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2016's overhaul of theFOX Racing Shox fork line was so effective that the company's engineers left the 2017 forks largely unchanged. The one standout exception being the 2017 Fox Racing Shox 32 Float SC 27. 5 100 iRD FIT Fork. It features an entirely redesigned chassis, dubbed Step Cast, and a narrowed crown to land with claims of being one of the lightest XC suspension forks available.Step Cast presents as stepped cutouts in the lowers of the fork that open up extra clearance for rotors and spokes while narrowing the fork's stance by 10mm. This means less overall material and less weight, which, when paired with the hollowed out lowers, results in claims that this fork is one of the lightest on the market. Whether you're out for a Sunday social spin or nervously toeing the start line, this lightweight construction makes for a precise, responsive ride.The FIT iRD damper encompasses the much loved features of FOX's FIT4 damper and adds a bar mounted electronic switch for easy access to on the fly damper setting control. It returns largely unchanged from last year save a few tweaks and a bit of extra machining to fit within the new Step Cast lowers. This includes a puffed out, 10mm shaft, which increases oil flow to the base valve and allows the fork to ride high for quick, controlled recovery during everything from small, successive impacts to big, square hits. The 3 position FIT system also takes over in place of the old CTD system, changing the names from the overly prescriptive categories of Climb, Trail, and Descend to a graduating scale covering Firm, Medium, and Open. While this change may read like an exercise in semantics, it entails a drastic realignment of the 32 Float's capabilities that addresses virtually every issue we've had with CTD's damper in the past.FIT iRD migrates the adjustable sub settings from CTD's median Trail mode to the new Open setting. Open encompasses both Descend and Trail in order to take full advantage of the fork's high ride ...
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