SR Suntour Durolux R2C2 £604.99

Suntour’s new Durolux looks like a bargain but it’s definitely one for heavy-hitting rather than subtle/ supple riders. The chassis is based around large 36mm-diameter legs for impressive tracking and braking stiffness. An integrated fender is included, and small Allen bolts undo to release pressure build-up and allow direct lubing of the seals. It’s a very heavy fork though, and there’s no confirmed date for when the adapter kit to convert it from old-skool 20mm to the more current 15mm axle standard will be ready. Suntour’s ambidextrous ‘Q-LOC’ design doesn’t always work as smoothly as it should either. The R2C2 gets a more sophisticated damping cartridge than the basic Durolux RC2, with high and low-speed compression and rebound damping adjustment. There are only five clicks of high-speed compression and four of high-speed rebound though, so adjustment is very coarse. Even with minimal damping wound on, the fork is still slow to compress or rebound for an average 70kg rider, with obvious slap and spike on fast square-edged hits. Most users will need to remove two or even all three of the prefitted volume spacers to regularly get more than half the travel too.