First Look: SR Suntour Axon Werx 20 Inch Performance Fork

Apr 12, 2015 at 19:51
by SR Suntour  
Suntour Axon Werx 20 fork


SR Suntour will soon release a very limited production, lightweight suspension fork designed specifically for 20-inch-wheel youth bikes. The Axon Werx 20" is intended to fill the void left by sorry attempts by suspension makers in the past, who served up heavy, poor performing suspension forks for the emerging youth performance market. SR Suntour's new fork has 80-millimeters of travel, carbon lowers, magnesium dropouts and a QR-15 axle. Like all SR Suntour sliders, the damper is a sealed cartridge type. Axon Werx 20" forks are air sprung and come with a parental discretion warning in the form of their $850 USD MSRP.

Moms and dads who have shredder spawn and who may be interested in building up a mini park bike for them should know that it isn't as simple as popping a slider onto a BMX bike. You'll at least need a new front hub to handle the 15-millimeter through axle and lower handlebars to make an acceptable conversion. Better still, get the real thing: a lighter weight chassis with a lower bottom bracket and a suspension-configured head tube from the likes of Spawn Cycles.

Check out the official SR Suntour video and press release below:


Axon Werx 20” Fork:

• Very limited production
• 3.0 lbs, 1360g (uncut steerer)
• Carbon lowers with magnesium dropouts
• 32mm alloy stanchions
• Hollow forged crown with alloy steerer
• 80mm travel
• 15 QLC2 Ti thru axle system
• LO-R sealed cartridge damper
• Air spring with coil negative (Adjustable air volume system)
• Tuned for lightweight riders
• $850 USD Retail
• Contact: sales@usulcorp.com or call 608-229-6610.
SR Suntour Axon fork for kid s


SR Suntour Press Release:

SR Suntour

by artbarn
Views: 6,425    Faves: 20    Comments: 0

Many of us have kids and we wanted suspension that performed better than what was out there. Something durable and tunable for lightweight riders. SR Suntour had a world class, multiple UCI winning, London Gold suspension platform as a base, so we had a little fun building this 20-inch Axon Werx fork. Hope you enjoy, the kids were so stoked to be a part of this. Thanks team.

Thank you Spawn Cycles for being a part of this.


Suntour Axon Werx 20 fork
A few of Spawn Cycle's Kotori and Axon Werx 20" forks will be on the SR Suntour Demo tour for 2015.

Video: ArtBarn films
Photos: The Infamous Rob Dunnet

MENTIONS: @SRSuntour / @home-team / @artbarn


Author Info:
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99 Comments
  • 95 7
 What ever happened to kids learning on old Wal-Mart bikes like the rest of us did?! Guess this is always good for the industry, but dang that's a lot of dough to shell out for a kid's fork!
  • 35 1
 Walmart bikes are crappier now than they were BITD I believe. Nowadays, they must look like a bike and have awesome Lighning McQueen, Spiderman, or Frozen graphics, but they are barely functional boat anchors and have whacky geometry. For example: sky-high handlebars, with super short TT and 25+lbs for a 40lbs kid...not fun!

Basically, they are designed to look good on the Walmart or Canadian Tire floor and that's it. The cheap BMX of the 80s were at least designed to be ridden.

My 4yo son has a Spawn Banshee 16" and it is an awesome bike that cost me about 400$. He basically just never wants to get off the bike...he has too much fun! Between a kick-ass Spawn that will keep a good resale value and a POS bike that will be worth nothing, the choice is easy for me.

