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All-new SR Suntour GVX gravel suspension fork’s 40-60mm smooths any adventure

SR Suntour VRX gravel suspension fork, 40mm 50mm 60mm travel air sprung gravel bike fork
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Short travel gravel suspension is a real thing now, and SR Suntour joins the party with a completely new GVX gravel fork offering more & longer travel options, while staying more affordable than most.

The air-sprung GVX uses a straight, non-offset pair of lowers that looks more like a conventional gravel fork, but still packs in 40-60mm of washboard-taming travel in a design built for 700c or 650b gravel wheel setups.

SR Suntour GVX 40-60mm travel gravel suspension fork

SR Suntour VRX gravel suspension fork, 40mm 50mm 60mm travel air sprung gravel bike fork
c. SR Suntour

SR Suntour tends to deliver solid performing suspension at a fraction of the cost of its biggest competition, and the GVX gravel fork looks to follow through on that. There aren’t so many gravel suspension forks available now, but at $500 the Suntour GVX will be several hundred dollars cheaper than gravel suspension from Lauf, Fox, or MRP.

SR Suntour VRX gravel suspension fork, 40mm 50mm 60mm travel air sprung gravel bike fork

What makes a suspension fork gravel-specific? We covered that in detail when the first crop of gravel suspension forks hit the market. But suffice it to say, short travel, lighter weight & a firmer no-bob ride. The new SR Suntour GVX gravel fork looks set to deliver on all of those fronts, although it also adds longer travel options than we are accustomed to on gravel bikes.

Suntour GVX – Tech details

SR Suntour VRX gravel suspension fork, 40mm 50mm 60mm travel air sprung gravel bike fork

Like several other telescoping gravel forks, the GVX uses 32mm black-anodized 7000 series alloy stanchions. But instead of dropouts offset at the end of the magnesium lowers to build in fork offset, the GVX uses an angled 6000 series forged alloy crown which has the effect of adding an extra millimeter of offset at each of the longer travel options:

  • 436mm axle-to-crown at 40mm travel with 45mm offset
  • 446mm a-c at 50mm w/ 46mm
  • 456mm a-c at 60mm w/ 47mm

That also means that the profile of the fork looks more like the more common straight leg of a carbon gravel fork than a suspension fork.

SR Suntour VRX gravel suspension fork, 40mm 50mm 60mm travel air sprung gravel bike fork

The GVX is available in three different travel lengths – the most common gravel 40mm, plus 50mm & 60mm options. SR Suntour hasn’t yet explained how that works, but it seems like it is internally adjustable with the addition or movement of travel spacers since they claim a single 1,725g weight for all travel options.

That’s a few hundred grams heavier than existing 40mm travel forks, but doesn’t seem too bad when you consider the longer travel option, or the fact that it will sell for $300 less than the MRP Baxter or Fox AX.

SR Suntour VRX gravel suspension fork, 40mm 50mm 60mm travel air sprung gravel bike fork

Inside, the GVX gets an adjustable air spring, external rebound damping control, and a crown-mounted travel lockout lever (with an optional remote lockout lever in the works).

Under the crown a removable fender will minimize spray for the muddiest, wettest gravel riding, and it even has bosses in the lowers to mount larger full-coverage fenders, too.

SR Suntour VRX gravel suspension fork, 40mm 50mm 60mm travel air sprung gravel bike fork

The gravel fork will work with both 12mm & 15mm x 100mm thru-axles with a tooled axle, and features flat mount disc brake tab mounting. Tire clearance offers room for up to 700c x 45mm or 650b x 50mm tires.

SR Suntour GVX gravel suspension fork – Pricing & availability

SR Suntour VRX gravel suspension fork, 40mm 50mm 60mm travel air sprung gravel bike fork

The Suntour GVX fork has a $500 retail price, and is slated for consumer availability from August 2020. It is also rated to be used on Class 1 e-bikes to smooth out new e-gravel builds as well.

