FOX FLOAT X2 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 Shox's X2 shock can be seen on bike competing in the fastest Worldcup races to your average weekend warriors local loop. Creating a shock with a ton of adjustability so any rider can benefit is something you would suspect to be a no brainer. It didn't seem like anyone took it seriously until Fox released the X2 and people could really dial in their setup to have a professional factory feel, no matter their skill level. One of our beloved customers recently made the upgrade on his bike. Lets see what he thought:

Customer's Review

Three words: Magic Carpet Ride. If you set this shock up properly I find that the "lockout" or compression lever is not needed. I run mine full open all the time even on the climbs. This shock is truly set it and forget it. You can set the bike up to be super squish and just plain murder trail garbage, small roots and rocks and still have good ride height and pedal efficiency. The high-speed compression truly feels bottomless when it's set up right with the correct sag, bottom out tokens, and air pressure. Hardware, Hardware hardware. Call FOX at 1-800-369-7469. They will tell you the EXACT part number and size mounting hardware you need for your bike. You might need some proprietary bike manufacture specific bits here.

FOX even knew the Trek factory part number for the hardware I needed to ditch my ReActive through shaft damper and convert to the X2. DO NOT just reuse your old hardware, its a recipe for disaster, frame and/or pivot damage. DO not cheap out on this part and spend the extra 50 bucks and start with fresh hardware.

PLAN on at least an hour to do it right put on some tunes and get your bike zen on. Get your nerd on and PUT on your riding gear. That means ALL of your riding gear, the gear in its heaviest configuration.

IMPORTANT; fill your hydration system all the way, pack your food, pack your tools, your hero kit, put your headphones on, socks, thickest jersey you will wear, and your proper bike shorts. THEN, again SUPER IMPORTANT: back your compression clickers ( high and low speed) ALL the way off, that means the softest setting or counter cock wise backed all the way out) Then get your doughnut-eating self on the scale, do some 5th-grade math, and SET THAT SAG. FOX has a great video for that here; 

That's where the real fun begins cause that high speed is bottomless. Pick a day to just set it up. ONE or TWO clicks is a big difference. Change only one thing or setting at a time. If you think you can adjust air pressure, rebound and compression all at once you will end up chasing your tail. While you are at it, open the notes section on your phone and start a note just for your bike! Tittle it the year make and model, put your fork model down and all your settings, it's just smart, if you think you are going to keep track of all the settings in your head, its a recipe for disaster, no shame in the recording. 

Conclusion

"Go find a spot that has it all and session it until you nail your set up. I like rolling downhills that require some pedaling over small rocks into some G-outs with a drop at the end or along the way. Your set up is done when you forget about your settings and the bike goes effortlessly where you look and you stop thinking...cause its dialed. The Fork will break-in, the seals will relax a little and you will have to visit your initial set up again. Highly recommend finding your perfect run, bike park, or section of trail you can session over and over."