RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate RCT Rear Shock [Rider Review]

Our "Rider Review" article series features the honest reviews from verified purchasers of Worldwide Cyclery. They contain the photos, thoughts, feedback & overall review you are looking for. 

Everyone loves upgrading their rear shock. The swap can be felt instantly, looks cool, and can seriously change how your bike performs. Our customer Ryan was looking to upgrade his Santa Cruz Tallboy and went with a new RockShox SuperDeluxe Ultimate. Scope his review to get his thoughts!

Overview

When I originally bought my Tallboy v4 frame last summer, I immediately sold the stock DPS and put a 2021 DPX2 on it. The DPX2 was ok, but it had a medium compression/medium rebound tune (the only way to get it aftermarket.) Keep in mind that almost all the SC frames with the new low shock/linkage orientation come with low/low tunes. Or at least low compression at minimum. The Megatower is the only frame I'm aware of that came with a medium/medium tune on the Super Deluxe Airs, and it didn't get very glowing reviews of how the rear of the bike felt unless you had it wide open at mach-chicken speed. A lot of the things those reviews said were similar to how the DPX2 felt for me on my Tallboy.

The DPX2 didn't ever feel right for me, even trying several volume spacers, Shock Wiz telling me I had it tuned well with each different spacer, etc. I had the low-speed compression wide open, and the rebound really close if not wide open as well. I'm 190 lbs, live in the pacific northwest, and tend to ride fairly aggressively. The shock just felt on the harsh side and didn't track very well.

So when the RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate that has a specific low/low tune for the Tallboy/Joplin finally became available after all the Covid supply chain issues, I jumped on it. I had it ordered within 2 minutes of getting the email alert from Worldwide. Literally, not joking here. They got a single one in stock and I grabbed it. It comes with 2 volume tokens installed, the correct shock hardware for the front (8x20), and the 8x30 roller bearing mount for the rear.

On Trail Performance

Only a few rides on it so far, but it's a massive improvement. For one, the RockShox sag gradient markings on the shaft make it so much easier to set your sag versus a Fox, since the shock shaft is hidden away in the shock tunnel of the frame.

But also the shock just feels more planted and consistent, and much smoother. Right now I have both the LSC and rebound both set right in the middle.

I've ridden a few really fast flow trails as well as a few more rough techy trails both, and the shock just feels better in all cases. My buddy also ordered one from another source for his Tallboy, and he's experiencing the same improvements to his riding (coming from the stock DPS).

Final Thoughts

I'd highly recommend looking into this as an option if you feel your stock DPS is lacking or you just want to make your Tallboy a more capable ride that can get rowdy.