SR Suntour's New Durolux EQ Fork - Across the Pond Beaver 2020

Sep 4, 2020
by Dan Roberts  
2020 SR Suntour Durolux EQ

For 2020, SR Suntour has updated their Durolux fork with features to bring it in line with the offerings from the other suspension giants while coming in at more affordable pricepoint.

The Durolux is aimed at the harder hitting side of trail bikes through enduro to a bit of freeride and is also suitable for e-bikes.


Durolux EQ Details
Wheel Size: 29" & 27.5"
Travel: 29" - 150 to 170mm, 27.5" - 160 to 180mm
Offsets: 29" - 51 and 44mm, 27.5" - 44mm
Hub Standard: Boost (15 x 110mm)
Weight: From 2120g (claimed)
Price: €639 to €759
Availability: Now
More info: srsuntour.com


The Durolux was developed in parallel with the Rux DH fork and uses 36mm diameter stanchions with stiffness and durability in mind while still having smart manufacturing details to either drop weight, with the hollow forged crown, or speed up wheel fitment and removal, with their specific QLOC axle. Once used for a few times that axle becomes incredibly quick to take in and out without the need for any tools.

Quick service ports on the back of the cast magnesium lowers allow the release of any trapped air and also make it easy to keep the lower legs lubricated with 15WT oil, although it's advised to never have more than 5cc of oil in each leg, which isn't much at all. These ports require the use of a 2.5mm allen key.

A bolt on fender is also available that extends both front and rear of the arch and looks to do a good job of covering the wiper seals too. Brake mounts are directly for 180mm rotors with a maximum of 203mm possible.

EQ is SR Suntours new air negative spring system. Nothing revolutionary, but now a good feature that SR Suntour are adopting. Positive and negative air chambers are connected via a small transfer port in the inner stanchion wall that allows air to travel between the two as the fork moves through the travel. No need for a physical metal coil to act as the negative spring, meaning the system self equalizes and riders of all weights and setups can have a better working fork.

2020 SR Suntour Durolux EQ


2020 SR Suntour Durolux EQ
A bolt on fender attaches to mounts on the arch and lowers.
2020 SR Suntour Durolux EQ
SR Suntour's QLOC axle is a quick to use, tooless through axle system.


Air spring volume can be adjusted with spacers to achieve the desired ramp characteristics. In the case of the 170mm travel version, air spring bottom out force can be increased by around 255% from zero to the max of six volume spacers, along with increases in spring force all along the spring curve.

The damper is available in R2C2, RC2 and RC versions, all using SR Suntour's Piston Compensator System. For the R2C2 cartridge in the top fork adjustable high and low speed compression and rebound are on offer. The high speed adjustment has 5 and 4 settings for the compression and rebound respectively. The low speed adjusters have more clicks for tuning with 18 and 28 available for the compression and rebound.

Forks are available in gloss and matt black and gloss white and in both 29" and 27.5" options with varying offsets and travels. Compared to the RockShox Lyrik and Fox 36 the Durolux comes in at 9mm longer axle to crown.

2020 SR Suntour Durolux EQ
The EQ, or Equalizer, is a twin chamber system for the air spring with a small transfer port between the positive and negative chambers. Similar to what we see on most other air sprung forks.
2020 SR Suntour Durolux EQ
Different damper adjustability levels are available, with the top R2C2 damper having high and low speed compression and rebound adjustability.



