The Fox Podium inverted fork just moved from prototype to production. The long-travel, single-crown, inverted suspension fork has been quietly making the rounds in prototype form at races and events this year, and today it’s finally official. Designed for aggressive enduro and eMTB riders, the Podium aims to deliver downhill stiffness in a lighter, more responsive chassis. With a $1,999 price tag (available at Jenson USA), it’s also the most expensive fork in the Fox lineup to date.
While the upside-down fork design isn’t new, the execution here is notably overbuilt compared to XC-oriented forks like the discontinued RockShox RS-1. The Podium uses massive 47mm-diameter upper tubes and a custom 20mm steel thru axle to ensure the arch-less fork is torsionally stiff both fore and aft. According to Fox, the Podium’s chassis is almost as stiff as the brand’s actual DH fork, the dual-crown Fox 40.
The Podium is available in 160mm or 170mm travel options and comes with Fox’s GRIP X2 damper, tuned specifically for this inverted platform. The fork also features a new GlideCore air spring, designed to flex laterally under load to reduce binding and improve small bump sensitivity. Combined with 175mm of bushing overlap — 32% more than the Fox 38 — the Podium is engineered for smoother performance deep into its travel.
Placing the heavier outer tubes at the top of the fork reduces unsprung mass compared to a traditional fork, and this promises to improve responsiveness. However, that’s not to say the Podium is lightweight; at 2,695g it’s about 500g heavier than the Fox 38 ($1,249) with a similar amount of travel, and on par with the longer-travel Fox 40, making it more suitable for riders who prioritize stability and grip over gram-counting.
Another inverted fork design advantage is that gravity keeps seals constantly lubricated and free of contamination. However, with the stanchions lower to the ground, there’s a greater risk of rock strikes, and for that reason the Fox Podium ships with carbon stanchion guards.
In a 2020 interview with Tyrone Dines, a former Fox technician, Dines told Singletracks the ideal mountain bike fork would be “upside down,” the same as many motorcycle forks. In addition to the weight shift and gravity-assisted lubrication improvements, he noted an inverted fork allows for a single-piece steerer and upper, which eliminates the chance of creaking over time.
Singletracks reported on a Fox Podium fork prototype on display at Sea Otter back in April, where it was seen mounted to Pivot Firebird and Orbea Wild mountain bikes. At the time, Fox reps said they were only collecting feedback from pro riders and testing the market to see if there was enough demand to produce the inverted fork. Given that the prototype appeared to be extremely well-polished back in April, and not far off from what Fox is showing today, we suspect the brand had been planning to launch it all along and simply wanted a bit more time to validate the design and to build some excitement.
The Yeti / Fox Factory Enduro team has been racing on the new fork, and provided photos show bike builds with the Podium including the Pivot Firebird, Scott Patron electric mountain bike, and the Commencal Meta. Though the Fox Podium is offered in 160mm and 170mm travel lengths, just like the Fox 38, it’s clearly not intended as a replacement — in fact, with its higher price and weight, it targets a more niche segment.
The Fox Podium is set to compete with the Intend Essential inverted fork, which offers a similar travel range — adjustable from 150mm to 170mm — and is priced at €1,449 (about $1,700USD). Wren is another brand producing inverted mountain bike forks, though their current offerings, priced at $750, top out at 150mm of suspension travel.
It’s unclear if the market is ready for an ultra-premium inverted fork, though if Fox proves there is a market, there’s a good chance we may see RockShox get back into the game as well.
- Price: $1,999
- Buy from Jenson USA
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