FOX Racing Shox

36 Float 27.5 160 3Pos-Adj FIT4 Boost Factory Fork

Charging into lines with rock solid control and the ability to soak up chunky rock gardens is critical when you're booking it into rowdy lines on race day, but FOX makes it a point to not forget about the climb back to the top with its Factory Series 36 Float 27.5 160 3Pos-Adj FIT4 Boost Fork that eats up rock gardens, and turns around with top notch small bump sensitivity to keep you comfortable when you're picking your way up technical switchbacks to the top. It borrows EVOL technology from FOX rear shocks, increasing the negative air spring volume to elevate sensitivity, easing into the top of the stroke to smooth out brake bumps and chattery trails.

Impressively stiff 36-millimeter stanchions work to deflect torsional forces from bucking you silly when you're smashing across rough sections of trail littered with boulders, roots, and sudden drop-offs. These stanchions benefit from a Kashima coating that reduces its friction, meaning you'll feel it's smoother and more sensitive, as well as more durable than the black anodized stanchions you'll find on FOX's cheaper forks.

The Fit4 damper uses a slightly revised tune with a reconfigured shim stack making it all the more sensitive to small variances in terrain, as well as small bumps along the trail. Another benefit of this reconfiguration, it's easier to swap volume spacers for added progressiveness, as FOX removed a previous seal. This is especially welcome for downhill runs and park laps where extra progressiveness is needed to prevent it from bottoming out or feeling overly harsh.

This particular version of the 36 Float has a Fit4 damper with 3-position adjustment, giving you the ability to switch between its Open, Medium, and Firm settings. In Open mode, you'll find 22 clicks of low-speed compression tuning, which is great for dialing in its feel to your exact preferences. Medium gives you added efficiency on smoother trails and long climbs by lessening excess bobbing motion. Firm acts as a practical lock-out when you're pedaling up fire roads or slogging along the road back to the trail.