That being said, I agree a 850$ 20" fork is a bit over the top and certainly not for everyone...I'd buy my kid a super nice race BMX with that kind of money instead... Smile
  • 20 3
 Last friday we went to some fairly buff single track near my home and my daughter was angry she had to push up the hill (prefers to shuttle) and whined the whole way. My wife who was with her told her to suck it up and when they reached the top the five year old kid who is small for her age and can't tie her own shoes basically said "Screw this" hopped on her bike and flew down the hill at speeds we had not yet guessed she was capable of. When she blew by me and her 2 yearold sister she was grinning huge. My 2 yearold, seeing her big sister shredding so hard was inspired. She hopped on her stryder and tried to follow at a pace that had me running with the crawling one in my back pack bouncing all over the place.
When your kids show love and potential for the biking you get pretty excited, maybe to the point of dropping a lot of money.
We paid about $300 each for my twin girls to have cleary hedgehogs. They shred now. They are 5 and use hand brakes, ride descents with proper stance, and go way faster while maintaining control than would have been possible with coaster brakes. If the little jackson goldstones of the world buy enough of these maybe a cheaper equivalent will be ready when my girls are 8 and ready to go a bit bigger and faster.
  • 4 0
 I remember when Pacific was the premium brand of the department store bikes. Always used to oogle their shimano drivetrains and V brakes. I guess those are now re-branded Iron Horses. Kinda sad considering I own both a Sunday and a 6 point and that's what's become of that legacy.
  • 14 2
 Bike industry done milking money on your bike,now they start to milk on your kids' bikes.
  • 10 3
 I would rather buy front brake and cut handlebars. Next generation won't know s*** about line choice.
  • 9 1
 @taletotell A race bmx would be better for their skill as well. After all a lot of world cup downhillers started off racing bmx when they were kids (e.g.. Danny Hart)
  • 5 2
 Not sure I'd pay that for a full size suntour fork... What ever full size means...
  • 15 2
 I'm 18 and the idea of kids is a long way off, but if I ever do I'd switch from a 5k to 3k bike so my little shredding buddy could have a sick bike
  • 7 3
 'Bike industry done milking money on your bike'


Really? Seems like they just invested in some advanced milking technology.
  • 1 0
 I haven't heard of any bmx racing nearby. I'll have to look into it. I know there is something about 40 minutes away, but that is a lot of commuting for practices. I will look into it because there is no doubt bmx skills transfer beautifully.
  • 8 0
 I can relate to the f-ing Walmart theme bikes. My 5 year old can ride a bike with no training wheels so I was about to drop some dough on a nice mini bike for him and my wife asked him what he wanted...now he's on a fugly-a$$ Spider-Man bike that's to big for him and he's back on training wheels....thanks for the two steps back non-riding wife!
  • 3 1
 It's funny, because they've got the great looking (don't know if it's actually any good) fork in a 24' for only $180

emarket.srsuntourna.com/collections/xc-marathon-forks/products/xcr-air-lo-24

Why aren't they scaling this down for 20' and coming in at a more reasonable price?
  • 2 0
 This seems like a pretty good option in comparison: 20" kids bike, 40mm fork, disc brakes for $440 CAD

www.norco.com/bikes/youth/20-multi-speed/eliminator-aluminum/eliminator-aluminum
  • 9 0
 kids racing here where I live is actually pretty interesting, there are the wealthy kids with their double suspension bikes, full face helmets, top of the line shimano components (obviously their parents are riding full carbon top of the line Yeti, Ibiz or Santa Cruz bikes), and there are the not so wealthy kids on their Walmart bikes with Polystyrene half shells (no clue where their parents are). The not wealthy kids always win the races laping the wealthy kids several times, the award ceremony turns into a fest of tears, it is really embarrassing for everybody.
Sad but true.
  • 2 0
 @Narro2 that's what motocross is like. From what I've seen of the top guys it's the ones whose family sold everything to get them there that make it, not the 10 year olds with custom bikes
  • 1 1
 Are you sure you are right about causation here? Are you telling me that crappy bikes are better? I feel like maybe the poor kids win because skill at that age comes more from desire than practice, training, or gear. If your kid wants to ride hard they won't be scared. If daddy is pushing that doesn't make a kid less scared or more motivated. It makes them do the minimum to get through.
That said, my daughters were on a Next Rockit and a 90's bike with a dropped top tube. The crank is a one piece with play in the oversized bb bearings. The headset is threaded and loosens overtime. Pedaling backwards almost kills a kid who is going down a trail and locks up a rear wheel.
Their new bikes are safer, faster, and will last longer. Plus the handle bars up by their faces on those crappy bikes was as silly as it gets.
My nephew is on a specialized hotrock 16" (which is not much better than a walmart bike) and is pretty dang fast at 4 years old. I am pretty sure he is faster even than my girls. I think that is all the more reason for him to get a good bike. He wants it. He pushes himself hard. He goes fast.
  • 5 1
 Saw 20" fork ...was interested ...thought "this would be great for my kid" ...saw price ...went to next article