Across the Pond Beaver 2020





Author Info:
dan-roberts avatar

Member since Apr 6, 2019
137 articles

124 Comments
  • 43 1
 Durolux sounds like a condom brand.
  • 26 0
 Lol. Either that or something a condom brand would be selling. “The all new durex durolux, same great durex durability with all the luxury... for your stanchion”
  • 3 2
 Sounds more like a disposable battery name to me.......
  • 1 0
 Ha ha ha
  • 5 0
 @CuyunaHTmn: Custom Durex style Durolux decals would look interesting on those big black stanchions.
  • 2 1
 Dura means hard in Spanish.
  • 3 0
 I think vacuum cleaners.
  • 1 0
 So does super delluxe
  • 40 10
 ...gee-whiz SR Suntour, the same inspiring graphics/color scheme...
  • 37 3
 Clearly haven't figured out that, looks>features
  • 24 3
 @Fullsend2-13: i actually like this design...
  • 77 4
 At least its not orange.
  • 55 3
 Just pull the stickers off and go stealth, I do it with everything, if I paid money for the product I don't want to advertise for them on top of it
  • 5 2
 @ctd07: Then you would have to destroy the clear coat, as the decals are underneath...
  • 6 0
 @jmjr: oh damn
  • 36 7
 People like you who prioritize aesthetics over function (90% of Pinkbike readers) are the reason bikes are 10 years behind where they should be.
  • 33 1
 @GeorgeHayduke: and $2k more than they should be too.
  • 10 0
 But with a CSU that does not creak after a month.
  • 7 2
 Yea, I love SR Suntour performance and value but there graphics are so terrible...it’s better on their walmart grade shit
  • 4 0
 @jmjr: The decals are really underneath the clear coat? That is strange. Rockshox doesn't have them underneath a clear coat. I have swapped decals on Rockshox forks several times with no problems.
  • 1 0
 @GeorgeHayduke:
Maybe, but they look good.
  • 2 0
 @ctd07: true- did it with my Auron.
The matte finish look really good without any stickers ;-)
  • 3 0
 So If graphics don't make my bike fast, will I be faster without. I only use stickers to cover places where I have gouged the paint, and then only free ones and get this some not even bike related. I know I know I,m heading for a bad place.
  • 1 0
 @GeorgeHayduke: Yep! My motto is, you cannot see the bike if you are riding it
  • 21 0
 Seems pretty good from a typically thorough NSMB perspective: nsmb.com/articles/sr-suntour-durolux-eq
  • 14 0
 I love SR Suntour higher end stuff. I have an Auron PCS RC2 and Tri-Air shock and have no desire for anything from the big two brands. I'd love to try this fork. SR Suntour is the best suspension brand when it comes to performance/dollar ratio and they are super easy to service.
  • 5 0
 I want to hear more about the tri-air
  • 1 0
 Suntour is a top end brand. Polygon UR moved away from BOS to Suntour and the results are right up there. Same with athletes competing at the Rampage. Not sure whether the oil ports add much for me. I'd rather remove the lowers and clear them out rather than just dump more oil in there.
  • 1 0
 @heffernw:

