DVO’s New Onyx and Beryl Forks Aim to Lower the Price on High Performance - Taipei Cycle Show
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The Onyx DC
DVO hit the scene a few years back with a few, high-end offerings. While the company has consistently expanded its line, to include rear shocks and trail forks, one thing has remained constant: The stuff isn't cheap. The company makes no pretense about its goals--they're focused on serving the high end. That said, they've also heard from a lot of riders who are asking for a high performance fork that won't break the bank. Their response? A few new forks for 2017 that, while still a long ways off from qualifying as "budget" gear, promise to pack much of the same performance as DVO's top-tier offerings, at a more bearable price point.
First up is this new DH fork--the eight-inch (203 millimeter) travel Onyx Dual Crown. What you see here is pretty close to what DVO plans to release in July. "Basically, it's a big Diamond," explains DVO's president, Bryson Martin. To wit, the Onyx features the same compression bladder cartridge design that lurks inside the company's Diamond enduro fork. The Onyx isn't lacking for tuning options: There's both high and low-speed compression damping, rebound damping, air-volume adjust and OTT, the company's "Off the Top" adjuster, which lets you increase or decrease the fork's suppleness in the early part of its stroke.
DVO hit the scene a few years back with a few, high-end offerings. While the company has consistently expanded its line, to include rear shocks and trail forks, one thing has remained constant: The stuff isn't cheap. The company makes no pretense about its goals--they're focused on serving the high end. That said, they've also heard from a lot of riders who are asking for a high performance fork that won't break the bank. Their response? A few new forks for 2017 that, while still a long ways off from qualifying as "budget" gear, promise to pack much of the same performance as DVO's top-tier offerings, at a more bearable price point.
First up is this new DH fork--the eight-inch (203 millimeter) travel Onyx Dual Crown. What you see here is pretty close to what DVO plans to release in July. "Basically, it's a big Diamond," explains DVO's president, Bryson Martin. To wit, the Onyx features the same compression bladder cartridge design that lurks inside the company's Diamond enduro fork. The Onyx isn't lacking for tuning options: There's both high and low-speed compression damping, rebound damping, air-volume adjust and OTT, the company's "Off the Top" adjuster, which lets you increase or decrease the fork's suppleness in the early part of its stroke.
What'll it cost? At this point, DVO is expecting the Onyx DC to sell for $1,700 USD--comparable to what you'd pay for a RockShox Boxxer World Cup, so, no, it ain't inexpensive, but it is about a $500 drop in price from the Emerald. Riders who already own an Emerald (the company's original inverted DH fork), can also drop the same damper inside their existing Emerald. The Onyx will play nice with 27.5 wheels and has enough clearance to accommodate tires up to three inches wide.
The Beryl
The Beryl (that's short for Beryllium) is DVO's take on a more wallet-friendly enduro/all-mountain fork. The Beryl is available in both 27.5 and 29-inch versions and packs as much as 170 millimeters of travel. It's basically a Diamond, minus a few external adjusters. The Beryl shares the top-level fork's crown, lowers and 35-millimeter, tapered, alloy stanchions. The Beryl, however, features a simpler damper design, called D2. It's still a compression bladder, but you'll find a simpler three-position, low-speed compression damping adjuster on top of the fork leg.
Naturally you can also play with the rebound damping and air pressure, but that's the extent of what you can tweak without diving into the fork itself. The Beryl, for instance, eschews the Diamond's external OTT adjuster, so if you want to tweak the fork's initial stroke characteristics, you'll need to dig into the fork to get the job done. While the Beryl will work with DVO's 15-mm quick-release lever, it comes stock with a thru bolt axle. The Beryl actually weighs a hair less than the Diamond (2080 grams/4.58 pounds).
"The Beryl is, for all intents and purposes, a Diamond," explains Martin. "We just broke down the costs on the Diamond fork--took a look at what each feature actually cost us to make--and then said, 'How can we cut out the most expensive parts of the building process without actually compromising performance at all?' We actually sent the Beryl to a lot of our sponsored riders and they kept asking, 'So, what is different about this fork? It feels just like my Diamond," says Martin. "And it should--it's really almost the same fork."
There is, of course, one substantial difference between the two models. The Beryl will sell for $750 (USD) when it hits the streets during the late summer. That 's about $250 less than the Diamond. Or to put that in context, the Beryl will compete, head to head, with both the Fox 34 Float Grip and RockShox Yari.
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Beryllium is a chemical element with symbol Be and atomic number 4. It is a relatively rare element in the universe, usually occurring as a product of the spallation of larger atomic nuclei that have collided with cosmic rays. Within the cores of stars beryllium is depleted as it is fused and creates larger elements. It is a divalent element which occurs naturally only in combination with other elements in minerals. Notable gemstones which contain beryllium include beryl (aquamarine, emerald) and chrysoberyl. As a free element it is a steel-gray, strong, lightweight and brittle alkaline earth metal.
