Bridging the gap between the Fox 36 and the 40 is the all-new Fox 38 fork. This rebellious middle child is a hard-hitting, long-travel Enduro weapon with a super stout chassis. It's designed specifically for modern long-travel bikes and hard-charging down the steepest and roughest of trails.
The 38 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). Unique to the 38 is the elliptical steerer which further optimises stiffness to weight by placing more material only in the areas where it's needed. Of course, it also has 38mm stanchions to provide even more stiffness while still being nimble enough to be pedalled back to the top for another run.
Who this for? The 38 is designed for hard-charging riders on long travel Enduro bikes. Its forte is smashing through rocks and steep technical descents. This fork offers incredible potential for tuning and adjustment to enable 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 this fork.
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.
Compression damper style technologies/adjustments: The Fox 38 features the Grip 2 damper with the new variable valve control (VVC) offering adjustable high-speed and low-speed compression damping.
Rebound damper technologies/adjustments: The Fox 38 also features VVC in the rebound circuit and offers adjustable high-speed and low-speed rebound damping.
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:
Max Volume Spacers:
Stanchion diameter: As the name may suggest, this fork has 38mm stanchions.
Axle size and style: The 38 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 38 features a steerer with a standard 1.5 - 1 1⁄8" external taper. The internals of the steerer are machined to be thicker in places to provide optimised stiffness while removing excess material where it's not required, giving it an elliptical shape.
Lower Leg Arch: Just like the new 36 and 40, the 38 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:
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.
