Welcome to another Friday newsletter from RECON, the MTB store delivering your weekly mountain biking news in < 5 mins.

The last few weeks were drier than a 🦴 for MTB news.

But with a deluge of major product unveils from the industry’s biggest brands, it feels like spring is officially here.

On Today’s Techy Ride:

• 🦊 Fox’s New Forks

• 🛑 SRAM’s New Era: Cables and Mineral Oil?

• 🤳 Best Podcasts, Videos, and Wipeout Of The Week

TECH

🦊 It’s A Fork Frenzy

FOX is back with a major refresh to their 36 lineup and this time it’s more than just incremental tweaks.

The 2026 range includes the updated FOX 36 and an all-new FOX 36 SL, each engineered for riders who demand trail precision with enduro-caliber capability.

Stiffer, Not Heavier

At the core of the update is a completely redesigned chassis. Fox managed to bump torsional stiffness by 20%—without adding any weight. That added rigidity translates to better tracking and more confidence when things get steep and fast. It’s a subtle nod toward the burly feel of the Fox 38, just with the lighter package of a 36.

More Overlap, Less Friction

Bushing overlap has been extended to 162mm, an increase of 30mm. Why care? More overlap means reduced flex and chassis friction, and that translates to better small bump sensitivity, improved traction, and a smoother ride when terrain gets unpredictable.

Where Things Get Interesting

This is where things get interesting. FOX is introducing a new FLOAT EVOL Compliant air spring—a setup that suspends the spring between three rubber rings. That design decouples the air spring from the stanchions under heavy loads, allowing for subtle lateral movement and less friction. On the trail, this means better compliance and a fork that stays planted when things get rowdy.

Fox 36 SL: Lightweight Trail Dominance

New for 2026, Fox introduces the 36 SL—a featherweight sibling to the standard 36, designed for riders who want precision and control without the extra grams. Optimized for 120–140mm of travel and tipping the scales at just 1,755 grams, the 36 SL delivers stiffness on par with its heavier counterpart, making it ideal for fast, punchy trail riding where efficiency and handling are top priorities.

The SL also runs the new GRIP X damper, tuned for a responsive feel under power and excellent terrain tracking on the way down.

Ride Feel

Early ride impressions call out the fork’s noticeably stiffer chassis and razor-sharp steering. It encourages an active riding style—rewarding those who like to push hard and stay engaged. But thanks to the FLOAT EVOL compliant air spring and extended bushing overlap, the 36 doesn’t just ride stiff—it rides smart.

The fork adapts well to square-edge hits, roots, and chatter, keeping the front end planted and calm even in unpredictable terrain. Riders are calling it one of the most balanced forks FOX has ever built.

🙋‍♂️ RECON’s Take

While many of the 2026 updates are focused on chassis design and structural refinements, they’re far from cosmetic. Fox continues to lead the charge in high-end MTB suspension, with a clear vision: maximize stiffness, reduce friction, and make every ride feel smoother, faster, and more controlled.

The 36 and 36 SL aren’t chasing headlines—they’re engineered for riders who notice the difference between good and great. And right now, they’re sitting at the top of that conversation.

If you live in the USA and want to upgrade to the new 36, RECONMTB.com has the best offer of any bike shop in the world right now.

• You’ll get a 15% discount code: WELCOME15 if it’s your first order

• You’ll get in $31 in cashback as store credit

• You’ll get 1019 entries to winning the dream bike we’re giving away this month (2025 Transition Sentinel V3)

TECH

🛑 SRAM’s New Oily Era

SRAM’s newest brake release isn’t just about power—it’s about philosophy.

With the debut of the Motive, SRAM is taking a decisive step away from DOT fluid and fully committing to a mineral oil future. That’s a big move for a brand long associated with DOT-based systems like Code and Level, and it signals something much larger: a total consolidation of their brake lineup.

The Motive arrives as a high-performance XC and trail brake, born from the development process behind the DH-rated Maven. While Maven was built to conquer World Cups and Rampage cliffs, Motive takes those lessons and brings them to the lighter, faster world of XC and aggressive trail riding.

And SRAM isn’t subtle about their goals—both the Level and Code lines are being phased out. In their place? A mineral-oil-only ecosystem, where Motive and Maven handle the top-end needs, while the DB8 and its coming variants serve entry-level riders.