For $850, I'll get him a motorcycle
  • 4 0
 haha, just sharing my experience @taletotell, and what I learned from it, which is exactly the same that you're saying, skill comes from desire.
I don't have kids myself but I had a similar experience with my brother (who is 17 years younger than me), I wanted him to be a biker just like me, so I pushed him a few times, he did ok... but the most valuable thing he got from it was the power to say no. One day he simply told me "you know what, I don't like riding bikes, I'll go cheer you up in your races but biking is not my thing", the power to say NO at a very young age was very powerful to me, I loved it, that's when I knew I had to let him be.
  • 2 0
 You gotta remember, they invested a lot of money into designing and manufacturing a fork that virtually didn't exist. Why should it be cheaper than a full size fork? Because there is a little less material? It still needs all the same engineering, building, and testing as a full size. If anything, it may be harder to build because you have to fit all those internals into a smaller package. High performance kids bikes are pretty much still a niche market. Until they can sell tons of these, it will remain a high dollar item for those who want nothing but the best.
  • 4 0
 Would have been nice to see Suntour filling the middle ground between the Spinner and White Bros fork. My lads bike ( ep1.pinkbike.org/p4pb10390753/p4pb10390753.jpg )runs the Spinner which for the money (around $100, whole bike came in around $450) does the job very well - has a good amount of travel (65mm), is 25% lighter than the coil forks and being air is adjustable to suit the riders weight. Appreciate what Suntour have done here as it looks a hell of a fork but for 99% of riders it is overkill - would have been happy to lose the QR15, carbon lowers and offset the additional weight with 28mm stanchions as this is more than enough for riders who weigh so little.
  • 3 0
 BMX riding with a rigid fork from the age of 10-12 f*cked up my wrists. I developed synovial cysts on both wrists, one needed to be operated on. Changed to MTB with 13, never had any issues thanks to suspension. But the wrists are irreversibly damaged, if I do anything that involves a lot of pressure on the wrists bend 90° (like push ups) they hurt for a day.

Obviously, my wrists were prone to that kind of damage and others don't have it after 20 years on BMX bikes, but I would want to get a suspension bike for my child if he or she is more into biking than just commuting to school.

Good to see high quality parts for youngsters, we've certainly all made a ton of investments in our MTBs, why not in a children's bike.
  • 36 0
 God damn new wheel standards. 26 for life
  • 2 17
flag enduroelite (Apr 14, 2015 at 6:51) (Below Threshold)
 that's funny, very fun....not
  • 31 4
 $850 for a 20" fork.......
  • 13 32
flag Dude1005 (Apr 13, 2015 at 19:47) (Below Threshold)
 A 20 inch bike should not cost more than 200 dollars
  • 20 2
 they just had to make it carbon
  • 28 4
 I don't know about you Dude, but when I have kids, they are gonna ride nice bikes, so when they're hucking 6 foot drops to flat their bikes dont break in half. That would just be irresponsible parenting.
  • 11 21
flag Dude1005 (Apr 13, 2015 at 20:27) (Below Threshold)
 ^Why would you want to have kids when you can use that money on nice bikes? Plus, it's not like a 6 year olds gonna be hucking to flat anyways. 50 pound kids simply don't break bikes in half......
  • 12 2
 *cough* sarcasm *cough*
  • 7 30
flag Dude1005 (Apr 13, 2015 at 20:35) (Below Threshold)
 But I'm still pretty sure a walmart 200 dollar bike would still hold up better than your puny road bikes on your profile.
  • 23 1
 Okay 3 things. Firstly, it probably wouldn't. Those bikes are so shodily put together I doubt they would hold up to any sort of hucking better than a well designed carbon road bike, considering neither is really built to do that, but I'd put my money on the more quality product. Secondly, the road bike is not my only bike. It is one of 4 bikes that I currently own, of which 3 are mountain bikes. Thirdly, why are you going through my profile looking for dirt? Are you really that butthurt? I really don't want to start a pointless argument right now.
  • 6 33
flag Dude1005 (Apr 13, 2015 at 20:42) (Below Threshold)
 Nah, i was just lookin for a fight. cheers mate
  • 12 1
 Fair enough, cheers.
  • 20 0
 You know there are bars for that right?
  • 18 6
 yeah but hiding behind a computer screen is a little less risky yknow?
  • 4 4
 What size steerer? Will it fit my daughters 1inch jnr SE racing bmx or her squishy department store threaded 1 inch? Doubt it. Next option is a recumbent fork with any steerer you ask for and carbon and the same weight and $400 USD.
www.hpvelotechnik.com/produkte/federgabeln/index_e.html
  • 7 1
 Watch those little commencal sponsored kids and tell me they should be on a wally world rig.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlOUbj3Y6YQ
  • 4 11
flag Dude1005 (Apr 13, 2015 at 22:18) (Below Threshold)
 They should be on a Wally World rig.
  • 8 0
 these will sell out instantly (yes, some of the people who buy multiple $10k bikes probably have kids)

