SR Suntour? I know, I know. I can hear some of you groaning already, but hear me out. When you are known for producing forks that are mostly spec’ed on low end bikes, you develop a bit of a reputation for not so high end parts – but what do you expect when quantity and price trumps quality? SR Suntour has been in the suspension game for a long time, and to counter that stigma, recently has really been improving their higher end forks in hopes to compete directly with the likes of Rock Shox and Fox, among others.
We’ve got our hands on their newest Durolux RC2, a 160/180mm all mountain killer with nearly all the features you would expect out of the competition. The Durolux is the last piece of our Zee test group mule, in which we hope to find out how well Zee and the Durolux work out to create an aggressive AM/light DH ripper.
Check out the details of the Durolux after the break!
The Durolux has been around for awhile, but has been continuously tweaked for better performance. The fork is based on a stout 35mm alloy stanchion 26″ chassis, with the typical single crown magnesium lower. In its stock form, the Durolux is a 160mm travel bruiser with a 545mm axle to crown measurement, but with an internal adjustment, the Durolux can be transformed into a 180mm travel monster.
The latest upgrade to the Durolux is the RC2 cartridge damper which now features both high and low speed compression and rebound adjustments. Even better, the RC2 cartridge adjustment knobs feature detents like all adjusters should, but initial feel is a bit sticky – hopefully this is just from it being straight out of the box and will improve with use. On the left of the fork is the schraeder valve for their progressive air system preload adjustment. It might not seem like a big deal, but I commend SR for making an air cap that is easily removed and installed even with glove on.
The Durolux is available in both 1 1/8″ straight steel steerers, and as tested – a 7050 aluminum conical tapered, reinforced steerer.
While two bolts may be overkill, the bolt on housing guide is a nice touch – no zip ties here.
At the bottom of the fork you will find a standard rebound adjuster (again, detented), 160mm post mount disc brake mounts, and SR Suntour’s awesome Q-Loc 20mm thru axle.
The Q-Loc may be as simple as 20mm thru axles get, at least once it’s set up properly. Consisting of basically a spring loaded collet, initial adjustment is made by inserting the axel through the lowers and the hub you are going to use, and then simply turning the silver barrel on the end to adjust it just like you would with a normal quick release skewer. Once the adjustment is set, you never have to touch it again – to remove it, simply open the lever and depress the silver barrel on the end with your thumb and the axle pops right out. Clever.
Even with the fork as burly as it is, it’s still respectably light at 4.92 pounds especially with its MSRP of $655. While there are forks lighter than the Durolux for the same travel and options, its weight still keeps it a solid contender. How does it perform? Will it hold up long term? We aim to find out, stay tuned for more of the Zee build and review.
