FOX FLOAT X Factory Rear Shock [Rider Review]

Our "Rider Review" article series features the honest reviews from verified purchasers of Worldwide Cyclery. They contain the photos, thoughts, feedback & overall review you are looking for. 

Rear suspension has been a huge topic lately with all of the new suspension platforms coming out. Sometimes, utilizing that platform would be to upgrade the rear shock. Our friend, Gary, replaced their shock with a Float X. See what they think! 

Overview

I've been running this shock for about over a month now and I must say what an upgrade it is over the Float DPS performance my bike came with. The Float X is very supportive while still being buttery smooth. The compression and rebound circuits are now separated so that adjustments to one don’t affect the other, and there’s a bottom-out bumper at the base of it all to help eat up those harsher hits. I can also definitely feel the bottom-out cushioning.

I would definitely recommend it to anybody looking for a good trail shock.

The Kashima coating is beautiful. Turns out it's supposed to be smoother as well. I am 210 lbs and swapped in a .6 spacer (sold separately) and the Fox recommended tuning for a more progressive journey and bottom-out resistance. I was able to run less psi in the Float X than the DPS due to the larger can. The Float X air spring bore is larger, which means more air volume. That in turn means lower average air pressures.

I have found it less prone to pedal squat vs the DPS. Gone is the seemingly pointless middle “trail” setting from the DPS. I find I don't need to flip the lock-out switch as often either. I seldom needed to use the climb switch unless I was on a long fire road or paved one. When I do flip to firm it allows some shock movement to generate grip on technical climbs, but minimizes bobbing and other inputs while muscling up a climb. The lever is a nice length, in a good spot, and blue, which made flipping the switch while riding easy.

The low-speed compression and rebound are clearly marked by numbers so tuning is a breeze. Both the compression and rebound adjusters are easy to access, have a nice grabby feel and the detents are easy to detect. A single low-speed compression knob with 11 clicks of adjustment and a low-speed rebound knob with 18 clicks. I found the Float X recovered out of deep compressions quickly, but without ever topping out. Compression-wise, the high-flow piston being used in the Float X seems to do a decent job of filtering out the high-speed chatter bumps.

The Float X is a whole lot smoother and feels quite a bit lower friction. Especially if you firm up the low-speed compression to try to add support when you start hitting bumps harder. It has resisted fade and managed heat better during longer and rougher runs than the DPS. Installation was very straightforward. Only two bolts after I deflated the old shock. For the weight bros out there it weighs 479 grams. For reference, the DPS weighs 221 grams.

Final Thoughts

The Float X makes a lot of sense for trail bike applications, especially for riders (like myself) who’d rather just go ride than put a lot of time and effort into dialing in the suspension setup. You won't regret the upgrade.