What company comes to mind when you're considering a new fork? I'm willing to be that SR Suntour isn't high on the list, at least not right now. Probably most often thought of as a budget-minded brand -
their Aion fork won Best Value Product of the Year for 2015 - SR Suntour is working to change the notion that their suspension is what you upgrade from, and flip the script to be what people upgrade
to. Don't believe they can do it? Sure, while SR Suntour might not have the marketing-powered cachet of the Big Three, the largest suspension manufacturer in the world certainly does have the resources to make it happen.
This year sees the company launch two new performance-minded products that they're confident will have their forks matching their rivals' offerings, but at an appreciably lower price-point: the Piston Compensator System (PCS for short), and a new, four-way adjustable sealed damper cartridge called the R2C2 that allows rider to tune low- and high-speed rebound and compression externally.
Piston Compensator SystemSR Suntour's PCS is actually an IFP, otherwise known as an internal floating piston, that allows the fork's damping cartridge to be bled free of any air that would otherwise be in the system. If there were both no IFP and no air, the fork wouldn't compress because there would be no room for oil displacement as the damper rod entered the cartridge under compression loads. IFP's come in two flavours, air-backed or spring-backed, with SR Suntour using the latter approach, one that they say is more cost effective, repeatable in production, and more reliable than an air-backed IFP.
The other way to get the job done is to use an expanding bladder, which SR Suntour does acknowledge would provide less friction than a spring-backed IFP. But a bladder system is said to be much more difficult to make reliable, as some of SR Suntour's rivals have found out over the years.
The simple and proven concept of the Piston Compensator System is not new - it's been around for many, many years inside of competitor's forks and shocks. SR Suntour's goal, however, is to bring the benefits of a sealed cartridge damper with an IFP system (damping consistency thanks to 1Nm of back-pressure provided by the IFP and the spring behind it) to lower price-points. In other words, better suspension that costs less.
Four-Way Adjustable R2C2 Damper Cartridge Is having more adjustments more better? That depends on who you ask, but I have a feeling that SR Suntour would say 'yes' given that their new damper offers four-way adjustability: low- and high-speed compression, and low- and high-speed rebound, all able to be fiddled with externally. This makes SR Suntour's R2C2 cartridge, along with Marzocchi's C2R2 damper, the most adjustable of any when talking about dials to turn. Adjustments don't matter if they don't have any effect on the ride, however, and SR Suntour's Dan Dacko explained that they designed the R2C2 damper so that there is a noticeable and consistent difference between each click of the dial.
''We wanted each click to matter in a sense,'' Dacko explains. ''We wanted to make the compression and rebound consistent and correlate to each other.'' The new R2C2 damper with the Piston Compensator System is only available in the Durolux 27.5'' all-mountain fork and the RUX downhill offering, although it'd make sense to see SR Suntour use a simpler version of the damper in other models as well.
Got all that? Post your on-topic questions below and SR Suntour's panel of athletes, sales crew, and engineers will have an answer for you.
The SR Suntour Panel Mitch Chubey - SR Suntour Ambassador - He's a rather simple guy who likes things that start with the letter B, including bikes, beer, babes, and books. He also likes to go big, be it on a slopestyle course or when hucking at rampage with style and smarts.
Guido Tschugg - SR Suntour Ambassador - The only German freerider to make it to Rampage. He's raced in World Cup 4X and DH but, in the pursuit of new experiences, has spent most of 2015 riding his downhill E-bike. Living his dream of riding bikes day by day.
Dan Dacko - North America Marketing and Sales Liaison - His professional career has been about all things bikes, from product development and management, sales, marketing, mechanic, and riding a lot. He logs loads of commuter miles per year, many more dirt miles, and mega hours behind a shovel. There is no real end to the riding season, but when winter hits he and his family enjoy sliding sideways in the snow.
Darren Salsbury - North American Liaison Manager and Sprocket Prognosticator - The grizzled hairy one in the bunch, Darren got addicted to mountain bikes in 1987 and decided to make a career out of it. The fast pace of product trends in the 90’s made a total bike geek and skeptic out of him but also fueled a love of bike technology. He's had a hand in product development of tires, frames, complete bikes, and now suspension. Darren considers one of the best parts of these experiences being when the testing and development results in products that people truly enjoy shredding on.
Stephane Guillaume - R&D, engineering master of all things suspension - He has a twenty-five-year history in suspension tech and design that includes World Cup experience as well as in the tuning shop and behind high-tech testing machines. His passion for QSP suspension design and rebuilding original mini coopers is deep. When not refining the future, he likes to take long walks with his donkey.