I put it on my Release to replace a McLeod. It’s essentially a dvo topaz with a ifp instead of a bladder for the piggyback. I’m really happy with it
  • 14 1
 since Suntour is way less prone to squeaking the beak, I'd take this over 38's all day long. Or the EXT, but that's another league.
  • 14 0
 I wish single crown forks were manufactured in 20mm axle
  • 3 0
 I think the formula selva can be specced with that.
  • 27 0
 You would have loved 2000-2010
  • 19 2
 @browner: did more flex become cool in 2011?
  • 2 0
 @ReformedRoadie: 'you wanna take this @rockshox @fox?' - Marzocchi
  • 4 0
 @browner: hey - my 36 with bolt on 20mm thru axle ain’t going anywhere, thank you very much. I just upgrade as needed.
  • 2 0
 @browner: had a Lyrik RC2 w/20mm Maxle in ‘09 and 36 Float in 2011 w/20mm
  • 14 0
 @ReformedRoadie: they made stiffer lowers so they deleted 20mm. Thanks to that fork is stiffer 5% and after few years they can add 20mm again and make big announcement that how innovative they are and fork is even stiffer for 2%. You cant get everything in one update. You have to be ripped properly.
  • 5 3
 It’s time to move on man.
  • 2 0
 I think 17.5mm would be the sweet spot
  • 1 0
 @ReformedRoadie: no, the engineers just figured out that crown design is much more important to stiffness than axle diameter.
  • 1 0
 @dthomp325: is one not compatible with the other?
Chris Porter who I believe has been making Dual crowns for Fox 36s is also an advocate of 20 bolted axles...it all adds up.
  • 16 4
 R2C2 damper? These are not the forks you are looking for
  • 5 0
 I just got mine mounted to my enduro about a week ago. It's an amazing fork. I had the last version of the Durolux and thought that was the last fork I wanted. Now I'm on the new EQ and holy $#it it blew my mind. There's not enough good I can say here other than, you definitely wont see me on the big two names anytime soon!
  • 2 0
 Dorolux r2c2 2021 owner here too since June, seems like a fork that needs love to work at his best: cleaning seals and quick stanshion lubrication as often as possible, or it starts to turn full rigid. Maybe mine isn't totally ok...
  • 1 0
 @fracasnoxteam: Not sure how much you're exaggerating but if it takes a stanchion lubrication ( = lower leg service? ) to keep them from going rigid there surely isn't something quite ok! Don't you have massive wear on the stanchions from either the bushings or the dust wipers gripping them that tight?
  • 1 0
 @fracasnoxteam: r2c2 damper is known to fail, that maybe your problem. I've rarely had to service my forks before the service internals. Also, you can open the two grease ports to allow the neg pressure out just as you can on Fox forks and many others. That could be an issue for you too.
  • 1 0
 @fracasnoxteam: you may have air getting into the bottom leg. It can be tricky to get the air piston to seal properly. Taking the lowers off is a five minute job. I add grease to the lowers , no oil.
Fork is very smooth.
There are some good vids on how to properly clean and assemble the piston and air chamber.
  • 10 2
 Good lord, someone buy them a graphic designer for Christmas. WTF!
  • 5 7
 Seriously. Obviously it's critical that the fork work well, but there's zero reason to lust after this thing. The brand is lame, the design,CMF, and graphics are uninspired, and there aren't really any differentiated features. Give the market a single reason to believe!
  • 15 7
 so many sticker lusters, so few mountain bikers around here.
  • 9 6
 @GeorgeHayduke: ya know, if I’m gonna drop that money and put it on my pride and joy, I’d like it to look good too. Too much to ask?
  • 10 10
 @noplacelikeloam: YES. Go play fashion with clothes.
  • 5 0
 @noplacelikeloam: at least they are black. Orange and gold on the other hand ...
  • 7 3
 @GeorgeHayduke: there’s a difference between fashion and looking like shit. Just saying.
  • 3 0
 @palmermc83:half the price for the same performance seems enough to me.
  • 4 4
 @noplacelikeloam: maybe your taste is shit, who knows...
  • 2 0
 @fracasnoxteam: fair enough :-)
  • 4 0
 @palmermc83: This is one of the most shallow and disappointing comments I've read in a long while.
  • 1 0
 @Losvar: It wasn't supposed to be deep. Just pointing out a gap. Take it for what it is
  • 3 0
 Change name to wolf shocks with a howling wolf logo. Make them in black. Ditch the puny 15 mil axle for the 180 mill fork. It's supposed to be a DH fork in a single crown package. Can you get dusl crown forks with a 15 mm axle? I doubt it.
My 180 mm Durolux fork has a 20 mm axle. Damper is quiet but the springs are noisey! No wonder they went all air.
Works great but I'm not too picky and I set and forget the settings .
The fork works great .
Let's face it most people want a 1200$ I phone . Same people want a Rock shock or Fox.
  • 3 0
 Yeah, looks good. Have a Durolux myself. Brett Tipster approved!, "Just the tip." Everybody lova suspension fork, and the Japanese manufacturers with their ninja, laser machine measurements. This is going to be the best. Japan has no other economic outlet, besides, the best, and pull through time, and time again. Who do you think cares more about a piece of suspension; in all honesty? Americans don't even care what they eat, the rest of the world is f*cking eachother.
  • 2 0
 Very interesting option. A damper with LSC, HSC, LSR and HSR adjustment, twin air chamber and a good chassis without CSU creak for a realistic price. Somebody tell Fox and RS that it can be done and you don't have to accept low end practically non-adjustable dampers on forks costing as much as entry level bikes a couple of years ago. And probs for Pinkbike for covering suspension that isn't from the big two! Hopefully we'll see a review soon.
  • 3 0
 Also, I'd love to see a review comparing this, the 36, Lyric, Mezzer (without bushing play) and other contenders. My z money is on the Mezzer, but Suntour sometimes surprises people.
  • 2 0
 I'm sure these things perform great but apart from the looks there is one major issue in my opinion... Axle to crown is 9mm taller than a corresponding "major brand" fork. Ie for many frames you'll be losing 10mm of travel... Which I think is kind of a big deal.
  • 1 0
 Wasn't this fork not introduced a long time ago? I remember an article on another page and when i was looking for a new fork a few weeks ago it was nowhere to buy. Two days ago I was looking again and there have been the first one on stock. So really long time between introduction and time to buy.
  • 14 0
 Something bad happened from March to June this year, remember?
  • 4 0
 They also make decent paint
  • 1 0
 I had few products from durolux series, while performance/price ratio was quite good, reliability wise and spare parts wise - junk sheet!Imposible to find services, product prone to bent
  • 3 0
 My current durolux is great! Exciting things from SR Suntour
  • 1 2
 "Once used for a few times that axle becomes incredibly quick to take in and out without the need for any tools."

