With this blog I’m going to cover the best suspension forks for cross country mountain biking.
Cross country or XC racing has evolved tremendously with trails becoming more and more challenging. Where once XC equated flowy single track, it’s not uncommon to enounter rock gardens and some pretty aggressive trails.
So where road cycling has crept into offroad territory with the gravel bike, traditional cross country is moving towards trail riding or all-mountain riding. Whether you call that downcountry or endurance XC, it doesn’t matter. What does matter is what your specific needs are when it comes to your setup and what front suspension is best suited to handle those needs.
When I look at what’s currently being offered, a very broad range of products applies to what can be considered XC territory, in terms of travel, damper and air spring technology, stanchion width etc. For this article I’ve focused on travel at the low end of the spectrum all the way up to something you could just as well see on a trail rig. That’s roughly front suspension sitting between 80 to 120mm, with stanchion widths between 30 up to 35mm, and various technologies to go with it.
Because of the amount of technology involved, and the vast price difference between forks, I’ve added a table overview at the end of the article for your convenience. So with that out of the way, let’s see what I put on my list of the very best suspension forks for cross country riding.
Fox 32 Step-Cast Factory
You can’t talk about XC front suspension without mentioning the gold standard, which is the Fox 32 Step-Cast Factory. As gorgeous as it is expensive, it’s a premium cross country suspension for going fast and riding hard.
Being offered with a classic 100mm of Kashima coated travel, ensuring many miles of racing with an extra coating on the surface of the stanchions for improved longevity and a slight reduction in stiction. The fork comes in a 27.5″ and 29″ version, with a rake 44 or 51mm, and fits brake rotors between 160 and 180mm for the 27.5″ and up to a massive 203mm for the 29″ version.
The fork provides a tire clearance for tires with a width up to 2.4″, so you can go pretty aggressive with your front tire, which is kept in place with a standard 15x110mm Kabolt axle. A 100mm version is also available for 29″ wheels.
The fork offers increased torsional stiffness over previous generations, but it’s only when demanding the most out of the fork and having ample experience with older versions that you might notice a tiny increase in precision. It only means the Fox 32 has only improved an already great product.
Then there’s the damper and air spring, both highly tunable. The FIT4 damper is a sealed closed cartridge system, which offers a 3-position lever with on-the-fly settings equating Open (no damping), Medium, and Firm damping (high-speed compression) configurations. The settings can be configured with a single dial.
Inside the big lever sits a smaller knob offering 22-click low-speed compression adjustment, to stiffen the fork and provide more support of the top of the stroke (available in the Open setting).
If you think 22-clicks gives you a lot of adjustability, you’re absolutely right. In fact the majority of riders won’t touch it and just use the Open setting most of the time. That doesn’t mean it’s a useless function. It’s not, and especially of smooth, flowy trails with sharp turns and small jumps, firming up your ride can add a touch of fun and playfulness to it.
The FIT4 damper offers a 10-click rebound adjuster knob at the bottom of the damper, which means you cannot independently adjust high- and low-speed rebound. This improves ease of setup at the cost of adjustability.
The FLOAT EVOL (Extra Volume) air spring has a larger negative air chamber, besides the standard positive one. Aside from supporting your weight in a neutral position, the air spring offers a more linear spring curve that’s supple off the top on small bumps yet still has the support to resist bottoming out on those big hits.
The size of the positive air chamber can still be reduced as you’re used to with air volume spacers, without affecting the functionality of the negative chamber. By reducing the air volume of the positive air chamber you make the fork act more progressive, resisting bottoming out more for those of you who like to ride hard and aggressive.
The amount of adjustability, when properly set up provides a tremendous control and support, making this the go-to option for fast XC racers and ambitious amateurs.
- An XC suspension fork that holds nothing back. Highly adjustable, race-quality front suspension for ambitious cross country racers.
- Seriously expensive. Amount of adjustability might prove to be too much for many riders
Fox 32 Step-Cast Performance
There are a lot of similarities between the Performance and Factory version of the Fox 32 Step-Cast. So let’s see if the difference in price might be worth downgrading without losing too much functionality.
The answer to that question of course totally depends on your needs. Suffice to say that this is a great cross country front suspension. The biggest difference is the damper, which is a more straightforward GRIP damper within a stanchion without the characteristic Kashima coating.
