As our bikes become more and more capable in general, component manufacturers are constantly tweaking their offerings to line up with the demands. Perhaps one of the most intriguing areas of the past few years is the short-travel segment, where weight and performance are often of equal importance in the eyes of the riders. Last week, FOX dropped the all-new 34 SL, a very light fork designed to run between 110 and 130 mm of travel and billed as the “ultimate XC fork”. Today, they introduce the next piece in this puzzle, the equally new 36 SL. Weighing in at just 1780 grams, it replaces the regular 34 and promises to usher in a new level of performance in the 140 mm travel bracket. Keep reading to learn more and get our first impressions straight from the trail (and don't miss our coverage of the updated, regular 36 which also dropped today).
FOX 36 SL Highlights
- Wheel size: 29”
- 44mm offset
- Axle: Kabolt SL
- Rotor Size: Direct Mount 180, up to 203 mm
- Steerer: 1.5” Tapered
- Optimized for trail riding and designed for 120-140mm travel
- Generatively optimized crown and arch provide 20% more torsional stiffness over the regular 34
- FLOAT Glidecore Compliant Air Spring – decouples the stanchion from the air shaft to maintain smooth travel even under bending loads from speed or rider weight
- 20mm additional bushing overlap compared to the 34
- GRIP X Damper – combines excellent descending performance with an easy-access firm mode for pedaling efficiency
- Inboard Bypass Channels – strategically relocated to reduce friction and optimize suspension feel
- Low-Profile Bleeders – redesigned with a grooved structure for easier pressure equalization
- Air Spring Top Cap – now compatible with a standard Shimano cassette tool for simple volume adjustments
- Refined Mudguard Mounting – mounted to the arch and seal flanges instead of bleeder ports for improved durability and aesthetics
- Weight: 1772g (29”, 140mm GRIP X, verified)
- 36 SL MSRP: $699-$1149 USD / $939-$1539 CAD / €939 - €1539 EUR / $1199-$1999 AUS
Initial Impressions
The trail rider’s dilemma: run a 34 mm stanchion fork to keep the weight down, or bump up to a 36 to increase the gnar-ability of the rig? Why can’t we have both? RockShox would say that a 35-mm Pike is the answer to all your prayers, but if you are more of a FOX rider you may feel like something was missing in the line-up. If we’re being honest, you can pretty much ride anything you want with a 34, but there is no denying that heavier or more aggressive riders may feel a bit under gunned at times with the smaller stanchions. Short-travel bike geometry has also evolved, and many of these bikes feature head-angles that would not look out of place on a full-blown enduro. FOX has listened, and they’ve made a pretty drastic change in their range as a result: the regular 34 is no more, replaced by the 36 SL.
The all-new 36 SL weighs in at 1772 grams (verified on our 140 mm Grip-X sample), which is a mere 30 or so grams more than the 34 it now replaces. To achieve this low weight in a 36-mm chassis, FOX used “generative design” principles to really sculpt the crown and the lowers and remove as much material as possible where they could. In terms of axle-to-crown height, the 36 SL is about 5 mms taller than the 34.
As a result, the 36 SL is impressively light, but it’s also limited to 140 mm of travel. And before you ask, no, you can’t just swap parts with the regular 36 – the internals are not cross-compatible between the 36 and the 36 SL. The "Glidecore Compliant" air spring is one-sided in the 36 SL, while it is dual-sided in the full-fat 36. Because the 36 SL maxes out at 140 mm of travel, FOX was able to look for weight savings in many different places, such as elimination of the pinch bolt construction, tapered wall thickness, and stanchion length. On the damper side, the 36 SL will be available aftermarket as Factory and Performance Elite with GripX dampers, and Performance with Grip (OE customers may request spec with Grip SL as well). The regular 36 will be available aftermarket as Factory and Performance Elite with both GripX and GripX2 dampers, and Performance with Grip. The GripX damper itself features the same tune in both the 36 SL and the regular 36.
