FOX Racing Shox

36 Float 29 150 HSC/LSC FIT Fork (51mm Rake) - 2016

While the whole boatload of benefits that FOX Racing Shox sank into the latest 36 Float 29 150 HSC/LSC FIT Fork are all present in the 51mm Rake model, that axle offset is what sets this fork apart from the rest of the Float fleet. A fork with 51mm of rake decreases the bike's trail, which results in less "dead" space between the steering axis and the hub. The design is an attempt to offset the floppy, low-speed steering issues that arise from the longer trails produced by today's taller wheels and slack geometries, so handling stays 26er-sharp at all speeds, whether climbing, ripping, or cleaning switchbacks and tricky terrain.

Compared to the prior model, the new 36 Float's crown and lowers were redesigned to be both lighter, lower, and stiffer, resulting in a shorter axle-to-crown measurements across the board, so that the decreased trail is the only alteration of the bike's front-end geometry. The stiffness boost makes slugging up climbs that much easier and, more importantly, keeps tracking on point while cleaning lines. The fork also gets a newly formulated, higher-viscosity proprietary fork oil, which makes for more responsive rebound during consecutive hits.

The new Float air spring also enjoys significant revision, with FOX seeing off the old negative coil spring in favor a dual-chamber air spring. This neat trick of metal-to-air alchemy may be the single biggest contributor to the fork's weight loss, and when it's paired with the reduced number of smoother seals, it means the fork requires less force to initiate travel. The quick initiation can be offset by volume spacers to make the fork ramp-up harder, and the other leg's HSC/LSC FIT damper lets you tune the fork's behavior for big hits, slow inputs, and everything in between.