The real question is how does it cope with an impact. Yes, it's not a common occurence to smack anything right there, but it does happen, my forks have scars there to prove it. And it would suck to end a ride because the end of your axle gets broken off in a small crash. That end part doesn't seem durable enough to take anything more than a glancing blow.
  • 6 0
 It doesn't seem anymore exposed in that first riding picture than what the Fox or RS quick releases offer. If you snap the end of it off, I'm guessing you've had a bad day and most likely are experiencing other dirt impact related symptoms as well.
  • 2 0
 Ask Tracy or Mick, Max Schuhmann or all their other pro riders... Big Grin
  • 2 0
 I haven't ever seen one break off, but I have seen plenty that have gotten hit and basically seized up. The wedge mechanism is pretty susceptible to binding once it's been hit. It can make removal of the axle (and wheel) difficult to impossible without disassembling the axle, and replacing all or part of it.
  • 1 1
 Every suntour fork that comes through our service bay has a difficult axle to remove. The little wedge mechanism tends to get gummed up, warped, or even seized. The forks are cheap to buy, and cheaply made. They perform decent out of the box, but you still get what you pay for in the long run.
  • 2 0
 @tfriesenftr: I think they even got a patent on that mechanism. I struggled the first times with that axle, got a green Aion for cheap (190eur) on CRC on rebate www.wiggle.fr/suntour-aion-forks
  • 1 0
 @Canadmos: it's not the exposure, it's the durability. Yeah, all my axle levers are beat up, but it's way harder to break that mechanism or even just the lever since the lever is tucked up against the leg. This mechanism is sticking straight out and relatively thin compared to the bulk of a QR mechanism.
  • 2 0
 Simple screw-in axle is the way to go. The QR type ones all suck, even Fox and RS you have to fiddle around to get the lever to close in the right spot with the right amount of tension.
  • 1 0
 @dthomp325: But you only have to fiddle once with those systems. A bolt-in technically needs more fiddling if you actually want to bring it up to the proper torque every time.

That said, I run bolt-in on everything I can, just for the looks and maybe a little bit for the perception that it might be stiffer (and previously for the actual stiffness gained when converting QR135 to 135x10 thru-bolt and QR100 to 100x9 thru-bolt).
  • 1 0
 @just6979: With bolt-ons you just screw it in until the torque wrench clicks and you're good to go, simple as could be.

