When you need to go really big, reach for the 38. Optimized for 160-180mm of travel and packing the same revolutionary feature set as the 36, the 38 redefines what you think a long travel single crown fork is capable of, and sets a new benchmark for confidence, performance, and durability. Welcome to the big time.
Floating axles might look similar to other axles, but in fact they offer a distinct performance advantage due to their unique ability to match the exact width of the fork’s wheel mounting surface precisely to the front hub flange spacing, thus creating perfect chassis alignment and eliminating unwanted friction between the upper and lower fork legs. Floating axles provide much smoother suspension movement throughout the entire range of the fork’s travel, notably improving sensitivity and overall ride quality.
The all-new 36 and 38 come equipped with a new quick-release lever operated patent-pending floating axle system, combining the benefit of a floating axle with the ease of a tool-free quick-release. With this system, spacing is locked in via a floating sleeve, allowing repeated front wheel removal and reinstallation while maintaining perfect fork alignment. Floating sleeve positioning comes preset from the factory so if you are unsure of how to operate the floating axle system or simply don’t want to bother with it, you can just install the front wheel and get on with your ride.
Available optionally is the new Kabolt-X, a lightweight bolt-on floating axle exclusively for the all-new 36 and 38 that not only shaves grams but also increases torsional stiffness via its sleeveless, single-sided pinch bolt design. Chassis alignment must be reset each time the front wheel is removed and reinstalled on both the Kabolt-X and 40 floating axles, but the end result is the same – perfect alignment and perfect performance.
As a fork compresses, the air volume within the lower legs decreases, increasing air pressure. The more the fork compresses, the more pressure increases. This effect can have the unintended consequence of preventing full travel from being achieved. Our lower leg channels help alleviate this issue by dramatically increasing air volume within the lower legs and thereby reducing the amount of additional unintended pressure ramping.
Another benefit of these channels is that lower leg bath oil is circulated to the upper reaches of the lower legs, continuously lubricating the foam rings and bushings as the fork compresses and extends through its travel.
Our lower leg bleeders allow for atmospheric pressure equalization at the simple press of a button. Pressure build-up in the lower legs dramatically decreases fork performance, preventing full travel from being achieved, and diminishing small bump sensitivity and responsiveness.
Stiffness-to-weight is the ultimate metric for bicycle design. Engineers invest countless hours poring over every ounce of material in an effort to optimize this critical ratio. Our all-new lower leg design pulls out all the stops, shaving every possible gram while making sure not to compromise stiffness or strength requirements of modern enduro and gravity style riding.
Modern frame designs and geometry trends require modern suspension design solutions. The arch design of the all-new 36, 38, and 40 is designed to pair perfectly with modern Enduro and Downhill bikes. Head tube profiles have grown larger and larger, and fork offsets shorter and shorter. Our new arch shape takes this need into account by jutting forward to provide ample headtube clearance at full compression. State-of-the-art computer modeling techniques helped us to create an organic lower leg shape that optimizes stiffness with the absolute minimal amount of material.
The 38’s elliptical steer tube is one of many ways we’ve further optimized stiffness-to-weight, placing more material only where it is needed, and eliminating every ounce of it where it’s not.
Our GRIP2 damper is the benchmark for unparalleled ride quality and ultra-precise adjustability. GRIP2 includes our patented Variable Valve Control (VVC) technology which allows for external fine-tuning of suspension performance. GRIP2 achieves with the twist of a knob what typically requires the time consuming and complicated task of completely disassembling and reassembling the fork.
| ADJUSTMENTS | |
|---|---|
| High-speed compression (w/VVC) | 8 clicks |
| Low-speed compression | 16 clicks |
| High-speed rebound (w/VVC) | 8 clicks |
| Low-speed rebound | 16 clicks |
EVOL technology increases negative air spring volume, optimizing small bump sensitivity. EVOL’s linear spring curve delivers plushness off the top, extra mid-stroke support, and more tunable bottom-out progression.
The benefits of EVOL are further enhanced by our new Lower Leg channels and Bleeders, which both function to reduce air pressure captured in the lower legs, allowing the EVOL air spring to operate freely without unintended interference.
Performance Elite forks retain the same adjustments, features, dampers, weight, and 7000 series aluminum upper tubes as Factory Series, but have black anodized stanchions instead of Genuine Kashima Coat.
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38 PERFORMANCE ELITE GRIP2 FORKS |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Tube Finish | Black Anodized | |||
| Air Channels | Yes | |||
| Bleeders | Yes | |||
| Floating Axle | Yes | |||
| Rotor Size | 180 direct Post Mount, Up to 230 compatible | |||
| Mud Guard Mount | Optional FOX 36/38 Mud Guard with sturdy 4-point direct-mount attachment | |||
| Air Spring | FLOAT EVOL | |||
| Steerer | 1.5 Taper - internally elliptical | |||
| Starting Weight | 2180 g | |||
