Fox celebrates 50 with three new Grip X dampers and so much gold

Fox finally did it. To launch the new Grip X damper line, Fox finally took Kashima-coating to its logical conclusion with an all-gold fork.

No, the suspension giant didn’t actually coat a whole fork with its Kashima finish and there are no claims to any performance benefit. Instead, the all-gold treatment celebrates Fox’s 50th anniversary, as well as the Grip X launch. And yes, a very limited run of forks with gold lowers will be available to buy later in the year. 

For XC fans looking forward to Paris, Fox has a bold new take on an old design, making its 32SC fork its lightest cross country fork ever.

From XC to DH: Fox has a Grip X for every rider

This is a big release for Fox, covering everything from its XC and gravel 32 forks to the full-on gravity forks, Fox 40 and 38. Throughout the line, Fox relies on its 50 years of suspension experience to deliver quality design for every rider. There’s no electronics to distract, or drain batteries. Just tried and true mechanical design.

The line starts with the Grip SL, Fox’s lightest XC damper ever. It will hide inside 32 TC, 32SC and 34SC cross country race forks. The Grip X covers a range of trail and larger forks, from 34 and 36, with select OEM-only 38 forks also using the Grip X. The top-end Grip X2 will control damping for 36, 38 and 40 forks, with select OEM Fox 34’s getting the X2 as well.

Fox Grip X2

The gravity-focused Grip X2 focuses on maximizing control for riders. Fox lowers the pressure required to support the fork by moving from the Grip 2’s 20mm base valve to a 24mm base valve to give increased sensitivity. This supports a 23-count valve stack, adding an even wider range of clicks so riders have a more external adjustment available to tune the fork for their riding. All of this is designed to keep the fork sitting higher in its travel for better small-bump sensitivity. That means more control and more traction on trail.

The Grip X2 remains four-way adjustable. That means high and low-speed compression and high and low-speed rebound are all externally adjustable.

 

Fox Grip X

For the Grip X, Fox aims for a mix of control and tune-ability. The high-speed compression knob doubles as a “firm” mode switch, locking out the high and low-speed compression for climbing. Turn the knob fully clockwise until there is a more distinctive, final click for climbing. The twist the knob back to our HSC setting for the way back down. This is similar to the existing Grip damper, but with more definition outside the “firm” mode so you can more easily set the fork where you need to.

Fox shaves a hefty 120g of the prior Grip X2 damper with the new design, making it a lighter option for trail bikes. It is only 20g heavier than the Grip2 damper (for 160mm travel). The Grip X is three-way adjustable. There is external rebound control and high and low-speed compression knobs all easily accessible on the outside of the fork.

Fox Grip SL

With Paris on the horizon, and XC in general seeing a bit of a renaissance with ever-more capable bikes, Fox is creating a lightweight damper to match. The Grip SL replaces the brand’s Fit 4 damper, shaving 0ff 50 grams in the process (for a 100mm fork). That makes it Fox’s lightest damper yet. This is a short-travel specific version of the Grip damper, giving it the control necessary for increasingly demanding World Cup cross country and marathon race courses.

XC is all about maximizing efficiency and performance. The Grip SL uses a 3-position on-the-fly compression adjust, with remote available, for quick switches between firm, trail and open modes. This matches what Fox introduced with its Float and Float SL shocks last year. Fox adds a “smooth” blow-off valve so there’s less fatigue from hitting bigger bumps while locked out (or a less jarring mid-effort reminder that you forgot to unlock your fork).

The Fox Grip SL will hide inside the 32 TC gravel fork, 32 SC and 34 SC forks.

Fox 32 Step-Cast reverses the arch to cut weight

The Grip SL damper is the brains hiding inside Fox’s all-new 32 Step-Cast (32 SC) XC race fork. The fork is completely redesigned with a new take on the reverse arch design. Clocking in at under 1,300 grams, Fox claims this is the lightest fork available designed for XC Marathon racing.

It’s not just a neat look, though. Fox claims the reverse arch matrix and a refined crown lend a 40 per cent increase in stiffness over the 32 SC it replaces, while also cutting weight. With a very race-focused design, the 32 SC will be available in 100mm travel only. The 100mm travel limit also makes the 32 SC compatible with XC frames.  Interestingly, Fox still says the wider-stanctioned 34 SC is still its World Cup XC fork, not the new take on its 32-mm chassis.

Check out the full 2025 line of Fox forks with Grip X, Grip X2 and Grip SL dampers.