29″er Fox Forks In Our Future?
November 19th, 2006 by Guitar TedThere are several sources telling us that Fox is in the process of designing and testing a new platform for a 29 inch wheeled specific front fork. This would probably be an ‘08 release at the soonest. The details of such a fork are still a mystery other than to say that it has been indicated to us that it will have a “29″er specific crown”, which we take it to mean that the offset will be greater than the typical 38mm found on 26″er forks.
This will be a highly anticipated fork for 29″er afficiandos and should have a wider appeal to those thinking about trying out a 29″er for the first time. Fox is a highly respected fork in the 26″er ranks and would be a welcome addition for those looking for a high quality front fork on a 29″er.
Along with Manitou’s expected release of a 29″er front fork, the ‘08 model year could be the “Year of the Fork” for 29″er freaks everywhere. Stay tuned for more updates as we recieve them.
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That is great news. How would you rate the current 29er suspension forks available? I am curious about folks input.
I am loving my Reba but a Fox would be a slice of heaven. Cannot wait!
Great news. The 29er I am ordering (Waltworks) will have a rigid fork (WB Rock Solid) but I figure I may eventually want some squish up front. If I can hold out long enough I can wait for the Fox to hit the streets and get some professional abuse before I cave in.
JudoLizard: I have ridden the two most popular choices (White Brothers IMV and the Reba from Rock Shox) You really can not go wrong with either one for general purpose XC/ trail riding. The new full suspension breed of 29″er is quickly taxing out the possibilities of the Reba, while White is busy evolutionizing their long travel forks for this very purpose.
White forks are a bit spendy, Rebas can be had pretty cheaply. Pick yer poison. If Fox and Manitou can up the ante, then we will really have true choice in the marketplace with Fox and White on the high end and Rock Shox and Manitou on the “lower” end, if you can say that.
I Have a Reba only because it came on my bike. I give it a 5 on the 1-10 scale. The lock-out doesn’t really seem to work very well. I’ve fooled around with the air levels and knobs to get it better but still not too impressed. It does hold its air & oil well. Its just an OK fork nothing more. More Forks could only be better for everyone.
Faaaaaantaaaassstic! I’ve got a Reba and its super-duper. However, my 26″ Float RLC is quite simply the finest fork I’ve ever ridden (disregarding the Fox’s crap lockout). I posted on MTBR about someone with the means to buy a Fox thru-axle, reduce the travel, cut out the crown (like Doug Bradbury), and reinforce a new crown with some carbon. Thanks for saving someone out there some money, Fox.
-Sean
Wow! a Fox Fork in 08′ and I heard of the possibility of a Specialized 29er in 08′ ….coincicdence? hmmmmmmmm
Similar comments to the rest of the group:
Rockshox: Like most Rockshox offerings; very versatile; kind of a maintenance hog.
White Brothers: Rock solid and simple but spendy.
Marzocchi: Technologically stagnant, but conistently reliable (their 29er forks were too flexy though)
Fox: I loved my Talas RLC that owned on my 26″ singlespeed. It was like mixing Marzocchi reliability, Rockshox versatility, and White Brothers design style.
My buddy just got himself a Vanilla 29er and is holding out on a suspension fork until Fox comes out. He e-mails Fox monthly and they’re always in denial. But that’s the way Fox always works: Deny the existence until the prototypes have been proven Fox-worthy and then drop the bombshell on the market and grab a nice meaty share. A 29er TALAS would be wicked-cool. Imagine an adjustable 80-120mm air 29er fork! Pop one on an Intense or Lenzsport….
Fox, make it happen. You’re being disengenuous by not being a player in the 29er market when you know you’d dominate. Disappointing.
From the insiders that I got drunk at Eurobike to obtain secret info, I understood Fox were committed before Specialized.
Someone mentioned the $ word to Fox and got them convinced.
I’ve been riding the Maverick SC32 for a while now and it’s proven to be a great fork. From what I’ve tried it’s the stiffest thing out there. The sc32 is just as light as any of the others but has more travel. Also the small bump sensitivity is better than the others although the reba has nice light action too.
I wouldn’t recommend it for light xc use, kind of like bringing a gun to a knife fight. But all around trail riding is where this fork will shine. Watch out for downtube clearance too. The controls on top of the right leg will hit most frames. This fork is not cheap, as with all things you get what you pay for (jenson branded f/s wtf?). Your best bang for the buck is the reba.
I agree the fox run really smooth but I would never buy one. They’re too heavy, the company blows to deal with and they’re a pain to work on. Manitou has great customer service and will back up their product but history tells us bad things about their forks’ reliability.
harold: Thanks for your reply! I think that the Maverick forks get a mixed bag for reviews and it’s hard to draw a consensus opinion from what you read on the web. I guess I’ll have to give one a try sometime to see if what you are saying works out for me.
Fox is a company and as such, they are not going to make everyone happy. That said, there is going to be a huge interest in the 29″er fork once it hits the market. I suspect they will sell alot of them.
Answer Manitou’s suspension business was just recently bought out by the same company that runs Hayes brakes, so I would look for some minor improvements in their line up for the future in regards to reliability.
Here’s a different spin from across the pond - Pace RC29’s in either 80mm or 100mm travel versions? Alternatively, try some rare-as-rocking-horse-shit USE SUB 29ers. Enjoy more of the UK’s finest engineering……..
Ummm, does that mean that somebody who’s ridden the pace suspension forks should write a review? My english isn’t so good but I recognize the fact that the UK produces some good products…or at least has some good stuff made by asian children too.
harold: Let’s keep the political views at bay here, okay? As far as writing a review of a Pace suspender, I think that we here at Twenty Nine Inches would love to do that, but as Chameleon says about the USE Sub, they are still pretty scarce this side of the Atlantic. Time will tell…..
That said, all the 26″er reviews on Pace that I have read are a mixed bag, so no real consensus on the product.
Add to that the high price for entry and you can see that the fork, while it might be stellar, isn’t going to be real common on the front ends of 29″ers…….yet! I guess DT-Swiss is buying Pace out, so that may change, although I wouldn’t look for a cheaper Pace in the future. Quite the opposite, really.