Lightweight, fast and fun. The air-sprung 2008 Fox 32 Float RL Fork is synonymous with high-performance. The 2008 Fox 32 Float RL Fork is the perfect fork for trail riders looking for the most adjustable, sophisticated damping you will find in a 5.5 inch fork. For 2008 Fox improved the damping on the already incredibly smooth Float. And while it's a featherweight, the chassis design boosts the legendary Fox steering precision and stiffness to weight ratio to another level. So, even though it may be the lightest kid on the block, the 2008 Fox 32 Float RLC Fork is one of the toughest, too.
Strengths: See my review (under name of Chris Lupton) when it was only 3 months old. Same opinion now, but adding RELIABILITY.
Weaknesses: Cost a lot to service. Some flex.
Bottom Line:
Most of my earlier review still stands.ie Plush, easy to set up, reliable. It's had two services in it's life and is getting due for it's third, but it has never let me down. I've only ever had one mountain bike & that gets year round regular use & abuse. Winter grinding paste mud is a speciality where I live & even that hasn'r destroyed the smoothness of the action. Having the stiffness of the superb Ventana frame now, I do notice some flex in the forks. I reckon it's a combination of needing new seals & comparing it with the new 15mm axle version which some of my riding buddies have. They've taken a helluva beating over the years though & are still standing.
Strengths: very plush,smooth, well finished, does everything it should.
Weaknesses: small amount of twang/flex with stock QR but thats gone after fitting dt-swiss rws QR
Bottom Line:
these came fitted to my giant reign and have been happy with them but fitment of the dt-swiss rws transformed them, much more stable and direct with no noticable flex ect, other than that no probs at all, always has full travel, never looses pressure, lockout locks them solid.
Submitted by
sammyk
a Cross Country Rider
from Los Angeles, CA
Date Reviewed: November 5, 2008
Strengths: Simple set up, buttery smooth, and lightweight.
Weaknesses: None for the money. Got what I expected from a Fox fork.
Bottom Line:
Got it for what I thought was a fair price on Ebay and the fork is solid. The RLC would of been nice but the price difference is what made the decision for me. The fork is stiff, smooth, light, and great out on the trails.
Similar Products Used: Rockshox Revelation U-turn and Rockshox Duke Race.
Bike Setup: 2008 Yeti 575 carbon race with RP23 shock.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
DavidNeiles
a Cross Country Rider
from Chattanooga, TN
Date Reviewed: September 17, 2008
Strengths: Light weight and easy to set up. Smooth as butter and stiff responsive handling. spring rate is very good.
Weaknesses: No compression adjust but seems to work well with my weight,I have had some problems when i take off my front wheel and put it back on; the disc brake seem to rub and not be aligned. I have noticed some flex in the lowers(twist a hair when the qr is tighted up). not sure if it is hayes' problem or my fork is the problem. Never had the problem before on all other forks!!
Bottom Line:
Great fork, easy set up and forget about it, If you want to fine tune your stuff better then get a freakin rlc or talus. I plan to put a new 09 talus 32 qr15 soon. 4 chili's for my minor brake rubbing. I do want to get better compression settings because I love to dial it in perfect for any terrain.
Weaknesses: Rebound adjust does not have a wide enough range.
Bottom Line:
Came as standard on the Meta. Handles XC & downhill Welsh trails absolutely superbly. For versatility, I would like the travel adjustment of the Fox TALAS system. When climbing very steep stuff, the front end tends to skip: dropping it to 120 or even 100mm would be handy for those long painful climbs. Problem is that some reviewers of the equivalent 32 TALAS fork complain of dodgy travel adjust system. Maybe keeping it simple is the best option overall. Bottom line is that my only complaint is to do with the geometry of the bike & the simplicity of the fork! Buy it if you like fit & forget parts & you do XC to AM & trail centre type riding. I weigh 220lb kitted up & ride hard & I don't feel the need for the extra stiffness of a bolt through axle. Biggest jumps I do are 3 feet or so. If you're a freerider/ DHer get the Fox 36 or 40, otherwise these'll do just fine.
Similar Products Used: rockshox revalation(crap) o5 Rockshox PIKE (very good)
Bike Setup: giant reign 1 2007
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Andrew
a Weekend Warrior
from Rocky Mountains
Date Reviewed: March 27, 2008
Strengths: It's light, it feels stiff for a QR fork, it gets full travel, it's pretty plush. I don't think I have bottomed it yet, but within the final 5mm of travel.
Weaknesses: Set up for proper sag, spring rate is too soft, so I run it with just a bit of sag and the spring rate is correct. I would rather have this problem than not getting full travel, though.
Bottom Line:
Most importantly, maintenance free for 6 months. It held it's air pressure sitting around for the snow to melt. No mechanical issues whatsoever, no runs, no drips, no errors.
Pretty plush, reasonably stiff, and reliable. Boring, though. No travel adjust and no compression damping. A set and forget fork, set the air pressure and rebound and ride. I rarely use the lockout, only on pavement.
I give it 4 chili's overall, but just a 3 for value. It works fine, but didn't blow me away. Fox and value don't go together very well.
I'm looking to replace my Fox Float 32rl for a stiffer fork with 20mm axle. Is the RS Pike 454 air u-turn gonna fit that bill or do I need to look somewhere else. I've read all the Read More »
