Compare Ohlins RXF38 M.3, Rockshox Zeb Ultimate & Fox 38 Podium.

Compare these 3 forks: Ohlins RXF38 M.3, Rockshox Zeb Ultimate & Fox 38 Podium.

Which is more suited for epic climbs, all-mountain/enduro & bike parks?

Singletrackmind said:

Compare these 3 forks: Ohlins RXF38 M.3, Rockshox Zeb Ultimate & Fox 38 Podium. Which is more suited for epic climbs, all-mountain/enduro & bike parks?

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Three properly serious forks, and each with a distinct personality. Let me break this down across your three use cases, because the "best" fork here depends entirely on which of those scenarios matters most to you.

Additionally, here's how these three stack up, @Singletrackmind. This is a properly meaty comparison given the range of riding you're asking about.
Epic Climbs: The Podium is immediately at a disadvantage here. It's heavy as all hell, more than 300 grams heavier than a Fox 38.

On a 24kg+ eMTB that's less of a crisis than on an analogue bike, but you'll still notice it over a full day in the San Diego hills. The Öhlins and Zeb are within a few grams of each other and both sit well at the top of travel during climbs.

The RXF38 sits higher in its travel than the Fox 38 and Zeb Ultimate, which means less front-end dive on steep climbs. That said, neither the Öhlins nor the Zeb has a dedicated climbing lockout, so if you want a firm platform you're relying on compression damping. For epic climbs, the Öhlins edges it, with the Zeb close behind.

All-Mountain / Enduro: This is where the Öhlins truly earns its keep. The RXF38 has much better midstroke support than either the Fox 38 or especially the RockShox Zeb, and does so while having very good small-bump sensitivity.

The dual air spring with its independently adjustable ramp-up chamber is a proper tuning playground. @ntm95 rates it as the best off-the-shelf non-inverted air fork for eMTB use, specifically because the extra sprung mass of an eMTB actually helps mitigate the Öhlins' slow-speed comfort quirks.

It excels with finely adjustable end progression and high ride height, though the complex setup and tendency to lose composure in rough high-speed sections require finesse and an active riding style.

The Zeb, meanwhile, has traditionally had the edge on chassis stiffness and the Charger 3.1 damper brought improved midstroke support — though it can be tricky to tune and lighter riders in particular may find the Fox 38 delivers more comfort out of the box. It's still the easier fork to set up and live with for most riders, and at $1,020 it's comfortably the best value here.

Bike Parks: Now things get interesting, because this is where the Podium makes its case — though it's worth being clear-eyed about who that case is actually made for. The standard Fox 38 is way, way sufficient and even better all around for most riders; the Podium's inverted design really only pulls meaningfully ahead for heavy bikes, heavier riders, or genuinely aggressive riding styles. If you're regularly hitting the park hard enough to be thinking double crown territory, then honestly a double crown fork is the better tool for that job anyway.

That said, when the Podium does suit the rider, it's a properly supple thing. "I've never felt a 38 with such incredible off-the-top sensitivity." The inverted design means oil sits on the seals constantly, reducing friction throughout the stroke. With less friction in the whole system, the Podium consistently gives more grip and confidence in the front wheel than other enduro forks.

However, @Rob Rides EMTB found the Fox Podium has better flat-out square edge hit performance than the Öhlins RXF 38 coil, but lacks the sensitivity and midstroke support of the coil.

In the bike park, the difference between the 38 and the Podium was narrower than expected. The braking bumps felt just as horrible; the tech was where the Podium felt happiest.

There are real compromises too: the Podium weighs 2,695g at 170mm and uses a 20mm steel DH axle, which means you'll need a compatible front hub. Given you're running I9 Hydra 2 Enduro wheels, you'd need to check whether they offer a 20mm conversion end cap.

Installing the front wheel is more involved since the legs aren't connected by a traditional arch, and if a seal fails, oil will travel down and can easily soak into your brake pads.

So, the honest summary for someone running an Orbea Wild and a Crestline across San Diego's dry, rocky terrain with occasional park days: the Öhlins RXF38 M.3 is the strongest all-rounder of the three. It climbs well, it's the most tuneable for all-mountain/enduro thanks to that dual air spring, and it's properly confidence-inspiring on steep, rough descents. The Zeb is the smart money pick if you want 90% of the performance for considerably less outlay. The Podium is the exotic choice that shines hardest for heavier riders and heavier bikes in technical descending and park riding, but carries real-world penalties in weight, hub compatibility, and maintenance quirks that make it harder to live with as a daily driver — and for most riders, the standard Fox 38 is simply the better all-around choice.

I've also got community data on Öhlins coil versus air versions and TF Tuning options if you want to go deeper on any of these.

EDIT: Corrected the Bike Parks section to clarify that the standard Fox 38 is the better all-around choice for most riders, with the Podium only offering meaningful advantages for heavy bikes, heavier riders, or aggressive riding styles; also noted that a double crown fork is preferable to the Podium for serious bike park use, and updated the Zeb Charger damper generation to 3.1 with a note about tuning complexity for lighter riders. Thanks @whitymon for the heads up.

Please give community data on Öhlins coil versus air versions and TF Tuning options.

KKe said:

Please give community data on Öhlins coil versus air versions and TF Tuning options.

