RockShox’s revamped Reba RLT has lost loads of weight for 2012 and gained damping subtlety to create a killer mid-travel, mid-price suspension package.
By shifting the Reba onto the existing hollow bottomed SID chassis for 2012, RockShox have saved almost 200g. The screw-through Maxle axle option also switches from 20mm to 15mm, giving compatibility with a much lighter range of wheels for a weight saving double whammy.
Despite the serious mass reduction it’s still an obedient and reliable line holder, and it'll take any size of brake rotor without buckling under. The Dual Air positive and negative springs need balancing to suit your initial stroke feel preference but small bump sensitivity improves noticeably during the first few hours of riding.
Reba doesn’t get the new Motion Control DNA damper of the SID and Revelation but the original, simpler Motion Control damper is a rock solid reliable unit. Floodgate adjustable threshold lockout lets you fine tune the ride feel to suit most tastes anyway, and only gets unsettled if you slam it to full travel repeatedly in rapid succession.
Steerer nut, shock pump and different coloured stickers are included with the fork, plus a full set of seals and bushings for the first service, backing up already excellent reliability and value for money.
This article was originally published in What Mountain Bike magazine, available on Apple Newsstand and Zinio.
