In this article I’m going to give you an overview of the best suspension forks for light riders.
I’ve also written an article about the problems associated with front suspension for heavier riders, and there are some similarities. Just as front suspension was not designed with heavy (male) riders in mind, the same goes for lightweight riders.
This means a (very) small portion of male riders, but a much larger portion of female riders have to deal with an increased risk of trying to overcome the initial friction of the fork seals before moving into the travel. Another issue is that of increased harshness because much more force is needed for the travel to move.
Obviously the extent of the problems run on a linear scale in line with the weight of the actual rider. With the lightest riders having to deal with the biggest issues.
Another issue is that no matter how open you set your compression damping (e.g. no damping), there might simply not be enough configuration for your particular weight. In turn it means that the configurability of the damper effectively becomes useless, because you’re always using a single setting, no matter what air pressure you’re running.
But I have to state that for an air spring fork that’s properly set up and dialed correctly, the chances of serious issues related to weight and an improperly performing fork are very small. The reason is that current damper and air spring technology allows for highly adjustable forks. Just take a look at the top downhill riders sporting 40mm stanchioned 180mm travel Fox forks, and you know that lightweight women can use heavy duty suspension.
That being said, when looking at the two biggest brands in the market, RockShox and Fox, it’s clear that RockShox caters to the demands of lighter riders. Their threshold minimum weight for recommended air pressure sits at 45 kg or 100 pounds, whereas Fox’ sits around 55 kg or 120 pounds. That leads me to suggest you should think very hard about buying a Fox fork if you’re close to 120 pounds, and you should probably be looking towards RockShox when diving below that number.
There are ways to enable a fork to have more small-bump sensitivity, better mid-stroke support, and full usage of the entire travel, but these include using different oil weights, installing third-party components, or tuning with the damper’s shim stack. Plainly speaking, it’s not recommended to immediately go that route when you can achieve a solid riding experience with a stock fork.
To limit the amount of options, I’m going to stick with XC and trail forks. The trail forks for this category of riders can double as enduro forks as well. So here they are, the best suspension forks for light riders.
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 very 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 a 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, you might want to 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
RockShox Judy Gold RL
The RockShox Judy Gold RL is an affordable option for XC enthusiasts looking for a tunable front suspension that’s lightweight.
More expensive than the extremely budget-friendly Recon Silver RL, the Judy Gold RL is over a pound lighter for a 29 inch 100mm travel (versus the 29 inch 120mm travel of the Recon). That’s the kind of weight that’ll be noticeable in handling and climbing.
It achieves this rather drastic reduction in weight by being offered with aluminum rather than steel stanchions with a width of 30 instead of 32mm. And those travel options are more cross-country or light trail oriented, ranging between 80 to 120mm.
Furthermore the fork is just as tunable as the Recon with both the Motion Control damper and DebonAir air spring, offering compression and rebound adjustment with a lockout, and similar air spring adjustments as other forks in the RockShox lineup.
- Budget-friendly, lightweight XC and light trail fork with top-end damper and air spring for its price class
- None within its price category
RockShox Recon Silver RL
RockShox Recon Silver RL (Rebound and Lockout) has a number of things going for it that set it apart from the pack of budget-friendly MTB forks.
The most obvious one is the price, which sits just above 200 USD depending on the travel you choose. This is very cheap for a 32mm stanchioned front suspension offering low-speed compression and rebound damping.
Because of its popularity and widespread appeal, RockShox has been smart enough to offer them in a broad range of travel, ranging from 100 up to 150mm of travel, for 27.5 and 29 inch wheels, 1.5 tapered and 1 1/8 straight steerers, various fork offsets, ample tire clearance, and Motion Control damper with Solo Air air spring.
The RockShox Motion Control damper is a budget-friendly option with minimal adjustability, offering an incredibly easy setup. It’s the oldest and most simple damping technology in RockShox lineup, with more complex variations either no longer available or being replaced by newer compression damping-technology.
The damper offers a single dial for open and closed low-speed compression damping. A full lockout can be enabled and completely closes the compression oil ports. The damper also offers a neat failsafe mechanism, which opens the compression valve cover on a locked out fork during a big hit, preventing possible damage to the internals and enabling fork travel again. It allows for a single big hit before a spring closes the valve cover again.
