The new model year 2025 RockShox Rudy Ultimate XPLR gravel fork gets boosted off-road control in its lighter gen 2 upgrade with a new Charger Race Day 2 damper. Debuted just 2.5 years back, the short-travel Rudy gravel fork has become a go-to pick for ultra-distance racers and adventurous gravel riders alike. Now, packed with RockShox’s “lightest performance-driven damper ever“, this next-gen Rudy is ready for more big off-road rides.
2025 RockShox Rudy Ultimate XPLR v2 gravel suspension fork
RockShox says the Rudy brings more of the off-road fun of mountain bikers to gravel riding. “Gravel riders who want to get wild choose Rudy.” And now the top-spec MY25 RockShox Rudy Ultimate XPLR brings the same lightweight race-ready damping cartridge that powers their SID Ultimate cross-country racing mountain bike forks.
What’s new?
The new Charger Race Day 2 damper is said to be RockShox’s lightest ever. It gets the same with a 2-position compression adjustment lever as in gen 1. Either fully Open, or full Lock – a “rock-solid, sprint-ready” lockout.
In theory, this should have meant that the new 2025 RockShox Rudy Ultimate XPLR v2 gravel suspension fork would be lighter than v1. But RockShox are vague with the numbers. And it looks like it may be a few grams heavier, actually.
Now RockShox quote the new fork as weighing 1344g, with its Maxle Stealth thru-axle and an uncut 320mm long aluminum steerer. The first-generation weight claims always mentioned a much lighter weight with a 230mm cut steerer and no Maxle. We’ve not weighed it ourselves, but seen an uncut v1 fork with an axle on a scale at 1323g. So don’t expect any real weight savings with the new damper.
Tech Details & Pricing
Otherwise, the rest of the 30mm stanchion 700c Rudy platform looks unchanged. You still get 30mm or 40mm travel options, with a Solo Air spring. Max 700 x 50mm tire clearance. And a standard 45mm offset or OEM-only 51mm. It’s also still short or long fender compatible.
The newly updated gravel fork is a bit more expensive than when it first launched (especially in Euro-land), but is technically now cheaper than v1 forks on SRAM’s website. The 2025 RockShox Rudy Ultimate XPLR retails for $839 / 1010€, and comes in gloss black or Kwiqsand gold.
Upgrade your existing Rudy to Charger Race Day 2, too!
Good news for existing Rudy riders, you can get the same updated performance as the latest MY25 RockShox Rudy Ultimate XPLR by swapping in the new damper. The new Rudy Charger Race Day 2 damper is also available on its own for $269 / 308€ so you can upgrade your original generation Rudy Ultimate XPLR or Rudy XPLR fork, as well (with or without remote lockout).
It’s a direct drop-in damper cartridge that appears to be simply shared with the SID platform, which likely means you could possibly do a 3-position remote (Open, Pedal, or a rock-solid Lock) Charger Race Day 2 3P damper upgrade as well, if you wanted to.
Next-level gravel suspension tuning maybe?
