Everything you need to know about the updated RockShox suspension line

RockShox has rolled out a slew of small and not-so-small changes to its suspension lineup for 2025. This time it’s more of a tweak than a massive overhaul, but there are significant changes to nearly every trail- and enduro-oriented fork and shock in the lineup. The good news is that many of the changes are backwards compatible, at least with the previous generation of shocks or forks, allowing riders to upgrade their existing suspension without buying a whole new unit.
Charger 3.1 Silencer

Perhaps the biggest novelty is the Charger 3.1 muffler. Well, that and the fact that the Zeb is now available with candy red paint… If you’ve been watching, RockShox usually puts out a whole number (Charger 2, Charger 3) when there’s a really big change. damper and goes with the decimal point when it comes to a less drastic revision. Charger 3.1 is the second one, and its main feature is an extended range of settings. This means riders will have a wider range of low- and high-speed compression to choose from. The number of clicks is the same, but it is now possible to have less low-speed compression or more high-speed compression damping than before.

According to RockShox, there is now 68% more oil flow through the low-speed circuit, meaning lighter riders or riders who prefer less low-speed compression have more usable options. The change will also be good for new riders who preferred the feel of the previous Charger 2.1 shock – that shock had less LSC and more HSC than the Charger 3 it replaced. Coming up with a shock that works well for a wide variety of riders is tricky, and going too far in one direction can cause riders to struggle to find a setting that works for them.

Along with increased oil flow, the new shock has a larger high-speed compression pyramid. This increased size allows more restriction of oil flow when the high-speed compression is fully closed, which increased the amount of damping.

To further help riders who typically need more or less damping than standard tuning, RockShox now offers a $30 Damper Pad Kit that comes with the pads necessary for standard or heavy compression tuning, either Light, Medium/Standard, or Heavy Rebound. Rebound pad tuning is also available for the Charger 3 shocks, which is good news for riders who haven’t been able to get their rebound set up fast enough.
The final two design changes to the Charger 3.1 worth noting are a stiffer coil spring in the internal floating piston to handle the increased oil flow and a new mid-valve control spring that also allows for reduced compression damping.

RockShox learned from the Boxxer and updated their case manufacturing process and implemented it on the 2025 Zeb, Lyrik and Pike. The changes in the manufacturing process were intended to improve consistency and ensure that there was as little friction as possible on the cases for all models. After all, it doesn’t matter how wide the compression range is on the fork if there is seal or bushing friction preventing it.

The new muffler is available individually for $358 and is compatible with the Pike C1+ (2023+), Lyrik D1+ (2023+) and ZEB A1+ (2021+). Alternatively, only the Charger 3.1 piston kit can be purchased, which includes the piston assembly, IFP spring, tuning pads and the Charger 3.1 High Flow Piston Tool. These parts sell for $75 and are easily replaced during the 200 hour service.

New Pike Air Spring

For 2025, the Pike gets an updated air spring that has a larger negative air chamber thanks to a hollowed-out air cap. The increased negative air volume should help make the fork easier to initiate and give it a springier feel from the top. This air spring is backwards compatible with all C1 (2022+) Pike forks.

For me, Pike is the winner The most improved awards in this series of updates. While I was a big fan of the previous Charger 2.1 Pike, especially the B1 air spring era, the first run through the Charger 3 never felt quite right. While the level of support was impressive, the ride at the top was harsh compared to the previous generation. This updated air spring, in tandem with a more effective damping range in the 3.1 shock, returns the Pike to its former glory.—Dario DiGiulio

New Vivid coil, updated SuperDeluxe

Moving on to the RockShox rear shock models, the story is again more about tweaks and revisions rather than dramatic rebuilds, although there is a new Vivid Coil shock to replace the SuperDeluxe coil.

The Vivid Coil features the same “TouchDown technology” as the air-sprung Vivid, where the main compression damping of the piston is omitted for the first 10% of its stroke. The goal is to make the very beginning of the lift as springy and responsive as possible for increased grip and a smoother feel when the rear wheel returns to the ground.

At the end of the stroke, the Vivid Coil has an adjustable bottom out hydraulic function that affects the last 20% of the stroke. There’s also a lift-specific lower bumper that complements the hydraulic lower out to make things as smooth as possible. The Vivid Coil Ultimate is priced at $619-$649 depending on configuration.

The SuperDeluxe air damper features a new high-flow piston that produces less high-speed compression damping than previous piston designs to help prevent the rear wheel from feeling like it’s hanging on hard bumps. There’s also a lighter rebound control plate, another step to making the transition from compression to rebound as smooth as possible.

I ran the Vivid Coil on two different bikes with drastically different features and powers and enjoyed it on both platforms. One of them is the Frameworks Trail Bike, which is a more traditional pair for a shock like this – and unsurprisingly, it feels pretty good. Top end traction is great and damping setup is distinct and meaningful, similar to the Vivid Air released last year.

On the second bike, a 135mm travel trail bike with fairly progressive kinematics, I found a happy place on the Vivid with little fuss. The setback from the HBO fits the character of the bike nicely and I found that the shock settings can change the shock from boisterous and grippy to firmer and sportier with the same spring rate.

—Dario DiGiulio

The final change to the SuperDeluxe is the addition of a new airgun called the “Linear XL”. It is said to give the SuperDeluxe a feel closer to that of the Vivid, with a softer initial stroke and the potential to have more progression thanks to the ability to fit eight volume spacers. The price of this airgun is $97.

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