The SoloAir air spring simplifies suspension setup by being able to inflate both positive and negative air chambers using a single schrader valve. It means you always run the same pressure in both chambers. Although it is easier to set up, the fact that there’s no independent configuration of both air chambers does away with customisation of the initial travel characteristics, which translates to fine tuning small-bump sensitivity.
Since both chambers run the same pressure, it’s not possible to run a higher pressure in the negative air chamber, which is used for the downward stroke since it sits at the bottom of the air spring. This reduces the small-bump sensitivity obtainable with this type of air spring.
Simply looking at the specs and what you need to pay for this fork versus high-end ones, which are 2 to 4 times as expensive, it’s very easy indeed to see why this one also sells 2 to 4 times as much. Probably more than that.
- Incredibly well-specced budget offering from RockShox. Many configuration options to suit a wide range of bikes. Cheapest fork with 32mm stanchions.
- None within this price range
RockShox Revelation RC
The RockShox Revelation RC (Rebound and Compression) is based on the trail chassis of the more premium Pike. The difference between the two, besides a substantial drop in price, is both the damper and air spring technology used in this fork.
The fact it uses the same chassis means that you can upgrade to the more expensive damper and air spring used in the Pike, if you feel you’ve outgrown it. However, that’s not why you should buy this fork, because the combined price is much more expensive than buying the specific Pike in the first place.
It can be called a mid-tier mountain bike suspension with a Motion Control damper but an upgrade from the Recon with the DebonAir air spring. The biggest feature of the DebonAir air spring is the large negative air chamber sitting at the bottom of the spring.
Because of its larger adjustable volume it offers better configurability of small-bump sensitivity. And because there’s more air to compress it ramps up more linearly providing improved control and comfort while reducing the risk of bottoming out.
Because of its popularity, RockShox offers a wide variety of options and specifications similar to those of the Recon. Only the 9mm open dropout and lack of 1 1/8 steerer might be missing for those with older rigs.
What you see with products in general and front suspension specifically is that prices ramp up pretty quickly. RockShox needed to differentiate their lineup enough for people with varying budgets to be able to pick a fork they like, and the combination of features of this year’s Revelation is probably the best one of their entire lineup if you ask me.
It’s one of the best trail forks that can still be called budget-friendly, sitting well below the 500 dollar mark. It’s not as ridiculously cheap as the Recon but offers more riding versatility with 35mm stanchions and better adjustability. A well maintained Revelation can last you many years with foolproof performance, making this fork a financially sound investment in improving your riding experience.
- Best budget trail fork with high levels of adjustability
- None within this price range
RockShox Lyrik Ultimate
When you start comparing the big brands in front suspension, probably the most popular comparison is the one between RockShox Lyrik Ultimate and the Fox 36 Factory. Here’s my take on that comparison.
Although there are obvious similarities, there are a number of differences which might nudge you into the direction of one over the other. As for similarities, they both come with 140 to 160mm of travel, 15×110 axle width, 44mm rake, tapered 1.5 inch steerers and for both 27.5 and 29 wheel sizes.
The difference, besides the damper, is small as well. 35 versus 36 mm stanchions, 220 versus 230 max rotor size, 3.2 versus 2.6 inch max tire width, which you’re probably not going to need for normal trail riding, and a pretty similar weight and price as well. And you can leave your zip ties at home, since the Lyrik also features lower leg bleeders to remove pressure buildup caused by sucking air into them.
Then for a little bit of tech-talk about the damper. The RockShox Lyrik Ultimate features the Charger 3 damper, offering a 15-click dial for low-speed compression adjustment, within a 5-click dial for high-speed compression adjustment. This pretty extensive low- and high speed adjustment can be achieved without introducing additional harshness and loss of control.
The Charger 3 offers a 18-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 damper does not use an expanding bladder (neither does Fox’ GRIP2), which is a more durable construction offering a lower risk of stiction and smoother fork action.
It also has more oil volume using a spring-backed floating piston to control oil flow, making it the plushest fork in RockShox’ catalog. Even more so, because both damper and air spring are offered with otherwise optional ButterCup suspension technology.
It reduces high-frequency vibrations otherwise known as “trail chatter”. This is the result of a fork not being responsive enough to handle small rocks and roots, directly translating the impacts to your body, causing fatigue, hand numbness, and even neck and shoulder issues on longer rides.
