| 07/14/2001 | Rock Shox: Introducing the Duke Range
By David Díaz BlancoWe have recently had the choice to have the first look to the entire Rock Shox Duke range, new for 2002, in Madrid, Spain. Surely, you will see a lot of these forks next year because this is the highlight of the Rock Shox 2002 catalogue.
At RS, they have tried to create a non-compromise fork in terms of riding quality and rigidity, avoiding extreme travels or ultra light weight marks.
The soft blue color makes them easy to recognize, but the most interesting changes are with the inners: 30 mm stanchions, extra long sliders (300% longer than in 2001 models) featuring a new anti-friction treatment (65% less friction), Hydra Air shock absorbing system for the XC and SL models, and Dual Air for the top end model Race, in all cases inside the left leg.
The right leg guards the oil damper. It is possible to adjust the rebound speed. The XC and Race allow a stroke of 3.15” (80 mm) and the SL model offers 3.95” (100 mm). The Race weights 3.3 lbs (1,500 g).
We could also see at Madrid the new Psylo range that comes with the new sliders and anti friction treatment, and features the U-Turn system that allows to adjust the stroke between 3.15” (80 mm) and 4.9” (125 mm).
We have already written about the SID Race in our 2002 Preview. We saw it again at Madrid, and there is a change: the head and head tube are made of carbon fiber composite, taking the weight mark to just 2,2 lbs (1,000 g).
As we said in our preview, the stanchions are Titanium nitrite coated to avoid friction and wearing. This coating can even resist stone impacts. We have not tested this, but we can say it looks cool!www.rockshox.com
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