Fox 34 Rhythm

Pros

• Fox 34 rhythm would be way better, as its an air spring fork with a better damper.
• 34 Rhythm used to be pretty much identical to Z2, but the new Z2 has Rail damper instead of Grip. I have no experience with the Rail so can't judge, but as a beginner you would probably struggle to notice serious differences.
• it bobs a bit more when climbing but is actually pretty impressively plush imho...
• Maybe a decent fox 34 rhythm with the grip damper would be a decent upgrade for $250?
• Over here in EU I can often see take-off Fox 34 Rhythm going for 200-300, and that would already be a decent upgrade.

Cons

• If you don’t want to change the fork travel, this offer here is basically the same fork (Fox 34 Rhythm) in 130mm length for an even lower price
• It's not a terrible fork, just basic. GRIP1 is several generation old but still ok, and plushier and with more support compared to FIT4. The lowers are a heavier because of the cheaper alloy.
• But the Rythm is pretty good for me, it took minute to figure out the set up but once I did I kind of like it. Main issue is it’s pretty heavy for XC and that’s what I typically do so I’ve been eyeing replacing it.
• Parent context: Question was what do you think of the Fox 34 Rhythm. Any thoughts there would be most helpful. Reply: I'm pretty average-ish, as well, and I have a Fox Factory fork that I set to recommended specs and...well....haven't ch...
• I prefer the feeling of a relatively shorter travel bike but ride a lot of high speed janky trails with big compressions, and find the 34 really limits what this chassis can do.