The buttercup on the damper side essentially holds two elastomers looking like small rubber pucks between a metal plate sitting within an aluminum housing, at the end of each shaft. The air spring side only has one of those pucks, with an o-ring sitting on the upper side. That’s because the air spring is much more effective on compression (downward stroke) not on the rebound (upward stroke).
They function as a suspension within a suspension, offering about 4mm of vertical compliance, taking out the smallest of trail irregularities, before the more advanced suspension technology is activated and reducing roughly (a claimed) 20% of trail chatter.
The first thing I thought as a guy having bikes with 30-year old suspension on it, was that it was nothing else than an elastomer with a fancy name slapped onto it. But it’s not, and it would be unfair to compare technologies decades apart. The only thing from a durability and financial perspective is that it definitely does add more components and complexity to the overall fork.
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 for all three iterations is achieved by hollowing out the top hat of the piston. Just as with Fox’s Float EVOL air spring, the DebonAir+ larger negative air chamber offers a more linear spring curve and a reduced risk of bottoming out.
All skepticism aside, the suspension giant has outdone itself by creating the Lyrik Ultimate, which could indeed be the ultimate trail riding front suspension to dig deep into your wallet for.
- The best trail fork currently on the market
- None
RockShox Lyrik Select
The RockShox Lyrik Select is cheaper version of the Ultimate. Similar to other Ultimate/Select pairs, it swaps out the most expensive damper, in this case the Charger 3 with ButterCups, into a Charger RC (Rebound Compression) version. RockShox has been smart enough to make the drop in price exactly the same as well.
Recently RockShox has started messing up their naming conventions for damper technology, which makes it really difficult to know what’s what through the years. The Charger RC (Rebound Compression) is basically an older-style damper using bladder technology. This means a little bit less robust than the current Charger 3 damper, but is being offered for a much lower price.
You lose high-speed compression adjustability, which might not really make a difference for women and lighter riders. There are still a ton of travel options available, all the fork offsets you ever want to choose from, and the ability to mount a massive rotor without an adapter with a very burly front tire.
It’s a great platform for the average rider, since if you do want to move up in terms of specifications, the chassis supports compatibility with the better damper. Yet the lack of ButterCups combined with the initial force to get the fork moving, makes for a poppy fork that’s a bit harsher than both its more expensive brethren and the competition. On the flipside, you do get a fork that handles rough terrain at high speed excellent, and you can preload the suspension on jumps and in corners.
With so many of the specifications being the same, you’d argue that the cheaper Select would be a great value for people wanting to save a bit of cash. However, the upgrade ability is nice, but in the end will be more expensive than buying an Ultimate from the start. So unless you already have the better damper laying around and know how to install it, the feature is an expensive one at best.
- Poppy and active trail fork
- Harsher than its competition, in the same price category and earlier iterations. No high-speed compression adjustment. The Ultimate version is really better
RockShox Pike Ultimate
I could copy and paste the exact same text of the Lyrik Ultimate here for a description of the RockShox Pike Ultimate. I have no idea why RockShox slaps two different names on products which are basically identical.
Going up from 120mm of travel up to 160mm in steps of 10mm the Pike overlaps the Lyrik on the 140mm version. I don’t know if it’s the case, but the 140mm Pike could be exactly the same as the 140mm Lyrik except for the decals.
If the Lyrik Ultimate was dubbed as the “Ultimate” trail riding fork, the same could be said for the Pike as being the ultimate downcountry or heavy-duty XC fork.
- Downcountry dream fork
- None
RockShox Pike Select
Just as the Pike Ultimate is very similar to the Lyrik Ultimate the, you guessed it, RockShox Pike Select shows the exact same similarities to the Lyrik Select.
Similar specifications with overlapping travel, again for the 140mm travel version.
- See Lyrik Select
- See Lyrik Select
Marzocchi Bomber Z2
The Marzocchi Bomber Z2 shares the same air spring as the Fox 34 Rhythm, which means you also get the same adjustable travel within a single front suspension, from 100mm up to 150 of travel.
Being able to use high-grade components from its mother company pays dividends, creating one of the best-performing forks in its price category for budget-minded people. The Marzocchi Bomber Z2 is one of the best examples where you can obtain a premium riding experience without paying top dollar simply because the fork doesn’t bear the name Fox or RockShox.
The FLOAT air spring sits in Fox’s top-of-the-line XC and trail forks and can be found here as well. It supports installing volume spacers to reduce the size of the positive air chamber for increased progressiveness and bottoming out resistance. Since the volume spacers do nothing with the negative air chamber (used for the downward stroke), small bump sensitivity is minimally impacted.
