Fox Unveils the New 40: The Evolution of Downhill Dominance

The wait is finally over for the gravity-fueled faithful. For years, the Fox 40 hasn’t just participated in the downhill circuit; it's dictated its terms from the top of the podium. But even a legend knows when it’s time to evolve. Fox has officially pulled the curtain back on the all-new 40, proving that the most dominant fork in MTB history still has room to find more speed. With a refined chassis that balances stiffness with surgical precision and a damping overhaul that feels like cheating, this isn't just a marginal gain - it’s a total recalibration of what a DH fork can do.

Why Mess With A Winning Formula?

World Cup DH racing is one of the most physically demanding disciplines in mountain biking in terms of trail abuse on bikes and riders, so how do you make trails feel smoother and make riders faster? Fox has been asking this question for years, and the modern answer is a more supple interaction between the suspension and the ground, without sacrificing precision. And that is just what the new Fox 40 has done.

It hasn't been a huge secret that a new 40 was on the way, and there have been plenty out in the wild under RAD riders like Jackson Goldstone, Gracey Hemstreet, Asa Vermette, Anna Newkirk, and the newest member of the Frameworks Racing team, Aaron Gwin. While it hasn't been the most tightly guarded secret, the updates are pretty subtle visually but impressive in terms of performance.

What’s New With The Fox 40

The newly imagined Fox 40 uses a similar Glidecore air spring to the one we saw in the new 36 and 34. The Glidecore system, which is both vertically and horizontally compliant, reduces friction and allows the top end of the travel to be tapped into much more easily, resulting in a more responsive fork without losing support at the mid and low ends of the travel.

The GripX and GripX2 damper have been improved for the 40, and an entirely new mid-valve piston and valve stack (main piston assembly), alongside the Glidecore airspring, keep the new 40 supple at the top and supportive everywhere else. The 40 still uses the same valve stack as the previous version, but with an updated valve shape and profile to allow more oil to move more freely throughout the system. When paired with the GripX and GripX2 damper, riders still have the same unmatched levels of tunability when dialing in compression and rebound.

To further reduce the friction in the system, Fox has moved the bypass ports on the lowers. But that’s not all that’s new with the lowers. With the 29” specific fork, the 40 now has a generative designed arch that follows the trend with the other forks in the lineup. This new design reduces weight, allowing the airspring and damper to have less lift when called upon, while maintaining the same stiffness that has led to the 40 dominating World Cup Races for years.

Other subtle changes include a new fender that no longer attaches to the bleeders, and a cassette-style air-side cap that allows for quicker volume adjustments. One thing that remains the same is the 27.5 variant, which retains the same lowers but still gets the same internal updates, such as the MCU bumper, Glidecore air spring, and increased negative air volume. Same progress, just no cool new fender, bypass valve relocation, or H.R. Geiger-looking arches. Womp womp. 

Fox 40 Details

MSRP: $1999.00 USD |  $2479.00 CAD | $3199.00 AUD | 2,199.00 € | £2,099.00

• 190 and 203mm Travel
• 29" and 27.5"
• 44, 48, 52, 56mm Offsets
• DH Boost 20mm Floating Axle
• PM200 - 29 | PM203 27.5
• 230mm Max Brake Rotor Size
• 2.5" Max Tire Size 
• Starting Weight: 2755g
• Learn more at ridefox.com