A slew of unreleased RockShox BlackBox Enduro Flight Attendant enduro suspension components popped up over the weekend, kitting out Zeb forks, Super Deluxe Coil shocks, and now an all-new Vivid Coil & Vivid Air shocks with automatic damping controls.
It really looks like Flight Attendant is going full speed ahead & full-enduro for gravity racing with dozens of riders on several different brands of bikes sporting the new automatic control system over the weekend at the all-new Polish World Cup round of the UCI MTB gravity World Series in Bielsko-Biała…
RockShox prototype auto Flight Attendant enduro suspension
RockShox’s automated wireless electronic compression damping controls first debuted on mid-travel trail to all-mountain bikes two and a half years ago. Bringing with it the promise of suspension that was always fully-open for the descents, delivered a stable platform when you were pedaling, and locked out automatically for the steep climbs. To anyone who has embraced the modern 3-position remote lockout for its ability to setup your bike super plush without losing pedaling efficiency, Flight Attendant promises to deliver all the performance, without any need to think about it. And no more forgetting to unlock your suspension on the descents.
But at the time it was limited to bikes mostly in the 125-150mm of rear wheel travel. That was because the only compatible rear shock available was the Super Deluxe Ultimate Flight Attendant air shock. Even though you could officially pair it with a Lyrik, Pike, or Zeb fork, which covers a pretty broad 120-190mm travel range. RockShox explained at the time that the algorithms and software at the heart of Flight Attendant were limited to a middle of the trail type of riding.
Now, just a few weeks ago Flight Attendant got an XC update with lighter, shorter travel SID forks & shocks. And with it, specific new algorithms optimized for cross-country racing. Plus, new connectivity with the latest AXS T-type derailleurs, Reverb AXS dropper posts, and power meters for smarter automated suspension control.
And now it looks like a gravity racer tune is pretty close to ready, as well…
RockShox Vivid Air Ultimate Flight Attendant
This newest of new here, is the RockShox Vivid Ultimate Flight Attendant air shock we spotted on several bikes.
Designed for gravity racing – Enduro, to Downhill & eMTB – RockShox launched the large volume air shock last summer. While it just looks like a big air can, RockShox developed the Vivid for more coil-like linear DebonAir performance, at a lighter weight.
Last year, RockShox was coy about whether the big air shock would get automated control. But now just like the Super Deluxe family, RockShox is giving the Vivid’s piggyback reservoir a Flight Attendant upgrade.
RockShox Super Deluxe Coil or All-new Vivid Coil with Flight Attendant?
We actually already spotted a BlackBox Super Deluxe Coil Ultimate Flight Attendant prototype at the Tweed Valley EWS two summers ago on Charles Murray’s S-Works Enduro race bike. But this YT Capra of Kasper Woolley has what looked like the same coil shock at first, but… it is actually labeled as a Vivid Coil. Is there some of the same position-sensitive TouchDown damper tech inside like the Vivid Air?
Interestingly, Murray won this weekend’s Bielsko-Biała race. But he raced on the shorter travel S-Works Stumpjumper EVO fitted with a Lyrik fork and Super Deluxe air shock, both with manual lockouts.
At least one member of his Specialized Factory team though, was racing the same Stumpjumper EVO with this new Super Deluxe or is it Vivid Coil (?) Flight Attendant shock matched to a Lyrik Ultimate Flight Attendant fork.
The Flight Attendant control module looks like it could be exactly the same as the one on the Super Deluxe Ultimate air shock. Even down to the silver adapter that hangs it off of the piggyback reservoir. And we expect the same function, just probably tuned for bigger travel and a more linear feel.
But that Vivid Ultimate label looks too much like a production item to be a mistake. Right?
RockShox Zeb Ultimate Flight Attendant
OK technically, the Zeb Ultimate Flight Attendant fork was available from Day 1 of Flight Attendant’s lifetime. So this isn’t entirely new. But we really didn’t see that many bikes taking advantage of this 38mm stanchioned fork’s 150-190mm travel range.
That’s because most full enduro bikes want a bigger air volume than the Super Deluxe Air shock for big travel. But not everyone needed more. YT offers the Capra in an Uncaged 12 Flight Attendant build with a 170mm Zeb matched to 165mm of rear travel in this setup.
And that’s exactly what some of the YT Mob team riders are still racing.
But some of the mobsters are on the Flight Attendant coil now, as well.
Now that Super Deluxe Coil & Vivid Air are about to get Flight Attendant, we expect to see more of the even longer travel Zeb’s getting automatic control.
Which bikes will offer it?
We have no official word from SRAM/RockShox about when these two new Flight Attendant-equipped enduro shocks will hit the market. But just like when previous MTB disciplines got Flight Attendant, this is something you’ll see as OEM-only at first. Remember, it’s more than just swapping in a control module on the end of your fork and shock.
The Flight Attendant system needs at least a fork, shock & crank sensor. And the latest version syncs with AXS derailleur, dropper seatpost & power meter cranksets now for even smoother operation.
So far, we’ve spotted enduro bikes from Forbidden, Specialized, Trek, and YT with the new Flight Attendant gravity enduro setup. So it’s safe to say at least these three will offer Flight Attendant-enabled enduro bikes when RockShox officially rolls out the option on their Super Deluxe Coil & RockShox Vivid Air shocks.
There’s not yet an official timeline from SRAM. But I would expect to hear about a midsummer launch around Eurobike. With the Flight Attendant enduro setup available on MY25 bikes that could be first available late this year.
It’s certainly all over the racing scene now. And no longer being hidden under the cover of BlackBox stickers.
