I think it's more of a game of CSU stiffness than stanchion diameter with these XC forks -- the SID SL may have those pinner stanchions but it takes what's more or less a Pike CSU and then cuts it down a bit to pair with a smaller rotor, less grippy tire, etc. When the fork's only stroked at 100mm (and, let's be real, at an XC race setup pressure, it's really a 40-60mm fork with some extra travel for those bigger hits) you're only looking for a certain amount of plushness through the travel compared to a mid-/long-travel fork that needs to be stiffer/plusher through the trail. That old adage about "stiffness is felt as plushness" totally holds up with the new school XC forks. (And, FWIW, the 2022 34 Stepcast doesn't seem to have that usual fork assembly issue -- maybe b/c it's a first-year production run and it's getting some added care/attention at the factory?)
One option to keep the geo identical to the race version but add some chassis stiffness is to down-stroke a 34SC or SID Ultimate down to 100mm. Add the stiffness (and damper support) without slackening the STA. I had that setup on my Pivot Mach 4 last year and it worked out nicely for everything I could expect an "XC" bike to take out.
Sept. 30, 2021, 7:37 a.m. - gubbinalia
I think it's more of a game of CSU stiffness than stanchion diameter with these XC forks -- the SID SL may have those pinner stanchions but it takes what's more or less a Pike CSU and then cuts it down a bit to pair with a smaller rotor, less grippy tire, etc. When the fork's only stroked at 100mm (and, let's be real, at an XC race setup pressure, it's really a 40-60mm fork with some extra travel for those bigger hits) you're only looking for a certain amount of plushness through the travel compared to a mid-/long-travel fork that needs to be stiffer/plusher through the trail. That old adage about "stiffness is felt as plushness" totally holds up with the new school XC forks. (And, FWIW, the 2022 34 Stepcast doesn't seem to have that usual fork assembly issue -- maybe b/c it's a first-year production run and it's getting some added care/attention at the factory?) One option to keep the geo identical to the race version but add some chassis stiffness is to down-stroke a 34SC or SID Ultimate down to 100mm. Add the stiffness (and damper support) without slackening the STA. I had that setup on my Pivot Mach 4 last year and it worked out nicely for everything I could expect an "XC" bike to take out.