Fox’s flagship all-mountain fork, the venerable 36 got a major overhaul last spring and Pete has been putting the top spec offerings through the mill over the last six months.
The first Fox production fork to rock their new ‘compliant’ air springs give the 36 fork a new lease of life whilst coming in both lighter and almost as stiff as the 38.
Photos by Pete Scullion.
Key features:
- 160mm only
- 29″ and 27.5″
- 37mm, 44mm (27.5”); 44mm (29”)
- Kabolt dropout
- Direct Mount 200, up to 230
- GripX2 damper
- FLOAT EVOL Compliant air spring
- 1.5” Tapered steerer
- Weight: 1,920g (160mm Grip X Factory)
- £1,399.00 RRP (Factory Grip X/Grip X2)
- RideFox.com
This time last year, Fox launched the updated 36 and 36 SL forks with a host of new features that brought stiffness closer to that of the then extant 38 with a 300g saving compared to the now benchmark enduro fork. Anyone looking for a lighter, shorter travel fork may have found just the one in the new Fox 36.
New generatively designed lowers have more bushing overlap, a redesigned air piston also moves better under load, reducing binding and allowing free movement of the piston through the uppers. Bypass channels move to the inside of the leg, like on the 34 SL, again improving stiffness and do a better job of keeping fork lube back up to the seal area.
Fox have also redesigned the bleed valves and mudguard mounts. As the launch of these forks predated the Podium upside down forks, they have the FLOAT EVOL compliant air spring, the precursor to the Glidecore that both the Podiums and the new 38s have.
These forks would replace the 160mm Grip2 damper Fox 38s on my long term Saracen Ariel 60 Elite, making them a very good option for a back-to-back test. Would the stiffness hold up against its bigger brother, and would the GripX2 damper and free-floating air spring bring all the goodness without the trade off? The proof would indeed be in the pudding.
Since being bolted to the front of my Saracen Ariel 60 Elite, the GripX2 36s have been playing a game of two very different halves. They found their way onto the bike just before Enduro2 Meribel last year. First impressions were, in fact, a bit of a backwards step. It was soon obvious that there was air leaking into the lowers on both legs, and needing to bleed the air out after even the shortest of runs to get any suppleness.
A quick trip to the Silverfish service centre on the way home from the Alps sorted this out, and since then, the forks have been a delight. The GripX2 damper had come of age after some false starts, and the Float EVOL spring made a huge difference in tracking and small bump sensitivity, all whilst standing up more in the travel.
Dropping 300g compared to the older 38s didn’t feel immediately obvious, but less unsprung mass is always going to help the feel of a fork and adds to the sprightly feel of the Ariel in all situations. The amount of grip on tap, especially when combined with the new High Roller out front, means I have been able to put more wind in the front tyre.
The new 36s have stated their claim to the all-mountain market and made the new 38 very much for 170 and 180mm travel forks. They may be heavier and more expensive than the Rockshox Lyrik Ultimate, but the stiffness, damping and feel are superior. Fettlers will also love the high and low speed rebound adjusters. I know I do.
You can check out the new Fox 36 Factory GripX2 on their website here.