The GRIP damper has a single 3-position lever for external compression adjustability, with infinite adjustment in between 3 detents. A 10-speed rebound adjuster can be found at the bottom of the damper. The dial is tight enough to stay in place even on rougher rides.
What that means is that the fork is just as exceptional as the Factory version. It performs the same, offers great on-the-fly adjustability, and will greatly extend the types of ground you can cover. But it’s not Fox 32 Step-Cast Factory, which is the tiniest bit better and offers a mode of adjustability the majority prefers (a dedented one).
Whether or not that’s worth almost 200 USD is up to you.
- Solid value-for-money for fast XC racing for people who don't like to constantly tinker with their suspension
- People underestimate the value of Kashima coating for fork longevity
Fox 32 Performance
The Fox 32 Performance offers similar performance as the Step-Cast version for older-style mountain bikes.
Only available in a 29″ version it has the same GRIP damper and FLOAT EVOL air spring, but offers 9mm open dropouts for wheels with quick releases within a 44mm fork offset. It also has a 1 1/8 straight steerer.
- Similar value as the Step-Cast for older-style MTB specs
- None if you need it for its specifications
Fox 34 Step-Cast Factory
If the Fox 34 Step-Cast Factory is so similar to the Fox 32, and the price is the same, and it also comes in a 100mm version, why not always choose this one?
It can’t be weight either because both 100mm are about as similar as can get. The Fox 34 only comes in a 29″ version, so tough luck for those of you with 27.5″ wheels. There’s also no 15x100mm option. And because after all these years there’s only the 120mm version, there’s no way to change the travel by swapping out the air spring. Something which you can do with a standard Fox 34.
For a little bit of extra money you have wider stanchions obviously, and can go up to 120mm of travel with a max tire width of 2.6″. So basically you can ride any type of trail.
And what can you say about the FIT4 damper that I haven’t already said; loads of LSC adjustment (22 clicks) with the 3-position lever and a 10-click rebound adjuster. As I said with the 32 version of this fork, the low-speed compression adjustment really shines on smooth trails, where you’ll actually be able to feel the difference in setup. Otherwise you just want maximum plushness to go fast and hard comfortably.
The Fox 34 is offered with tokens out-of-the-box, which is nice. It let’s you play with the size of the positive air chamber, without affecting the functionality of the negative chamber, making the fork ramp up earlier and reducing the risk of bottoming out.
Besides looking sleek, Step-Cast refers to the lower legs having a different shape to reduce the weight significantly with 181 grams versus the traditional Fox 34. An impressive feat for a piece of equipment that needs to withstand a lot of abuse.
Another noticeable difference is the use of bypass channels, which are integrated into the lower legs. By adding bypass channels, the air volume of the negative air chamber is increased, reducing unintended pressure ramping. The side-benefit of this technology is that there’s an increased lubrication of both foam rings and bushings.
Even with its factory setup the Fox 34 Step-Cast Factory front suspension offers top-of-the-line small-bump sensitivity and incredible suppleness before ramping up to get through the bigger hits.
If you really don’t need the or can’t use the 120mm version geometry-wise, and you want to ride true XC tires (2.2-2.25″), there really is no need to go for the Fox 34 Step-Cast Factory. But it’s a true masterpiece of front suspension technology, which bridges the gap between aggressive XC or downcountry and trail riding perfectly.
- If you want a fantastic aggressive XC fork that doubles as a trail riding version, this is the one. Adds bypass channels to the mix as well
- Besides the obvious cost, you cannot change the travel.
Fox 34 Step-Cast Performance
Similar to the Fox 32 Step-Cast Performance, the 34 version also offers the combination of GRIP damper and FLOAT EVOL air spring.
Only available in a 120mm travel version, the Fox 34 Step-Cast Performance has either a Kabolt or QR 15x110mm axle, with a maximum rotor size of 180mm and tire clearance up to 2.6″, and a 1.5″ tapered steerer tube.
- Great all-round hard-hitting XC and trail riding fork, which is super-easy to set up straight.
- None
RockShox SID SL Ultimate
The RockShox SID SL Ultimate currently is the lightest XC fork on the market at 1326 grams for 100mm of travel. Indeed it’s very light but it’s not only the weight that matters, especially considering it’s a mere 26 grams lighter than the Fox 32 Step-Cast Factory version. But in the end, it is the lightest.
