We’re here at Sea Otter, and there are quite a few new 32″ tires, wheels, and frames to be found floating around the booths. And while plenty of rumors have circulated about major suspension manufacturers working on 32″ mountain bike suspension forks, we haven’t really seen much beyond some spy shots and some some franken-forks with cut and bonded lowers. Earlier today, Cory spotted a rideable Fox 34 SL 32″ fork on an Ari Signal Peak 32″ prototype bike in a Quarter HP post.
Before even being made aware of Cory’s article, I wandered over to the Ari booth at Sea Otter, where the Signal Peak 32″ alloy prototype was on display. The fork didn’t have any stickers or branding, but it looked suspiciously like a Fox 34 SL with its generative arch design. Then I noticed the distinctive blue compression knob with the words “Grip SL” printed on it, along with the blue air spring top cap, which were a dead giveaway. Still, the Ari folks were very happy to talk about the bike, but remained very tight-lipped about the fork.
Shortly after, while visiting with the Fox suspension folks, they happened to have another of the Ari Signal Peak prototype frames built up with the same fork. But this one was dressed up with Fox’s bright orange RAD (Racing Applications Development) stickers. When pressed, the Fox folks admitted that it was, in fact, a rideable prototype that they have been testing for some time. While it certainly looks production-ready, they didn’t provide a timeline for production. We’re assuming that it’s probably still a ways out, perhaps spring ’27, but will likely be spotted on the many 32″ XC bikes that we’ll be seeing in the not-too-distant future.
Beyond that, both of the Ari 32″ prototypes I saw had unique-looking prototype negative-rise Race Face stems to compensate for the larger front wheel. Fox’s bike also had a set of Race Face branded wheels with its own Vault hubs, so those are also clearly ride ready prototypes as well. The bright red Raicam Racing brakes aren’t a common sight, either. I had a chance to ride Fox’s bike up and down a crowded pathway between the booths, which was my first time on 32″ wheels. It was paved and there were lots of people around, so I can’t say that I took much away from the experience, other than that the fork was definitely functional.
Regardless, it’s clear that Fox has been working hard behind the scenes and that its first 32″ suspension fork is much closer to reality than we knew. Until now, Fox has done a darn good job of keeping it under wraps, but it doesn’t seem like they’re trying to keep it a secret anymore. Again, it’s not clear when it’s coming, but it will certainly be an important piece of the puzzle for getting more 32″ bikes to market when it becomes available.