How ‘Ask Us Anything' Works:Starting at
10 am PST on Thursday, March 31st SR Suntour will have a go at answering your questions. Sometimes an answer will pop up in a few seconds; others may take a while as they will be busy responding to the flood of questions. Everyone who posts a question, large or small, will be taken seriously. To make the process as efficient as possible, try to follow these simple guidelines:
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Stay focused. Try to keep your questions to a single topic if possible. You can always ask about another question later.
• Try to keep your questions to about
100 words.
•
Ask Us Anything is a service to PB readers who are seeking helpful information, not a forum to broadcast opinions or grievances. If you have a negative issue that you want to ask about, no worries, just keep your complaints relevant and in the context of a question so that it can be addressed in a productive manner.
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Use propping to acknowledge good - or not so good - questions. Bump them up or down to where they belong.
Mark your calendars - the conversation starts at 10am PST on Thursday, March 31st.Other time zones:
• 1:00 PM EST (New York)
• 6:00 PM BST (London)
• 7:00 PM CET (Paris)
• 8:00 PM SAST (Cape Town)
• 3:00 AM AEST June 12(Sydney, Aus)
• 5:00 AM NZST June 12 (Auckland, NZ)www.srsuntour-cycling.com
"Try to keep your questions to about 100 words."
The early production Auron's did have a couple rare cases of the cartridge coming un threaded at the middle joint. SR Suntour changed to a different formula on the thread locking compound and the problem went away.
Darren - SR Suntour
Darren - SR Suntour
Those of us on here answering questions today are not located in the UK. I would suggest contacting service office in Europe service@srsuntour-cycling.com
You can also feel free to private message us here on our Pinkbike account and we can talk to you about it.
Darren - SR Suntour
But why SHOULD it be my new fork, compared to other name brand mid travel forks?
Cheers
We made it compatible with both 110x20 mm and 100x15 hubs so it's versatile depending on what you want for wheels.
Last the new R2C2 damper goes toe to toe with the damping of the best out there, is easier to bleed with common tools, and doesn't break the bank.
Oh yeah and you'll dig that integrated fender if you ride in slop.
Darren Salsbury - SR Suntour
I love my (insert name brand fork) pike, but after all my reading, the Durolux seems like the way to go. Especially how well developed it has become.
Breaking the bank is a big one for many of us, but I have the confidence in spending less and still getting a great product!
Thanks @SRSuntour !!
If you go down to the XCT level then yeah that kinda sucks. But so does everything else down at that level. But Suntour in the US has an upgrade program where you can swap out these cheap forks for something better (Raidon, Epicon) at a discount.
but for 50-60USD, good value really..
Specialized Hardrock usually come with a very budget oriented fork. So it get's down to the old saying, "light, inexpensive, strong....pick any two". Based on the price point of the bike they chose strong and inexpensive so it's weighs more than a rigid or higher end fork.
That all said it shouldn't feel rigid. Either the spring rate could be too high for your rider weight (we have lighter springs available vs standard stock spring) or it's in need of service. If it needs service I would recommend taking the bike into your local dealer to get some fresh seals, slider sleeves, and lube.
Darren Salsbury - SR Suntour
The new Rux R2C2 is a stellar fork. The 38 mm stanchions and the design of the lowers make for one of the most laterally stiff forks in the DH world. The new R2C2 damper has shown to be very capable even at the shaft speeds of World Cup DH. It is a proven strong fork as seen at countless Rampage runs including supporting Sorge during his winning run last year. It doesn't hurt having fully in house manufacturing which keeps the cost down vs competitors.
Darren - SR Suntour
The RUX is built for durability and reliability rather than being the lightest on the market.
The R2C2 as Mr. Levy stated, might have more friction but is that noticeable while riding, that depends on who you are. But it is much easier to service and should give longer service intervals.
The RUX (and all other forks in the line) is simple, there are as few parts as necessary to get the job done right.
The RUX uses a coil negative which is more reliable than an air negative and provides a different feel, some like that and some dont, its supple.
The RUX can be torn apart without special tools.
The 2016 RUX has bleed ports which help remove that built up pressure and it can also be used to quickly lube wipers for smoothness.
Its different rather than better, because each fork has its positives and negatives. All compromise in different ways.
Dan- SR SUNTOUR
Thanks for your inquiry. We do have it available for you to purchase at just a few clicks online.
emarket.srsuntourna.com/collections/enduro-all-mountain/products/auron-lo-rc-15qlc-29
SR SUNTOUR
Cheers
The short answer is we're better and manufacturing and OEM sales than aftermarket sales but we're working on improving the aftermarket every year.
There are two distributors for SR Suntour in the UK, Moore Large Co, and Greyville. I just checked their websites and Moore Large Co. has the Auron in stock.