To get to that RockShox has stripped their Charger Race Day Damper with bladder tech to an absolute minimum, leaving only the bare essentials. It’s as straightforward as a damper can get, with an easy-to-setup lockout mechanism providing maximum power retention for both climbing and sprinting. Everything has been done to keep the weight incredibly low, so unlike traditional dampers, rebound adjustment is done with a 2.5mm hex key.
The fork offers very XC-like characteristics with a single 100mm travel version and 32mm stanchions, a 44mm fork offset, 15×110 thru axle, up to 200mm of braking power, 2.35″ tire clearance, and a 1.5″ anodized aluminum steerer and crown. Obviously it’s meant for 29 inch wheels only.
An air spring is made up of a shaft on which in this case a floating piston is installed, sitting between two seals. The Debonair+ air spring improves upon earlier models, by swapping out the plastic shaft for an aluminum one. Larger volume negative air chambers are achieved by hollowing out the top hat of the piston.
Just as with Fox’s Float EVOL air spring, the larger negative air chamber offers a more linear spring curve and a reduced risk of bottoming out. Up to three air volume spacers can be fitted into the air spring, which very quickly reduces the fork’s linearity with only 100mm of travel to work with.
You can definitely applaud RockShox’ boldness in stripping away what they felt were non-essential pieces to create the next level in lightweight, high-performance XC front suspension. Not only did they create an exceptional piece of equipment, but they’ve also removed any frivolity for those who’re not looking for. There’s a zen-like simplicity in only being able to switch your damper on or off, without ever having to worry if its dialed in correctly.
- As straightforward as a lightweight XC fork can get. No-frills on-off, smooth damper setting for excellent climbing, racing and sprinting characteristics. A true racer.
- Pricey XC-only fork leaves a bit of flexibility on the table in terms of specs, usage and adjustment.
RockShox SID SL Select
If you’re not looking to pay top-dollar for the ultra lightweight Ultimate version, there’s the RockShox SID SL Select. Very well priced for a high-quality XC fork, it changes the Charger Race Day Damper, into the Charger RL one and removes over 200 dollars of the price in the process.
This adds around 150 grams to a nonetheless pretty impressive weight of 1493 grams for the 100mm. for a front suspension, which is also offered with 80mm of travel. All other specs are exactly the same.
In terms of functionality the Rush RL works basically the same, but has a standard lockout dial and rebound adjuster. The simplicity of this setup works like a charm for the far majority of cross country aficionados, and the safety mechanism built in the lockout ensures you won’t damage your damper should you run into that unexpected 2 foot drop while locked out.
- Significantly less expensive than the Ultimate for similar ride characteristics for the average person a slight weight penalty.
- None
RockShox SID Ultimate
With 35mm stanchions the RockShox SID Ultimate is pushing the limits of what the average person will put on their cross-country rigs, and with both 110 and 120mm of travel available, this fork is the burlier brother of the featherweight SL version.
Nonetheless the fork is still very much specced as an XC weapon, albeit a hard-hitting one, with a 44mm fork offset, the minimal Charger Race Day Damper, and Debonair air spring. When compared to Fox 34 Factory, there’s basically no weight difference (40 grams). At least not one that matters.
On the other hand, a significantly larger max rotor size at 220mm, and a max tire width sitting at 2.6″ definitely moves this fork into trail riding territory as well.
The fork offers an interesting mix of both XC and trail disciplines, with the no-frills damper and air spring setup in a lightweight chassis, combined with trail riding characteristics. if you’re into hitting big jumps, where independently adjustable high- and low-speed compression with 130mm of travel and up are more suitable, but want a light, stiff chassis that’s still very good for climbing, and pedaling in general, this might be the fork for you.
The fork offers one of the very best mid-stroke support in an almost linear travel, which aids the rider in really using the bike as an efficient tool for getting through corners and playing on the trail.
In a way it’s more flexible than the 32 super-light, super-fast SL Ultimate, because it’s strong enough with the right amount of travel for a really fast trail bike or a plusher but slower XC one. Just to get things straight, this is not a pure trail fork, so don’t expect it to be. If you push the fork on really rough trail, you’ll simply blow through the damper.
