Fox Racing Just Added More Performance to Its Top Gear

1.436 seconds. That’s the average that separates first and second place in a World Cup downhill mountain bike race these days.

To help its athletes get more time around the track, Fox Racing recently took a page out of the book of small advantages usually reserved for road riding: aerodynamics. Enter the SpeedSuit RS, a streamlined one-piece racing kit that you may have seen debuted by the likes of Jackson Goldstone and Asa Vermette last season.

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Although the product designers developed the SpeedSuit RS to solve primarily aerodynamics, they knew that it had to meet a number of other demands of the World Cup race: It had to be very light and strong, breathable and moisture-wicking, and it had to move like an extension of the rider’s body.

So, how does this work in your after-work lap or morning training session, you ask? This is where the new Flexair collection of products comes in. When the team set out to improve their high-performance system, they looked to the SpeedSuit RS for inspiration, borrowing much of what they learned and proven technology from the World Cup circuit.

Flexair: the pursuit of relentless speed

Fox Racing’s competitive DNA is found in every part of its latest Flexair collection, which includes two jerseys (short-sleeve and long-sleeve), shorts and riding pants, and gloves.

“We’re trying to create this for the rider who wants the best performance,” said Keegan Rehfeldt, Senior Director of Design. “If you’re going to spend big days on the horse, and you expect the best in all your gear, the Flexair is for you.”

Developed with heavy input from the brand’s top athletes, Flexair aims to help riders push their limits not only on downhills, but also on climbs, relays, and intermediate efforts.

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Fits like a map, not tight

I started my mountain bike journey in enduro racing but I have reached the limit of long distance, so I tend to wear the bike I ride: baggies for trail laps with friends and lycra for solo training rides.

However, after a few rides in the new Flexair gear, I felt that this might be a goldilocks kit that I would be happy to throw on any type of ride. The sweaters fit well but are not too tight or ill-fitting. The shorts and pants are designed to be lightweight, lightweight and offer significant airflow with laser-cut ventilation panels.

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Fox Racing calls the fit “on the map,” a simulation that resonates with my experience – each panel seems to be preformed to match your body, creating the feeling that the jersey or short floats with your body, rather than rubbing against it.

“We really pushed the jerseys to be as light as we can go while still pulling and holding the structure in the right way,” said Rehfeldt. Same with pants. Our pants fit us very well, they are thin but because they are light and soft, they disappear when we go on a long trail.

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To solve the problem of the waist belt

I’ve worn a lot of mountain bike shorts and a few full length pants over the years. Waist belts, in my experience, can make or break an experience. They usually come in two types: static or flexible. Both can work well, but if the waistband feels too loose or too restrictive, it can cause at least some persistent discomfort or, at worst, real discomfort.

To solve this, Rehfeldt and team designed the Flexair bottoms in a hybrid way. “With multiple layers of binding and different layers of fabric we have been able to control how much we give,” he said.

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Most of that offer comes from the stretcher vented panel that sits over the lower back. At the hips and lower abdomen, the waistband transitions to a supportive, immovable fabric attached to the fly with a drawstring.

The result is a waistband that you can dial into a locked-in fit while leaning on a controlled joint to work its magic when you need it most. The high cut of the waistband reinforces its ability to stay where you want when the going gets tough.

“The goal was to provide a comfortable belt that works for a wide range of people,” said Rehfeldt.

Details are designed to disappear

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As Refeldt said, the Flexair pieces are designed to disappear while riding. The team achieved this by being innovative and fattening up seemingly small details. Some of those details may jump out at you on the first ride, as the fit did to me. Others may take longer to find, such as the nearly invisible zippered pocket found on the back of the left leg on both pants and shorts. It fits perfectly with your phone or, if cycling is your thing, conveniently located so your pass can be read by RFID scanners without taking it out.

So, if you’re the type of rider who focuses on line selection and is always looking for small gains on the track, you’ll find the right kit in Fox Racing’s new Flexair collection.

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New Release

Fox Racing Flexair Collection