SRSuntour.com

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20 Comments
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b
b
3 years ago

I like the appearance without the typical dropout offset.

Dockboy
Dockboy
3 years ago

It would have been easy to put fender mounts on there.

Dockboy
Dockboy
3 years ago
Reply to  Dockboy

Oops, I missed that they included them! Chapeau!

Heffe
Heffe
3 years ago

I could very easily see putting this on a commuter moped or whatever.

Mark Larson
Mark Larson
3 years ago

Isn’t it the SR Suntour GVX fork?

allison
allison
3 years ago

“… three different travel lengths…. SR Suntour isn’t entirely clear on how that works…”

How can the manufacturer not even know how its own product works?

Riley Smith
3 years ago
Reply to  allison

Have you ridden any Suntour equipment?

Smokestack
Smokestack
3 years ago
Reply to  allison

Likely an editorial word choice error. SRSuntour very well knows how the fork works but didn’t explain in the press release so Cory added the bit about it not being clear. And yes, I ride a SRSuntour fork, Auron RC2-PCS. Under rated in terms of function and serviceability. Only gripe is with the QR lever, and that’s strictly an aesthetic preference.

i
i
3 years ago

I guess it’s short enough travel that the angled crown won’t screw things up too bad? Still hard to imagine anyone believing that offset reducing as the fork compresses is ok – that’s a 90s, before the bike world knew anything about suspension or handling kind of feature.

Greg
Greg
3 years ago
Reply to  i

There’s nothing wrong with losing some rake as the fork compresses. Technically it’s slowing the steering as the head tube angle is getting steeper and quickening the steering. Also you’re talkng 1mm per 10mm of compression, not earth shattering. This style of layout went out of favor for several reasons, but dynamic change in rake wasn’t one of them.

TheKaiser
3 years ago
Reply to  Greg

Yeah, I agree that decreased rake can actually be a benefit to preserve trail as the head tube angle steepens. I am curious as to why you think this style of layout went out of favor though. Care to elaborate?

Shafty
Shafty
3 years ago
Reply to  TheKaiser

I’d think having adjusters where you expect your axle fastening, complicates the design. Think of a modern fork with a rebound adjuster and thru axle. The adjuster would intersect the axle.

Trybo Bike Tech
Trybo Bike Tech
3 years ago
Reply to  TheKaiser

I guess it makes forging the crown easier if the stanchions are parallel to the steerer.

i
i
3 years ago
Reply to  Greg

: if you say so.
Having ridden forks with different offsets, I’m well-qualified to laugh at you when you claim that 6mm change in offset over a very short travel is “nothing earth shattering”. And even moreso your claim that longer-travel mtb forks went away from angled stanchions for vague “several reasons” but not motorcycle design 101, and not the same reason linkage forks went out of style (used to ride an AMP fork too – you’re high and don’t understand the effect of rake, or never experienced it if you’re seriously claiming that 5-6mm change in offset over 70mm travel is no big deal).

Tim
Tim
3 years ago
Reply to  i

Why be snide?

Prince Handler
Prince Handler
3 years ago
Reply to  i

i, care to elaborate on why & how you were having ‘earth shattering’ problems from a 6mm offset? Sounds like some sort of ‘princess & the pea’ type thing going on…

Chris
Chris
3 years ago
Reply to  i

I haven’t done the math, but I am pretty sure that the reduction of rake as the suspension compresses would likely not even keep up with head angle change to keep trail constant. The angled crown is not a good solution for full suspension MTB’s, but seems like a great solution for a gravel bike or other short travel bike

Ben Eastwood
Ben Eastwood
3 years ago

And after 30 years we’re back to an RS-1

nooner
nooner
3 years ago

ROCKSHOX Ruby anyone?

ExPrezes
ExPrezes
3 years ago

Bit more, and we will be back to Marzocchi XC 700. Those were the days of light and extremely sensitive forks

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