FOX Racing Shox

36 FLOAT E-Optimized Factory Grip X2 29in

What Our Gearhead® Experts Are Saying:

"The GRIP X2 is what separates this from anything else in the 36 lineup. High and low-speed compression act independently, so you can tune small-bump sensitivity without compromising behavior on square-edged hits — those two things are usually in direct conflict on a simpler damper. The Kashima coating is a functional choice as much as an aesthetic one: lower friction across a wider temperature range means more consistent performance from the first run to the last."

All-mountain forks have historically asked riders to accept a tradeoff: sensitivity or stiffness, small-bump compliance or high-speed stability. The FOX 36 FLOAT E-Optimized Factory Grip X2 29in was engineered to narrow that gap, pairing an e-optimized chassis with FOX's most sophisticated damper to produce a fork that performs at both ends of the capability spectrum without compromise.

The chassis starts with increased steering stiffness relative to the standard 36 — a deliberate engineering choice that reflects how both capable all-mountain riders and eMTB-assisted riders actually encounter trail forces. Higher cornering speeds, more sustained lateral loads through extended technical sections, and the additional momentum generated by motor assistance all place greater demands on front-end precision than a typical trail fork is designed to handle. The e-optimized 36 chassis absorbs those forces without deflecting, translating rider input into front wheel placement with accuracy that directly affects line selection and confidence on fast, loose terrain. The Kabolt-X 110 axle reinforces that rigidity at the dropout, eliminating the flex that undermines front-end feel on aggressive riding. At 44mm of rake on a 29-inch platform, the geometry sits in the range that balances straight-line stability with the turn-in response all-mountain riding demands.

The GRIP X2 damper provides four independent adjustments — high-speed compression, low-speed compression, high-speed rebound, and low-speed rebound — giving riders granular control over how the fork responds across the full range of trail input. Low-speed compression governs the fork's resistance to body-weight pedaling forces and moderate terrain; high-speed compression handles abrupt, large-amplitude hits like square-edged roots and rock faces. The same logic applies on the rebound side: low-speed rebound controls the rate of return from slower compressions, while high-speed rebound manages the fork's recovery from aggressive impacts where a slow return would leave the suspension packed down and unresponsive. FLOAT EVOL GlideCore provides the air spring, with a larger positive air volume that maintains sensitivity through the early stroke and progressive resistance through the final third of travel, resisting bottom-outs on significant impacts without compromising the suppleness that makes the fork effective on technical terrain.

The 36 FLOAT E-Optimized Factory Grip X2 29in is the correct choice for all-mountain riders who have hit the ceiling of what a simpler damper can offer, and for eMTB riders seeking a fork engineered around the specific performance demands of assisted riding rather than adapted from an acoustic platform.