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. 

Finding the right shock can be a bit tricky. But Fox has your back when you're looking for a shock that handles your long descents but still has a really good pedal platform with their Float X. Our friend, Thomas, has been riding the shock. See what they think! 

Overview

After purchasing the Fox Factory 36 fork, I decided that a Fox Float DPS wouldn’t suffice as my shock. Kashima the world. After reading reviews on the Fox Factory Float X, I decided that it had to be the next upgrade to my bike.

I was able to get the proper shock dimensions from my manufacturer's website and from there it was easy to select the correct shock from worldwidecyclery.com. The 10% coupon code for gift cards over the holiday season of 2021 really sealed the deal on this shock and made a fair price an exceptional deal.

Once again, Worldwide Cyclery made the process extremely simple and my shock arrived very quickly. Upon unboxing, I wasn’t surprised to see that the Kashima coating on the shock didn’t come close to matching the coating on my Transfer dropper post and my 36 fork. I knew that going in, but I still find it mildly triggering when my three Fox Factory components don’t match. I’m sure there is a reason for the mismatch, and I’m also sure that Fox has tried to remedy it, but it still bothers me somewhat. Obviously, the mismatched color didn’t prevent me from ordering in the first place.

Installation of the shock is a breeze and was accomplished in minutes with only basic tools. I set sag, rebound, and compression to Fox's recommended settings and had the install/setup done in a few minutes.

I initially rode the Float X on local bike paths because the trails were still too muddy from winter. On the bike paths, the Float X didn’t seem to feel much different than my Float DPS had. In fact, I did note that the lockout didn’t seem to stiffen the Float X as much as the DPS.

On the first trail ride, I felt that the rear of my bike seemed to be jumping around when going over choppy sections. I slowed down the rebound by a few clicks and immediately noticed a reduction in jumpiness and it felt more planted and controllable. I’m sure more refinement in shock air pressure, rebound, and compression, as well as rear tire pressure, will lead to an even better riding experience.

I haven’t noticed a major difference yet in ride quality over the DPS that I replaced. My riding is typically pretty tame single tracks and bike paths to work and back. As I get more miles on the shock and expose it to more challenging trails, I will continue to refine the setup and I’m sure it will come into its own.

Final Thoughts

I think this shock may be a little overkill for my style of riding as I’m not sending any jumps or significant drops. I’m fairly new to mtb and when I’m upgrading my bike I basically just buy the most expensive part I can afford. The next bike I build is going to be more focused as I will have a better vision of what I want to end up with and then buy the components that get me there.