During the final North American tour of the cross-country World Cup, we were able to see a curious fork equipping the Orbea Oiz by Luca Martin. Present to meet the public at the Roc d’Azur, we took advantage of the opportunity for the Frenchman to present his bike with the personalized livery for his U23 XCO world champion title, as well as this prototype fork from Fox Float 34:
Crowned U23 Olympic cross-country world champion last September in Pal Arinsal, the Orbea Oiz of Frenchman Luca Martin then received a magnificent livery in homage to his world title, as is now customary for pilots obtaining the famous jersey iridescent. Remember, it was on his handlebars that the Orbea Factory Team rider lined up for the last two rounds of the season during the North American tour.
If the bike may seem discreet at first glance, the details and references are numerous and in good taste! “ I like that it’s not too bling-bling. Obviously, there is a strong golden side present, but it’s not too much I think », Explains the Frenchman.
In other words, this is a prototype of the possible future Fox Float 34!
However, one detail caught our attention during the two World Cup rounds in Lake Placid and Mont-Sainte-Anne… The Orbea Factory Team rider was not riding with the golden Fox fork initially fitted to this very particular assembly, but with a black fork stamped “RAD”. We have already told you about it, this acronym means “ Racing Application Development » and designates the equipment development program by the brand’s athletes. In other words, this is a prototype of the possible future Fox Float 34!
In idea, its chassis is reminiscent of another: that of the latest Fox Float 32 SC Grip SL (see New | Fox 32 SC GRIP SL 2025: an inverted rollbar and much more!). With a hollowed-out hoop and a tee with well-defined and worked shapes, Fox seems to have learned from its last update on the 32 SC Grip SL, and transfers its developments to this 34 SC. On the other hand, on the Fox 34, the arch is positioned in a more classic way, at the front.
This Fox fork is equipped with a handlebar lock, which here integrates the Squid Lock control of the rider’s bike (i.e. a handlebar control specific to Orbea and allowing both the fork and the shock absorber to be blocked, like the TwinLoc from Scott for example).
According to the French pilot, this prototype would not show any change in the cartridge. However, his feeling on the ground was very different compared to the previous fork fitted to his bike: “CIt’s really much more rigid. So much so that I had to slightly revise my pressure settings downwards. I also tested different wheels to counterbalance some of this stiffness in the front end, which didn’t fit quite well with the rest of the frame. », explains Luca.
« The weight is quite similar », Adds the French pilot, without, logically, giving more details at this stage. We will also note that the standard for the front brake is increased to 180mm, compared to 160mm on the current version.
Do we have the final form of the future Fox 34 SC before our eyes? It’s impossible to say with certainty at this point, but it looks like Fox’s cross-country fork is about to evolve!
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