Once set up, the Float X2 proved to be one of the most capable shocks I’ve ever ridden, brilliantly blending the masterful fluttery nature of coil shocks with the ever-important mid-stroke and bottom-out ramp-up of an air spring. The lockout lever creates a firm pedalling platform. Fox Float X2 Factory 2Pos-Adjust (2022) on-trail feel This will certainly appeal to the tinkerers out there. This might not be an issue on all bikes, however.Īlthough the range of usable damper adjustability proved to be limited because two or three clicks of adjustment had a marked effect on how much damping there was, the overall span of how much difference there was between fully open and fully closed was massive. Notably, the relocation of the high-speed rebound adjuster from the piggyback to the eyelet end on this model made on-bike changes of this adjuster tricky, usually because the frame’s shock mount was in the way.
Float subs factory install#
Volume reducer spacers are easy to install or remove (just make sure you have a pick or non-scratching sharp instrument to remove the shock body circlip), and thanks to the Allen key external damping adjusters, trail-side adjustments are also a breeze. The massive amount of damping and spring rate adjustability of the Float X2 means that it is a highly adaptable shock. On some frames, the high-speed rebound adjuster is hard to access now it has been relocated from the piggyback reservoir to the eyelet end of the shock. Fox Float X2 Factory 2Pos-Adjust (2022) adjustability When set fully open, the Float X2 was one of the best shocks I have ridden in recent times.
These experiences and settings were also something my colleagues at BikeRadar noticed and used when testing bikes with this shock.Ĭlearly, the stock damping is on the heavier side, and although this might limit the range of useable adjustment – where an increase of two or three clicks of damping will begin to choke the shock’s movement – it wasn’t severe enough to limit performance. Running the adjusters fully open was a universal setting across every bike I’ve ridden that’s been fitted with the Float X2 (and DHX2). With these settings, I ended up installing a secondary volume reducer token to increase how progressive the spring was making the shock ramp up quicker, reclaiming some of the mid-stroke support lost by removing the compression damping. I ended up running all the compression and rebound adjusters fully open, with no detrimental effects to chassis stability, but an immense improvement in the freeness of the shock’s movement. The solution was to wind off the high- and low-speed compression and rebound damping beyond the recommended settings until the bike felt smoother and not as harsh over bumps, but while leaving enough damping on to retain chassis stability. Add in bumps, and once again it felt choked. It was also less of a problem on one-off landings where the bike was going deep into its travel, but only if that landing was smooth. This was less of an issue around berms or through compressions, and the over-damped feel improved the bike’s pop and helped keep its chassis stable.
It felt simply as though the damper wasn’t allowing the rear wheel to move out of the way of bumps quickly enough. This was especially marked over harder square-edged bumps and caused a harshness through the back end, punishing the rear wheel. It felt as though it wasn’t returning to its sag point fast enough and was getting choked on the compression stroke too. The same was true for bigger hits when the bike was in its mid-stroke. I felt the recommended settings made the bike feel over-damped, with the suspension reluctant to flutter over the top of the smallest trail chatter, struggling to both compress quickly enough and rebound fast enough to recover for the next hit. Alex Evans / Immediate MediaĪfter riding the suggested settings in Fox’s setup guide for my spring pressure (160psi, one volume reducer spacer) as a starting point, I began the testing process. The piggyback reservoir has been shortened so the shock fits more frames.
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