hopefully this will be sufficient proof of demand that we can have decent air sprung 20/24" forks with alu stanchions and lowers on sub $1000 OEM bikes, and aftermarket in the $250 range, within a few years. I believe - and really hope - that this is Suntour's way of testing the market
  • 3 2
 Dude, they deserve a good bike as much as you do.
  • 7 0
 high end parts+limited production=expensive. They're filling a niche here, offering high performance to the kids that are ready for it.
  • 1 0
 Aren't those already Suntour forks on there? This new fork is certainly an upgrade to the one Spec'ed on the Commencal, but I'm pretty sure those are Suntour suspension forks.
  • 13 1
 $850 yes, look at the MSRP in the market for performance 20" forks today. Its similar and we see the long term cost of ownership will be less than competitors. The fork is fully serviceable, same as all other forks we produce. In addition the adult version of this fork is $1100 USD MSRP.

The reason for carbon is the lowers already existed, we just needed to size them correctly and this is a very low cost of entry into this 20" performance category for SR SUNTOUR, but the MSRP is still competes. We have other kids fork projects we are working on which will be shown soon, this one is ready.

We are simply looking at the marketing and offering what riders and parents are asking for. A high performance fork that can be tuned for little kids and one that is durable and reliable.
  • 2 0
 If you think about it, kids bikes aren't any cheaper to make than adult bikes, and specific parts aren't standard and cost even more besides.
  • 3 2
 Saw 20" fork ...was interested ...thought "this would be great for my kid" ...saw price ...went to next article

For $850, I'll get him a motorcycle
  • 3 2
 not saying the fork is cheap or that you should buy it, or that I would (i can't afford it and I am not sure I would buy it if I could) but I want to know, do you have your kid bike because you can't afford a motorcycle? Is mtb a cheap second? Why not say "for 850 I'll buy him a season pass to the ski hill and a new set of skis" or "I'll build him a half pipe". Why a motorcycle? If you want one for him they can be got cheaply used. No need to ride bikes if you prefer a motor. No need to slum with the pedallers.
  • 2 1
 @taletotell No, I wouldn't buy him a moto. I'm not into that and neither is he. I was more or less trying to put things into perspective. Money goes a long way in many areas, but unfortunately, not so much in MTB. It's one of the few crappy aspects of our sport.
  • 2 0
 I can see where everyone is coming from when they talk about the price. the fact that a real decent starter mtb is 3 times the price of a wally world bike is a huge increase in percentage points. I guess I am just sensitive about the moto comparisons. People say brap and I shake my head. Motorcycles were bikes with motors, not the other way around.
  • 1 0
 Have you guys priced a rigid carbon jnr bmx racing fork lately? They go as high as $300 with no moving parts. $500+ if you buy them at a bike shop over here.
  • 1 6
flag Dude1005 (May 15, 2015 at 18:51) (Below Threshold)
 That's great no one cares
  • 10 0
 Catering to Small Wheels, not Small wallets.
  • 5 1
 Small wheels have parents wallets.
  • 5 0
 I (and my son) love our Spawn Banshee but we had to bail for another brand when we hit 20" wheels. They are a super nice brand but they are really heading upstream towards Lil Shredder pricing.

