If you’ve been on the site recently, you’ve probably read our impressions of the new Sno-Pro 800 Cat.
The biggest news with this sled has been its much improved suspension calibration. It’s the real deal and although the SP does not bottom anywhere but in the most extreme situations, its level of ride compliance is excellent throughout the sled’s ample travel.
Knowing this, we were a bit apprehensive to take the new race-calibrated RR on a long-distance ride where there were miles of ungroomed trails and lakes.
Our guess was that the sled would be set up with harsh race-targeted compression damping specs and probably giant ratio, compression-resistant springs. We couldn’t have been more wrong!
We were so impressed with this sled’s ride compliance we were hard pressed to tell its comfort level from the Sno-Pro.
Cat’s engineers (the team is headed by Cross Country Champion, Brian Dick) have done an outstanding job of tailoring this sled to the very serious rider without crippling its target audience.
The difference between the RR and the Sno-Pro is the level of quality its shock package brings. This sled uses the maximum deal FOX EVOL X reservoir air shocks up front (these dampers are worth the price tag alone) and FOX ZERO-X adjustables in the skid.
These are essentially the identical shocks used on Brian Dick’s XC race sled with perhaps a bit of the edge taken off their calibration.
We found the RR’s clutching to be perfect (no race-style high slamming engagement but extremely smooth and rapid shift-up as the sled accelerates.
Does this feel like a race sled? It does but it’s actually got another side to its personality that makes it fun and easy to ride. The main difference is with this shock package you can pound bumps and ditches all day and never experience shock fade or any deterioration in ride performance.
We think Cat has nailed the category here and we’d recommend this sled to any serious performance rider without reservation.