Fox Announces The Kabolt.

Hard on the heels of RockShox’s announcement of a bunch of tweaks including the Maxle Stealth, Fox has joined the fray! It’s announced the Kabolt, which is an allen-key operated thru-axle for.. er.. Fox forks.

It seems that it’s been in the works for a while – Geoff Kabush asked for a lighter bolt-on axle back in the mists of time, and our Illustrious Editor tells tales of espying it on Mr Kabush’s bike a number of years ago. Fox has been supplying racers with them for several years, and now they’re making them available to you – yes, you, the adoring public. As long as you have Fox forks with 15QR axles, that is.

Here are the all-important bullet points:

15x100mm weight: 34.5g
100mm version is 40g lighter than our 15QR (54% weight savings)
Available in 15x100mm and 15x110mm widths
Compatible with all FOX 15QR forks
Installs with a 6mm hex
Black axles available in June; Orange axles available in August
MSRP: $45 USD

We’ll get hold of some UK prices as soon as we can.

Barney Marsh

Barney Marsh takes the word ‘career’ literally, veering wildly across the road of his life, as thoroughly in control as a goldfish on the dashboard of a motorhome. He’s been, with varying degrees of success, a scientist, teacher, shop assistant, binman and, for one memorable day, a hospital laundry worker. These days, he’s a dad, husband, guitarist, and writer, also with varying degrees of success. He sometimes takes photographs. Some of them are acceptable. Occasionally he rides bikes to cast the rest of his life into sharp relief. Or just to ride through puddles. Sometimes he writes about them. Bikes, not puddles. He is a writer of rongs, a stealer of souls and a polisher of turds. He isn’t nearly as clever or as funny as he thinks he is.

Comments (8)

mtbfixmtbfix April 8, 2015 at 4:59 pm

Reminds me of 1993 and fitting an ineffective QR in the name of weight savings.

robmorphetrobmorphet April 8, 2015 at 5:26 pm

Does the weight saving come from not having a fulcrum lever? As the weight is not spinning does it really matter?
Feels like excessive bling and any weight saved is made up in extra tools??? Or am I missing something?

mintimperialmintimperial April 8, 2015 at 7:39 pm

45 bucks for a big ally bolt? Jings…

DezBDezB April 8, 2015 at 11:27 pm

40g saving? I could save that for free by cutting my toenails.

UnklehomerUnklehomer April 9, 2015 at 8:47 am

Sooooo, it’s an improvement because I now must have a tool with me to take my wheel out?

Back words step surely… I’ll be sticking with maxles & similar of old I think.

ChippsChipps April 9, 2015 at 11:52 am

It originally came from Fox-sponsored rider, Geoff Kabush wanting to be able to swap wheels quickly in a race – so he got a bolt that fit in place of the QR and his mechanic in the pits had an electric drill with an Allen bit in it. I think that’s probably going to be where this gets used the most.

UnklehomerUnklehomer April 9, 2015 at 11:56 am

Like in F1???

Ahhh it wasn’t like that when I was oh god no what’s happened to me???

mosmos April 9, 2015 at 9:24 pm

Belated April fools surely?