They are two completely different categories.
And who cares if she's black or not, race isn't important.
That said...to the unknowedged mind..."I ride Pikes" - fish shagger
"i ride Beryls" - granny devient. Probably gets his porn kick from the Shreddies Nana adverts.
DVO you have to change that name. Market research next time!!
A fork named after those two stones would be quite ugly and most certainly noisy.
It will all come down to the chassis and weight. We love inverted forks here at DVO, but broadening our product range and giving people the option to choose is never a bad thing. If you love inverted, go emerald. If you love conventional, go onyx. The goal is to give people the tools to be stoked on a bicycle!
So, they'll all have a place to exist. The All-DVO sight will be an awesome bike, and the realistic possibility of making a bike which uses no hardware from the big two (Magura, Hope, or Formula brakes, DVO suspension (Garnet, Beryl, Topaz), Box drive train, and all set), so the Beryl, and any subsequent OEM-friendly Topaz could be a major thing for getting costs competitive [alongside Cane Creek having front/rear offerings, e13 coming in massively, and RF/Easton expanding their line]
New forks all look Great!
You know what else would be Great, is a properly burly fatbike fork from you guys. Seriously. Either in a 100-140mm or maybe even a 120-150/160mm version of the Diamond/Beryl/or SC Onyx. There needs to be a better, stronger and proven alternative to what is currently out there, including the new Manitou.
Been rocking DVO since day 1 and put lots of vert on the Emerald, Jade and Diamond. Never seen a drop of oil leak out of any of it, which suits my lazy service schedule nicely.
$1700 for a "lower" end DH fork? Holy Hell.
That being said, I bet that fork is amazing, just out of my price range
Love you DVO
Cheers for my suspension setup.
Actually, i can see where the guy is coming from with that impression. The article doesn´t do a good job of clarifying why this new fork is in the lineup, except for "it´s cheaper".
Now i get that this doesn´t mean it´s a "cheaper" fork. But the thing is, it isn´t mentioned whether it´ll slot in the lineup alongside the Emerald or if it´s a replacement. Only that it´s supposed to be "cheaper".
So if it´ll sit alongside the Emerald, what is the difference except for (probably) weight, price and upside down design? Because many people will only see price as a reasonable argument and many will forego the upside down advantage in favor of lighter weight.
So all people get from this artticle is "new cheap fork from DVO".
I like the new offerings though. The Emerald isn´t really appealling to me personally (weight and price), whilst the new fork seems really promising.
Yeah, i totally get that it´s gonna be a badass fork.
Was just trying to clarify why people might get wrong impressions from the article.
In fact, depending on street prices, i might get one myself next season.
The thing looks great and i assume performance will matchn the look plus the whole thing you´re trying to do with DVO and customer support is awesome too. Cheers!
I'm all for relatively cheaper forks with a couple fewer adjustment options, I'm not a pro racer so keeping things simple suits me.
Here's the thing - do Shimano or SRAM or any of the others have anything to gain by being represented in shops? If they do, yes, they want to give them a break, so they can make some margin on a parts sale in addition to whatever service revenue they have from installing the stuff. Running a shop is expensive (real estate, inventory carrying cost, labor, etc.), and the shop needs to find a way to add value to customers' lives to justify their existence. Some of that value is just being there - so they're the backstop, if you need something NOW so you can ride tomorrow on a long weekend, mailorder doesn't look so great. If all that same day delivery stuff comes through the way Amazon and their competitors are claiming it will, perhaps that function will go away. In that world, you'd be looking at EVERYTHING being sold online. So then SRAM and Shimano might sell them through Amazon, or through their own websites. If you need it badly, you'll pay more for same or next day delivery, then either put it on yourself or pay your local mechanic (working out of a van or garage, most likely) to do it for you.
What's missing in all that are services that your shop provides that you might not think of (or need) for yourself, but that are vital in getting new people into the sport, or keeping beginners in it and becoming more committed riders. Stuff like the advice given around which bike to get, or how to strategize upgrading components, or diagnosing problems, etc. Yep, your mechanic might do that - but there are fewer touchpoints. Or things like what I'm benefiting from right now - my shock's damper died post warranty, so the shop negotiated a repair price on a new one for me that's too good to pass up, and is letting me use one they took off a demo frame while we're waiting for the new one to come in. Meaning I get to ride even though I only own one bike. I don't see garage mechanics being able to do that sort of thing for their customers.
YT and Canyon apparently provide pretty good customer service, and while they're not your local shop contributing to the local community (trail work days, races/events/demos, sponsoring trails association events, etc.), they at least try to be good citizens (YT for example is providing quite a bit of funding for worthy MTB causes). But the service is still centralized at their HQ, so you can't go in and find out what they think of that weird sound in your suspension. You can't demo something on the spur of a moment. They can't send you out with a loaner part an hour after you came in so you can ride that afternoon while they get a warranty sorted for you.
