Fox Unveils New All Mountain Fork and Shock

Fox is debuting their 2014 products: the new 34 TALAS CTD 160 fork and Float X rear shock, both of which the company claims offer superior performance in the demanding realms of enduro racing.

Author:
Vernon Felton
Apr 16, 2013

2013 is so yesteryear...which is odd when you consider that we have another eight months to go before 2013 actually expires and rolls over for 2014. Still, with Sea Otter rolling into Monterey in just a few days, we are being inundated with press releases touting the benefits of "next year's" product. It's a bit like celebrating Christmas on the 4th of July, but then again, cool, new stuff is still cool, new stuff, eh?

This time around Fox is the company debuting their 2014 products: the new 34 TALAS CTD 160 fork and Float X rear shock, both of which the company claims offer superior performance in the demanding realms of enduro racing.

The 34 TALAS fork features more low-speed compression damping support in each mode, which Fox claims gives the fork better efficiency and control. While I wouldn't have been the first person to demand a makeover of the 34's stroke, the current 34 Float 160 forks do exhibit a bit more brake dive when run in the wide-open "Descend" mode than is ideal. I've always compensated for that by running the fork in "Trail" mode on descents with the lightest compression damping setting engaged. Perhaps Fox was aiming to reduce that bit of brake dive. We'll see when we get our hands on one.

The new 34 TALAS CTD 160 fork also features a new hydraulic TALAS adjuster (which switches the travel from 160-millimeters of travel to 130). All 2014 TALAS fork swill use the new travel adjust system.

FOX FACTORY 34 TALAS CTD w/ Trail Adjust 160
*New TALAS travel adjuster
*160mm/130mm travel range
*3 on-the-fly settings with Climb/Trail/Descend
* Trail Adjust tuning range (0, 1, 2)
* Air spring pressure
* Rebound
* 15QR thru axle
* 26" and 27.5" wheel options
* 4.33 lbs. / 1,964 g (26")

The new Float X rear shock features increased oil volume and a dual-piston damping system produce that are said to give the shock an incredibly responsive ride while maintaining a consistent feel through rugged terrain.
The performance advantages of the FLOAT X's reservoir design make it ideal for aggressive all-mountain riding. According to Fox, the base valve on the reservoir gives the Climb, Trail and Descend modes a wide adjustment range to perfectly match trail conditions.

FOX FACTORY FLOAT X CTD w/ Trail Adjust
*New reservoir air shock platform
* 3 on-the-fly settings with Climb/Trail/Descend
* Trail Adjust tuning range (0, 1, 2)
* Air spring pressure
* Rebound
* Low friction hardware
* Remote option
* 0.8 lbs. / 365 g (8.5 x 2.5, no hardware)