As a SRAM sponsored athlete, Andy Blair was one of the first riders in the country to bolt on a pair of RS-1 forks; here's what he had to say about the forks after nearly 6 months riding time on this revolutionary new suspension fork.
The old adage "you shouldn't try anything new for a big race" went completely out the window when my Rock Shox RS-1 arrived the week of the Port to Port race I couldn't get the fork mounted quickly enough and after a short test ride, I was really impressed by my first impressions of this revolutionary fork.
With it bolted on the front of my S-Works Stumpjumper hardtail, on my first ride I felt like this fork had somehow allowed my bike to bridge the gap between my hardtail and my dually. I felt more in control on fast rough descents and definitely noticed its ability to stick the front tyre to the ground through corners. This was especially apparent on slow switchback climbs where you often don't have a lot of weight on the front and the fork doesn't usually do much work. In this setting, the plushness of the RS-1's small bump capability came into its own. With a win in my first outing on the RS-1 I had enough confidence to take it to the World Marathon Championships and the Commonwealth Games In six weeks of travel and competition it didn't miss a beat.
Fast forward five months of riding on this fork and I'm still as impressed as I was with my first ride. Here is what I love about it.
The Bottomless Tokens
I've historically set my forks up very stiff because I suppose I have a fairly aggressive riding style and I hate that feeling of them bottoming out. This has meant that I miss out on the advantages of having good small bump compliance. With the Bottomless Tokens (basically plastic blocks that go inside the air chamber to reduce the volume), you can easily tune the RS-1 to have the best of both worlds. You can control not only the stiffness (air pressure) but the way the fork ramps up in the bottom of the travel. It is such a beautifully simple innovation that has transformed the way I can tune my fork and what I can get out of it, enabling zero breakaway force but a good solid feeling when you hit something hard.
Mud Clearance
In a brutally muddy stage of Port to Port, when other riders' forks were clogging with mud and stopping the front wheel from turning, mine was totally immune thanks to the amazing clearance and the lack of a crown. Buckled wheels and big tyres are also not a drama for an RS-1. You just keep pedalling.
The Feel
The combination of the self-lubricating inverted seals, the location of the exposed stanchions being away from contamination and the uncompromising design and construction of the fork makes this one the stiffest and plushest fork I've ever ridden.
The Looks
Check out the picture. Enough said.