Darren - SR Suntour
MOORE LARGE & CO. LTD
Derby DE24 9GL
Sinfin lane
Sinfin lane industrial estate
TEL: +44 1332 274 252
FAX: +44 1332 274 203
E-MAIL: sales@moorelarge.co.uk
Dan-SR SUNTOUR
Dan- SR SUNTOUR
Volume of sales correlates to stanchion size in a way. Entry level to mid level forks are highest volume and smallest stanchion sizes of 28 - 32 mm. The Rux is largest stanchion size in our line up at 38 mm but is the lowest volume. The Enduro forks in the 34 - 36 mm range sit right in the middle of all that.
As a company we support high end development in all categories from XC 32 mm, Enduro 34 - 36, and DH 38 mm.
Darren - SR Suntour
1. Do you have a solution for air trapped in the fork lowers which commonly results in a harsh feeling fork. This happens when you change elevation, bottom out hard or temp change. This seems to be an issue across all manufacturers. Currently solution: zip tie seal/wiper.
2. Will you have demo units at Sea Otter or other venues this year?
If so, automatically adjusting features and/or manually adjustable(lockout, pro-pedal, etc.)?
Also, if automatic, part of some bigger system(shock + fork + ?) or as "single components"?
Thank you.
Dan- SR SUNTOUR
The 27.5 Durolux r2c2 in 180mm travel, what is the axle to crown length?
I ride Park DH and general "freeride", I've got a choice of the new 180mm Durolux r2c2, and the RockShox Boxxer Team in 180mm. What benefits does the Durolux have over the Boxxer?
Cheers
SteveCB
Well that is tough because one is a dual crown (stiffer) and one is a single crown. The R2C2 is going to provide longer service internals and easy to service. The Durolux uses our 20mm QLOC axle system. The Durolux has bleed ports and an integrated fender. Its a bd mo fo fork.
Dan- SR SUNTOUR
Can be problem with bushings?
I have problem with range of travel. When is bike in mounting stand, I can measure about 140 mm instead of 160 mm. If I pull down lower legs, I can measure whole 160 mm.
Where is problem? Is negative coil spring too tough?
Thanks
I Already have in my bike an Suntour Epicon XC 27.5 with lockout, rebound and compression.
The ask is: the fork make a noise click when I use it, this is normal?
The distributor already change the cartridge by a new one and the noise don´t desappear.
It's an option for RUX and Durolux for MY2016 and they are available.
emarket.srsuntourna.com
Cheers.
And Yes as Stephane explained R2C2 uses a different rebound piston/shim stack
Drivetrain projects are focused on cranks only right now.
Darren - SR Suntour
Dan- SR SUNTOUR
Darren - SR Suntour
Any thoughts? Why would the portion of the damper that engages the lockout recede deeper into the cartridge?
SR SUNTOUR EUROPE GmbH (European headquarter)
Sales, Customer Support and Technical Services
Riedstrasse 31
83627 Warngau
Germany
Tel: +49 (0)802 150 793-0
Fax: +49 (0)802 150 793-29
Email: service@srsuntour-cycling.com
Dan-SR SUNTOUR
I seriously want to buy a Durolux!
Dan- SR SUNTOUR
Hatch Marketing
Quezon City 1113
TEL: +639 175 373 612
E-MAIL: suntourphil@gmail.com
Newton Multi Sales
689-D Del Monte Ave.
SFDM, Quezon City
Metro Manila, Philippines
TEL: +63 2372-5127
FAX: +63 2373-5439
All of our products are based on QSP- Quick service product, we build maintenance into all that we do, that will never change. most of our products are adjustable as we make many OEM forks in hundreds of configurations.
Air trickling down is there, but there is always the point where cost and the benefits of air meet, as of today Air forks will only go so far down the line.
Dan- SR SUNTOUR
Dan - SR SUNTOUR
May be - you could updated with new spacer rubber. You could tune by take off 3 independent spacer to change the air curve.
High speed compression need to be open in case of you don't reach you travel.
Low speed compression needs to support you when it's stiff.
Rebound (Low speed) on Auron RC2 have to be faster without top noise.
The new R2C2 give oportunity to have faster low speed rebound and keep excellent control & grip on rocky section by High speed rebound.
Also for some reason I can't get past the fact the EVERY other 2 wheeler on the planet uses them and NOT the MTB standard orientation. . There has to be a good reason , no?
PLUS dont forget the WOW factor too the Kids. Who we are trying to get into the sport. Where I live, the little ones see my 2010 Dorados and my buddies Shivers. And they pay attention. Why...MOTO-X is number 1, here. And regular forks are just that...Regular. Well to some at any rate.
So...In the end Its all about NOT being like everyone else. In order to promote the super $$$$$$$$ MTB sport. If you can one-up a Moto-X bike (at least visually), you will get attention to the sport.
So you see no benefits to having another 1000$ + fork in your line-up. Oh well. Guess with all the low-end bike exposure you get, not much point then?
