For years, it was slim pickings for anyone who wanted a long-travel 29er fork. We’ve come to a relatively happy place, with the Pike, Lyrik and 36 all on offer. Now, Suntour is set to add the Durolux 29er fork to the mix. When the fork eventually hits the market, it’ll sell for $800.
As with the Durolux 26 and 27.5 forks, the Durolux 29 features the company’s R2C2 damper, which allows you to tweak low and high-speed rebound damping as well as low and high-speed compression damping. The fork also features the company’s Piston Compensator System (PCS)—a coil spring-backed internal floating piston that reduces cavitation and allows for easy system bleeds.
Suntour is still steering clear of going the ever-popular, expanding bladder route, arguing that while internal floating pistons aren’t exactly shiny, new and full of sparkling whiz-bang factor, IFPs are time-proven and reliable.
Reliability and ease of maintenance is, essentially, Suntour’s thing. Their forks are rarely the lightest. The Suntour representatives admitted that the Durolux might be a quarter pound heavier than some of its competition, but they contend that their cartridge system’s ease of maintenance is a worthwhile trade off.
You’ll be able to wring out 170 millimeters of travel from the Durolux 29 and if you feel like shortening things up, you can reduce travel by tossing in 10-millimeter spacers. If you’re the kind of rider who wants a ridiculously over-the-top 120-millimeter travel 29er fork, you can turn the Durolux into that kind of beast. To each their own.
The Durolux 29 is currently configured around a 15-millimeter through axle, though a Suntour representative pointed out that, “Today, it’s a 110x15, but with more machining it could take a 20-millimeter axle. We left enough material on the dropout for that…. should the need arise.”
Wait a second. Will the need arise?“It’s coming.”
Make of that what you will.
It will be able to do 170mm which will be its max. The A to C is 590mm. This fork uses different uppers from the 27.5" as the width is wider allowing to fit 27.5"+ tires as well as 29"
Offset will be 51mm for this 29er as are all new 29/27.5+" forks we are making
Even if this bad boy was all piss and vinegar, the mere name makes me make a stink eye.