Suspension school · Brand-Specific Technology

RockShox Charger: From Bladder to 3.2

Every Charger generation, the middle-zero clicks, ButterCups and HBO

The Charger name has covered several quite different dampers since it debuted in the 2014 Pike. Knowing which one you have matters more with RockShox than with most brands, because the click convention changed completely with Charger 3.

The Timeline

• Charger (2013, model year 2014 Pike): the original sealed bladder cartridge
• Charger 2 (from 2017): RLC, RCT3 and RC2 variants with different adjuster sets
• Charger 2.1 (2019, model year 2020 Ultimate forks): lower-friction SKF seal head and Maxima Plush oil; RC2 gave independent high and low-speed compression, RCT3 gave an open, pedal and firm lever plus low-speed compression
• Charger 3 RC2 (model year 2023 Pike, Lyrik and Zeb): a clean-sheet design that replaced the bladder with a spring-backed internal floating piston
• Charger 3.1 (June 2024, model year 2025): same layout, reworked internals with roughly 68 percent more oil flow through the low-speed circuit when open, a larger high-speed shim stack for support when closed, a stiffer IFP spring and a lower-friction seal head
• Charger 3.2 (April 2026): a retuned 3.1 fitted to the 2027 Zeb and Lyrik
• Charger Race Day (2020 SID): an 88g lockout-plus-rebound race damper; Race Day 2 (2024 SID range) added a three-position open, pedal and lock valve

The Middle-Zero Convention

From Charger 3 onwards, RockShox counts compression differently from everyone else. The LSC and HSC dials have a detent in the middle marked 0, with plus (firmer) on one side and minus (softer) on the other. Published settings read like LSC +2 or HSC -1, meaning clicks from that centre point, not from closed.

• Low-speed compression: 15 clicks in total, roughly 7 each side of centre
• High-speed compression: 5 positions in total, 2 each side of centre
• Rebound: 18 clicks, counted from fully closed in the traditional way
• The Trailhead app publishes recommendations in exactly this format, so enter your serial number and use them as your base

ButterCups

ButterCups are small elastomer cups fitted at the base of the damper shaft and air spring shaft inside the lowers, introduced on the model year 2023 Ultimate forks and still present on the 2027 Zeb and Lyrik. RockShox claims around a 20 percent reduction in high-frequency trail buzz through about 4mm of compliance. The effect is real but subtle, so do not expect it to transform hand comfort on its own.

Pressure Relief Valves

Model year 2023 Pike, Lyrik and Zeb gained small bleed buttons on the back of the lowers. Air pressure builds up in the lowers on long descents and with altitude changes, stiffening the fork, and a quick press releases it. On the 2027 Zeb and Lyrik the bleed ports moved to the back of the crown.

HBO: Hydraulic Bottom-Out

The Vivid, relaunched in August 2023 for model year 2024 with the TouchDown damper, brought an adjustable hydraulic bottom-out circuit. The Vivid Ultimate RC2T gives 5 clicks of HBO acting over roughly the final fifth of the stroke, alongside 5 clicks of LSC, 5 of HSC and 20 of rebound. A Vivid Coil followed in June 2024.

On the 2023-onwards Super Deluxe the coil Ultimate carries the same 5-click adjustable HBO, while on air versions the bottom-out circuit is factory set rather than adjustable. HBO is worth understanding: it lets you run a softer, more supple spring setting without harsh metal-on-metal bottoming.

Setup Notes

• Always start compression at 0 and 0 and ride before deviating
• The HSC range is only 5 positions, so treat every click as a big change
• Remember rebound still counts from fully closed even though compression does not
• If your settings come from a friend's fork, check both forks are the same Charger generation first