FOX 38 Update: New GripX2 Damper & Air Spring Deep Dive

The FOX 38 didn’t exactly need a makeover to stay relevant. Since it landed in 2020, it’s been the literal gold (Kashima) standard for anyone needing a single-crown fork that still handles the abuse of a dual-crown. Just look at the 2025 season - Richie Rude and Elly Hoskings didn’t just win on the 38; they dominated.

But in the world of suspension, "good enough" is a death sentence. While the rest of the industry has been playing catch-up with their own 38mm-stanchion bruisers, FOX decided to move the goalposts again. Today, we’re looking at a ground-up redesign of the 38 that focuses on the two things every enduro racer and weekend warrior craves: more grip and less hand fatigue.

GRIP X2: The Brains of the Operation

The headline news here is the GRIP X2 damper. FOX is calling this their most "tunable, supportive, and smoothest descent-focused damper ever," and while that’s a lot of adjectives, the intent is clear.

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In the old days, "support" usually meant "stiff." You’d crank up your compression to stay high in the travel, and your hands would pay the price. GRIP X2 is designed to let the fork sit high in its stroke - keeping your geometry corrected on the steep stuff - without that mid-stroke harshness that makes you feel like you’re going to pop a tendon gripping the bars. The goal is to keep the tires on the dirt, offering more traction and confidence in the spiciest sections of the trail.

Glidecore: Smoothness Under Side-Load

One of the coolest technical additions is the FLOAT Glidecore air spring that comes from the smaller forks in the Fox lineup (also found on the new 40). If you’ve ever felt your fork get "sticky" when you’re leaning hard into a corner or heavy on the brakes, you’re feeling friction caused by the fork air-spring slightly flexing and binding under the load.

Glidecore is a vertically and horizontally compliant air spring system. It’s designed to move with the fork under dynamic loads, reducing that "stiction" or bind. Combined with a new MCU bottom-out bumper (tech we’ve seen trickle down from their DH and Podium-level shocks), the end of the stroke should feel much more bottomless and tunable with the use of fewer tokens.

Chassis Gains: Stiffer Where it Counts

FOX didn't just swap the guts; the "bones" of the 38 are all new, too. Using "generative design" (basically letting computers optimize material where it’s needed most), they’ve overhauled the lower legs.

• Bushing Overlap: They’ve increased it by 20mm (From 120mm to 140mm)
• Stiffness: Fore-aft stiffness has jumped by 8.8%, and 6.8% less stiff in torsion
• The Result: A fork that steers more accurately when you’re pinned, but because of that increased overlap, the bushings stay smoother even when the fork is being flexed back and forth.

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The Vital Stats

The new 38 stays in its lane as a single-crown, long-travel specialist, with travel ranging from 160mm to 180mm. Despite the beefed-up internals and stiffer chassis, the weight remains impressively competitive at 2200g for the Factory 29” model.

First Take: Who is this for?

If you’re a weight-weenie trail rider, the 36 and 36 SL is still your best bet. But if your weekends involve a timing chip, a lift pass, or trails that have you familiar with the smell of hot brakes, the new 38 is looking like a formidable upgrade.

FOX has managed to address the one "complaint" some riders had with the original 38 - that it could feel almost too stiff or fatiguing on 15-minute descents. By focusing on compliance and friction reduction rather than just raw girth. We’re itching to get this thing out on some chunder to see if the Glidecore and GRIP X2 live up to the hype. Stay tuned for a full long-term review.

Explore the new Fox 38 options at Ridefox.com