SR Suntour's new Durolux fork has an all-new chassis based around large 36mm diameter legs, which unsurprisingly deliver impressive tracking and braking stiffness even when used with a 200mm rotor. The lower leg design also includes two small Allen key bolts that can be undone to release heat-related pressure build up after particularly long descents.
For most riders, though, the main benefit is that they also allow direct lubing of the seals and upper bushings without stripping the fork apart.
Despite the affordable pricing, an integrated fender that bolts onto the brace is included to keep your face cleaner (although some spray can flick up the front of the tyre). The downside of the chunky design is that it’s a very heavy fork, coming in over 300g heavier than Rock Shox's similarly priced Yari fork.
While the faceted ‘compress and twist’ locking mechanism of the ambidextrous QRLoc axle is extremely cunning, it doesn’t always work as smoothly as it should, especially if it gets slightly dirty. You can also expect occasional wrestling moments if you’re not using a hub with a continuously smooth internal bore, as while it’s better than the original non-locking QLoc system, it can still accidentally open when it bumps against internal notches.
Chunky trail fork
Inexplicably for a trail fork brought to market in 2017, there’s no confirmed date for when the adaptor kit to convert it from old skool 20mm axle diameter to the more current 15mm standard will be ready.
The basic Durolux RC2 fork gets high and low speed compression and low speed rebound damping adjustment, but the R2C2 here gets a more sophisticated damping cartridge with adjustable high speed rebound too. Five clicks of high speed compression and four of high speed rebound mean adjustment is very coarse and approximate rather than accurate.
Even the minimal damper settings are still slow in either direction for an average 70kg rider, though with obvious slap and spike on fast square edged hits, particularly when the fork is new. Most riders will need to remove one or two of the pre-fitted volume spacers to regularly get more than half the travel, too.
SR Suntour's new Durolux fork looks like a bomber bargain but damper range and initial insensitivity mean it’s definitely one for heavy hitting, not subtle/supple riders. The lack of a 15mm axle kit is a weird omission right now, too.
