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Just how many buzzwords can RockShox cram into one rear shock? Three appears to be the theoretical limit, as demonstrated by the new 2027 RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate. With a familiar name and the same intentions of being the right shock for the majority of riders, the Super Deluxe is redesigned for increased sensitivity and simple tuning. With a wide range of metric-only size offerings in both Trunnion and Standard, there’s almost certainly a Super Deluxe for everyone. The Ultimate level is the highest-end option, with Select+, Select, and Base available with fewer features and a lower price tag. RockShox is revamping a wide range of suspension products today, including the Lyrik, ZEB, and Vivid Air, so check out those articles to learn more about those products! Since its original release a decade ago, the Super Deluxe has been RockShox’s answer for a relatively lightweight yet impressively capable rear shock. Everything from short travel to enduro bikes has been Super Deluxe equipped over the years, and this newest generation is no different. Offered with between 37.5mm and 65mm of stroke, only the thoroughbred cross-country and downhill bikes are without a compatible Super Deluxe shock. RockShox aims for the Super Deluxe to be the right choice for everyone in between those extremes of mountain biking. Whether you want to call it a trail bike, an all-mountain bike, or an enduro bike, the Super Deluxe is designed for all of the above. |
2027 Super Deluxe Ultimate D1 Specs
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Air Spring
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Building off what RockShox learned from the previous generation, all Super Deluxe shocks now come with the higher volume LinearXL air can. Before, the LinearXL air can was introduced as an aftermarket tuning option to make your C-generation Super Deluxe a “mini Vivid”, but with how popular it was, LinearXL now comes standard. That larger air volume offers a wider range of progression tunability, with a very linear option and a very progressive option to suit just about any frame or rider preference. Adjusting that progression is no longer done through volume spacers and uses a new system that involves moving an o-ring within the air can. Depending on where you position the o-ring, you are closing off a portion of the volume in the air can, controlling the overall positive air spring volume. Rather than using volume spacers that physically take up volume, this o-ring system closes off the air can at a certain point. To access that o-ring, you slide the internal sleeve of the air can out, rather than sliding the outer sleeve down. Once you’ve cracked it open, you’ll find between 5 and 7 positions for that o-ring. The longer 205mm and 230mm Super Deluxes have 7 positions, the 185mm and 210mm sizes have 6 positions, and the smallest 165mm and 190mm sizes have 5 positions. Wherever you choose to position it, that o-ring seals off a portion of the air can, holding up to 400 psi. You still need to fully depressurize the system and use a strap wrench to open it up, but now you don’t need to buy a bunch of volume spacers along with your new shock to tune the progression. That little o-ring is shipped in the shock, and tuning your progression should be easier than ever now! |
Damper
While the RC2T damper wears the same name and has the same external adjustments, it’s been redesigned for lower friction and easier setup. The piggyback still has a tool-free low-speed compression knob and a 3mm actuated high-speed compression dial. Both of those have clear markings that tell you exactly how much compression damping you’re running at a glance. You may remember us saying exactly this about the C generation of Super Deluxe when it launched, and that’s because we did! But RockShox has gone even further, adding numbers to the low-speed compression dial as well as a clear “0” on the high-speed compression dial to make everything abundantly clear.
The reservoir on the Super Deluxe D1 is visually quite different and matches that of the recently released Vivid Coil. It’s also the same as the new Vivid Air, and all three of RockShox’s gravity-oriented shocks share the same RC2T damper. For 2027, it’s slightly shorter and wider, and houses an updated IFP. That IFP has lower internal pressure, which is said to reduce breakaway forces by 40%, making for a more sensitive shock. Previous generations were already quite sensitive, so a 40% reduction of a small number is an even smaller number, but it may be getting difficult to notice these marginal gains. Lighter riders will most likely get more out of this reduction in friction, as they’re working harder to overcome any internal inefficiencies in the shock compared to a heavier rider.
Rebound adjustments have historically been located on the crown of the Super Deluxe shocks, but now we’ve got a more standard knob to control the expansion of the shock. Just like on the Vivid, that rebound knob gets two birds stoned and serves as a 3mm hex wrench to adjust your high speed compression. With a matrix of dots surrounding the rebound knob, it’s easy to quickly glance and see exactly where you sit in your adjustment range. 15 clicks of rebound are available, but turning the rebound knob to access them isn’t the easiest task in the world. It seems like rebound knobs are always harder to turn than I’d like, and the Super Deluxe rebound knob isn’t totally out of the ordinary.
Hanging off the side of the reservoir is the Threshold Lever, which is a fancy name for a climb switch. This switch is fantastically satisfying to tick back and forth, and in classic RockShox fashion, it provides a rock-solid climbing platform. So rock solid that I would only recommend reaching for it on a paved or smooth fire road climb.
Overall
RockShox didn’t take its time with this update, considering the previous Super Deluxe C2 was released less than two years ago, but the changes are well thought out and plentiful. With an easier to tune air can, simplified setup of the RC2T damper, this is a welcome step forward for RockShox’s most ubiquitous shock. While I wouldn’t recommend running out to replace your perfectly good Super Deluxe C1/C2 to replace it with the D1, these consistent, relatively marginal updates are how we get such high-quality suspension keeping us in control out on the trail. While these updates aren’t backwards compatible with the C generation, there is a LinearXL air can that will give you that linear feel RockShox is aiming for with their 2027 suspension.
