Fox Podium Factory first-ride review: this is the first inverted fork I've wanted to buy

The novel upside-down (USD) design of Fox’s Podium Factory enduro fork is as eye-catching as it is functional. 

Off-the-top sensitivity and plushness throughout its travel are standout characteristics, creating a smooth, controlled grip-rich ride. 

Although the performance improvements compared to regular mountain bike forks aren’t otherworldly, there are tangible benefits. 

Control, support and traction in rough high-load turns are exemplary, just as Fox promises. 

Fox’s mission to reduce friction – resulting in the Podium’s USD design and the subsequent performance advantages it brings, has been a resounding success.

The Podium also exudes an impalpable attraction – whether that’s the motocross-inspired looks, black and gold colours or simply that it’s something different in a sea of convention, there’s no denying it’s an exceptional piece of kit. 

• Read more: Fox's new Podium inverted fork promises DH steering stiffness and unrivalled plushness – but it's costly
• Read more: Inverted mountain bike forks: why upside-down forks still have a cult following

Fox Podium Factory details and specifications

How much does the Fox Podium Factory weigh?

The biggest concession the USD platform makes compared to a regular fork is weight. 

By removing the arch – which is one of three cross-bracing points, the axle and crown being the other two – Fox has had to beef up the remaining sections. 

The 'overbuilt crown' (Fox's words) and 20mm axle, along with chassis tube thicknesses, culminate in a 2,730g weight for the 170mm-travel 225mm-long steerer model. 

In comparison, a 170mm-travel ZEB Ultimate Charger 3.1, also with a 225mm-long steerer, weighs 2,320g – a full 410g less. 

Fox Podium Factory performance

I attended the Fox Podium Factory fork press camp in Leogang, Austria, host of the 2025 downhill, enduro and cross-country World Cup. 

That meant I got to ride lift-assisted world-class trails, spanning from massive vomit-inducing high-speed bike-park berms and jumps through to the incredibly technical stages used in the enduro World Cup. 

I then managed a full weekend of riding on my home trails in Scotland’s Tweed Valley, taking in my well-trodden test routes. 

While I’ve ridden the fork a good amount – equating to just under 10,000m of descending in four days – this is still a first-ride review, with more comparative testing needed.

Fox Podium Factory setup

A 170mm-travel Podium was fitted to my 2025 Marin Alpine Trail enduro bike, replacing a 170mm-travel RockShox ZEB I’ve been riding. 

The axle-to-crown height of the Podium is only fractionally taller than a ZEB, so no bar-height adjustments were needed to maintain my bike’s familiarity. 

Fox’s own research and development expert, Ariel Lindsley, helped me set up the fork, recommending similar pressure and volume-reducer spacers to the 38. 

For my 78kg weight, the Podium’s air spring was inflated to 90psi, and two 5cc spacers were installed.

Ariel also helped me set the fork’s compression and rebound-damping adjustments. 

He set the high-speed compression adjuster to +5 clicks from fully open, and the low-speed compression adjuster to +10 clicks from fully open, both sitting exactly halfway in their adjustment range. 

After I explained I like a fast rebound, he set the low-speed rebound adjuster to +2 clicks from fully open and the high-speed rebound adjuster to fully open. 

During the initial ride and throughout subsequent testing at home, I’ve experimented with different settings, but ended up with 90psi in the air spring, with six 5cc volume-reducer spacers. 

I settled on +13 clicks of low-speed compression, +5 clicks of high-speed compression, and both low- and high-speed rebound set to fully open. 

The Podium is unique with its compression settings, compared to Fox’s other GRIPX2 forks. Bar a small amount of low-speed compression damping – up to +5 clicks, but no more – I’ve historically run these fully open. 

Fox Podium Factory ride impressions

Load up the Podium with aggressive, high-paced riding and it barely flinches. 

Criticising it for feeling flexy doesn’t wash; steering accuracy is on a par with the most robust single-crown forks out there. 

Steering-input vagueness and wandering are non-existent, no matter how hard you’re loading up the front wheel in a berm, or if you’re turning hard through a compression. 

You point and the wheel tracks.

Riding steep, sharp, on-the-brakes turns, littered with rocks and roots, is borderline revelatory. Aside from the fork’s chassis remaining steadfast under these massive loads, it’s also able to track the ground’s bumps predictably and smoothly. 

Insulating your wrists and hands from negative inputs is one bonus, but the ultra-sensitive, ground-smoothing action is the biggest and best bit. 

Not only is grip impressive – because the front wheel spends more time in contact with the ground – but so is steering control. 

Where traditional forks wouldn’t be able to absorb the bumps as effectively, the Podium moves smoothly and calmly in and out of its travel, providing excellent steering feel. It’s much harder to wash out or understeer the front wheel, even when you’re riding hard.

That smoothness comes with some downsides, even if they’re limited to just getting used to a fork that moves more freely and a chunky weight figure. 

Upping compression damping solves any issues of perceived handlebar nodding or the fork using more travel than a traditional one. 

This brings out the best in the GRIP X2 damper; it’s smooth-feeling and free of compression spikes, despite me having the high-speed dial set to its halfway mark. 

Where previously a GRIP X2 damper in a traditional fork would start to feel harsh when set like this, the Podium uses that extra damping to stay higher in its travel without those sensations creeping in.

There’s also a somewhat ethereal element to the performance, especially when tracking across cambers strewn with embedded rocks and roots. 

With a traditional fork, striking one of those diagonal rocks and roots hard enough with the front wheel can lead to the tyre scraping along the root or rock’s side, or the bar getting twitched in one direction or another, both requiring emergency measures to retain control. 

I’m not saying the Podium is a cure-all panacea for your off-camber riding needs, but it definitely feels smoother, quieter, less hectic and calmer than a traditional fork in the scenario described above – and everywhere else. 

More testing is needed to assess its performance, especially against the competition. 

Fox Podium Factory initial verdict 

The Podium is an excellent debut for Fox; damper, spring, chassis and design all come together to provide what is one of the smoothest and grippiest-feeling forks on the market. 

More testing is needed to unpick the ins and outs of Podium’s performance against the competition and its potential, so stay tuned for a full review soon.