- Interesting mix of burly XC and light trail characteristics in an excellent front suspension for racing.
- If you only do trail riding, pick a beefier fork
RockShox SID Select
Just like the SL the standard Ultimate also has its Select version, swapping out the Charger Race Day Damper for the Charger RL with otherwise similar specs. This time it adds 130 grams to the overall weight of 1671 grams while reducing the price by more than 200 dollars.
- Significantly less expensive than the Ultimate for similar ride characteristics for the average person a slight weight penalty.
- None
Manitou R7 Pro
If you’re a person who likes to tinker with her/his fork than you might want to look into the Manitou R7 Pro when looking for an upgrade for your XC bike.
An absolutely stunning fork in high-gloss black with reversed arch, a shiny oversized crown slanting onto the the 32mm stanchions, silver retro-styled brand decals.
Not everyone will want to swap forks between frames, but if you do you can quickly change a 120mm one into a 100mm. You can do this because the air spring side doesn’t have a dimple to self-balance the positive and negative air chamber. This means you can adjust the travel using volume spacers.
In terms of adjustability the Pro model is the way to go (versus the Expert) offering the XC VTT Pro damper, and Dorado Air air spring with IVA air volume spacers, which you’re going to need. Since you can independently adjust the negative air chamber of the air spring you can over-inflate it to increase small bump sensitivity.
I won’t really go into the details of the damper technology, other than to say it has dual shim stacks to offer optimum oil flow across the entire travel range while in lockout mode. It’s not perfect but it does translate into improved control for high-speed sections while maintaining some form of low-speed compression that’s firm enough for XC requirements.
The fork is offered in both 27.5″ and 29″ versions. This means that although 29″ might be the XC standard, shorter riders can have a high-value XC fork for their 27.5″ bikes as well. And it comes in every imaginable fork offset as well, with brake rotors theoretically up to 203mm and a tire clearance of 2.7″. Though that last number might be a bit too ambitious.
It’s a unique fork in the XC range offering loads of versatility for people who’re willing to dive of the deep end and get more out of their suspension. If that’s not you, you don’t need me to tell you to stay away from this fork.
- Gorgeous fork for the home mechanic and the ambitious DIY tuner.
- Not a fit-and-forget type front suspension. Damper isn't dedented.
MRP Ribbon SL
The MRP Ribbon SL differs from other more race-oriented XC forks. It’s heavier and comes in a 130mm version and is the only high-end XC fork in a 1.128 (1 1/8) tapered steerer. With 35mm stanchions in combination with the weight, you can clearly see why it you shouldn’t compare this fork to your Fox 32 or RockShox Ultimate SL.
MRP calls this an endurance XC slash trail fork, which basically means longer slower rides, instead of shorter faster trips. Its direct competition would be the Fox 34 and RockShox SID Ultimate, the latter also coming with 35mm stanchions.
The 120 or 130mm version with a choice of 44 and 51mm rake can be internally adjusted to a 110mm fork. Although actually setting it up this way means you’re probably introducing an off-balance rig, with your rear shock being underpowered with respect to this front suspension. So either 120 or 130mm is the way to go for this fork.
It means it’s a beefy XC fork with proper trail capabilities that’s meant for hard riding, since there’s a noticeable stiction in the beginning of the stroke. What it does to your riding style is enabling a planted feel on bumpy, high-speed sections, while it very quickly ramps up in the last third of the travel. It might actually outshine both the Fox 34 and RockShox SID Ultimate. Those forks however, offer better small-bump sensitivity.
Another downside of such a late ramping up of the fork is that it’s less playful while cornering and on small jumps. Instead of properly pre-loading the fork, you simply use the suspension and it stays in mid-stroke or halfway there.
The FulFill Air air spring’s dual air chamber can be independently inflated. This means you can overinflate the negative, or lower chamber for additional support and provide greater control for small-bump sensitivity. Increased control on harsher terrain, and reduced risk of bottoming out are also more highly tunable. The increased adjustability of the air spring does mean it takes a little more time to setup correctly.
Just as with the Baxter fork MRP has made a smart move when trying to compete with the big dogs, by making a similar product with distinct enough characteristics to target a specific niche. A true downcountry XC fork for the most aggressive trails within this discipline are up for grabs with this fork.
