia valve Brain damper to always be terrain appropriate in its action, without requiring your intervention. True to its name, the Brain damper does all the thinking, allowing a rider to focus on what they do well: pedalling, braking and steering.

For the new SID Ultimate SL application, Specialized has engineered the position-sensitive Brain damper with a specific platform tune, residing at a 15mm activation point, within the fork’s travel. That means it will allow for 15mm of small-bump sensitivity, boosting traction, whilst still resisting significant rider weight-shift inputs, when cranking up a steep climb, out of the saddle.

Riders also have the option of adjusting the Brain’s trigger point anywhere between 0-30mm into the SID Ultimate SL’s suspension stroke. Service intervals are set at 200 hours.

Lance Branquinho
Freelance writer

Lance Branquinho is a Namibian-born journalist who graduated to mountain biking after injuries curtailed his trail running. He has a weakness for British steel hardtails, especially those which only run a single gear. As well as Bike Perfect, Lance has written for MBR.com, Off-Road.cc and Cycling News.

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