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@KKe Right, Öhlins coil vs air on the RXF38 M.3, plus TF Tuned options. This is actually one of the more interesting fork questions because Öhlins is the only manufacturer that lets you swap freely between the two without consequences.

Coil vs Air The big advantage of the Öhlins platform is the self-contained air spring cartridge.

Because the stanchion isn't a sealing surface, you can convert back and forth between air and coil without the steel spring scuffing the inside and ruining the air seal.

That's unique to Öhlins and it's a genuinely brilliant piece of engineering. The air version runs a three-chamber system (positive, negative, and ramp-up chamber) that

lets you tune progression infinitely via PSI rather than being restricted to fixed volume spacers. The m.3 update removed a negative chamber spacer from the m.2, which

makes it more sensitive off the top since the m.2 was considered too harsh on the hands during long descents. It also adds a new spring booster for better bottom-out control.

The coil conversion adds only 208 grams and the difference is immediately apparent. The reduced friction of the coil setup is quite noticeable, with impressive small-bump compliance. The air spring version weighs ~2300g, with the coil version coming in slightly above 2500g depending on spring rate, and the Podium version weighs north of 2700g as standard.

The trade-off?

The m.2 coil lacked spring progression, making it tough to balance on bikes with progressive leverage curves, which is why the m.3 added the spring booster to address exactly that.

EDIT: Corrected the weight figures — the RXF38 air spring weighs ~2300g, coil slightly above 2500g depending on spring rate, and the Podium version north of 2700g as standard. Thanks @KKe for the heads up.

Fwiw podium is overrated definitely, unless your bike is heavy, you are not a light rider and you bomb like hell, a normal fox38 is way way sufficient and even better all around.

Up to a point if your bike support a double crown fork, better go with it than a podium for bike park for example.

As for the Zeb Ultimate charger 3.1, to me light rider, it is really not as comfortable as a performance fox38. So far did not succeed to tune it right.

whitymon said:

Fwiw podium is overrated definitely, unless your bike is heavy, you are not a light rider and you bomb like hell, a normal fox38 is way way sufficient and even better all around. Up to a point if your bike support a double crown fork, better go with it than a podium for bike park for example. As for...

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@whitymon This tracks with what I'd expect from someone at your weight on a Slash+. The Podium is genuinely designed for riders who are putting serious load through the chassis, and at 178cm on a lightweight eMTB build, you're not exactly the target demographic for an inverted fork that weighs more and exists primarily to add stiffness under heavy abuse.

Your point about double crowns for bike park is spot on too. If you're committing to pure DH laps, a proper dual crown will always outperform a single crown Podium at a fraction of the cost. The Podium lives in that awkward middle ground where you want DH stiffness but need to steer uphill, and unless you're genuinely battering the thing, a standard Fox 38 gives you 90% of the performance with better all-round manners.

The Zeb Charger 3.1 comment is interesting though. Light riders and Charger dampers have always been a slightly fraught relationship. Have you played with the low-speed compression and rebound ranges much, or does it just feel overdamped regardless? The RC2 damper in the Zeb Ultimate should have enough adjustment range for lighter riders, but I've heard more than a few people say it takes a proper session with the clickers to get it feeling supple off the top. If you've already exhausted the adjustment range and it's still harsh, a revalve or even a Vorsprung Smashpot conversion might be worth exploring.

The Podium is “heavy as hell” because it’s an extra 300g, yet the Ohlins coil conversion “only adds 208g?”

Powerslider said:

The Podium is “heavy as hell” because it’s an extra 300g, yet the Ohlins coil conversion “only adds 200g?”

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@Powerslider Fair point, and you're right to call that out. If 300g is meaningful in one direction, 200g doesn't get a free pass in the other. Weight is weight. I was inconsistent there, and I appreciate the catch.

RXF38 is quite light with air spring, around 2300g. When you add coil, its bit above 2500g, depending of spring rate. Podium is north of 2700g as standard.

KKe said:

RXF38 is quite light with air spring, around 2300g. When you add coil, its bit above 2500g, depending of spring rate. Podium is north of 2700g as standard.

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@KKe Useful numbers, and they put the weight discussion into proper context. Additionally, your numbers line up nicely with what the manufacturers and reviewers are showing.

Öhlins' official spec is 2,320g for the RXF38 M.3 air, with bolts and axle. Your ~2,500g for the coil conversion is consistent with what owners report once you factor in the steel spring weight, which varies by rate as you say.

The Podium gap is even wider than "north of 2700g" suggests. Fox's claimed weight is 2,695g for the 58mm crown version, rising to 2,748g for the 68mm eMTB crown.

So depending on which crown you're running, you're looking at 375-430g more than the Öhlins air, or roughly 175-230g more than the Öhlins on coil. That coil-converted Öhlins still comes in lighter than a standard Podium, which is a detail worth appreciating.

The Zeb sits at 2,324g claimed, so it and the Öhlins air are essentially identical on the scales. The whole weight hierarchy is pretty clear: Öhlins air ≈ Zeb → Öhlins coil → Fox 38 → Podium, with the Podium in a league of its own for heft.

That said, the trend of eMTB brands speccing the Podium makes sense: the motor offsets the extra weight, and the suppleness helps smooth out the ride on a 24kg+ bike.