Fox 34 Float Factory GRIP2 review

This latest Fox 34 Float Factory GRIP2 is all too easily overlooked, or taken for granted. There’s no big headline innovation or New Thing. The most significant updates are the chunkier crown and the redesigned round-profile arch.

• Price: £1,099
• Options: 130mm, 140mm, 27.5in, 29in, 44mm offset, 51mm offset
• Weight: 1,870g
• From: Silverfish UK

But the GRIP2 damper and the EVOL air spring are almost permanent works-in-progress for Fox – in a good way. Constantly being worked on and slightly improved each and every year.

Note, there is a lighter StepCast (cutaway lower leg) version of the 34 but it’s not available with the GRIP2 damper. And it really is the GRIP2 damper 34 that you want. The lower legs on the 34 have the two raised channels on the rear, which is where the lubricating oil can fly around in, keeping things free and easy moving in the bushing and foam ‘calamari’ ring zones.

There aren’t those air bleed push-button valves on the 34 (as found on the 36 and 38 forks) but – being honest – we’ve never had any air out of those valves when pressed, probably because we’re not descending for sustained enough periods.

One area where Fox really has things dialled is the air spring. Basically, it’s possible to tune the spring to how you want it without having to make any compromises. Out of the box setup is cushy and carpark-pleasing with no trace of fork suck-up reducing the amount of available travel you’ve paid good money for. And if you find you want a bit more support when actually riding out on the trails, you can slap in an extra couple of volume spacers and it’s sorted.

The spring is impressively supportive in the mid-stroke. Due to the soft feeling sag point, you expect the fork to pitch and dive about when cornering and stuff, but it doesn’t. It holds you up. The GRIP2 damper offers good levels of adjustment and feels like it matches the 34 better than ever before. Basically, it suits lighter and less aggressive riders. There’s the Fox 36 and 38 for harder and heavier riders after all.

Overall

If you don’t need the extra chassis stiffness of a 36 or 38 fork, we reckon the new Fox 34 Float Factory GRIP2 is the best feeling trail fork that the company has ever made.

Review Info

Ben Haworth

Orange Switch 6er. Stif Squatcher. Schwalbe Magic Mary Purple Addix front. Maxxis DHR II 3C MaxxTerra rear. Coil fan. Ebikes are not evil. I have been a writer for nigh on 20 years, a photographer for 25 years and a mountain biker for 30 years. I have written countless magazine and website features and route guides for the UK mountain bike press, most notably for the esteemed and highly regarded Singletrackworld. Although I am a Lancastrian, I freely admit that West Yorkshire is my favourite place to ride. Rarely a week goes by without me riding and exploring the South Pennines.

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