FOX Ultimate Enduro Product Launch | Talas & Float X 2014
During the first round of the Enduro World Series Fox Racing Shox presented their new enduro racing specific product line-up in Punta Ala. We were there to ride and put the new Fox 34 Talas and Float X rear shock to the test. In this first article we will talk about the product’s features and theory before we give you our impressions we had under real life conditions on the “Enduro World Series” trails.
Fox 34 Talas 2014
For 2014 Fox made a complete redesign on their Talas series. The rider’s needs have changed with growing amount of enduro races. A comfortable and soft suspension isn’t the most important thing for lots of riders in trail riding. They want to go faster in technical sections as well as pedaling sections. A highly tunable and versatile, but easy to set up, suspension has become essencial for lots of riders. In a nutshell: They look for the fastest suspension. And “faster” usually comes along with “harder”. What does that mean then?
The 2014 FIT CTD damper now comes with an increased compression damping in all modes. That shall provide an improved performance for aggressive riding in Trail and Descend modes as well a more efficient (firmer) feeling for out-of-the-saddle sprints. Furthermore the “Trail Adjust” allows three additional clicks of adjustability in Trail mode (soft, medium, firm).
The new Talas system uses fewer seals than the previous design and offers lower dynamic and breakaway friction giving better traction (left image). The graphic shows perfectly that the air spring curve has changed completely providing a performance very similar to a coil spring in the first 2/3 of travel. At the end of the travel it ramps for bottom out support (left image).
As the air spring curve of the short travel mode is very similar to the long travel mode it is rideable in a wider variety of condition offering a similar feeling (right image).
Via clip-on travel range spacers you can adjust the total travel in 5mm increments. By removing the top cap the spacers can be installed easily within minutes.
Great news for riders that own an older Fox Talas: The new system is easily retrofitable into older fork models.
Fox now offers a new lever that is very easy to use on the trail.
Fox Float X rear shock
The all-new Float X rear shock is an all-mountain shock that evolved from and replaces the DHX Air. The Float X comes with more on-the-fly adjustments than the DHX Air making it easily tunable for a variety of conditions. Its reservoir design offers better performance over
FLOAT shock as the Dual valve design distributes damping loads and improves damping control. Furthermore the increased oil volume improves heat management for more consistent damping. The shock is optimized for 140-180mm travel bikes and compatible with CTD remote.
The new CTD damping system with Trail Adjust is available on the Float X.
So far the theory. Stay tuned for our riding impressions in the next article!
Check: www.ridefox.com
Words: Robin Schmitt Photos: Fox / Sebastian Schieck
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