Mountain biking is basically a broad spectrum of same-but-different sports. On one end, you’ve got freeride and DH. On the other, there’s XC and gravel. In between are countless hybrid styles like enduro and trail riding. Each has its own specialized requirements for protection and apparel. And Fox Racing makes a jersey, helmet and pads for just about every part of that spectrum, with one notable exception: the all-day endurance crowd. Until now, that is. With the release of its new Crossframe Pro helmet and Flexair Ascent apparel, Fox is stepping into an entirely new category designed to support long days in the saddle. So how does a motocross-slash-MTB brand create a suite of products for endurance riders while staying true to its roots? We dug in to find out. Introducing the Crossframe Pro Helmet and Flexair Ascent Apparel Before we get into the how, let’s start with the what. The new collection is anchored by the Crossframe Pro helmet, a highly ventilated — and notably visorless — lid promising unparalleled comfort during high-mileage rides. Meanwhile, the Flexair Ascent apparel infuses technical materials and a performance fit with plenty of style, and includes a short and long sleeved jersey, plus two bottoms: a two-in-one cargo bib and a more traditional riding overshort. Behind the Designs Given its roots in moto and gravity mountain biking, Fox’s push into endurance and XC riding might come as a surprise. But the brand considered the move carefully. “We asked ourselves, ‘Is this right for the brand? Is this something we feel strongly about?’” says Keegan Rehfeldt, who leads soft goods development at Fox. “Ultimately, we decided the answer was absolutely yes. It's on dirt, it's riding mountain bikes.” The team then worked to crystalize its idea of who, exactly, this new line was for. Their thesis: there’s a whole group of riders who, like Rehfeldt and other Fox employees, spend long days on short-travel bikes but aren’t exactly itching to dawn a full lycra kit. “We come from the downhill side of it, and wanted to wear something that felt comfortable to us.” says Rehfeldt. “We considered a Fox take on a traditional road-style jersey, with a zip-up front and the pockets on the back. But it didn’t have our DNA.” So rather than simply slapping a Fox logo onto an XC kit, Rehfeldt and team opted to evolve the existing Flexair line using even lighter-weight materials and slimmer cuts. The resulting kit features featherweight pieces that are fitted, technical and stylish. In other words, it’s exactly the endurance kit you’d expect from Fox. A similar approach was applied to the Crossframe Pro. Could Fox have just stripped the visor off of one of its lighter-weight trail helmets? Sure — but they didn’t. Instead, the Crossframe Pro was designed from the ground up. It’s built to maximize airflow in a superlight configuration and remain unmistakably Fox, with an aggressive, angular design that won’t be mistaken for a road race helmet. Race Tested, Rider Approved Concepting, designing, prototyping and refining an entirely new category of apparel and protective gear is a big project — which is why the Fox team spent years developing this line. Launching it is the easy part. But the team didn’t mail that step in, either. “We really wanted to validate it with the launch, so that's when the B.C. Bike Race was brought up,” says Rehfeldt. Keeping with Fox’s “race what we sell” philosophy, Rehfeldt and a handful of his colleagues completed the iconic seven-day stage race with more than 21,000 vertical feet of elevation change over nearly 300 miles of greuling, technical trail. Oh, and this year’s event coincided with a sweltering Pacific Northwest heat wave. The helmet and kit performed flawlessly. Which is to say it faded completely into the background. “Once you get into a race environment, you’re just totally gone, exhausted, and you’re just trying to focus on the trail ahead of you,” says Rehfeldt. “The one thing I kept coming back to at the end of each day was, I was so solid and happy with what I was wearing — that was the last thing I was thinking about.” SHOP NOW