2019 Fox Float DPX2: Rider Review

Upgrading the rear shock on your bike is one of the best ways to completely change your riding experience. Not only will it improve the performance of your bike, but it will dramatically increase the fun factor. In this review, our customer Brad picks up a 2019 Fox DPX2 for his Trek. Check it out!

Overview

I own a 2017 Fuel EX 9.8, which I enjoyed riding from day one. But, of course, sometimes “good” isn’t quite good enough. So, after reading a number of reviews on the DPX2 and after reading a number of forum posts about how the Fox Float DPX2 was an improvement over the stock shock on a 2017 Fuel EX 9.8, I wondered if it might be worth looking into an upgrade. It’s not like the stock shock on my 2017 Fuel EX 9.8 was terrible, but I decided to take the plunge. Would an intermediate rider notice the difference between shocks? The internet’s never wrong, right?

First Impressions

Enter Worldwide Cyclery. I ordered a DPX2 and was able to confirm that, indeed, the internet was definitely not wrong. I took the bike out for a test ride on Mt. Fromme here on Vancouver’s North Shore. My initial impressions were very good. It definitely felt smoother than the stock shock and certainly changed the feel of the bike in a good way.

Set-Up

After another ride, I tweaked the pressure and rebound and realized that one way to describe the ride is that I am less aware of the DPX2 than I was of the stock shock, which is a good thing. It does its job without drawing attention to itself. It's more supple on bumps, isn’t harsh, and keeps working well on long (ish) runs. The DPX2 also doesn’t give up anything in the climbing department to the stock shock.

Final Thoughts

I took the bike out yet again and tweaked the low-speed compression and it felt great. Even when I use up all the travel on a four to five-foot drop, the shock doesn’t feel harsh, so I’m also happy with the stock spacer at the settings I’ve settled on. I’ve ridden some sections of trails faster than I’d ever done on my Fuel EX, and I definitely feel more in control riding. It's quite an improvement to the stock shock and makes me wonder why Trek doesn't offer the DPX2 on at least some of their bikes. I have no regrets about this upgrade - it was well worth it. You might notice that I changed the stock Fox decal with one that has a more subdued color scheme to match the Fox fork. Hey, I wear boring grey and black, too!

All in all, the DPX2 Factory is a worthy upgrade!