So, they will be good for the 1% super grom but not the other 99% kids who like to bike and deserve a quality lightweight bike.

We ended up getting a Trek Superfly 20, swapping in shorter arm Sinz crank, Shimano megadrive freewheel, and my 6 y.o. son freaking loves singletrack now that he can keep up with me on hills.

Had we gone singlespeed, it would have been a Cleary...somehow they do super nice without a huge price.
  • 4 0
 I was hoping this was cheaper than the MRP/White Brothers option that has been used on the Lil Shredder bikes, but I think this is a little more expensive actually. I would be interested in how it compares to the MRP.
  • 7 2
 What a Rad weekend! So proud of all of our SPAWN Grom's, truly an amazing group of kids!
  • 6 0
 I know this is retarded, but I want one for my trails bmx
  • 1 2
 Your front end would be too high. If that's what you want, get a 24" DJ bike. I find 20" too sketchy for me, and the 24" DJ is somewhere between a 20" trails bike and a 26" DJ.
  • 1 0
 I love my 24" DJ. they need to make a fork for that (yes, I know about the old Marzocchi one, & no, I don't want one.)
  • 1 0
 The joke. Your head. Also, it would increase your front end by quite a bit, but if you lowered the fork and ran shorter bars it would ride like a trails bike with a little squish.
  • 6 2
 awesome nice to see a company investing in our future riders,bikes aren't cheap but who cares it's just money and you only live once.
  • 2 0
 This is a really cool idea. I'm always shocked at how crappy kids bikes are and where I live in Squamish there are lots of little kids who are amazing riders and can utilize high performing parts. Nice work SR Suntour for helping junior shredders shred harder!!
  • 1 0
 Just get some a href="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-SPINNER-GRIND-20-Fork-50-mm-1-1-8-Remote-Lockout-Black-/141599803999?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item20f8018a5f">SPINNER 20" forks from the bay/a>... 8th of the price... And your grommet will never tell the difference...
  • 3 0
 That's a coil fork - hence the 2kg weight - Spinner do make an air fork too which weighs in around 1.5kg and is an OK fork - my son has it on his bike - ep1.pinkbike.org/p4pb10390753/p4pb10390753.jpg - although as their is no Spinner outlet in the UK I had to import it from Poland - even so was still just over $100.
That being said the Suntour fork is on a different level and its real nice to see innovation in an area that has been neglected.
  • 4 1
 I bet these forks would be worth the money if they were 500b and Enduro specific.
  • 4 0
 Was a fun little project to work on ...
  • 3 0
 Those kids shred harder than I do Razz okay maybe not quite but still, damn impressive! Love watching talented young riders!
  • 5 2
 That last pic shows the bars are too wide for the kid. Must be used to groomer trails.
  • 1 1
 I am more than happy to see such products pop up on the market over some updated bladder damper nonsense, but this price Jesus... I never spend so much on a fork for myself, I think I haven't even spend 500 bucks on any of my forks. I'll be another dude btchn, but for half of this price you can get a machinist to shorten an old open bath fork. I paid 250$ for a used Shiver SC and a 888 2005. I'll merge them into a kids fork Big Grin
  • 1 2
 it's a cool concept to upgrade but spawn cycles already has a line of bikes that come with a front fork (spinner). how many other kids bikes will accept a fork upgrade without significantly changing/endangering the bike geometry?