To summarize your FOX choices:
- 120-130 mm of travel: you can go ultra-light with the 34 SL, or light and robust with the 36 SL
- 140 mm of travel: opt for either the 36 SL to keep things light, or the regular 36 for even more shredability and adjustability
- 150 mm of travel: regular 36
- 160 mm of travel: regular 36 or 38
- 170-180: 38
FOX has made a slew of other changes to the new fork as well. The 36 SL now features 20 mm more bushing overlap compared to the 34. The aforementioned air spring sports a floating design which decouples it from the stanchion, rendering it less sensitive to the fork bending under load. The Grip X damper has a firm, semi-lockout mode that can be found by twisting the high-speed compression dial to the fully closed position, making it relatively easy to access on the fly. The internal bypass channels (which serve to lubricate the upper bushings) have been moved to the inside of the fork where they are said to be less likely to cause friction as the fork twists and bends. There are pressure relief “bleeders” just like on the bigger forks, and the mudguard mounts have been improved – there are now 4 holes on the arch, instead of the previous system which mounted to the bleeder valves in a somewhat less aesthetic way. And lastly, the air spring top cap can now be removed with a standard Shimano cassette tool instead of the shallow socket (or flat wrench) required previously, making it easier to add or remove tokens.
On The Trail
To begin testing the 36 SL, we swapped out the 34 on our short-travel trail bike. Just picking up the new fork, you’re kind of taken aback by the perceived lack of weight. Sure, it weighs about 30 grams more than the outgoing 34, but because it’s so much burlier in the build, it subjectively FEELS lighter. Not a very scientific observation, but investing in our beloved bikes should make you feel something and this one sure does. Installing the fork was straightforward, the brake mounts were perfectly aligned and everything came together smoothly.
The first thing we noticed when rolling out with the 36 SL installed was the increased stiffness of the 36-mm chassis. The fork is significantly less prone to flexing than the 34 it replaced, which can be a good or sometimes a less good thing depending on how and where you ride. Overall, the bike feels more direct and responds with more authority to rider input. You can really feel the difference in steeper sections over braking bumps for example, where there is less fore-to-aft movement in the fork. In some situations, the fork also feels a bit less forgiving than the 34, like when putting the bike down to flat with the rear wheel landing first – in that scenario the flex of the 34 can help it take the sting out of those typically jarring "slaps" at times. The amount of stiction in the 36 SL is very low though, and it does seem like the floating air spring really frees the fork up to track the ground perfectly through rougher, more demanding sections (like an off-camber rock garden line for example).
The Grip X damper provides a wide range of adjustability, with well-defined clicks and smooth damping action. At recommended air spring settings the fork is a little bit stingy with travel (with one token in the air spring), and you may find yourself backing off a few psi to get it to where you want it if you’re riding mellower trails. When things get a bit more serious, the 36 SL really shines at factory-recommended settings - we got good results on rougher and faster trails with a little extra low-speed compression dialed in for support as well. Between the air spring tokens and the adjustments on offer in the damper we imagine most trail bike riders will be able to find their happy place with the stock fork.
What’s The Bottom Line?
The 36 SL is the direct result of riders wanting more from their short-travel trail bikes, to the point where FOX saw no need to keep the regular 34 in the line-up going forward. Now, instead of sizing up to the heavier, regular 36, riders requiring up to 140 mm of fork travel can opt for a lighter weight, 36-mm chassis and really get the best of both worlds. The 36 SL fits nicely into the range between the new 34 SL and the regular 36, and we think it will be a popular offering in this travel bracket going forward.
More information at: www.ridefox.com.
About The Reviewer
Johan Hjord - Age: 51 // Years Riding MTB: 19 // Weight: 190-pounds (87 kg) // Height: 6'0" (1.84m)
Johan loves bikes, which strangely doesn’t make him any better at riding them. After many years spent practicing falling off cliffs with his snowboard, he took up mountain biking in 2005. Ever since, he’s mostly been riding bikes with too much suspension travel to cover up his many flaws as a rider. His 200-pound body weight coupled with unique skill for poor line choice and clumsy landings make him an expert on durability - if parts survive Johan, they’re pretty much okay for anybody. Johan rides flat pedals with a riding style that he describes as "none" (when in actuality he rips!). Having found most trail features to be not to his liking, Johan uses much of his spare time building his own. Johan’s other accomplishments include surviving this far and helping keep the Vital Media Machine’s stoke dial firmly on 11.
Photos by Johan Hjord
View key specs for the new FOX 36 SL, compare with other forks, and review all forks from FOX in the Vital MTB Product section.
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3/24/2025 6:58am
View replies to: New Lightweight Trail Fork from FOX: 36 SL First Ride Impressions
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