Fox Shox Float DPX2 Rear Shock [Rider Review]

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The Fox Float DPX2 shock can be seen on enduro and trail bikes across the world. It is light yet still burly enough to handle just about anything. In this review, our customer George gives his thoughts on his new shock. Read on to hear more!

Overview

Fox Shox Float DPX2 Rear Shock. My 2019 Santa Cruz Hightower S build came with the Fox Shox DPS rear shock standard. After a couple months of riding it, making adjustments, riding it more, etc. it just wasn't performing up to how I wanted no matter what I did. This included adding volume spacers and adjusting the air volume. After reading basically the entire internet with regard to rear shock setups and reviews I settled on the DPX2 as an upgrade to achieve the balance front to rear I wanted as well as the rear feel and feedback I wanted out of my bike. Now I fully understand that some of this comes down to the VPP geometry of the Santa Cruz frame as well as wheel and tire type and pressure settings but I knew the rear shock itself played a big role in response and feedback. Not to mention, being able to adjust for rebound and compression (more on that in a minute).

I went to my good and helpful friends at Worldwide Cyclery and they hooked me up with the correct size DPX2 to fit my frame and even threw in the required bracket hardware for my bike and pressed in the bushing eyelets for me. Once I received my DPX2 it was ready to be installed which (since WWC pressed in the mounting hardware for me) was as simple as 2 bolts to attach to my frame. Once mounted it was time to have some setup fun! LOL I followed the Fox recommendations based on weight to start but also found some guides and forum posts online from others already using this shock. After a few trials I settled on a 0.86 volume spacer and around 240 PSI to get to the suggested 25-30% sag. I've had no bottom out issues and it feels very progressive throughout the travel range. YMMV.

Set Up

With regard to setting rebound I again started with the Fox recommendations and while I have adjusted a couple times just to try out different settings I am pretty much back to what Fox suggests based on the PSI I am running. The feature I love most on the DPX2 is the open mode compression settings that allow for further adjustments just for the open setting. This has been a game changer that helped me really dial in for open mode compliance and feedback for the rear. The previous DPS I had didn't handle small bump sensitivity very well or least I had trouble getting it setup to achieve this.

With the DPX2 installed I can say that most of my local trails took on a new feel to them and offered me additional confidence to tackle them at higher speed.

Also, the DPX2 rear shock doesn't bite you for making adjustments to your line choice mid-way down. You can adjust without feeling out of control or wishing you'd picked a different line to start which I like as a non-professional rider.

Final Thoughts

This shock transformed the ride feel on my Hightower and has offered a better riding bike over all while creating excellent small bump sensitivity, great mid-stroke damping support, and better control in transitions overall.