Fox 34 SL
Travel Options: 110, 120, and 130 mm
Wheel Size Options: 29’’
Available Offset: 44 mm
Stanchion Diameter: 34 mm
Stated Weight (130 mm travel | Grip SL damper): 1,475 g
MSRP:
- 34 SL Factory: $1,099 USD / $1,469 CAD
- 34 SL Performance Elite: $999 USD / $1,339 CAD
- 34 SL Performance: $649 USD / $869 CAD
- Twin Stick Remote: $149 USD / $199 CAD
Intro
Fox’s incremental overhaul of their fork lineup continues with the launch of the new 34 SL. The 32 Step Cast sticks around as the shorter-travel, lighter XC race fork, with the 34 SL taking over from the 34 Step Cast as their more all-purpose XC race fork. We’re waiting on a new XC race bike (stay tuned!) to enter the test fleet to start spending time on the 34 SL, but in the meantime, let’s take a look at the design of the new 34 SL.
Design & Features
The biggest visual change to the 34 SL is that it doesn’t use the Step Cast lowers of the 34 SC that it replaces. The outgoing Step Cast design allowed Fox to make the stanchions more closely spaced than they are on a more conventional fork, and in doing so, remove material from the crown and lowers to save weight.
Forgoing the Step Cast lowers opened up room for Fox to increase the bushing overlap on the 34 SL by 20 mm as compared to the 34 SC, and bump up the maximum travel to 130 mm from the 34 SC’s 120 mm max. The additional space created by forgoing the Step Cast lowers also opens up room for a higher-volume air spring, which Fox says offers better small bump sensitivity than the more compact one used in the 34 SC. Tire clearance has been increased to a maximum width of 2.5’’ as well.
The new lowers on the 34 SL don’t follow the 32 Step Cast’s reverse arch design, but they do feature cutouts in the arch as first seen on the 32 SC. The bypass channels that Fox has been using on a number of their forks are still present on the 34 SL, which supposedly help move air and oil past the bushings for reduced pressure buildup in the lowers and better lubrication of the upper bushing and seals. In the case of the 34 SL, those have been moved to the inboard side of the lower legs where they see less stress under fore-aft bending; Fox says that update helps reduce friction in the system under those circumstances.
The 34 SL also gets a 180 mm native brake rotor mount and can be adapted up to a maximum of 203 mm; the 34 SC topped out at a 180 mm rotor, using a 160 mm mount. The stanchions are now spaced the same distance apart on the 34 SL as on the regular 34, though the 34 SL gets a new, lighter crown design. The crown is also now anodized rather than painted to save a few grams, and the damper-side stanchion is double-butted, which Fox says shaves another nine grams — an admittedly tiny amount, but those weight savings add up.
The 34 SL comes in at a fairly impressive stated weight of 1,475 grams (130 mm travel, Grip SL damper). For reference, that’s about 50 grams heavier than the outgoing 34 SC, but 210 grams lighter than the standard 34 with the heavier Grip X damper (the Grip SL isn’t offered in the standard 34). Despite the modest weight gain over the 34 SC, Fox says that the 34 SL is 17% stiffer torsionally; fore-aft stiffness numbers aren’t cited.
The 34 SL is offered with either the Grip SL or Grip X dampers in the Factory and Performance Elite versions, or with the more basic Grip damper in the Performance version. The Grip X damper will only be available in the 130 mm travel 34 SL, while the Grip SL one will be offered across the full travel range.
[For a lot more on the Grip SL and Grip X dampers that Fox launched last year, check out our First Look on those.]
As per usual for Fox, the Factory Series forks get gold Kashima-coated stanchions and several finish options for the lowers; the Performance Elite ones use black stanchions and matte black paint on the lowers, but are otherwise functionally equivalent. Both share a lighter Kabolt SL axle, while the Performance Series fork gets a more basic axle and the less sophisticated Grip damper.
Twin Stick Remote
To go along with the new 34 SL, Fox is launching a new combined dropper lever and remote lockout actuator, which they’ve dubbed Twin Stick. It’s compatible with two- or three-position lockout systems and can be configured to control a fork only, shock only, or both in unison. A single ratcheting paddle controls the lockout, with a second covering dropper post duties. The Twin Stick is available separately and comes in at a stated weight of 66 grams (remote only) or 76 grams with a 22.2 mm bar clamp.
Some Questions / Things We’re Curious About
(1) How significant does the increase in chassis stiffness of the 34 SL feel compared to the 34 Step Cast that it replaces?
(2) Does the 130mm-travel 34 SL feel like a viable lightweight Trail bike fork (especially when equipped with the Grip X damper), or is it still a race-oriented XC fork first and foremost?
(3) What does the updated, larger-volume air spring bring in terms of performance? Does its small bump sensitivity truly feel improved over that of the 34 SC, and are there tradeoffs?
Bottom Line (For Now)
The new 34 SL sounds like a promising overhaul of Fox’s flagship XC race fork, with claimed gains in stiffness, small-bump sensitivity, tire clearance, travel options, and brake compatibility. We’re planning to get some time on the 34 SL once we can get our hands on a few new XC race bikes that should be arriving over the next few months, and we will report back once that happens.