Fox Transfer Neo Wireless Dropper Post

It's not a secret that Fox has been working on this, but today is the day they announce the Fox Transfer Neo wireless dropper post. Five and a half years on from the announcement of RockShox's AXS Reverb, Fox has finally fired back. A few other brands have released or teased wireless droppers since then, but if there was a rival brand's product that RockShox and the rest of the market were anticipating in this category, it's Fox's, so if you take nothing away from this launch, take the fact that this will (eventually) exert downward pressure on wireless dropper pricing and upward pressure on innovation/quality.

Let's dispense with some important details regarding Fox's new bougie baby.

Fox Transfer Neo Details

• Neo means new in Greek. It's also Fox's new designation for their wireless protocol system, which uses a radio wave protocol that is faster & more energy efficient than Bluetooth.
• Fastest wireless dropper on the market (Fox is claiming 26 milliseconds response time - 100x faster than Bluetooth and 20x faster than AXS).
• Utilizes the new Transfer's internals and head for saddle mounting.
• 200mm option and ~20mm shorter total length than Reverb AXS.
• Schrader valve for air pressure adjustment located at top of post (requires saddle removal).
• Dedicated 34.9 variant with larger upper post diameter.
• Short-throw, light pressure, ergonomic Matchmaker and I-spec EV compatible lever using CR2032 battery.
• Best in class tire/battery clearance, post available in forward battery configuration as needed for additional tire clearance (OEM only).
• Approx. 30-40 hours riding time on full charge (1.5 hrs to charge).
• Charger uses USB-C (post comes with charger and USB-A to C cable)
• Dead battery override option will let you drop your post for one. last. descent.
• IPX7 waterproofness rating (which denotes protection against immersion in water up to 1 meter for 30 minutes).
• 47mm stack height (measured from bottom of controller to centre of saddle rails). 18mm less than AXS Reverb, only 11mm more than standard Transfer).

Fox Transfer Neo Spec

• 30.9, 31.6 and 34.9mm diameter options.
• 125, 150, 175 and 200mm travel options (non-adjustable).
• Available in Factory & (OE only) Performance Elite.
• Transfer Neo post weight: 650g (30.9x150mm)
• Lever: 63g
• Battery: 24g

More Details

RockShox's AXS Reverb has been stalled out at a max drop of 170mm since it was launched back in 2019. The simple reason is that at longer lengths, the battery has to live somewhere other than the back of the top of the post for the simple reason that at full bike travel, that battery risks coming into contact with the rear tire (especially on longer travel bikes). Besides potential safety issues, that's a recipe for battery-go-buh-bye, and other than ruining your ride, these proprietary cells are outrageously expensive (AXS battery: 69 USD / 89 CAD // Neo battery: 79 USD / 106 CAD!). Fox scores points here for bringing out a 200mm wireless dropper with a shorter stack. However, despite recently releasing the regular Transfer at travel lengths up to 240mm, they didn't go further than 200mm with the Neo.

It's still a long post, and Neo's motor is at the very bottom (again, to help reduce bulk up top and to move unsprung weight lower on the bike). The increasingly popular 34.9 seat tube size uses a dedicated upper, which lets Fox reduce bulk, weight and stack height.

Fox recommends you remove the battery anytime the bike is on the back of your vehicle for longer drives or if it's in motion for more than a few minutes in order to save charge. However, the app, which even in beta has worked really well, gives the option to disable 'shake to wake' meaning it will stay dormant until you toggle the shifter. There's also a thoughtful (if unnecessary for many users) 'bike park mode' which will keep the post from extending unexpectedly if you smash the remote in the middle of a vigorous bar turn, or something (I wouldn't know). These require being enabled in the app, but you can disable them with minimal fiddle-flicking - thoughtful design on the part of Fox's mechatronics (yep!) team.

Design

I'm no Kashima-coverter, but whether gold or not, I've always liked the looks of the Transfer. So the Transfer Neo starts with what are, to me, good bones (albeit occasionally sticky ones). Now, looking across the aisle for a sec, I also have always liked the look of the AXS Reverb, and I think RockShox's design team did a good job stashing the battery and actuator up in the ol' undercarriage of that post. Unfortunately, whenever they finally bring out v2, it won't be there anymore (see above) so we need to be fair with this next comment, but...

