2011 Fox Racing Shox

OK, first off, this is only a quick story just to get you the bare bones of the stuff first. We’ll follow up with the pukka PR photos and descriptions once we get the magic CD of images. This’ll give you a quick overview first though and a chance to get salivating…

Some of the 2011 Fox Racing Shox lineup.

The new stuff in brief:

The Terralogic is back! The ‘senses the bumps for you and locks the fork out on the smooth stuff’ fork has been redesigned and reworked. It now comes in the F-Series and TALAS 32 series as well as the TALAS29 and the F29 fork.

The Fox 36 has been redesigned. It now comes in 160 and 180mm travel with the 180mm version having a completely new chassis (identifiable by the lowers that extend below the dropouts). The FIT cartridge system now comes in the 36 160 (RLC) and in the 36 180- and the Fox40 (RC2).

The TALAS system is now going to be a two-length affair for all forks. So a fork that was 160/130/100 will now be 160/120. A 150 fork will now be 150/120. This is because the extra low position seemed to be too steep for many bikes – and the fork was too compromised with three positions. Now with just two positions available, the engineers can make sure it works as a decent fork in both travel lengths.

There’s a Vanilla VanRC Rear shock coming out. With rebound and low speed compression adjustment it’s aimed to give a pro level shock for less cash.

29er forks will now come in just about every flavour that 26in forks come in. TALAS, F29, Terralogic, Thru-axle 15mm and tapered steerers…

15QR forks now have a new forged lever and forged axle, saving 21g.

The new, gold coloured Kashima (which is a form of anodising where Teflon is impregnated into (and below) the surface of the fork stanchion, will be making an appearance on all new high end fox forks.

The Fox 831 4X and dirt jump fork will no longer be special edition and will be available to all.

How’s that for starters?

Girl. Guides! How'd you fancy having these hunks showing you round your fork testing loop? Fox riders Cam McCaul and Mark Weir.

This new Fox 36 Float 180 has all the toys: New graphics, new upsidedown FIT damper (the rebound control is at the bottom now), extended lowers, two compression dials up top and Kashima coating. Weight? An impressive 2.37 - 2.73kg

New graphics. OEM forks get a less flashy version to match bikes better (and make it easier to spot grey-market forks)

Those extended lowers on the new 36-180

The new Float 32 with Kashima coating, new graphics, lighter 15mm axle. Ignore the steerer plug, that's just for a display stand...

That'll be a 36TALAS then. Now 160/130mm (New 36s are 2.04-2.37kg) Only the axle and QR levers remain from the previous 36 parts. The rest has been redesigned.

Chipps Chippendale

Singletrackworld's Editor At Large

With 23 years as Editor of Singletrack World Magazine, Chipps is the longest-running mountain bike magazine editor in the world. He started in the bike trade in 1990 and became a full time mountain bike journalist at the start of 1994. Over the last 30 years as a bike writer and photographer, he has seen mountain bike culture flourish, strengthen and diversify and bike technology go from rigid steel frames to fully suspended carbon fibre (and sometimes back to rigid steel as well.)

Comments (2)

votchyvotchy April 15, 2010 at 7:27 am

So the 2 Fox riders are running 2010 forks with the original stanchion coatings and not 2011 rusty looking ones, faux pas perhaps….Personally do not like the colour of the stanchions on the new stuff.

slowriderslowrider April 15, 2010 at 7:48 am

the new 180 36’s look like a lot of fun, front end of an uzzi perhaps?

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