Fox’s latest back-end bouncer has been designed for use on mid-travel trail bikes, and is available in metric, imperial and trunnion mounting options.
The DPX2 borrows twin-tube tech from Fox’s X2 DH/enduro dampers. That means it cycles damping oil through concentric tubes, rather than moving it back and forth by the displacement of the damper shaft. In theory, this should help keep the damping more consistent.
As well as a rebound dial there’s a three-position low-speed compression lever (open/medium/firm). The level of damping applied in open mode can be fine-tuned with a 3mm Allen key. I settled on leaving it nearly fully open, which gave superb off-the-top sensitivity.
My Pole Evolink 140 test bike sat into its travel easily and delivered a supple, comfy ride. There’s a good range of compression adjustment for those who like a firmer, more damped feel too.
My shock made a slight squeaking noise under heavy compressions in the firmest open position, but this didn’t seem detrimental to the ride. When climbing, the ‘firm’ mode is close to a full lockout, allowing the shock to move a little over larger bumps but barely at all under pedalling.
There’s a good range of compression adjustment for those who like a firmer, more damped feel
The shock had Fox’s standard DGDX aftermarket tune. Fitted to the Pole (which I’ve used to test other shocks without issue), I found if I set the low-speed rebound fast enough to keep the shock supple and sensitive over high-frequency chatter, it was way too springy when returning from deep in the travel — after landing a jump, for example.
Even with a small volume spacer fitted, the internal high-speed rebound valving was too light to control the end-stroke spring force, causing it to feel bouncy after big hits and buck the bike on jumps.
Fox UK switched the shock from the ‘digressive-medium’ to the ‘linear-medium’ tune, which fixed the issue, allowing me to run the rebound three to four clicks faster. This gave better small-bump tracking without the bike feeling too lively after bigger hits.
If your bike comes with a DPX2, it should hopefully have the appropriate tune already. If you’re thinking of buying one aftermarket, give Fox UK a call so it can advise you on the best tune for your bike. Alternatively, the RockShox Monarch isn’t quite as sensitive but its ‘light’ and ‘medium’ rebound tunes cover a broad range of riders pretty well.