The Transfer Neo's battery and housing are ugly. Rectangular, asymmetrical, and bulky. If you're fortunate enough to be able to get it slammed down against or near the seat collar, it helps a ton, but if you have to show some lower post, it makes its way up only to be interrupted by that piece of...electronic scaffolding before then tapering into the upper shaft. It's a tough look. Again, it'll be interesting to see how RockShox handles this, but where AXS was additive to the bike's look insofar as it removed cables and made things cleaner, this is the opposite (other than, yes, one cable fewer in the cockpit).

On the flip side, the Transfer Neo's remote is a looker. It is sleek, efficient, and aesthetic, tucked up beneath the bar, striking a lower profile than just about any remote I've seen.

To be fair to the battery housing unit, the fitment of the battery and door are tight and secure and everything feels well built, it just doesn't look that way. The remote, similarly, screams quality and is a joy to push, providing positive presses and helping emphasize one of Fox's talking points about the Neo Transfer, which is that it's so fast you can micro-adjust your post's height with a rapid finger press. I had to test it back to back with AXS, and Fox takes the win here. I was successful in engaging and disengaging the Neo's remote quickly enough that I could do so four times before it came to full height, whereas with AXS, you're lucky if the circuit closes again before the post gets all the way to the top (this is a 170mm AXS vs 175mm Neo for comparison). If you don't think this matters, pay attention on your next technical climb - it's nice to be able to blip the remote and tweak your seat's height upward without using your butt to fine tune it, however for most this is still 'nice to have' rather than 'need to have' territory.

Transfer Neo in Action

Thankfully, the Transfer Neo's polarizing look isn't indicative of performance. In use it is everything Fox claimed promised: actuation is fast and smooth at the lever (haptic feedback at the remote makes it a particularly nice experience), the post is super responsive and precise feeling, battery life is as claimed. It is a polished product, and I expect we'll see a lot of Transfer Neos (in both Factory and Performance Elite level) spec'd on '25 and later model year bikes. Pricing is a bit jarring but not out of line as compared to AXS and given the variety of available lengths - including 200mm - there are some underserved AXS Reverb customers out there who will be tempted. It remains to be seen what RockShox has planned for AXS Reverb v2 (>200mm? GX?) but in the meantime, Fox did what they set out to do, which is introduce a wireless post that puts them ahead of the competition - for now.

Fox Neo App

I won't spend too much time here, except to say that pairing the post with the app was straightforward and fast, U/X and navigation is good, and the app includes maintenance interval tracking (based on cycles not hours of ride time - recommended maintenance after 8,000 cycles), as well as Transport and Bike Park modes. We should expect no less in 2024, but other bike component apps with connectivity needs haven't always been so smooth at launch.

Fox Transfer Neo MSR Pricing

Listed are Fox's announced MSRPs for Transfer Neo and accessories. SRAM puts AXS Reverb at 645 US on their site, but that doesn't include a remote. I found street pricing in North Van (in stock) at 940 CAD - also without a remote - or 1,192 CAD / 861 USD with remote. I hear it said often that if so-and-so had to choose between wireless shifting or a wireless dropper (because for most of us it's one or the other + hopefully money left over for food) they'd pick the dropper. But the reality is that this is primarily an OE spec game, which makes Fox's decision to offer a Performance Elite version of Neo (OE only) a nod to their intentions, which are to gobble up market share by offering pricing options to PMs.

Here are the aftermarket MSRPs from Fox for the Transfer Neo. Time will tell if/when street pricing gets more attractive (and dog help you if you need a spare battery):

• Factory Series Transfer Neo: $859 USD / $1,149 CAD / €1,100 (w/o VAT)
  • Includes: Transfer Neo Post, Lever, Battery, Charger, Cable, and clamping options.
• Neo Spare Battery: $79 USD / $106 CAD / €76.75 (w/o VAT)
• Spare Charger and Cable: $49 USD / $69 CAD / €61.25 (w/o VAT)

For reference, a non-wireless Fox Transfer Post will run you 449 CAD for the Factory version and 389 CAD for the Performance Elite. Rather sobering when you consider that's a premium-priced but well-respected cable-actuated dropper.