Why it Matters: DOT is Out, Mineral is In

The move to mineral oil isn’t just a spec sheet footnote. It’s a significant shift for SRAM and for riders. Mineral oil is more stable, less corrosive, and easier to maintain. SRAM adopting it across the board means fewer compatibility headaches and more accessible service for the everyday rider. It also reflects a broader trend across the industry toward cleaner, more user-friendly systems—one where SRAM has historically been the holdout. No longer.

Motive Highlights

• 4-piston brake aimed at XC and trail use

• DirectLink lever for linear, lightweight feel

• Maxima mineral oil shared with Maven

• Shared Code pad shape for easy sourcing

• Weight: 584g per Ultimate pair (pads + clamp hardware)

• MSRP: $350–$550 USD depending on trim

Trim Levels

• Bronze: Aluminum lever, bushing pivot, steel hardware – 279g per end – $175

• Silver: Aluminum lever, bearing pivot, stainless steel hardware – 273g – $225

• Ultimate: Carbon lever, bearing pivot, titanium hardware – 264g – $275

Each version is available individually or bundled into an “Expert Kit,” which adds rotors, pads, bleed kit, and teal anodization—MSRP: $599. Not bad if you’re planning to build up a full rig or want to experiment with rotor sizing.

On-Trail Feel?

Unlike the SwingLink-equipped Codes, which ramp up braking power progressively, the Motive’s DirectLink lever delivers a more linear curve.

That means you need to pull deeper into the lever’s stroke to access max braking power, but the initial lever feel is lighter—ideal for XC where control and finesse matter more than sheer stopping force. It’s a different experience from Code, but not necessarily lesser. Just more deliberate.

🙋‍♂️ RECON’s Take

This isn’t just a new brake—it’s a new era for SRAM.

By shifting their entire brake strategy toward mineral oil and retiring Level and Code, they’re simplifying the lineup, improving long-term serviceability, and giving riders a more consistent experience across categories.

If the Maven was a statement of SRAM’s raw power potential, the Motive is their plan for the masses. And if early impressions hold up, it’s a plan that delivers.

TECH

🦿 SRAM To Cables: I Still ❤️ You

A few years ago, the rumor mill was in overdrive: SRAM was done with cables.

Word on the trail was that everything would go wireless, and future frames wouldn’t even have ports for derailleur housing. Some brands even started designing frames around that idea.

Turns out, those rumors were only half-right.

Yes, SRAM's wireless Transmission system took over the spotlight for a while. But now, with the release of the Eagle 90 and Eagle 70 drivetrains, SRAM has made it official: mechanical shifting is still very much alive—and it's better than ever.

Mechanical Is Back—But Reimagined

The Eagle 90 is not just a rehash of older tech. It’s a cable-actuated drivetrain that uses the same Full Mount interface found on Transmission—clamping the derailleur directly around both sides of the dropout for a stiffer, hanger-free design. That means more durability, less alignment issues, and compatibility with any UDH-equipped frame.

In short: SRAM kept the best parts of Transmission, skipped the batteries, and gave us a mechanical system that’s easier to service, more affordable, and still packed with performance.

Eagle 90 Groupset Key Details

• 12-speed (10-52T) cassette

• Cable-actuated

• Full Mount design

• Compatible with T-Type cassettes and chains

• Groupset weight: 2085g

• MSRP: $670 USD (cassette, derailleur, cranks, shifter, chain)

What About Eagle 70? SRAM also launched Eagle 70—a more affordable spec likely to appear on complete builds in the near future. It uses the same wide-range 10-52T gearing but works with traditional HG driver bodies, making it ideal for riders who want to upgrade shifting without overhauling their wheels.

🙋‍♂️ RECON’s Take

With Eagle 90 and Eagle 70, SRAM isn’t just keeping cables around—they’re elevating them. These drivetrains borrow the stiffness and interface design of Transmission, deliver clean, no-fuss performance, and come in at a fraction of the cost of their wireless counterparts.

More importantly, they prove that the future of mountain biking doesn’t have to be wireless-only. SRAM’s mechanical comeback is thoughtful, refined, and—for many riders—a welcome return to simplicity.

🎥 Video Of The Week

Bas Van Steenbergen’s Stylish New Edit

🎧 Podcast Of The Week

Hear from the Kind of Crankworx - Ryan Gilchrist

🌊 Wipeout Of The Week

When the jib bites back 😖

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This newsletter is written with ❤️ every week by Nic Bean, Michael Sikand, Justin Rausch, and Marc Brodesser