TESTED: Fox Talas 32 Factory 29" suspension fork

Travel-adjustable forks are nothing new. But despite the increasing popularity of complex components such as dropper posts and electronically controlled suspension, we’ve noticed that travel-adjustable forks have been falling out of favour in recent years.

Most riders cite the higher entry price, the chance of increased maintenance costs, and poor on-trail performance of the fork at its shorter travel settings as reasons why the increased complexity just isn’t worth it. And to be perfectly honest, mountain bikes these days are so dialled that altering their geometry via fork travel just doesn’t seem as necessary. Or is it?

For the 2014 model year, Fox Racing Shox launched the biggest overhaul of their travel-adjustable fork to date. Seeking to address consumer criticism of previous TALAS forks reliability, Fox went back to the drawing board to create a new travel system that would be simpler, more reliable, and more consistent in its action across the travel range. This new system has been carried through to the 2015 range, along with a number of other refinements that I’ll go through below.

While I will admit that I’ve personally never been a big fan of travel-adjustable forks, when a 2015 Fox 32 TALAS fork showed up for testing, I decided to put my preferences aside to see if I could be proven wrong.

TALAS V.5

Standing for Travel-Adjustable-Linear-Air-Spring, the TALAS fork has been on the market for over a decade now, though chequered popularity has seen it sit somewhat in the shadows behind the excellent fixed-travel FLOAT forks. Far from writing the TALAS off however, Fox have seen enough benefits of an adjustable front-end to invest in an entirely new design.

At a claimed weight of 1.85kg, the 32 TALAS is the lightest travel-adjustable fork that Fox offers. It comes equipped with 120mm of travel that can be dropped down to 90mm at the flick of the blue lever on the left-hand fork leg. The TALAS is also available in the beefier 34 and 36 series forks for longer-travel devotees, and there are dedicated castings to suit 26”, 27.5” or 29” wheels.

Our test fork features 32mm stanchions along with all the mod cons. There’s a tapered 1.5” alloy steerer tube (a straight 1 1/8” steerer is also available), one-piece magnesium lowers, as well as dedicated QR15 thru-axle dropouts and arguably the best thru-axle in the business.

Aesthetically you may have difficulty picking the 2015 forks from the 2014 range, and in terms of the external dimensions they are indeed unchanged. Internally however, it’s a different story.

Under The Hood

The main visual differentiator between the Factory Series forks and the cheaper Performance and Evolution models is the super-bling gold Kashima coated stanchions. An improved manufacturing process for the 2015 forks sees a deeper and more consistent finish applied to the alloy upper tubes. Along with a new 20wt Gold lubricating oil that purports to cling to the Kashima coat with more tenacity, the 2015 Factory Series forks are claimed to offer smoother sliding and better durability against bushing wear.

Going deeper inside the damper, the sealed FIT cartridge remains, though a low-friction seal head and reworked internals have been employed to lower the forks initial breakaway force. The familiar blue CTD dial sits atop of the right-hand fork leg, but there are now 7 positions of adjustment in the Trail setting. Fox have also updated the CTD tunes on their 2015 forks, with more damping support compared to the 2013 forks when CTD was first introduced (often remembered as “Climb-Terrible-Dive”).

The other fork leg houses the revamped TALAS air spring. The major change over previous TALAS internals is the switch to a hydraulic system to control the travel setting. This removes 2 seals over the previous design, which would bleed air between two chambers to change travel. Aside from the reduction in friction, the new TALAS assembly is decoupled from the air spring, which now uses a long negative coil spring that mimics the FLOAT design. This air-coil arrangement is simpler and smoother than the old air-air design, though more importantly, it also provides Fox with added control of the spring curve in both travel settings. You can even add 5mm spacers to increase the amount of travel in the shorter position.

With such a long list of upgrades, it goes without saying that the new 32 TALAS fork boasts some pretty bodacious performance enhancements over its predecessors. It’s worth noting though that many of these improvements (including the new TALAS air spring) are available as modular upgrades to owners of pre-2015 Fox forks.

Trail Time

Having grown familiar with the FLOAT range over the years, I was initially thrown off by the high pressure required in the TALAS forks primary air spring. For my 70kg riding weight, I needed nearly double the pressure of what I’d typically run, with about 130psi getting me into a sweet spot of 25% sag.

First things first: this fork is incredibly smooth. Like Daddy Cool smooth.

If you’ve been a Fox fan in the past, the 2015 forks will blow your mind. From the very first push on the handlebar grips, the TALAS exhibits an eagerness to get moving unlike any XC fork I’ve ever experienced before. It isn’t quite at the same level as the venerable RockShox Pike fork, but it’s damn close. What I think is more impressive however, is that its action is indistinguishable next to the new FLOAT fork, which cannot be said for older TALAS models.

This supple action translates into an ability to suck up the kind of rubble on the trail that might otherwise be transferred to your wrists on a firmer-riding fork. At the other end of the fork, the TALAS helps to keep the front tyre sticking to the terrain to maintain better traction through loose off-camber corners, and it was always at the ready to deal with the larger roots and rocks that I might not have spotted further up the trail. While there is a little more twang compared to beefier 34mm forks, the plush travel helps to erase most of these hits before the chassis is forced to.

Supple & Supported

In comparison to last years CTD forks though, the key difference with the new TALAS is that it maintains this supple action without diving deep into its travel. No more need to increase air pressure or run the fork in the Trail position just to keep it from wallowing at the first hint of a front brake. It rides noticeably higher in its travel in all of the CTD settings, and those 7 clicks of low-speed compression adjustment in the Trail mode will keep most fettlers happy.

Damping performance aside, it took me a number of rides to hone in on how best to utilise the TALAS forks travel adjust. The hardtail I strapped the TALAS to was built with the capability of taking up to 120mm of fork travel, making it an ideal test platform.

Traditionally travel-adjustable forks are used at full travel for the majority of riding, before dropping down the travel for the climbs. However, the new TALAS performs so well in the short travel setting, that I actually found I was riding it at 90mm more often, and popping it back up to 120mm for steeper descents. The spring rate and damping is consistent in both modes, with sufficient ramp-up that means you won’t blow through the travel even in the shorter setting.

This is a bit of a rethink on the traditional approach to a TALAS fork, but it works well on a 29er in helping you to get more weight over the front wheel for tight singletrack riding.

The Best TALAS Yet

All the work that Fox’s engineers have undertaken with the new TALAS fork has paid off huge dividends on the trail. The revised CTD damper is more supported, the travel-adjust system is bulletproof, and the improved Kashima coating and 20wt Gold Oil have reset the bar for supple suspension performance. Oh and it’s less than 100 grams heavier than an equivalent Float fork.

The 32 TALAS won’t suit everyone though. It’s expensive, and in the wrong hands it can be complicated. Get to know its features and how best to utilise them though, and you’ll be ready for all that the mountain can throw at you.

Brand: Fox Racing Shox

Model: 32 TALAS 29 120 FIT CTD w/Trail Adjust

RRP: $1389

www.solasport.com.au