There are a lot of shops that don't really provide a lot of value. I am blessed to live in a town that's thick with full-service, full-line shops carrying everything from entry level to top end complete bikes and components and accessories, but most of them I decided I didn't want to do business with because they didn't really get that they are a service business. But the few who do are gems. We may lose that, and some other model will take its place.
Like I said, shops aren't trying to rip you off and I hate that people think that when they look at prices, the reason there are so many layers to distribution is most manufacturers and brands don't have the capability to sell to the end consumer. It is easier to sell to 3 or 4 distributors and those distributors sell to shops that handle sales in a certain area. it's changing but there will always be a need for shops.
I have also been running the Topaz shock on my Reign for the last 4 months and it is a pleasure to ride. Super impressed with it. It was also significantly better value than the equivalent Fox and Cane Creek options.
This part is almost the same as the story behind new FOX 36 with GRIP damper. Adjustment looks exactly the same. Just saying, it is not a conspiracy theory
thank you guys, I was not aiming to spread conspiracy theory about DVO's new damper
You are welcome ;-)
By the way, did what you said in our mails and had a try on the topaz instead of the jade. Works awesome in my patrol. I can only Recommend it
Personally, I demo'd some DVO Products a couple years ago and came away impressed with the stiffness and sense of control coupled with the plush yet playful ride. Go ride the stuff and then post your opinions. Names are meaningless by themselves.
And as usual, DVO is right here conversing with Pinkbike readers because they are riders themselves and care about communicating with those in the market and about sharing their passion for this amazing sport. And their customer service is amongst THE best in the industry. Their products and the way they treat their customers like family have won me over.
Now I'm going for a ride...
Sincerely,
One loyal DVO rider
SRAM and Fox should be scared.... very scared.
When it takes someone a paragraph to explain "why" it's a good product name... it was NOT a good product name!
170mm, 27.5' Diamond and Beryl AtoC = 565mm
160mm, 29" Diamond and Beryl AtoC = 572mm
Onyx DH 203 travel, 27.5"only = 585-595mm
#26aintdead
Are there plans in the future to make a single crown inverted fork????
When? Been herring about you guys doing one for a few yrs now...would love to own one...
I can even come pick it up from you guys in the valley!
Don't even get why not. 100 g for a 6N/mm+a little air assist if needed.
Simple and efficient. I bet the inner air tube+all the pieces weigh more.
I have precise numers at hand: 110 g Ti spring , 6N/mm for an 170 mm fork
110 g Steel spring, around 5,9 N/mm for a 150 mm fork.
What do you recon the air tube plus all the seals, caps and rods, would weigh?
Do you think all this would come at less than 80-90g?
So we are looking at 20-30 g of difference?
Would carry a coil fork even for 300 g penalty.
Btw: I also like on-the-fly travel adjust so I can go uphill too.
Who would be that crazy.................
I prefer to spew hydrocarbons nitrogen dioxide and Special cleaning addatives made of chemicals we are not allowed to know about from my big truck.!
Yee haw.
Yes the world is going to shit and we are the cause.
I think ill go ride my bike now.
Some say it's a thing that fits on some bikes. Not sure if fitting=also working, though..
Hi bryson,
Will one day be coil option for emerald or onyx ?
If you guys don't think there is risk in offering your customers a new product that 1. is as effective as an existing product but for a lower price, and 2. puts you directly up against established big players.... then yeah, I guess I slept through my honors marketing degree and the past 20 years of my career have been a waste. it is risky. It has potential to fail. It has potential to succeed.
It is risky because of how incredibly strong price influences consumer perception of value and quality. For the average consumer price is, usually unknowingly, the biggest factor in perception of quality (ask around, how many people won't buy at a discount store despite the goods inside often coming from the same supplier? this is a commonly accepted facet of consumer behavior. Does it apply to MTB components? probably, though possibly to a lesser extent because we do have a cohort of technically-driven buyers, like @ElStig, in the market... but if you frequent PB comment section they tend to be a vocal minority, drowned out by the "oooooh sick colorway" crowd.
I'm in no way saying you've moved into the low end market of "extremely cheap", sorry you misunderstood or I wasn't clear. My point is that you had little to no company in the ultra premium segment and decided to expand down the offering line into the premium segment (world cup, factory level shit). It seems soon for a young company who I thought launched with a brilliant strategy (ultra premium, high service, low vol, good margin) versus trying to immediately jump in with the big boys as a mass producer... which carries risk.
(PS, you may have taken my comment personally because this is your baby, but toughen up... and don't reply with a personal insult, it looks bad on you and the company. Next time perhaps give a poster the benefit of the doubt and consider all angles of their point before coming back with a childish insult.)