The Rail damper is where the biggest difference sits. It’s a semi open-bath construction, which means the containing cartridge is removed and the internals are sitting in the shaft of the stanchion, which reduces complexity and costs. It arguably is a design that needs less maintenance as well, because of the larger volume to hold oil and the lack of a bladder, which is a delicate part of the damper. An increase in weight is the downside.
Whatever the design, the heavy Z2 does smooth out the trail as none of its competition does, reducing trail chatter to an absolute minimum. And the easy adjustability of both external damper and air spring, as well as the ability to reduce air volume enables you to finetune the entire length of travel to your specific setup, just as you would with any of the most expensive forks out there.
And they come in a glossy red finish as well, what more could you ask for?
- Remarkable trail fork offering the best value-for-money for a mid-tier suspension fork. Highly adjustable with Fox premium internals to smooth out any trail.
- None for its pricepoint
DVO Diamond D1
The DVO Diamond D1 is a rare beast on the trail. It’s easier to spot a Lefty than someone riding DVO suspension. That’s a shame, because the front suspension with 35mm stanchions is well-suited for the more tech-oriented DIY tuners.
Though not as well-suited to deal with true enduro and downhill riding, more flowy trails with the occasional rough stuff thrown in between is no problem at all for the fork, which comes with 140 to 170mm of travel, depending on your wheel size.
The air spring side features a negative spring you can preload to set for small-bump sensitivity using an allen key. Since it works besides support for mid- and end stroke, it’s a very easy way to get a very plush feel for the initial part of the travel. At a certain point in your travel it opens up for mid-stroke support you control with your standard air pressure. It’s an intuitive design that’s fun and easy to tinker with, and to create a pretty distinctive setup which’ll suit your trail riding characteristics.
Where the Manitou Mezzer Pro has external mid-stroke adjustability with the IRT volume adjuster, the DVO Diamond D1 focuses more on the initial part of the travel. Which makes sense since this fork sits more squarely into trail riding territory.
- Trail fork for DIY tuners. Excellent small-bump sensitivity
- Unable to beat Fox and RockShox when the going get's tough.
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 Factory
Though they might have very similar looks and even share the same name the Fox 34 Factory is still a very different fork than the Fox 34 Step-Cast Factory.
The latter fork is very XC-oriented, with a focus on weight reduction (Step-Cast), tire clearance in line with the popular 2.25 width of cross country tires, up to 120mm of travel, and a FIT4 damper with optional lockout for climbing and sprinting.
The Fox 34 Factory sits much more squarely into trail territory by moving the max travel to 140mm and offering the highly adjustable GRIP2 damper, which has both high- an low speed compression adjustment (instead of only low speed). The option to dial in your compression adjustment for both high- and low speed starts to make more sense if there’s more travel to work with, hence you don’t see this damper on XC forks.
With the GRIP2 damper the Fox 34 is the first four-way adjustable front suspension in their lineup. Besides a little weight penalty over the FIT4 damper, and the fact its a bladder-less cartridge damper that holds more oil, by far the biggest difference between the two dampers is the amount of adjustability. The GRIP2 goes all-out in this respect with a 16-click dial for low-speed compression adjustment, within a 9-click dial for high-speed compression adjustment.
That immediately showcases the target audiences for this fork, since both damper options are available with the Fox 34 Factory. The 3-position lever to quickly configure your compression is incredibly easy to setup for every rider out there, and is still a fantastic option for this fork. The GRIP2 damper is the better option for quickly traversing rough terrain, and is the core reason why it makes its appearance on a trail fork.
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.
I’ve already meantioned this is a much more trail-worthy partner than the Step-Cast. Besides the different damper, the Fox 34 Factory has a max tire clearance of 2.6 inches, which covers the entire range of trail tires and probably enduro as well. The orange version only comes with 140mm of travel, while the black one is also available in a downcountry-ish 130mm.
- Same name as the Step-Cast, very different but excellent fork for short-travel trail riding
- Max travel of 140mm
Fox 34 Performance
As far as entry-level goes with Fox the Fox 34 Performance is the most affordable option with 34mm stanchions, coming with 140mm of travel and the GRIP damper.
