First Look: Fox 34 Step-Cast

Two years ago Fox released the 32 step-cast cross country race fork. At the time it seemed wild to just shave away material that was thought to be integral to the forks lowers. However, since then riders have come to know and trust the step-cast design. The 32 SC has appeared on top pro’s bikes racing at the highest levels with no issues. This spring Fox took another step forward and introduced the step-cast technology on the 34 model.

The original Fox 34 fork has a travel range starting at 120 mm and going up to 150 mm, with maximum travel varying depending on wheel size. With it’s 34 mm stanchions the fork has a wide range of applications. The 34 is generally seen on trail bikes meant for tackling technical terrain, with some climbing involved. It strikes a good balance between the super-light Fox 32 SC meant for cross country racing and the Fox 36 aimed at fast downhill and technical enduro style riding. The original 34 is still available for those who have come to love it, but now Fox is offering up a 120 mm dedicated step-cast version of the mid-sized fork.

Straight out of the box the first thing to note is the 34 SC lowers lose material on the outside of the fork instead of the inside like the 32 SC. There also seems to be less material removed from the lowers when compared to the 32 SC. This makes sense since the 34 step-cast version is supposed to be just as stiff as it’s original 34 sibling. The 34 step-cast is only available with 120 mm of travel, and is aimed at aggressive cross country and trail style riding. Think BC Bike Race, a mountain bike stage race where racers want light equipment, but need it to thrive on challenging west coast trails. We are looking forward to finding the limits of the Fox 34 SC’s  capabilities when our tester tackles the 7-day Quebec Singletrack Challenge, so stay tuned for a full review.

The cut out lowers still make room for Fox's Fit4 rebound adjust

Fox's Fit4 damper gives riders three compression damping settings - open/medium/firm - as well as a 22 click range of low-speed compression adjustment in the "open" setting

Fox 34 SC works with 29" or 27.5-plus

Fox's 34 SC has clearance for 29 x 2.6 tires, or 27 x 2.8

Fox has cut away material where it's not essential to keep the 34 SC with one foot in the cross country race scene

Being in Fox's Factory line means the 34 SC gets full Kashima coating

Fox 34 Step-Cast Features

• Entirely new Step-Cast chassis
• 3.5 lb/1.59 kg (27.5” version w/ Kabolt axle)
• Same claimed stiffness as 34 140 mm, but nearly 0.5 lbs/0.23 kg lighter
• 15% stiffer than a standard Fox 32 long travel and 0.3 lb / 0.14 kg lighter
• Fox Float EVOL air spring
• 120 mm max travel
• 27.5” chassis fits up to 2.8” tire, 29” chassis fits up to 2.6” tire
• Gloss orange or matte black paint options