Review of Fox 32 F29 RLC and Fox F29 RLC vs Reba Race 29

I took my Fox F29 out for its maiden voyage today. Prior to heading out, I converted it from 80mm to 100mm of travel. I also spent some time dialing it in. The one concern I had was that the lockout wasn't working prior to my ride. For such an expensive fork, I was not happy.

The reason I switched. from my Reba Race (which I loved) to the Fox F29 was only because of a curiosity that I had. I wasn't able to imagine that anything would out perform my Reba and my only thought as to why others spoke so highly of the Fox F29 was due to its brand name. Now you are going to read something I've never told my wife... I WAS WRONG.

The Fox performed very well. While it was not an overwhelming difference over the Reba, the suspension, while still plush, felt much firmer. I'm not sure how to explain it and I've spent some time since my ride trying to figure out how to better explain it, but that's the best I could come up with. I suppose it simply feels less mushy or squishy. Also, after about a mile into the ride, as others had told me, my lockout began to work. Perhaps the oil needed to gather in the right places, who knows. The lockout was great. I think it outperformed the Reba lockout. I stood up on the pedals and mashed away and it felt like I had a rigid fork on the front.

All in all I'm very pleased with my purchase and I will be putting crazy miles on this fork. This is the fork I'm going to stick with, no doubt.

Here are my thoughts with respect to the Fox vs the Reba:

1. Suspension Feel: The Fox is superior in this area. Less mushy. A firm but plush ride. You will love it. The Reba ain't bad at all though.

2. Lockout: Fox wins again. I always had a bit of bounce in my Reba lockout. Due to its adjustability, the Fox felt like a rigid. It can have more bounce if I want it. Of course, the Fox does not have the poploc remote, which is a great convenience.

3. Weight: Reba wins. I believe the Reba comes in at 3.54lbs and the Fox F29 100 comes in at 3.78 lbs. Yes, the Reba is lighter, but if you give up a beer a week, you probably won't ever feel the difference. Just wait until after football season to give up that beer.

4. Features: Fox wins in the adjustability category, Reba wins in the convenience category. The pop loc remote is great.

5. Looks: I prefer the Fox due to the bad ass Fox stickers, but both look great in white.

6. Reliability: I have to say that the jury is still out, but it looks like the Reba wins. It seems like the Fox is just a little finicky and I can see problems springing up from time to time. What the heck is up with a lockout that only works after 1 mile of riding? I never had anything that went wrong with my Reba and it worked perfectly without fail.

Result: I think Fox wins on performance, but just like an expensive, high end sports car it is not without its drawbacks. The Reba is a very nice, reliable fork with some great features like the poploc remote and there isn't a great drop off in performance. Assuming equal price, I would say the forks are equal depending upon your priorities.