This damper further simplifies the setup. The GRIP damper is a compression-damping technology that offers 3 on-the-fly settings equating Open (no damping), and Firm damping configurations with infinite adjustment in between 3 detents. The settings can be configured with a single dial.
Furthermore it 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.
With 3 settings including dedents in between, there’s still a ton of low-speed compression adjustment this fork offers. And you might argue that, for obvious reasons, a well configured GRIP2 damper improves support and stability for your mid-stroke and your big hits.
But that’s emphasizing the willingness and ability to configure your damper correctly. This much more straightforward approach to front suspension adjustability will probably suit more riders.
- Meant for the majority of riders who want a hassle-free Fox front suspension for short-travel trail bikes
- GRIP damper lacks sophistication in mid-stroke and tail-end of the travel when compared to the GRIP2
Fox 36 Factory
Probably every “best of” list concerning trail suspension has this one on its list, which is the Fox 36 Factory. And with a travel sitting in between 150 and 160mm for the black version, and 160mm for the glossy orange one, it has trail ridding written all over it.
Max rotors of 230mm, tire clearance up to 2.8 inch, and the GRIP2 option for both 29 and 27.5 wheels, means you get all the adjustment you’re ever going to need to shred basically any kind of trail. And depending on your bike and weight, this fork can also be used for more enduro-style adventuring.
Just as the Fox 34 Factory, this one with 36mm stanchions still offers the FIT4 damper as well. The FIT4 is the top-of-the-line damper for Fox’s XC lineup, so one is not really better than the other. The difference resides in its usage, and where adjustability of high-speed compression starts to make more sense.
A 160mm travel trail bike can definitely be used on hard-hitting terrain where you want to maximise your control and finetune the mid- and end stroke of your compression. It’s not to say that you can only do that with the GRIP2 damper, you can just do it in a more fine-grained way.
But you not only have the damper side to contend with, there’s also the FLOAT EVOL air spring with independently adjustable positive and negative air chambers. And on top of that, you can change the volume of the air chamber with volume spacers to change the linearity of the spring curve. Or rather, in layman’s terms, how fast the fork will stiffen when going through its travel. The less air volume the quicker it stiffens.
I guess all I’m trying to say here is that you can write an encyclopedia about the amount of adjustability you can tinker with the top-end version of this fork. It’s just mind-boggling. So to end this little review, that’s both its strength and maybe its downside.
The Factory version of the 36 is nothing short of absolutely awesome. It’s one of the very best trail forks ever made, and you can play with the configuration to your heart’s content. The specifications besides the adjustability of the fork are outstanding and will support any configuration of trail bike. It’s up to you whether you want to go for the FIT4 versus the GRIP2.
- Gold standard for trail suspension
- Price. GRIP2 might be over-specced for the majority of riders.
Specifications suspension forks for light riders
Name | Price | Wheel size | Travel | Travel | Stanchion | Rake | Axle | Rotor size | Max tire width | Damper | Air spring | Steerer | Color | Buy at Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
RockShox SID SL Ultimate | 896 USD | 29″ | 100mm | 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 | 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 | 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 | 110mm, 120mm | 35mm tapered aluminum | 44mm | 15x110mm Maxle Stealth | 180-220mm | 2.6″ | Charger RL | DebonAir | 1.5T | matte black, gloss black | |