the little trek bikes' both my kids currently have, while they're not the best for mtb, they're more cruiser or bmx style. I'm starting to see interest from my daughter (7yr old) to get into some trail riding and if she starts wanting to do some more 'mountain' riding, I'll look into investing in a complete bike like the Spawn Savage 2.0 or the lil' shredder. while it isn't cheap, it will allow for her to grow into it and then pass it onto my son (5yr old) when he's ready; if he's not interested, the lil' shredders' tires can be swapped from 16" to 20" so the bike will grow along with her.
  • 2 0
 Dunno if they deliver in North America, but the german brand "Propain Bikes" have a really nice 16" (20" convertible) freeride kid bike. www.propain-bikes.com/en/shop/Kids+bike+with+16+or+20+inch+wheels+FRECHDAX-46 It looks really great.
  • 1 0
 Thank you for the link! Nice bikes but it's too bad they don't deliver to NA Frown
  • 1 1
 not going to fit many bikes at 80mm - my son's 24 inch bike is only 65mm (rst first air)

its not really filling any gap

www.propain-bikes.com/en/shop/Kids+bike+with+16+or+20+inch+wheels+FRECHDAX-46
  • 1 0
 Don't mind spending decent money on a kids bike as long as you have a good LBS that does half back for there next bike.
  • 2 0
 wish i had the fork?!?! How about those TRAILS!!!! so sick
  • 1 0
 I'd be happy with those trails. the one from 1:19-1:35 looks awesome.
  • 1 0
 Wonder if BMX racers will be getting these an re-tuning them? Supergrass is gnarly!!
  • 1 1
 To slow them down? Suspension simply isn't as fast on a BMX track - I ride both a GT 24" cruiser and a 24" NS Holy 1 with a DJ1, and the suspension on the NS slows me down unless I'm manualling, in which case the short chainstays of the NS mean I get no pump. Pro Forx exiseted a long time ago, but all the pros ran them locked out or welded up as they got an extra 100$ for winning on them.
  • 2 0
 Anyone else see this and think of how great it would be to put on a BMX?
  • 1 1
 Suspension simply isn't as fast on a BMX track - I ride both a GT 24" cruiser and a 24" NS Holy 1 with a DJ1, and the suspension on the NS slows me down unless I'm manualling, in which case the short chainstays of the NS mean I get no pump. Pro Forx exiseted a long time ago, but all the pros ran them locked out or welded up as they got an extra 100$ for winning on them.
  • 2 0
 Yeah, I know, I just was thinking about it for dicking around.
  • 1 0
 so going to by a new hub and these forks ive always wished I had suspension on my bmx
  • 1 1
 And here, i cant even find parts to rebuild the Suntour xcm fork that came with my bike..
  • 2 0
 upgrade that fork

www.srsuntourna.com/upgrade
  • 2 0
 We have service parts readily available for all of our forks.

emarket.srsuntourna.com

Cheers.
  • 2 0
 ^^
  • 1 0
 Sign me up if those kids put on a clinic.....
  • 2 5
 @bretttippie's kids may be able to afford this apparently fantastic 80mm fork, but my bills go to my children's private school and an occasional new or used bike. What about the rest of us? How about a good 400$ fork? Possible, yes. Who will do it? SR, Rockshox, Zocci? Step up!
  • 2 0
 Your not alone. So we do offer some really great forks for kids already. As mentioned above there are more in the pipeline other than this really cool product.

emarket.srsuntourna.com/collections/xc-marathon-forks

Cheers.
  • 2 0
 Ahh, good point Nick @SSNA-WERX! You've got quite the range there. Looks good, thanks.

Linky: emarket.srsuntourna.com/collections/xc-marathon-forks/products/xct-jr-20
  • 4 4
 the best to learn at a young: no suspension, fork steel tire 2.25 front, v-brake. THAT'S ALL!
  • 2 1
 That's a bit much for a fork that will be out grown quickly.
  • 1 1
 Just more evidence showing that this has most definitely become a rich mans sport...
  • 2 1
 just kidding its the new wheel size standard
  • 2 0
 But is it Boost?
  • 1 0
 Downhill 20" bike time to get on the welder.
  • 1 0
 will this fit my bmx bike?
  • 1 0
 look out bmx bike it has come lol
  • 3 2
 April fools!







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