Call them what you will but the new breed of downcountry/all-mountain/trail bikes are a hell of a lot more capable than their XC race looks might suggest. With this in mind, Fox has borrowed a few updates first seen in last year’s 36 and 38 and trickled them down to their trail-friendly platform.
What’s new on the 2022 Fox 34 Grip 2?
Last year Fox introduced the new Fox 38 and an updated Fox 36 both of which shared a few upgrades to make them smoother, faster and more compatible when used with modern bikes/ebikes. One such update which has made its way to the new 2022 Fox 34 is the new fork arch featuring a round design and sitting further forward to avoid contact with the headtube of certain bikes at full compression. The update gives the 34 a more robust and tougher trail look too, but according to Fox it’s only slightly stiffer in some planes than the previous generation fork.
While that new arch design doesn’t add much to the overall stiffness of the 2022 Fox 34, it does have an impressive effect on the weight to stiffness ratio and has helped Fob lob 50g off the complete package.
Another update first found on the 36 and 38 and now on the 2022 Fox 34 are the lower leg bypass channels though without the on trail bleed nipples found on the larger forks. Fox says air channels ensure the 2022 Fox 34 can consistently achieve full travel. On some forks, changes in the air pressure as the fork compresses can have an unintended consequence of preventing full travel, but these air channels bypass the issue. An added benefit of the air channels is improved lubrication as oil can freely circulate through the fork providing the foam ring and bushings with a constant flow of oil. Internally, the volume of the negative air-spring has been increased for enhanced sensitivity.
The last change to the 2022 Fox 34 has been made to the steerer crown. The new crown is a slightly larger design, a change made simply to improve the aesthetic of the fork when fitted to a modern trail bike.
Other points of interest include the standard QR axle rather than the floating design found on the Fox 36 and 38 and the lack of air bleed nipples on the side of the legs. These have been omitted on the 2022 Fox 34 to keep the weight to a minimum.
But let’s address the elephant in the room. If you were hoping to pick up a set of the new 34 for your trail bike but runs 27.5in wheels then you’re going to be a little disappointed. At launch, and currently, the MY22 Fox 34 is only available for 29in wheels.
2022 Fox 34 Grip 2 Settings and Adjustments
Riders familiar with Fox forks won’t run into any surprises with the new Fox 34. It’s still an air-sprung fork and it ships with a variety of volume spacers to tune the progression of the air spring. Riders looking for simpler settings or who perhaps want to save even more weight can opt for a Fit 4 damper, but we’ve been riding the Grip 2 damper. In our opinion, the Grip 2 is a much more capable damper and will suit riders looking to take their short travel ‘downcountry’ bikes on more technical trails.
The Grip 2 damper does add an extra level of complexity to the set-up of the fork, however, we find that Fox’s base settings, available on the rear of the shock and online, to be a good starting point, so don’t be put off by the extra dials.
Grip 2 offers riders adjustments to the VCC high and low-speed compression circuits, plus adjustments to high and low-speed rebound.
- High-speed compression – 8 clicks
- Low-speed compression – 16 clicks
- High-speed rebound – 8 clicks
- Low-speed rebound – 16 clicks
2022 Fox 34 Grip 2 on the trail
At 140mm travel, our Fox 34 Grip 2 is the longest travel 34 in the range. If you wanted more than that you would need to move to a Fox 36, but then you would also have to carry extra weight around with you. We used the base settings supplied by Fox and found that we were just a click or two away from perfection and had the new 34 feeling sorted with just a few runs.
Compared to the previous generation Fox 34 the MY22 model instantly felt smoother on the trail. It’s more reactive to changes in surface and feels closer to the 36 in terms of the ability to handle repetitive small to medium-sized hits. This plush new feeling means that the lighter 2022 Fox 34 actually absorbs hits more successfully, and whereas the previous fork would quickly twang and bounce from a fast and hard strike the new fork eats it up. Impressive for a fork that is said to only be slightly stiffer yet overall lighter!
Suspension settings are a mix of personal preference, your style of riding, the trails you ride and your weight (naturally). I tend to run more sag than most riders and actually don’t mind my fork sitting a little deeper, but other testers preferred to add a few volume spacers and add a few clicks of low-speed compression to keep the front end higher into its midstroke.
2022 Fox 34 Grip 2 Overall
I always like the previous Fox 34, but this new 34 raises the bar and is better in pretty much every aspect. The 2022 Fox 34 manages to handle more aggressive riding and quickly recover after serious rock garden action all while weighing less! Riders who once might have turned their noses up at the 34 might want to rethink because the MY22 Fox 34 performs just like a baby Fox 36 might!
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