RockShox Judy Gold RL | 376 USD | 26″, 27.5″, 29″ | 80mm, 100mm, 120mm | 80mm, 100mm, 120mm | 30mm straight wall aluminum | 40mm (26″) 42mm, 51mm (27.5″) 46mm, 51mm (29″) | 15x110mm BOOST 9x100mm QR | 160-185mm 160-220mm | 2.3″, 2.4″, 2.8″ | Motion Control | Solo Air | 1.125S, 1.5T | gloss black, matte black | |
RockShox Recon Silver RL | 268 USD | 27.5″, 29″ | 100mm, 120mm, 130mm, 140mm, 150mm | 100mm, 120mm, 130mm, 140mm, 150mm | 32mm straight wall steel | 37mm, 42mm, 46mm (27.5″) 42mm, 46mm, 51mm (29″) | 15x100mm, 15x110mm BOOST 9x100mm QR | 160-220mm | 2.45″, 2.8″ | Motion Control | Solo Air | 1.125S, 1.5T | gloss black, matte black | |
RockShox Revelation RC | 537 USD | 27.5″, 29″ | 120mm, 130mm, 140mm, 150mm, 160mm | 120mm, 130mm, 140mm, 150mm, 160mm | 35mm tapered wall aluminum | 37mm, 46mm (27.5″) 42mm, 51mm (29″) | 15x110mm BOOST | 180-220mm | 2.8″ | Motion Control | DebonAir | 1.5T | gloss black, matte black | |
RockShox Lyrik Ultimate | 1107 USD | 27.5″, 29″ | 140mm, 150mm, 160mm | 140mm, 150mm, 160mm | 35mm tapered wall aluminum | 37mm, 44mm (27.5″) 44mm (29″) | 15x110mm Maxle Stealth | 180-220mm | 3.2″ | Charger 3 w. ButterCup | DebonAir+ w. ButterCup | 1.5T | gloss black, meadow green | |
RockShox Lyrik Select | 843 USD | 27.5″, 29″ | 140mm, 150mm, 160mm | 140mm, 150mm, 160mm | 35mm tapered wall aluminum | 37mm, 44mm (27.5″) 44mm (29″) | 15x110mm Maxle Stealth | 180-220mm | 3.2″ | Charger RC | DebonAir+ | 1.5T | gloss black, matte black | |
RockShox Pike Ultimate | 1054 USD | 27.5″, 29″ | 120mm, 130mm, 140mm | 120mm, 130mm, 140mm | 35mm tapered wall aluminum | 37mm, 44mm (27.5″) 44mm (29″) | 15x110mm Maxle Stealth | 180-220mm | 3.2″ | Charger 3 w. ButterCup | DebonAir+ w. ButterCup | 1.5T | gloss black, gloss silver | |
RockShox Pike Select | 790 USD | 27.5″, 29″ | 120mm, 130mm, 140mm | 120mm, 130mm, 140mm | 35mm tapered wall aluminum | 37mm, 44mm (27.5″) 44mm (29″) | 15x110mm Maxle Stealth | 180-220mm | 3.2″ | Charger RC | DebonAir+ | 1.5T | gloss black, matte black | |
Marzocchi Bomber Z2 | 519 USD | 27.5″, 29″ | 140mm, 150mm (27.5″) 100mm, 120mm, 130mm (29″) | 140mm, 150mm (27.5″) 100mm, 120mm, 130mm (29″) | 34mm | 44mm (27.5″) 44mm, 51mm (29″) | 15x110mm QR | RAIL | FLOAT | matte black | ||||
DVO Diamond D1 | 749.00 – 1024.00 USD | 27.5″, 29″ | 150-170mm (27.5″) 140-160mm (29″) | 150-170mm (27.5″) 140-160mm (29″) | 35mm tapered wall aluminum | 37mm, 44mm (27.5″) 44mm, 51mm (29″) | 15x110mm BOOST | 160mm | 3″ (27.5″) 2.5″ (29″) | D1 | black, blue, green | |||
Fox 32 Step-Cast Factory | 949 USD | 27.5″, 29″ | 100mm | 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 | 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 | 100mm | 32mm 7000 series aluminum | 44mm | 9x100mm QR | 160-180mm | 2.4″ | GRIP | FLOAT EVOL | 1.125S | matte black | |
Fox 34 Factory | 949 USD | 29″ | 140mm (orange) 130mm, 140mm (black) | 140mm (orange) 130mm, 140mm (black) | 34mm 7000 series aluminum w. Kashima coating | 44mm (orange) 44mm, 51mm (black) | 15x110mm (QR orange), 15x110mm (QR/Kabolt black) | 180-203mm | 2.6″ | GRIP2, FIT4 | FLOAT EVOL | 1.5T | gloss orange, gloss black | |
Fox 34 Performance | 749 USD | 29″ | 140mm | 140mm | 34mm 7000 series aluminum | 44mm | 15x110mm QR | 180-203mm | 2.6″ | GRIP | FLOAT EVOL | 1.5T | matte black | |
Fox 36 Factory | 1139 USD | 27.5″, 29″ | 160mm (orange) 150mm, 160mm (black) | 160mm (orange) 150mm, 160mm (black) | 36mm 7000 series aluminum w. Kashima coating | 44mm (orange) 37mm, 44mm, 51mm (black) | 15x110mm KaboltX | 180-230mm | 2.8″ | GRIP2, FIT4 | FLOAT EVOL | 1.5T | gloss orange, 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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