FRESH FORKS TO MARK 50 YEARS OF FOX

American brand launch three new dampers and unveil updated XC fork aimed squarely at this summer’s Olympic Games

To commemorate their 50th birthday, Fox have a big year of launches ahead. First up are three new fork dampers, which use the same naming convention as the brand’s shocks, for easier product-matching. All are backwards-compatible with Fox’s current forks, although models shipped with these dampers will also get updated bushings, to help reduce friction. Fox have also given their 32 StepCast cross-country fork a major overhaul, to help their sponsored XC athletes perform at their best during the 2024 Olympics.

GRIP X2 DAMPER

Available for: Fox 34, 36, 38 and 40 forks

Fox’s latest gravity damper has been designed to offer more tuning options and improved performance and consistency, for better predictability and chassis stability on the trail. Redesigned internal architecture means there’s now space for 23 shims with which to fine-tune the damping curve, compared to seven in the older GRIP2 damper. A pressure-balanced circuit is claimed to apply damping support from the very start of the stroke. External high- and low-speed compression and rebound damping adjustment gives maximum on-the-trail tunability.

GRIP X DAMPER

Available for: Fox 34, 36 and 38 forks

The GRIP X damper caters to all-mountain and trail riders, with a balance of gravity-fed and climbing capabilities. It forgoes external high-speed rebound adjustment to save weight, and gets new high-speed compression damping with a final click of adjustment that closes off the low-speed circuit to give a firm pedalling platform. The damper also features revised architecture, more shims and better pressure balance inside the cartridge to keep damping consistent.

GRIP SL DAMPER

Available for: Fox 32 SC, 32 and 34 SC forks Replacing Fox’s FIT4 damper, the GRIP SL is exclusively for forks with up to 120mm of travel. It’s Fox’s lightest option, shaving off 50g over the older FIT4 damper. The improved three-position lockout can be adjusted on the fly via the leg-top dial or a remote. As with the GRIP X and GRIP X2, Fox’s goal was to offer improved damping throughout the range of travel, for better traction and predictability on ever more demanding cross-country courses.

32 STEP-CAST FORK

Fox’s lightest fork gets a radical new lower leg design. The US brand have gone with a reverse arch – as used on Manitou forks – saying this allows them to minimise the amount of material used yet boost lateral stiffness by a claimed 40 per cent. With the new GRIP SL damper and refinements to the crown, steerer tube, axle and damper-side stanchion, the new 32 Step-Cast is around 100g lighter than the previous model.