The Fox 38 has become one of the go-to forks for enduro and aggressive all-mountain riding, and for 2027, it gets new updates that promise that this smooth operator is smoother than ever. Our intrepid reviewer Ty has even had a go on the Factory version already, so read on for his first ride impressions.
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Info and tech specs
We’ll start with the skinny from the press release before letting you know what we think of the all new Fox 38 so far…
It’s hard to believe that the Fox 38, as a platform, is already half a decade old. The original fork was released in April 2020, and since then, Fox has continually refined the burly 38mm platform.
For 2027, the Fox 38 takes some learnings and design tweaks from the Podium and the recently released Fox 40. Visually, the new 38 is just as burly as ever, featuring 38mm stanchions and a 15mm bolt-through axle, but take a close look at the arch design. You’ll see that it receives a similar regenerative design to what we saw on the latest 36 last year and the recent Fox 40 released earlier in the month. The arch is now a more organic, almost web-like design that features cutaways, or what we might call in the UK, mud traps.
In this case, the updated lower leg and arch design help to improve the overall feel of the fork. From a chassis compliance point of view, the new Fox 38 is 8.8% stiffer fore and aft under braking, but 6.8% less stiff in torsion. This is an important distinction, as we want a fork that doesn’t feel like a wet noodle when thrown into harsh environments, but on the other hand, we don’t want something so stiff that it generates harshness and fatigues the rider.
There are also some less obvious external changes. There are updated bleeders and bypass channels, the brake mount is suitable for 180–203mm discs, and there is now an ABS mount, hinting to the MTB community (or perhaps more likely the e-MTB community) that ABS is coming, like it or not.
It’s internally where most of the performance updates are hidden away, including a move to the Fox Grip X2 damper (or Grip X on more affordable versions), increased bushing overlap, and the move to a GlideCore air spring assembly.
The Grip X2 has already been well documented on other recent Fox fork launches and features an updated and redesigned mid-valve piston and shim stack with reshaped valves in the high-fidelity stack, promising small-bump compliance and suppleness while preserving support and not being harsh.
GlideCore, a feature we saw in the new Fox 40 and recent Fox forks, has made its way to the enduro market with the new 38. This is a vertically and horizontally compliant air spring and a new MCU bottom-out damper. The idea behind the design is to allow the air spring to move with forces that are applied to the fork chassis. So, for example, if a rider hits a fast, rough, off-camber section of trail, the forces applied to the fork don’t twist the air spring, which would cause it to bind and introduce friction to the system. So, in theory, the new Fox 38 should retain small-bump compliance and suppleness even in the most adverse trail conditions.
The final update, a learning from the Fox Podium, is an increase in bushing overlap from 120mm to 140mm, again with the goal of making this a smoother fork than ever.
The Fox 38 comes in the usual three flavours; Factory, Performance Elite and Performance, with 160, 170 and 180mm travel options. 29 and 27.5 options are available using a standard 15mm boost spacing, and you can get it in both the Grip X and Grip X2 damper variants. The claimed weight starts at 2200g. As for pricing, the top spec Factory will set you back £1,439 whilst the Performance Elite is a little cheaper at £1,299.
2027 Fox 38 fork: first ride
Words and images by Ty Rutherford
The 2027 Fox 38 Factory has received several incremental updates to polish an already excellent enduro based offering. A new air spring, revised damper and redesigned lowers all work together to provide the same mid-travel support with reduced harshness. These changes are noticeable out of the trails offering a smoother ride with less fatigue whilst remaining as composed as ever through the rough stuff.
The increased torsional compliance is a welcome feature allowing the front wheel to naturally deflect and better find grip on off-camber and flat corner situations. The 38 remains a hard-hitting, composed and supportive fork but with the new updates, it’s now a little friendlier.
Set-up and performance
Set-up is always key with suspension, and the first place to start is the sag. I achieved 20% sag with 100PSI, very similar to the other Fox forks. As a starting point I chose to leave the high speed and low speed compression open and used the classic car park bounces to set the rebound, again not far off fully open.
Out on the trails I’m happy to report the mid-travel support is still there but with less harshness than before. The Grip X2 damper has a wonderful way of not blowing through it’s travel keeping the fork propped up and ready for sequential hits such as a rock garden or braking bumps. This new fork has the same characteristics but with a softer edge to it offering slightly less ramping up alleviating some fatigue which could be felt on older 38s. The fork ships with one volume spacer fitted as standard, I removed this during the first ride to try and make the fork a little more linear with the hope of accessing the last of the travel a little more frequently and softening that support a little more. This did make a noticeable difference, softening repeated hits without sacrificing the mid-travel support.
As the fork bedded in, I dialled in some more high-speed rebound dampening settling on four clicks from open which gave a good balance between control in large compressions whilst remaining active on the trail.
The updated chassis is another noticeable improvement for the 38. The fore and aft rigidity is still very much present; it gives a burly feeling where the fork is unphased no matter what you point it at.
With the increased bushing overlap, there is less binding under braking through the rough stuff, which means the fork continues working smoothly without stiction. The braking grip in these situations is great thanks to the suppleness of the fork. 38mm stanchioned chassis are designed to be stiff, however I’ve always had issues with the front wheel deflecting off angled hits. The increased torsional compliance on the new 38 is noticeable allowing rock/root gardens and off-camber lines to be a little easy to stick with a little less unwanted feedback through the bars.
2027 Fox 38 Factory: our first ride verdict
The 2027 Fox 38 Factory builds on an already excellent fork with incremental improvements which make it a little more friendly to use. The excellent mid-travel support is still there, but in a softer and more compliant package which helps with fatigue. It’s still a burly fork which handles the hits thanks to the increase fore/aft stiffness while remaining supple, however, the increased torsional compliance is a welcomed addition to an already highly performing fork.
We’ll be putting a lot more miles into the new Fox 38 in the coming weeks, so keep an eye out for a full review.
