are the new 36's back up to snuff is the question? the 20 mm axle is a nice option..the 2013 fox offerings left me with a bad taste in my mouth..
I'm a picky bastard and I'm really impressed with the new 36 Float Factory on my new Nomad. In the last few years I've tried out a whack of different forks and this is the best of the bunch IMO (888 on my V10 is also at the top of my list) and really toiled over fork choice for the Nomad. I went straight from a Pike on my E29 to the 36 on my Nomad and I think the 36 is a better fork for hard hitting AM use. It matches the burliness and use of the bike perfectly with a stiffer chassis than the Pike, great compression damping and more adjustability. With the RC2 you get much better traction, great mid stroke support and you can dial it from XC firm to California cruising soft using the low speed and high speed compression.
The Pike is an excellent fork but it doesn't have the range of adjustability, suppleness or chassis stiffness that the 36 has. To me, this pushes the Pike into the heavy duty XC and AM categories with its lighter weight, limited adjustability and lockout. The Pike definitely has a better rebound circuit though. It comes out of those big hits a bit more composed.
Fox has upped their game with the 36 for sure. I have no experience with the rest of their 2015 lineup though (32 and 34). The 2103 forks were bloody awful and the 2014 were a big improvement so hoepfully the 2015 models will be close to Pikey goodness.
BTW, I've ridden the new Talas 36 back to back with my Float on my Nomad and it is excellent also. Stiction in the Talas system is not noticeable and again, the RC2 damper is awesome. So supple and controlled.