Dan - SR SUNTOUR
I'd like to see a 22t front ring with a 10-28 cassette for low weight, low profile.
Compression HS/LS :
=> HS - setup by force is coming from ground like a jump.
=> LS - setup by force is coming from rider (Body) , when it's stiff.
Low speed compression have to support your weight and force during a curving or braking very strong. Low speed compression have to keep the suspension on high position.
As quickly as possible you have to recover your travel in order to be ready for the next impact.
the Hs seems to have no efect also the rebound. I am also using only 75% of the travel. Shoul I go with lower psi ? or romove the elastomer ? thanks
Cut it at 20 mm. It will be help you to reach you travel.
Once you cut the elastomer I would try 80 psi
Dan- SR SUNTOUR
www.srsuntour-cycling.com/company/company-history
dan- SR SUNTOUR
Have you ever try an E-Bike ? Than Maybe You Know why I'am change ;-)
I Stoped my Racing Carrier and was searching for a new Challenge. E-Bike us one of the new Big thing and for Sure i wanna be Part of it
Year on year the product improvements are getting great recognition and reviews (20145 Pinkbike Awards Best Value Product was the Aion fork).
We also follow that up with constantly improving the back up service. Example for you in Canada is S4 Suspension carries back up parts and forks. Plus there are two locations in USA for service/sales.
The pro riders / teams we have are also a big credit to the improved image of the company both on the competitions side and lifestyle. These riders not only help us develop product but when you see them using it at the highest level it brings confidence it's up to the task.
Darren - SR Suntour
thanks for the great service thus far, i have spoken to a chris on facebook messenger in the past and always received quick, helpful replies!
Dan- SR SUNTOUR
emarket.srsuntourna.com/collections/downhill-freeride/products/durolux-r2c2-20qlc
Cheers.
if yes - this request is coming from our Oem's customer. Metric offer more space inside and give more opportunity to have air curve more progressive.
Darren - SR Suntour
Dan- SR SUNTOUR
Darren - SR Suntour
That's just a guess.
What fork do you have? then we can help answer your 2nd part. Maybe it needs some service love?
Dan-SR SUNTOUR
Time moved on and the coveted XC Pro shifters faded away. I loved those things too with my MicroDrive rings and cassette.
There are some cool crankset projects in the works on the drive train side. Stay tuned for some future developments.
Darren - SR Suntour
Our great result during last season on WC DH and rampage is a proof
Thus - Why to spend more money ?
SR Suntour's philosophie if to offer you a excellent compromise Price/Performance.
In Uk our distributor is :
MOORE LARGE & CO. LTD
Derby DE24 9GL
Sinfin lane
Sinfin lane industrial estate
TEL: +44 1332 274 252
FAX: +44 1332 274 203
E-MAIL: sales@moorelarge.co.uk
Please, contact him, cheers.
The RUX is built for durability and reliability rather than being the lightest on the market.
The R2C2 as Mr. Levy stated, might have more friction but is that noticeable while riding, that depends on who you are. But it is much easier to service and should give longer service intervals.
The RUX (and all other forks in the line) is simple, there are as few parts as necessary to get the job done right.
The RUX uses a coil negative which is more reliable than an air negative and provides a different feel, some like that and some dont, its supple.
The RUX can be torn apart without special tools.
The 2016 RUX has bleed ports which help remove that built up pressure and it can also be used to quickly lube wipers for smoothness.
Its different rather than better, because each fork has its positives and negatives. All compromise in different ways.
Bleed ports, Air volume adjustment system, simple tool axle option and $1175 USD MSRP for R2C2 version in all black.
Dan- SR SUNTOUR
The system is designed with QSP's philosophie.
:-) Only ridding ...
Darren - SR Suntour
Appreciate the time to answer!
We have lots of distributors that carry these items but we can also ship from North America if needed for extra support.
emarket.srsuntourna.com
Cheers,
Darren - SR Suntour
Dan- SR Suntour
1 spacer => 10 mm less
2 spacer => 20 mm less
Avalanche Suspension all the way
Survival of the fittest right? - Mitch Chubey SR SUNTOUR
We created the PCS system, this allows the oil to move (Displacement) without air getting into it.
Dan- SR SUNTOUR
Dan- SR SUNTOUR
We do have a upgrade program and all of the guidelines are right up on SR SUNTOUR's North American website.
You would certainly qualify for your Durolux.
In fact, just last week we started offering this upgrade pathway to all other fork brands as well.
Cheers,
SR SUNTOUR
www.srsuntourna.com/upgrade
Hope so!
Dan- SR SUNTOUR
Dan- SR SUNTOUR
I Stoped my Racing Carrier and was searching for a new Challenge. E-Bike us one of the new Big thing and for Sure i wanna be Part of it
Cheers
Dan- SR SUNTOUR