Mechanic Will Soffe reviews the new Fox 36

Will Soffe Fox 36 review

Will Soffe is one of our mechanics here at BikePark Wales.  He also happens to be one hell of a rider and an Elite cat DH racer.  Checkout the headcam of Will riding Dai Hard on his trail bike below

Here is Wills review of the new Fox 36...

I have used the old Fox 36 for many years; I love the robust nature of the fork, the stiff chassis and the tuneable damping.

When the new 36 came out I wondered how it had changed. After a demo from Mojo where the forks were totally dismantled and explained in minute detail, I could see so many innovations that I just had to get a pair.

In with the new

The new crown is lighter than the previous generation and also lower resulting in a 10mm reduced axle-crown height.

The damper block has redesigned seals which reduce stiction and the damper shaft is Kashima coated. The damper cartridge now runs lighter 5wt oil and has redesigned pistons to again reduce breakaway force needed to get the fork moving.

The air spring system has been comprehensively redesigned and doesn’t yet feature on any other Fox single crown forks; gone is the old negative coil spring and its place is an elegant self-adjusting negative air chamber. This saves weight and means that the negative spring is always balanced against the positive spring. Fox have also given customers the option to add volume reducers under the top-cap to make the spring rate ramp-up faster to resist bottoming-out. Travel is also easily adjustable, with a 50mm reduction (taking the fork to 110mm) possible in 10mm increments.

The forged magnesium lowers are redesigned to shed even more weight. They also feature a unique spacer system which allows the chassis to run either with either 15mm or 20mm through axles. The model I’m using has a tapered steerer, 160mm travel and fits 650b wheels.

Lubrication has been changed, with the new 36 running 20wt Gold oil with a “tackifier”. To show what this meant, Mojo technicians brought a pot and allowed us to rub some on a Kashima stanchion, it is indeed very slippery!

Spec:

36 Float 27.5 160 FIT RC2

• Intended use: trail / all-mountain
• Travel: 160mm / 6.3''

• Spring: air

• Brake mount: Post 180mm
• External adjustment: rebound, high-speed compression, low-speed compression
• Internally adjustable volume (blue 7.6cc or orange 10.8cc spacers)
• Internal adjustable travel down to 130mm in 10mm steps
• Thru-axle: 15mm or 20mm
• New lowers, crown, damper block and revised Kashima coating
• Weight: 4.24lb

The ride

I got my forks four months ago and bolted them onto my 150mm Saracen Ariel 15X with 650b wheels and Fox Float X shock.

After setting up the suspension to 30% sag, I rode some of the red and black trails at Bike Park Wales.

The difference over my old forks was remarkable. The small bump response was brilliant, resulting in improved grip and less arm fatigue. The weight reduction was obvious when lifting the front end. The forks tracked extremely well in the rough stuff and offered good support when pre-loading the fork for hopping obstacles.

Spring

 The support in the last 1/3 of the stroke (when in a G-out or round a fast berm) was pronounced, meaning you could really throw the bike into rough corners, under braking and be confident in finding grip. It basically made you ride rough stuff harder.

After three or four runs, I found I was bottoming the fork on very big hits, but adding more high-speed compression damping was making it feel harsh, so I went back to the workshop and fitted another blue volume reducer. This was easy to do; bleed the air, use a 36mm socket to open the top cap, remove the air shaft and slide on another spacer.

Back on the trail, it was noticeable just how hard you could hit the front of the bike into obstacles and still not bottom it. A real step up from coil or older air cartridges.

Damper

The original RC2 damper still holds up against other forks on the market; with a wide range of adjustment and predictable kinematics. But the new and improved RC2 cartridge on the 36 offers improved control and progression with a wide (yet sensible) range of adjustment. The new damper block and lighter 5wt oil just makes it feel that much silkier when the fork transitions from extending to compressing. Setting up compression damping is easy with a predictable range of adjustment and a clear difference in feel when adjusting the high and low-speed knobs.

The fork never dives either; even when running low air pressure, it keeps its form and allows you to get maximum grip without ever bottoming. Impressive.

Chassis

Despite the weight reduction, the chassis still has the trademark 36 stiffness, although if really pushed I would say that the lowers are slightly more compliant; it feels like there is more grip and sensitivity on turn-in.

Axles

After running the new 36 with both 20mm and 15mm axles, I can say that it is only a subtle difference between the two. As expected, the 20mm was slightly stiffer so I would say go for it if your wheel set will take it. The included conversion kit is very easy to fit.

The best thing I can say about these forks is that within a couple of days riding, you forget that they’re new. Whether you’re chasing your mates or trying a new line, you can simply get on with riding faster than before, knowing what the fork will do underneath you. A well rounded product with no rough-edges.

BikePark Wales have a full fleet of Fox 36 forks available to demo before you buy for just £25.  If you then decide to purchase a fork we will waive the demo fee and fit the forks for you for free.  Can’t say fairer than that!

For more info e-mail shop@bikeparkwales.com We also offer servicing on all Fox forks 

Price £909