The new Fox 34 SL mountain bike fork finally delivers what many short travel trail and downcountry riders have been asking for: a truly lightweight 130mm fork. With improved stiffness over the Step Cast 34 fork and the ability to fit up to 203mm rotors and wider tires, the Fox 34 SL is purposely designed to fit in the space between XC and trail.
In 2018, Fox introduced the Step Cast 34, bringing larger stanchions and 120mm of travel to their line of lightweight mountain bike forks. In the time since, “downcountry” bikes — which combine efficient climbing and descending performance — have become more popular. Weighing 1475g, the new Fox 34 SL 29er fork with 130mm of travel is just 50g heavier than the Step Cast 34 while offering more travel. More importantly, the Fox 34 SL is at least 200g lighter than a “regular” Fox 34 with the same amount of travel.
The most popular RockShox fork with 130mm of travel, the Pike, weighs significantly more than the Fox 34 SL, at 1800g+. Fox says the new 34 SL “is 40g lighter than our closest competitor,” though it’s not clear if that refers to another 130mm fork or a fork with less travel, since the 34 SL is offered in 110mm, 120mm, and 130mm versions. The RockShox SID Ultimate weighs 1480g but only goes up to 120mm of travel.
While the 130mm Fox 34 SL is obviously suited to downcountry applications, a Fox press release notes that “demand for 130mm travel is growing with XC riders” as well.
Weight-saving hacks
The new Fox 34 SL has several weight-saving tricks up its sleeve, starting with a couple cribbed from the 34 Step Cast fork. Unlike the Fox 34, which uses a GRIP X damper, the Fox 34 SL uses the same lighter-weight GRIP SL damper as the Step Cast forks. The Fox 34 SL also comes with a Kabolt SL through axle, which shaves a reported 12g off the total package. Clearly, every gram counts.
And that’s not all. The Fox 34 SL fork features cutouts in the arch to eliminate unnecessary material from the lowers.
Putting more DOWN into downcountry
Fox optimized the 7000-series aluminum 34 SL crown to increase torsional stiffness over the 34 Step Cast for improved confidence and efficiency on rough trails. Designers were also able to provide clearance for 180-203mm rotors for additional stopping power.
Finally, the Fox 34 SL bumps tire clearance up to 2.5″ for riders who favor grip and damping over pure fast-rolling efficiency.
The Fox Factory 34 SL fork is priced at $1,099. Fox Performance Elite and Performance versions of the 34 SL are priced at $999 and $649, respectively.
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