For 2012 Fox Racing Shox will offer the option of the slippery Kashima coating found on this year's aftermarket forks on their rear shocks and OE components.
Also debuting on the Float RP23 Boost Valve damper is ‘Adaptive Logic’, which adds versatility by combining Fox's terrain-sensitive ProPedal platform damping with an additional, lever-selectable firm lockout.
The new RP23 sticks with a two-position lever like on the current model but instead of choosing between fully open and "ProPedal on" settings, there's now a dedicated firm setting meant for riding on roads or any other smooth surfaces when a rider wants the least amount of feedback or sensitivity to the terrain and a second, user tunable setting for riding on trails.
In essence, the firm setting is analogous to last year's "ProPedal on" with the inner dial set at "3" while the other position can now be set at fully open, ProPedal on-1, or ProPedal on-2. Fox's thinking here is that when riders want a firm setting, they genuinely want it to move as little as possible while when on the dirt, there is a lot of variability in how people want their machines to behave.
The RP23 with Adaptive Logic also features the option of Kashima coat on the upper air sleeve and shock shaft. The slick surface coating fills pores, making moving suspension surfaces noticeably smoother – an attribute that can be felt by cycling a deflated rear shock by hand. The smoothness translates to less stiction and, ultimately, better sensitivity to the terrain.
Stay tuned to BikeRadar for a full story on Fox’s 2012 line and complete coverage of the 2011 Sea Otter Classic, which starts tomorrow (14 April).