FOX 38 PERFORMANCE ELITE
£1,239 www.silverfish-uk.com
The mid-level Fox 38 features all the adjustability of the top-tier 38 Factory fork – including the brand’s ‘VVC’ external high and low-speed compression and rebound damping adjustment, bleed valves and floating axle – but forgoes the slippery gold Kashima coating on the stanchions. It’s the heaviest fork on test, at 2.46kg, but when you’re descending that weight penalty isn’t noticeable. Chunky 38mm stanchions and burly magnesium lowers make the 38 a commanding fork. No matter how hard you push it into a hole, compression or turn, it fires you out the other side, on your chosen line. The EVOL spring in Fox forks has always been impressive. Its progression through the stroke builds smoothly, helping the fork to avoid spiking. Stiction is minimal, and it feels plush yet supportive. Where the 38 Performance Elite comes unstuck is its damping. We imagine the GRIP2 cartridge’s heavy damping works well for 80kg+ riders, but our sub-75kg test team members had to run both compression settings fully open to eke out some sensitivity, limiting the performance of this otherwise impressive piece of kit. The firm support means you lose some comfort compared to the others on test, and there just isn’t enough initial sensitivity to make the fork as good as it could be.
*High-speed compression damping (HSC), low-speed compression damping (LSC), high-speed rebound damping (HSR), low-speed rebound damping (LSR), air-spring pressure (AP), air-spring volume (AV). **All weighed with a 180mm steerer tube