FREE U.S. SHIPPING ON EVERYTHING! HELP / FAQ'S

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.

Fox's Float X is an extremely versatile rear shock that combines high performance, plenty of adjustability and light weight. It takes everything that was great about the DPX2 it replaced and made it that much better. Our friend, Matt, has been riding the shock on his Yeti and loves it. Read on for more!

Overview

At the end of 2021, I received my dream bike, a 2022 Yeti SB130 Lunch Ride. I aired up the tires set up the suspension and immediately hit the trails. I could tell right away I made the right choice and enjoyed the extra travel this bike had over my previous trail bike but was always chasing the perfect setup for the rear shock. The Yeti was delivered with a Fox Float X Performance and although I enjoyed it at first, as I got more comfortable with bigger features on the new bike it was tough to find a setting that would provide a smooth ride but also not bottom out too much at my weight (about 215 pounds plus riding gear).

Although I live in Florida, the flattest state in the US, the three main trails I ride here (called the ABC trails by locals – Alafia, Balm Boyette, and Carter Road) are built on old phosphate mining areas. This means giant piles of earth left over from the mining operation with trails carved into them that are a mix between flowy singletrack and big man-made features like huge berms, drops, and jumps (and alligators).

I ordered a Fox Float X Factory (210x55) from Worldwide Cyclery (along with this required mounting hardware and a $4 shock eyelet spacer direct from Yeti) and could not be happier with the decision to upgrade. The new shock seems to allow me to run slightly less pressure without fear of bottoming out harshly, which helped provide a smoother ride but still feel poppy on jumps.

I went with the suggested settings available from Yeti’s site for my weight to start, and haven’t had to wander more than a click or two in either direction to get it feeling just right. -220 psi, 5-7 clicks of rebound, and 4-6 clicks of compression-- All Float X shocks have low-speed rebound adjustments but the Float X Factory adds a low-speed compression adjustment along with a climb switch (and that sweet Kashima coating).

Being able to dial the compression to add some additional support while pedaling or pressing into the face of jumps really made the bike come alive.

Another issue I was able to tune out was something seemingly simple that I just couldn’t get to my liking with the original shock. When rolling off a small drop or square edge rock with the back end, I often felt like the rear of the bike would slam more violently into the ground than I would expect for what should be a pretty simple trail element. At first, I thought this was because the rear wasn’t rebounding fast enough to keep the tire in contact with the ground but even with the rebound dialed all the way out I still felt this sensation. On the Float X Factory, I never noticed that feeling once, even right out of the gate using Yeti’s suggested settings. I’m still experimenting with settings (does it ever stop?) and being able to play with cheap and easy-to-install volume spacers adds another layer of tunability and support to the ride.

-Additional notes: At first, I wasn’t sure if this was possible, but after speaking with the guys at Worldwide Cyclery to confirm, yes, you can indeed run an air shock “upside-down”. I was worried the piggyback would get in the way during pedaling since now it sticks out to the right, but that turned out not to be an issue at all. Why do something like this? Water bottle clearance. I’m able to carry a 30oz bottle now where before I was limited to 22oz. It makes a big difference when it’s 95 degrees out and 100% humidity here in July.