The Rock Shox Black Box program, a fancy name for their R & D department that tests cool gear with elite racers, has tweaked their popular Rock Shox SID Race fork.

At the recent World Cup event at Grouse Mountain in Canada, Roland Green was the first to ride this new fork in competition. Green finished second.

So what's new? Rock Shox has replaced the aluminum crown and steer tube with a one-piece carbon fiber steer tube and crown. The high modulus carbon promises a lighter weight, increased stiffness and improved vibration damping.

Their engineers won't cough up the exact weight of the prototype nor will commit to its availability to consumers. But if it's any consolation most, if not all, Black Box developments have made it to the retail shelves.