Fox Shox 36 Float Factory Kashima Fork

Description

The Fox Shox 36 Float Factory Kashima fork offers the best-of-the-best technology Fox has to offer. With all the hallmarks of a fork that has dominated world series events, the Fox 36 is the fork of choice for countless riders on podiums all across the world.

The 36 features all the innovations on the 2021 lineup such as the floating axle, lower leg channels, lower leg bleeders, redesigned arch, and variable valve control (VVC).  Seasoned dial twiddlers will want to opt for the ultimate tunability offered by the Grip 2 damper, but if you get bamboozled with your fork settings, then you'll love the 3 Way on-the-fly adjustment of the FIT4 damper. 

Who this for? The 36 is designed for hard-charging riders on long travel All Mountain and Enduro bikes. It likes steep, rough, technical trails and riding back to the top for more. The Grip 2 damper offers incredible potential for tuning and adjustment, enabling you to dial it in to perfection...or make an absolute dog's breakfast of it. You'll need to have a solid grasp of suspension tuning and be willing to put in the effort to do some dedicated bracket testing to get the most out of the Grip 2 damper. 

If you just want your fork to feel great with a minimum of fuss, go for the FIT4 damper.

Spring type: This fork features the EVOL air spring which uses a larger negative air volume to create a linear spring curve that delivers plushness off the top, extra mid-stroke support and a more tunable bottom out. 

Wheel size compatibility: Available in 27.5" and 29" options.

Fork offset: The 36 is available in different fork offsets to suit the geometry of the bike it's being installed on. Available options are dependent on the colour chosen.

• Gloss Black: 37, 44, 51mm
• Gloss Orange: 44mm
• Root Beer: 44mm

Suspension travel amount: Available options are dependent on the colour chosen.

• Gloss Black: 150, 160mm
• Gloss Orange: 160mm
• Root Beer: 160mm

Compression damper style technologies/adjustments: The Fox 36 is available with either the Grip 2 or the FIT4 damper.

Grip 2: Updated for 2021 the Grip 2 damper now features variable valve control (VVC) in the compression circuit, offering adjustable high and low-speed compression damping and more potential for tuning internally.  

• High-speed compression: (with VVC): 8 clicks
• Low-speed compression: 16 clicks

Rebound damper technologies/adjustments: The Grip 2 damper also features VVC in the rebound circuit, offering adjustable high and low-speed rebound and more potential for tuning internally.

• High-speed rebound: (with VVC): 8 clicks
• Low-speed rebound: 16 clicks

FIT4: Now in its fourth generation, the FIT4 damper offers three on the fly compression damping options. Choose from Open, Medium, or Firm to quickly adapt the fork to the trail conditions. 

Factory series forks also feature 22 clicks of low-speed compression adjustment in the Open mode, allowing riders to dial in their exact preference. 

• On-the-fly compression damping options: Open, Medium, Firm. 
• Low-speed compression Open mode adjustment (Factory series only): 22 clicks
• Low-speed rebound adjustment: 10 clicks

Travel adjustability: There are no external controls to adjust the length of travel but you can do this internally by installing a different length air shaft (available separately).  

Volume Adjustment: Mid-stroke support and bottom-out resistance can be tuned via internal volume spacers. The number of factory-installed spacers and the max number of spacers will vary according to the length of travel.

Factory Installed Spacers:

• 150mm: 2
• 160mm: 1

Max Volume Spacers:

• 150mm: 7
• 160mm: 6

Stanchion diameter: As the name may suggest, this fork has 36mm stanchions.

Axle size and style: The 36 is available in 110x15mm thru-axle with either a quick-release lever or a Kabolt-X single-sided pinch bolt design. The fork features a floating axle to create a perfect chassis alignment and eliminate unwanted friction between the uppers and lowers throughout the entire length of travel. This system sets the spacing via an adjustable floating sleeve on the axle, allowing repeated front wheel removal while maintaining perfect alignment.

Steerer tube standard: The 36 features a steerer with a standard 1.5 - 1 1⁄8" external taper. 

Lower Leg Arch: Just like the new 38 and 40, the 36 features an all-new lower leg arch that has been designed to pair perfectly with modern long-travel frames with larger head tube designs and shorter fork offsets. The new design juts forward slightly to provide ample head tube clearance at full compression.

Brake mount style: This fork has 180mm post mounts allowing you to mount a 180mm rotor to the fork directly without the need for an adaptor. 203mm and larger rotors will require the appropriate adaptor.

Brake rotor compatibility: 

• Minimum rotor size: 180mm
• Maximum rotor size: 230mm

Other Technology:

Lower Leg Channels: Specially designed channels in the lower legs minimise the effects of unintended pressure ramping by increasing the air volume and allowing for the splash oil to be circulated within the fork to lubricate the foam rings and bushings as the fork moves throughout its travel.

Bleeders: Bleeders on the rear of the fork allow for the air pressure in the lower legs (not the air spring) to be equalized to the atmospheric pressure at your riding location. This prevents any unwanted pressure build-up from diminishing small bump sensitivity or preventing full travel from being achieved.

2020 SPECIFICATIONS

• FIT GRIP2 damper with 4-way high and low-speed compression and rebound damping.
• Gloss Orange paint option.
• Max travel options: 180 mm (27.5") / 170 mm (29").
• Air Spring: FLOAT EVOL.
• Travel: 160mm / 170mm / 180mm
• Damper Options: GRIP2 FIT HSC / LSC.
• Upper Tube Finish: Kashima Coating.
• Steerer: 1.5 Taper.
• Weight: 1.95 Kg.
• Colour: Matte Black / Gloss Orange
• 27.5" with 37mm offset and 29" with 44mm offset options.

Pros: The ultimate in stiffness and performance in a single crown fork. All the bells and whistles in a package that can be pedalled back to the top of the hill multiple times. 

Cons: This is a gravity focussed fork and is quite big and heavy compared to some other All Mountain forks with smaller stanchions.