There's not even a way to measure the torque on the QR style axles, so you're left guessing if it's too tight and causing fork striction and ruining your hub bearings or too loose and it might come loose.
  • 1 0
 @dthomp325: Fox's directions are pretty explicit in how to set up the thru-axle QR to get the correct clamping force. Clock the adjuster until the lever meet resistance right when parallel to the axle. They designed the cam apply the proper clamping force. So it's set once and then done. A bolt-on axle technically should be torqued properly every time, that's fiddling. And I don't know anyone that carries a torque wrench on the trails, if there even is a pocket size one that does up to the 15-20 Nm that is needed for axles.
  • 4 3
 I wonder if the damper still makes squishy sounds like something dying inside
  • 6 0
 No, not for a past two years or so.
  • 13 0
 I actually miss forks with squishy damping sounds...I think it must be the nostalgia of old Marzocchi forks that I miss. Where do you ride in Turkey?
  • 4 0
 @arna86: I've still got a Marzocchi 66 that I like to give a good squish every once in a while.
  • 1 0
 @arna86: I'm riding in my hometown, Bursa/Uludağ dh track
  • 1 0
 @jackfunk: I had x fusion metric and that thing was squishy Big Grin i like that sound but suntours are a bit too much
  • 2 0
 @Noeserd: lucky you! I'd love to visit Bursa someday
  • 3 0
 @forropinchado: I would love to host you, Uludağ is a very good natural track, Double black if i remember correctly. Sadly there is only one continous line around 4.5 5km, no options
  • 2 0
 @jackfunk: formula is pretty loud , liked it totally. Friends told me they know when I am near because of that sound..
  • 2 1
 It still sounds squishy :-)
  • 1 0
 @Noeserd: I might actually take you up on that offer to @forropinchado if it’s open to me as well ???? I’m in Istanbul and I’m just about to build up my new trail/enduro bike but don’t really have anywhere to ride locally
  • 1 0
 @arna86: in aydos forest they built a good trail there, i will be in the uludağ tomorrow if you like to come Big Grin
  • 1 0
 @Noeserd: Thanks - I would like to, but my new bike is still in pieces in the UK waiting to be built at the moment. I'll be going back to the UK next week to build it and bring it back to Turkey though so I will bring it back to Istanbul with me the week after. I'll drop you a PM and maybe we can catch up after then Big Grin
  • 2 0
 @Noeserd: Thanks bro! I hope I can be there in the near future. Given the situation it's hard to know when will it be possible but I'll be in touch if I happen to visit your beautiful country again! And if you happen to visit Argentina sometime you are welcome to stay at my place near the Andes mountains ????
  • 1 0
 @forropinchado: given the current exchange rates on turkish liras, its most likely a no Big Grin
Travelling is too expensive for me at least
  • 1 0
 @Noeserd: You don't have to worry about your currency loosing value in Argentina. The argentine peso always devaluates faster haha.
  • 1 0
 I hope they update the Rux with the EQ spring right away. That's the fork I'm looking to put on a new DH build next year.
  • 1 1
 "Similar to what we see on most other air sprung forks."

Don't you mean "exactly the same" instead of "similar"?
  • 1 0
 Fork works well/very smooth just not a fan of the axle QR
  • 1 0
 Yes NOT a fan of axel, plus one!!!!!!!!!!!, Have had the axel jam in place inside the wheel, had to dismantle the quick release mechanism to get it out, then realized had broke the little c- clip on end too!
  • 1 0
 Probably better than the 2014 pike I’m still riding
  • 1 0
 Why not 37mm stanchions? Stiffer than 36, more compliant than 38...
  • 1 0
 Manitou already has that boss
  • 2 0
 @spaceofades: Yep, Mezzer...
  • 1 0
 There are some cool features here. I like the idea of those oil ports.
  • 2 0
 I have last year's R2C2 model on my Mmmbop and no complaints so far. I have it at 160mm, great small bump sensitivity and good support on the bigger hits. Haven't really used the bleed/lubrication ports yet. Might try taking out a spacer or two to make the spring a little bit less progressive. The best part? Less than 400USD brand new when I bought it.
  • 1 0
 No time for actual product photos?
  • 1 1
 Good thing using 15wt oil so can just use motor oil that always have laying around!
  • 1 0
 we want 38 stanchions its all about 38 diameter stanchions
  • 1 0
 Price is right
  • 2 2
 I'd tap that
  • 13 0
 Use that joke on a new press fit BB standard article.
  • 4 0
 @getonyourbike: Surely he was talking about installing a OneUp multitool in the steerer?
  • 2 0
 @JCO: I concede. Yours is better.
  • 1 2
 only 5cc per leg? next
Below threshold threads are hidden







Copyright © 2000 - 2024. Pinkbike.com. All rights reserved.
dv65 0.569740
Mobile Version of Website