Suspension has evolved over the years. It has gotten better and, in some cases, more complicated. Last year we were introduced to the new Super Deluxe on the loamy, rooty goodness of the North Shore in Vancouver. RockShox put us on a fleet of Transition Patrols with its Monarch Plus RC3 for the first bit of our riding, then swapped out the upper link and shock for the new Super Deluxe RC3.

The long weekend in Vancouver kicked off our long-term testing of this new suspension platform. We have ridden everything from burly all-mountain trails to enduro races to push the limits of the new Super Deluxe.

Tech Info:

The Super Deluxe has plenty of new technology and offers a refined list of shock sizes. RockShox started using metric sizing with the Deluxe and Super Deluxe line. With the metric sizing allowing for a tall- er shock, RockShox was able to build more into the body, including more bushing over-lap. The increased overlap gives the Super Deluxe a much smoother feel and drastically reduces binding when going through the travel. A new damper design holds the shock up higher in its travel to allow for better traction and compliance.

RockShox built a large rebound knob into the top of the shock body for easy access, along with open, pedal and lock settings to change the damping. The Super Deluxe is only available as original equipment on certain bikes and is aimed at enduro and all-mountain riding.

On the Trail:

During our initial riding experience, we were able to make a back- to-back comparison with the Monarch Plus. Setting the sag in the parking lot, we could feel a massive difference right away with the increased bushing overlap and bearing-mounted upper link. We spent all of our testings with the shock mounted to our Transition Patrol. Initially, we set the sag at 30 percent, but after a bit of riding we dropped to 35 percent. Most of our test riders felt comfortable with the shock set in this range.

The Super Deluxe has an incredibly smooth feel through the stroke. Our test riders were impressed with the overall lack of friction. The Patrol uses a bearing-mounted upper link that adds quite a bit to the smooth feel of the shock. Each setting on the Super Deluxe was pronounced. In the climb setting, the shock stiffened up and gave the Patrol hard- tail-like characteristics and a responsive feel.

We rode a variety of terrain from Vancouver to Mammoth, and we rode in a variety of conditions, from cold winter rides to hot summer rides. Regardless of climate, the Super Deluxe performed consistently and gave us confidence-inspiring traction on even the gnarliest bits of trail. Our test riders were constantly amazed at just how much traction the Super Deluxe delivered, whether climbing or descending. Over larger hits and even small bumps, the Super Deluxe was effective.

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