WHAT IS FLEXAIR?
In Fox Racing’s lineup of riding gear, Flexair stands at the pointy edge of fit and design. This gear was built to win races, all while being enjoyed by normal riders like us day-to-day. The tighter, more body-hugging fit is designed to reduce drag, while the forgiving material and tailored cuts bend and move with you on the bike.
Fox’s internal monologue with the innovation for each of their product lines starts with a simple question: What should this feel like on the trail?
For the new Flexair, the answer was pretty straightforward. It needed to be lighter, more breathable, and more mobile. Even more importantly, Fox wanted the kit to vanish once you start riding. Not in a gimmicky sense, but in the way where nothing bunches, pulls, slides, or distracts you from the task at hand when you’re riding. This philosophy shaped every decision in the design process.
The primary goal was to eliminate as many distractions as they could by reducing fabric noise and bulk. All this while still being extremely mobile and durable. While Fox prioritized rider feel over gram-counting weight savings, the Flexair kit is still remarkably light, too. It’s race-focused gear, but the benefits land just as hard for everyday riders, especially when trails get unpredictable and body positioning matters most.
THE WAISTBAND
If there’s one standout update across the Flexair pants and shorts, it’s the waistband, and yeah, it deserves the hype. Fox raised the rise significantly compared to previous generations. Instead of sitting lower and requiring occasional adjustments, the new chassis is designed to sit higher on the hips. That shift upward keeps the pant locked in place while climbing and descending, reducing the need for mid-ride adjustments. There’s also a bit more compliance built into the waistband, allowing it to better adapt to different body shapes without compromising its structure.
One key note from Fox: if the fit feels off when you first put them on, check where they’re sitting. These are meant to ride higher, and once positioned correctly, the fit aligns with your usual sizing.
MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION
Fox didn’t just pick a fabric and run with it. The process was methodical, and pretty cool to learn about! They started with small fabric swatches from mills, comparing them with the outgoing model to see what they liked most and where the fabric could be positioned on the garments. Options were narrowed down by stretch, durability, weight, and most importantly, breathability.
The team at Fox can spin up a sample pair in a matter of hours, so they were easily able to figure out what materials checked all their boxes to move forward with on the next steps. They used these new materials on the previous generation chassis, to understand how the new material would perform against the outgoing model. These first samples were put to the test by the design team and Fox athletes. Once the material choice was finalized, they moved on to integrating the new material into a new chassis design.
The new line of Flexair kits is made up of polyester and elastane for the tops, while the pants and shorts add polyamide nylon for ripstop qualities with a DWR coating to help shed mud and water. Both the tops and bottoms feature TruMotion all-way stretch, keeping you comfortable and complementing the tailored fit. Everything can be machine-washed but should be line-dried, not put through your dryer.
BREATHABILITY, WEIGHT, AND MOBILITY
Fox Racing’s Flexair collection has always leaned toward the performance side of the spectrum, but this generation doubles down on mobility. The new materials and paneling allow for seamless weight shifts on steep terrain, improved mobility around the hips to aid in getting behind the saddle, and overall less restriction while out riding. These improvements all come without compromising the race-tailored fit.
Fox made it clear that they are less concerned with shaving 10 grams and more focused on how the kit feels in motion. This meant prioritizing airflow and moisture management, with ventilation on the front and rear of the pants/shorts and on the arms of the long-sleeve jersey. The gear must also feel good against your skin over long rides. Scratchy and noisy just won’t cut it for a Fox Flexair apparel item. All of this goes into creating a garment that disappears on your rides, and is a pleasure to wear.
One of the more interesting insights from the development process was how much emphasis Fox placed on noise. Some fabrics passed initial tests, but failed once ridden. Any materials that produced noise from audible friction were scrapped, even if they were perfect elsewhere. It’s a small detail, but it speaks volumes about the level of refinement here. Quiet gear contributes to that “disappearing” feel just as much as weight or stretch.
POCKETS AND PRACTICAL FEATURES
Flexair is still race-oriented, but Fox recognized the need for practical storage. On the pants and shorts, there are three zippered pockets. Two of these are normal hand pockets, big enough to fit an XL smartphone and some snacks. New to the pants is a “pass pocket”, which is located just behind the left-hand pocket with a smaller zipper. This is a place dedicated for your season pass or credit cards. Features like this were previously only found in the Defend line of gear; giving Flexair a subtle shift toward versatility without compromising the core lightweight ethos.
