OVERBUILT CROWN.
The biggest edge Podium has over every other single crown fork is its incredible fore-aft rigidity. The combination of oversized 47mm upper tubes and a massive generatively-designed crown create the foundation for the stiffest possible chassis—approaching that of a FOX 40— letting you power through the roughest and steepest trails with absolute confidence, even at Downhill race speed.
LARGE DIAMETER AXLE.
Where inverted forks have fallen short in the past is with torsional (steering) stiffness because there’s no arch joining the fork legs. This meant FOX had to build torsional stiffness into other parts of the fork. The oversized crown has the upper end covered, so the next logical place to add stiffness was where the fork legs join on the lower end.
By using a custom steel 20 x 110mm Boost DH axle (rather than a standard 15 x 110mm alloy axle typically found on single crown forks) they achieved the optimum torsional stiffness for Podium. This was verified with extensive (and blind) testing by FOX’s engineers and athletes.
While stiffness can be measured in fore-aft and torsional planes independently, the real-world forces exerted on a mountain bike fork are not isolated to those planes. Having a much higher fore-aft rigidity means the fork will feel much more stable and responsive overall, exactly what riders in this category are looking for.
ALL THE BUSHING OVERLAP.
Bushings are Teflon-lined sleeves that interface between the upper and lower legs of the fork. There are two bushings in each leg, for a total of four in a fork. “Bushing overlap” refers to the distance between upper and lower bushings in each leg. As the fork is loaded fore-aft (such as when running over an obstacle on the trail), that bending force is transmitted through the bushings.
The inverted chassis configuration allowed us to design Podium with a massive 175mm of bushing overlap. That’s 32% more overlap than the 38 and even 7% more than the 200mm-travel FOX 40 DH race fork. This overlap not only contributes to greater fore-aft rigidity, but also gives Podium an unfair advantage with the lowest possible chassis friction, especially when powering through the roughest terrain at high speed when bending loads on the fork are the greatest.
GLIDECORE AIR SPRING.
When a fork is dynamically loaded, that bending force is transmitted to the air spring assembly inside the stanchion. A large enough force—such as hitting a large rock or root at high speed—can cause the air spring to bind to the inside of the stanchion while the fork is compressing through its travel.
The GlideCore air spring is built with lateral compliance allowing it to flex with these bending loads, rather than resisting them. By decoupling the stanchion from the air shaft, the piston can move with the fork and remains axially aligned with the stanchion when subjected to a bending load from any direction.
Less strain in the air spring assembly means less reaction forces on the piston and shaft bushing. Less reaction forces means less friction at these interfaces. The result? Smoother suspension action overall, especially when the fork is experiencing high loads from speed or the weight of a rider.
The same Nitrile Butadiene material that gives GlideCore its lateral compliance also provides axial compliance by vertically compressing a small amount before the air spring itself begins to move.
CUSTOM TUNED GRIP X2 DAMPER.
Podium’s damping performance is powered by the award-winning GRIP X2 damper, tuned specifically for more compression support. Given the incredible rigidity and smoothness of Podium, FOX needed to add some additional compression damping to account for the reduced chassis friction. They also toned down the rebound damping slightly to account for the lower unsprung weight of the system.
Riders on GRIP X2 reap the benefits of sitting higher in the travel while their tyres stay glued to the ground. They can corner with increased traction, giving them the confidence to push the limits of enduro racing and full power eMTB riding, all while reducing hand and arm fatigue significantly.
SHORTER BUSHING TO AXLE.
Amongst early testers and FOX athletes, a consistent piece of feedback was “the harder I push it, the smoother it feels”. A big part of this performance gain is due to the shorter distance from the lower fork bushing to the axle.
On a traditional fork, the bushing to axle distance is fixed. When an inverted fork compresses throughout its travel, the axle moves closer to the lower bushing and the bending leverage on that lower bushing is decreased, and as a result, the fork motion feels smoother the deeper the fork goes into its travel. When the trail conditions get tough, Podium rises to the occasion.
FULL OIL IMMERSION.
Traditional forks rely on the suspension cycling up and down to splash bath oil upward and lubricate the seals. Bath oil inside the inverted Podium fork is pulled down to the seals by gravity, constantly lubricating the internal seals. Another advantage is that the same gravity also means debris will tend to fall away from the seals, reducing chance of contamination.
UNSPRING THE WEIGHT.
Unsprung mass consists of everything on the bike that’s below the suspension’s spring and damper. On a standard fork, this mass includes the wheel, tyre, front brake and lower fork legs. On an inverted fork, the heavier fork “lowers” are now the upper tubes, reducing the unsprung weight significantly.
What’s the benefit of lower unsprung mass? Inertia. Less mass requires less force to move it in either direction, meaning suspension is more sensitive and more active on both the compression and rebound strokes.
The full-coverage carbon fibre fork guards on Factory Series Podium not only keep unsprung weight to a minimum, but also protect the Kashima coated stanchions from external damage.
SMOOTH IS FAST.
Podium represents the pinnacle of single crown MTB forks, built for riders seeking ultimate descending capability and the highest performing upgrade for their full power eMTB.
Unleash your Unfair Advantage with Podium.
FEATURES:
- Custom tuned GRIP X2 damper for unrivaled sensitivity and tunability
- Generative design influenced crown for max stiffness to weight
- 7050 aluminum upper and lower tubes for maximum strength-to-weight ratio
- Easy access, tool-free air bleeders to ensure sustained suppleness regardless of conditions
- Motocross-inspired composite lower leg guards and cable guides
- 110 x 20mm boost double pinch bolt axle for max stiffness and steering precision
- e-MTB approved for up to 169kg system weight
SPECIFICATION:
- Wheel Size: 29"
- Travel: 160mm, 170mm
- Offset: 44mm
- Axle: 110 x 20mm boost double pinch bolt
- Rotor Size: 200-230mm
- Crown Options: 58 and 68mm
- Custom tuned GRIP X2