The unreleased Fox 32 AX Taper Cast gravel bike suspension fork has appeared for sale online ahead of any official launch from the brand.
The unreleased fork is the successor to the Fox AX Adventure gravel suspension fork, which launched in 2017.
Like that fork, the Fox 32 AX Taper Cast has 40mm of suspension travel, according to the Deporvillage, where the fork has appeared.
Where the old Fox AX was essentially a reworked version of the brand’s existing mountain bike suspension forks, the new fork looks to have gravel-specific lowers, adopting a distinctive tapered shape towards the thru-axles.
Listed at £1,097.83, the Fox 32 AX Taper Cast is designed for 700c gravel bike wheels. No mention is made of tyre clearance, nor is compatibility with 650b wheels mentioned.
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The fork is built around a standard 12x100mm thru-axle and feature’s the brand’s three-position FIT 4 damper.
The same damper is used on Fox’s mountain bike forks and allows riders to switch between open, medium and firm damping settings.
We also expect Fox will have adopted the flat-mount brake standard for this fork, moving away from the post-mount standard seen on the original AX Adventure fork.
The fork is specced with Fox’s signature Kashima coating on the stanchions. This is only seen on the brand’s top-end forks, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see regular coatings on any potential cheaper forks in the 32 AX Taper Cast line-up.
The 32 AX Taper Cast weighs a claimed 1,439g including the axle and uncut steerer.
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The release of the fork comes as little surprise – a pre-production version of the fork has been regularly teased on Instagram for the past year or so by Fox-sponsored rider, Geoff Kabush.
A version of the fork that’s closer to the production version also featured on the feed of a Fox brand manager in September last year.
We’ve contacted Fox for more details on the AX Taper Cast fork and will update this story when we have them.
Gravel suspension? What’s that all about?
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It’s increasingly common to see suspension on the latest gravel bikes, whether built into the frame or through a suspension fork, and the release of the 32 AX Taper Cast follows the release of the RockShox Rudy Ultimate XPLR last year.
The RockShox fork, released as part of a broader gravel collection with SRAM’s XPLR drivetrain and the RockShox Reverb AXS dropper post, is offered in 30mm and 40mm travel options, with clearance for 700c x 50mm tyres.
Cannondale, meanwhile, offers the Lefty Oliver fork on the Topstone Carbon Lefty and Lauf’s distinctive Grit SL fork has long featured on the Icelandic brand’s gravel bikes.
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Gravel suspension forks are designed to take improve comfort and boost traction over loose and technical terrain, without sacrificing too much speed and efficiency on firmer ground.
Some bike brands have also built micro-suspension systems into their gravel bike designs, including Specialized with the FutureShock headset on the Diverge, while the BMC URS LT offers 20mm of travel via a coil spring concealed in the head tube.
The original Fox AX failed to gain much traction when initially launched in 2017 but gravel bike technology has evolved significantly since then – and gravel riding, in general, has exploded in popularity – so we’ll wait with interest to hear more on an official launch and to see whether Fox’s latest gravel fork makes an impact this time around.