The pants and shorts feature a zipperless crotch design. Instead, a thin layer of stretchy fabric is used to hold the opening in place. A robust ratchet closure is found on the pants and shorts for further fine-tuning your desired fit.
FIT PHILOSOPHY
Fox uses standardized fit models across all product lines, in both men’s and women’s fits. This means a 32 in Flexair aligns with the 32 in Defend or Ranger at the waist. The differences come in the garments’ cut and intended use, rather than its sizing. Of course, you can size up or down based on your desired aesthetic, but the sizing is true to size across their entire line. Through the design process, Fox made sure to test the gear with their line of pads to make sure riders did not need to have a compromised fit while wearing larger pads like the Launch Pro.
Across the tops – both long sleeve and short sleeve – and the pants and shorts, there are dedicated cuts for both men and women. Using their fit models ensures consistency for both men and women familiar with Fox products already. The men’s pants start at size 28 and go up to 38, with the shorts going up to 40, and jerseys go from Small to XXL. Women’s pants and shorts start at size 2 and top out at size 16, while their tops go from XS to XL.
ATHLETE INFLUENCE
Flexair is developed with direct input from Fox Racing’s top athletes. When those riders aren’t in speed suits, this is what they’re wearing. The athletes are involved in ride testing at every step in the process. Even after the garments are finished, they provide mid-season notes and potential adjustments for the next generation of gear. Being that Flexair is meant to be the tip of the spear in mountain bike apparel, constant iteration helps with further refinements to create the best possible product they can.
WHERE IT LANDS
The new Fox Flexair kit isn’t trying to be everything; it’s trying to be the best at one thing: delivering a lightweight, high-performance riding experience that you don’t have to think about. And based on the development process, the biggest updates aren’t flashy, they’re foundational: A waistband that actually stays put; refined materials that balance stretch, durability, and breathability; a fit that works with movement, not against it; and subtle details like noise reduction that elevate the ride feel.
FOX FLEXAIR FIRST IMPRESSIONS
We were lucky enough to get some of the new Fox Flexair gear long before the launch, so we spent many days in both the pants and jerseys. I won’t bury the lead here, the Flexair short sleeve jersey is, in my opinion, the best money you can spend on a top currently. That jersey just melts away, in the best possible way. As a rider who always uses a hydration pack, I am critical about how jerseys feel once soaked with sweat. I did not find there to be any change in feel and I suffered from no chafing. I was not driven to immediately change shirts while hanging out after rides, as the jersey dried out very quickly. There is no noticeable sound that comes from the material rubbing whether on or off-bike, and it is more stretchy than you will likely ever need.
I have been wearing the new Flexair pants at any chance I get, including every day at our recent eMTB Shootout, which was 2 weeks of 10+ hour days out on the trail. Through all that riding and during the downtime in between, they stayed in place. Getting used to the higher rise fit took a few days, but after that initial period it felt more normal than not. I do wish they offered a longer inseam option or a tall version, as the 29” inseam on a 32 (with 34” waist) felt a bit short. The shorts have been equally nice now that Spokane is in full summer heat. They come in a little too short for my liking, but on trail and XC-focused rides they have worked out great. It is worth noting that with a 36” inseam, I have similar feelings about most pants and shorts, unless they have a tall option. With that said, I know Kyle at 5’9” also found the shorts to feel a bit on the short side for his styling preferences.
There is no denying that the material used on the Flexair pants and shorts is extremely stretchy, giving you no limitations when making shapes on the bike. The breathability is also next level, giving impressive cooling when pedaling in the heat. I really enjoy the earth tone color options in the new line, especially the Chalk option for sunny days. Washing the gear has been straightforward per Fox’s instructions, and I have yet to see any degradation to the material with around 8 wash cycles and countless rides. I used the dryer when last-minute packing for a trip with no ill effects, on a low heat setting, for what it is worth.
All in all, Fox set out to build a new line with no compromise on performance, and I say that goal was met with the new Flexair collection. The material feeling is top-notch and can go head-to-head with any brand out there. The waistband is truly special and has been the highlight of my experience with the gear.
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