RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate RCT Rear Shock [Rider Review]

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If there are a few major performance changes you could make components wise to your mountain bike, the rear shock is a great place to start. This single upgrade can bring new life into your trusted steed. Our friend Dallin shares his thoughts on the RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate RCT rear shock. Check it out!

Overview

When trying to decide which new frame I wanted to purchase, a lot of thought went into the rear shock. I knew the new 2021 Stumpjumper SWORKS frame came with a nicely tuned Fox DPS Factory shock, but I wanted something a little beefier on the rear end. I was a little concerned that by switching, I would be messing up the correctly tuned rear suspension. That was the least of my worries after I slammed a RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate RCT on the rear. The shock has performed amazingly, and I have never worried about not having it “tuned” specifically for the Specialized Frame. That being said the only real downgrade was the weight difference, which in my opinion was not enough to matter. However, when I removed the Fox DPS I was absolutely amazed by how light it really was. I would like to hit on two main points I have absolutely enjoyed about the Rockshox Super Deluxe: adjustability and simplicity.

Since it was not specifically tuned for the Specialized frame, I studied a little bit about how Specialized had Fox tune the DPS specifically for the frame. Really, they don’t go too in-depth on the tunes, so I felt like I was able to get it pretty much dialed in with the type of riding that I prefer. I wanted it to be poppy but still be able to take big hits. I would recommend reading the tuning guide that Rockshox provides for each of their rear shocks or forks. I am 160 lbs and ended up sticking with the stock 2 volume spacers provided. In the future, I may try putting a 3rd spacer in just for the larger hits but so far the 2 have been just right for me. All in all, the adjustability of the shock is so good I think it would be impossible to not get it set up for every rider type.

I haven’t had to service the shock just yet, but I have watched a view videos online and it seems like it would be extremely easy to do the routine service and simple procedure to switch out volume spacers.

One thing RockShox has done very well with their new Super Deluxe Ultimate is to make them simple enough to work on at home. This is a big bonus because I have never lived near a shop that would be able to service it for me. I also don’t want to have to ship it to RockShox every time it needs service because who wants to be out of a bike? Nobody! This is a huge plus for this shock!

Final Thoughts

Overall, this shock is lightweight, durable, progressive, and extremely sexy. I am glad that I decided to go through with switching the shock to a bigger hitter shock rather than sticking it out with a more cross-country driven Fox DPS. I am sure the DPS would have been great but for the days where things get a little gnarlier the Rockshox Super Deluxe Ultimate stands up to the test!