Head to Head Review: 2025 RockShox Zeb vs Fox 38

This isn’t the first time we’ve pitted the RockShox Zeb against the Fox 38, and it certainly won’t be the last. Both companies continue to battle for dominance, introducing small and not-so-small revisions each season in their quest for the top spot. That’s not to say there aren’t other worthy contenders out there, but for the sake of this matchup, we’ve focused on the two brands you’re most likely to see on a new mountain bike this year.

Testing included several days of follow-up testing at the Whistler Bike Park (I know, sounds tough) along with several additional rides in Squamish, BC and Bellingham, Washington.

Weight & Price

Cold hard facts are the easiest to compare – we’re not trying to put feelings into words, we’re not trying to find a better adjective for ‘squishy’. As for price, both forks are over $1,000, but the 38 is $90 more than the Zeb, $1,249 versus $1,159.

The scale is so close I’d call it a tie. The Zeb is a bit lighter, especially when you factor in the brake adapter, you’ll need to use a 200mm rotor on the 38, but ultimately grams shouldn’t be the deciding factor in this category – both forks were designed with strength and performance in mind rather than gram savings .

Vent valves

Both the 38 and Zeb have bleed valves that are designed to release any unwanted air pressure that has built up in the bottom. The 38 uses a button design and the Zeb uses a threaded bolt that can be backed off slightly to release trapped air.

This threaded bolt design is likely the result of Fox suing RockShox, but it actually has an unforeseen benefit – on the new Fitzimmons Whistler chairlift, the rack can come into contact with the fork’s bleeder valves, allowing a snail’s trail of oil to escape on the way up. This cannot happen with Zeb thanks to the forced revision.

Fox 38 features and updates

For 2025, Fox has revised its Grip2 shock, splitting it into the Grip X2 version reviewed here and the Grip X, which is aimed more at trail and all-mountain bikes.

The Grip X2 damper has a larger stock valve that allows for more oil flow, along with a new 23 washer reservoir (the Grip 2 had 7 washers), allowing for a much greater range of tuning options. There’s also a two-stage “hat” that’s used to determine the range of high-speed compression settings and can be changed to suit the rider’s needs.

The design of the 38 bushing has also changed. There used to be vertical grooves in the bushings to help oil flow, but these grooves were found to increase the amount of friction, so they were removed and the bushings now have a consistent finish.

RockShox Zeb features and updates

Changes to the design of the Zeb shocks were not as extensive as those on the 38, but also included an increase in the amount of oil flowing through the shock circuit. According to RockShox, there is now 68% more oil flow through the low-speed circuit, meaning lighter riders or riders who prefer less low-speed compression have more usable options.

Along with increased oil flow, the new shock has a larger high-speed compression pyramid. This increased size allows more restriction of oil flow when the high-speed compression is fully closed, increasing the amount of damping.

RockShox has also updated its bushing manufacturing process and implemented it on the Zeb, Lyrik and Pike 2025 forks. The changes in the manufacturing process were intended to improve consistency and ensure that there is as little bushing friction as possible on all models.

The basics of testing

The fundamentals of the Zeb and the 38 seem to be increasingly similar, so we headed to the Whistler Bike Park for a few rounds of back-to-back testing to see how all the recent changes performed in the real world.

Our main test track was the Upper and Lower Whistler DH, which has a good mix of higher speed, rough sections mixed with slightly slower, steeper sections that require hard braking. It’s a track that wouldn’t be out of place in enduro racing, and the higher speeds and repeated hard impacts make it ideal for fork testing.

To keep things as consistent as possible, both forks were set up with similar sag and enough bulk spacers so a similar amount of travel was used at the end of each run. Once we had each fork set up to our liking, it was time to start doing back-to-back bikes to really find out the similarities and differences.

Establish

Henry and I sit on different sides of the fence when it comes to setup. My settings for both forks are close to the manufacturer recommended settings and if they deviate it ends up on the lighter side of low and high speed compression damping.

Henry has fallen down a data acquisition rabbit hole lately and tends to run his high speed compression fully closed, low speed compression close to closed, and rebound set very fast, with higher sag. It’s certainly not a setup I’d run, but it works for him, so I try not to argue, at least not too much.

The good thing is that we were both able to find settings that felt comfortable and worked with our riding styles, which is really the main goal, and it’s a testament to the range of options that both forks have.

On the Trail

In terms of initial pull, the Zeb feels more eager to get into its path, with a more fluttery feel compared to the 38. This leads to an overall feel that is more subdued than the 38 – the Zeb seems to round the edges. impacts before they get into your hands more than the 38. Now I should point out that neither fork felt harsh and I didn’t experience any unexpected hand/forearm issues even after riding bikes for days at a time, but for riders who prefer a plush, almost coil-over fork, Zeb got it right here.

To break it down a little further, Zeb feels like he favors convenience a little more than accuracy. He is very eager to break into his journey and also take advantage of that initial part of his journey. ‘Busier’ is a term that came to mind when we were trying to compare the Zeb and the 38 – the 38 has a more immediate and direct feel that makes you know exactly what your front wheel is doing. Henry’s analogy was that the Zeb squished to the ground and the 38 hit the ground, which I think is fitting.

Both Henry and I were able to get rebound speed as quickly as we wanted with both forks, something riders lacked with the previous Zeb. Interestingly, the rebound girth of the new Zeb is the same as before, which means it could be the increased oil flow and compression pad assembly, or perhaps better bushing tolerances that allow for a faster return rate.

Bottom drag is easily changed by adding or subtracting bulk spacers, and I was happy to fit one spacer in each fork. This setup gave me a lot of paths to work with, with a little extra margin for those unexpected big hits.

Is there an ideal rider for both forks? When it comes down to it, I’d say the 38 feels more “potassium” and not in some skimpy outfit. The aforementioned direct feel makes it seem like it wants to deal with the bump as quickly as possible and keep charging, which is exactly what you want when you’re trying to be first across the finish line. Of course the Zeb can be raced and has plenty of podium finishes already, but I’d say the ideal candidate for the Zeb is someone who puts grip and comfort higher on the list of priorities than mind a slightly more active front end feel.

Durability

Neither fork experienced any issues during our testing, and both saw plenty of use in wet, muddy conditions alongside drier, near-dirt bikes. No unwanted clearance in the bushings, creaking crowns or sealing problems were noted. I’d call this portion a tie – the basics are taken care of and both forks can handle rough conditions with no problem. We’ll update if anything develops, but so far there’s been no cause for concern.

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But wait, there’s more. If you can’t stand videos and don’t want to read all those annoying words, how about listening to a podcast instead? In this episode, Henry and I dive a little further into how we tested, our setup preferences, and then play school teacher to grade each fork.