- Great downcountry option for staying in control on fast, rocky trails
- Less playful than its competition with prolonged mid-stroke and late ramping up.
Specifications suspension forks for cross country
Name | Price | Wheel size | Travel | Stanchion | Rake | Axle | Rotor size | Max tire width | Damper | Air spring | Steerer | Color | Buy at Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fox 32 Step-Cast Factory | 949 USD | 27.5″, 29″ | 100mm | 32mm 7000 series aluminum w. Kashima coating | 44mm, 51mm | 15x110mm (Kabolt orange), 15x100mm, 15x110mm (Kabolt black) | 160-180mm (27.5″) 160-203mm (29″) | 2.4″ | FIT4 3-position lever, FIT4 2-position remote | FLOAT EVOL | 1.5T | gloss orange, gloss black | |
Fox 32 Step-Cast Performance | 769 USD | 27.5″, 29″ | 100mm | 32mm 7000 series aluminum | 44mm, 51mm | 15x100mm, 15x110mm (Kabolt, QR) | 160-180mm (27.5″) 160-203mm (29″) | 2.4″ | GRIP | FLOAT EVOL | 1.5T | matte black | |
Fox 32 Performance | 769 USD | 29″ | 100mm | 32mm 7000 series aluminum | 44mm | 9x100mm QR | 160-180mm | 2.4″ | GRIP | FLOAT EVOL | 1.125S | matte black | |
Fox 34 Step-Cast Factory | 999 USD | 29″ | 100mm, 120mm | 34mm 7000 series aluminum w. Kashima coating | 44mm, 51mm | 15x110mm Kabolt | 160-180mm | 2.6″ | FIT4 3-position lever, FIT4 2-position remote | FLOAT EVOL | 1.5T | gloss orange, gloss black | |
Fox 34 Step-Cast Performance | 749 USD | 29″ | 120mm | 34mm 7000 series aluminum | 44mm | 15x110mm (Kabolt, QR) | 160-180mm | 2.6″ | GRIP | FLOAT EVOL | 1.5T | matte black | |
RockShox SID SL Ultimate | 896 USD | 29″ | 100mm | 32mm straight wall aluminum | 44mm | 15x110mm Maxle Stealth | 160-200mm | 2.35″ | Charger Race Day | DebonAir | 1.5T | gloss blue, gloss black | |
RockShox SID SL Select | 685 USD | 29″ | 100mm | 32mm straight wall aluminum | 44mm | 15x110mm Maxle Stealth | 160-200mm | 2.35″ | Charger RL | DebonAir | 1.5T | matte black, gloss black | |
RockShox SID Ultimate | 1001 USD | 29″ | 110mm, 120mm | 35mm tapered aluminum | 44mm | 15x110mm Maxle Stealth | 180-220mm | 2.6″ | Charger Race Day | DebonAir | 1.5T | gloss blue, gloss black | |
RockShox SID Select | 790 USD | 29″ | 110mm, 120mm | 35mm tapered aluminum | 44mm | 15x110mm Maxle Stealth | 180-220mm | 2.6″ | Charger RL | DebonAir | 1.5T | matte black, gloss black | |
Manitou R7 Pro | 980 USD | 27.5″, 29″ | 100mm, 120mm | 32mm | 37mm, 44mm (27.5″) 44mm, 51mm (29″) | 15x110mm Hexlock | 160-203mm | 2.7″, 3″ (27.5″) 2.7″ (29″) | VTT Pro | Dorado Air w. IVA | 1.5T | gloss black | |
MRP Ribbon SL | 1050 USD | 29″ | 110mm, 130mm | 35mm | 44mm, 51mm | 15x110mm BOOST | 180mm | 2.5″ | EssenTTial | FulFill Air | 1.125T, 1.5T | gloss black |
Johan van Seijen
FoundeR Restoration.bike
Johan van Seijen is the founder of restoration.bike. His passion for cycling in general, and restoring older bikes turned into a website to share his knowledge with a broader audience. Starting out on his father’s road bike and riding classics as the Amstel Gold Race and Liege Bastogne Liege he has shifted his attention to trail, XC, and gravel riding since. No matter how much he loves writing about everything related to cycling, nothing beats actually using his ever-expanding bicycle collection.
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