On the spectrums between comfort and race performance, affordability and top-tier, Öhlins has been a premium race brand since day one. The only product they design that’s not race-proven is the RXF 34 trail bike fork, and today that model receives a full update and the lengthened name of Öhlins RXF34 m.2. This latest version will only work with 29″ wheels, it has a 44mm offset, and either 120mm or 130mm of travel that can be changed by swapping part of the air spring.
The most notable change between this m.2 and the former Öhlins RXF 34 is that the new iteration only has two air chambers that both fill from the same valve. The original model used a second valve to fill the negative chamber and air pressure in one of the positive chambers took care of the fork’s ramp-up. The Öhlins RXF34 m.2 now uses volume spacers under the air valve to take up space and adjust the fork’s progressivity. The fork comes with three spacers installed, which offers a good amount of support, and we will definitely be adding the other two incrementally to see how they change things.
Another difference is that the Öhlins RXF 34 m.2 only comes with 120-130mm travel, whereas the prior version came with 120, 140, and 160mm of squish. Those longer travel lengths have are now under the charge of their burlier Öhlins RXF 36 m.2 model. At full 130mm compression, the fork doesn’t quite use every bit of its stanchion surface, which will be helpful to note when measuring static sag. The shorter travel also leaves this fork at a nice weight of 1,752g uncut with the star nut and three of the possible five spacers inside.
Unlike many of the twin-tube dampers in other Öhlins forks and shocks this new 34mm-stanchioned model uses a single-tube OTX18 design that’s said to be 27% lighter weight and better for “down country” riding style. There is a full shim library ready at your local Öhlins dealer for folks who want a different level of support than the RXF 34 m.2 delivers. We have a 130mm fork info test, and thus it seems to have a great balance between performance and comfort that most riders will appreciate. Stay tuned for a full review in the near future.
The chassis for this fork is similar to the brand’s 36 and 38mm stanchioned models, with a floating axle that locks into place via a second 5mm bolt. The brake caliper is spaced for 160mm rotors, and can take up to a 203mm disc with the proper adapter.
- Price: $1180
- Available at Worldwide Cyclery
