This deal is massive! Get the Fox 36 Factory fork with the excellent GRIP2 damper with a huge £654.45 saving which takes the price to £584.55. Yes, it's not got the latest damper, but I actually think that's a good thing...
If you’re looking for a suspension upgrade, I’d argue that the Fox 36 Factory GRIP2 is one of the best trail forks you can buy. At full price, it’s far from cheap though. Even on offer, you’ll usually find it much nearer the £1,000 mark – with bigger price cuts often applied to less popular versions. That’s not the case here though, as this is the 29in, Boost width, 160mm travel version available with either a 44mm offset for £584.55 or 51mm offset for £549.99 – which is less than half the full RRP.
Fox 36 Factory GRIP2 160mm fork – was £1239, now £584.55 at Tredz. This is the cheapest deal we’ve ever seen on the 36 Factory in a highly desireable specification such as this. If you’re looking for a trail fork upgrade, it’s definitely the one to go for. There are options in black and orange, but the black model has the biggest price cut.
Ok, this model is no longer the most recent version after the launch of Fox’s GRIPX and GRIPX2 dampers, but I actually think the older damper is better for most riders, and I’ll tell you why. Although the new dampers have a bigger base valve with more shims, which gives more tuning possibilities and control, I feel that Fox has gone too firm on the stock aftermarket tune, so I’ve never run any of the new 36 or 38 forks I’ve tested anything less than wide open. Yes, that’s no compression damping, and hardly any rebound damping. And although I’m not at the heavier end of the scale, at 78kg I’m not a flyweight. And even with all the adjusters backed right off, there’s a harshness that I can feel through my palms. I’m not the only one who things this – Bike Test Editor Muldoon also remarked on it in his review of the Orbea Rise LT. So until Fox changes the tune of its top dampers, I reckon this is the best bushy-tailed fork you can buy. A cunning purchase, even.
We found the 36 GripX fork on the Orbea Rise LT M10 was overdamped.
We awarded the fork a score of 10 out of 10 in Fox 36 Factory GRIP2 review. Ultra-experienced tester, Mick Kirkman, summed up the fork: “In terms of ultimate performance, Fox’s new 36 is a superior product. The brand’s latest design has really got all bases covered, and although you have to pay a premium for it, if you’re after the ultimate damping performance and gentle touch, all the details in Fox’s revisions add up, meaning you can ride harder and smoother with a properly classy and rounded feel from the latest GRIP2 iteration.”
Ok, it’s not the sexy Podium Gold 36, but the older fork has less harshness, we promise you.
With high and low-speed compression controls as well as high and low-speed rebound, the highly tuneable GRIP2 damper enables you to get exactly the setup you want. The Fox fork gives excellent small bump sensitivity as well as mid-stroke support, while the 36mm chassis is burly enough for e-MTB use as well as regular bikes.
We’re all massive fans of the Fox 36 and if you’re in the market for a mid-travel trail fork, you simply can’t go wrong with this model. However, if you’re unsure about fork specs, you’ll usually find details of your current fork over on your bike manufacturer’s website, so you can compare them to this Fox 36.
Here at MBR, we won’t spam you with deals on all sorts of Black Friday nonsense, but we are keeping a close eye out for genuinely good deals on products that we would buy ourselves. For more of them, see our main Black Friday mountain bike deals hub, which we’ll be keeping updated with any worthy new offers we see.