FOX Racing Shox

32 Talas 26" 140 CTD Kashima Fork

There's a reason why the air-sprung Float is starting to outnumber Fox Racing Shox's Van (coil) not just on the trail but at bike parks as well. That's because as technology permits, Fox's lighter air-forks are continually approaching the esteemed ride and reliability of wound steel, only in a much lighter package. The Talas line, however, (despite the undeniable advantage of adjustable travel) has suffered due to the more complicated spring. But, that's changing with the latest version fond here in this 32 Talas 26in 140 CTD Fork with Kashima.

You won't find much different visually with this Talas over the outgoing fork. It has the same magnesium castings, CNC'd adjustment knobs, and much-loved QR15 axle. That's because the latest improvement is within the travel-adjusting Talas system. By tweaking the bore and stroke of the Talas air-piston, displacement is now optimized to give these forks a much needed boost in the suppleness and responsiveness departments.

In fact, when this fork is in the 140mm, long-travel setting, it has a nearly identical spring curve as the Float. This ideal for the ride down, and excellent news to anyone who's complained about the Talas' lackadaisical action. However, the benefits of these changes don't stop here.

The spring rate in the 110mm, short-travel setting now ramps up significantly faster over the previous Talas' curve. Now, when you're climbing seated or standing, the fork will dive less into its travel, complete with reduced monkey motion. This will result in more efficient ascending, along with excellent line holding around tight switchbacks and over technical, up-hill terrain.

Some pretty big improvements, in an otherwise inconspicuous package. You will find Fox's updated CTD dampening with the simplified Climb, Trail, and Descend settings that help reduce the juggling of adjustments for better control and safety. Climb mode provides the most damping for a near locked-out feel. Meanwhile, it still provides a bit of cushion for any unexpected hard hits. Click the damper into the Trail mode, and you'll find that there's ample low-speed compression in order to keep the fork riding high in the travel through berms, jumps, and rocks. Better yet, it still provides plenty of compliance in order to smooth out the ride. Trail mode has three sub-settings that allow you to tune exactly how much feedback that you need from your suspension. And, as you may have guessed, Descend mode provides the lightest compression damping for a plush ride.

The Fox Racing Shox 34 Talas 26in 140 CTD with Kashima has a post mount front brake interface, and a 1.5-inch tapered steerer tube. It is only available with Black lowers, and it has the durable and smooth Kashima coating. Please note that this fork is only compatible with 15QR thru-axles.