Just bought mine too... Now i'm waiting it to arrive. This version is full of cool features btw. It has an integrated mudguard mount, the axle is made out of titanium and doesn't have threads (it ca be placed from both sides of the fork), the travel can be adjusted from 120mm up to 160mm by adding or removing the spacers from the air shaft and the maintenance is pretty chill to do because Suntour doesn't add any oil to their forks, we just have to clean, replace some parts (if necessary) and re-greese the internals. For this price, I think this is the best all mountain fork you can buy today XD (Sorry for my messy english, I'm brazillian hehehehe. Love your videos, guys. Keep it UP!)
I had the Aion (150mm) on my Trance 4, great looking fork but for the life of me i just couldn't get it right for me. i guess horses for course and it seemed by your ride and your scores this fork worked well for you buddy... well done mate. Your next for the Gold 35RL (160mm) is exactly what i replaced my Aion with and for me its worlds apart. I'm really glad you enjoyed the Aion. The beauty of our sport is exactly this, everything is so individual and wat you guys have done with that whole bike is little short of magic So well done guys awesome review ..... love the look of both The Cats Meow and Ragnarok they both look great locations for both fun and testing ...... great video guys.
For me this fork is the only affordable one, finally I can build an enduro bike in less then 500$. I still like 26 wheels and now they are so cheap, that sometimes its more expensive to swap a tire
I had the Aion 160mm fork on my Enduro bike great all around fork but ended upgrading to the Suntour Durolux 170mm fork since I have been riding at a lot more downhill bike parks . Biggest difference I noticed between the Aion and Durolux is the Durolux seems to handle the larger hits better once you have the low speed and high speed compression dialed in. The large hits practically disappear while the small bump compliance remains just as good as the Aion.
@@WOLFTICKVIDEOSHello, I'm from Brazil. I want to upgrade my suspension and I'm interested in this AION, and the Suntour Aion is cheaper than the Fox and Rockshox. Would it be a good upgrade choice?! I currently have a rockshox 35 Silver TK
Well, what else does he have any business to speak on? Dude sits on his ass, spend a couple of bucks, and talks MAD shit. In south Texas we call them kinda guys "ass clowns"
I love this fork and is what i currently use. Its just a step below the auron and the durolux which is the top trail/enduro forks for suntour. The lockout may not work immediately if the fork was turned upside down, it needs to be cycled a few times for the oil to go back down into the main chamber which is why it may have not been working when Wolfman was testing it...that lockout cartridge is also pretty easy to service
The "Lockout" is probably designed with a blow-off function. Or, it might be a little low on oil in the damper? In my opinion forks are for control and sucking up trail chatter and hits. I don't ever use lockouts, don't even install the remote lever. I find them useless. Also, the lockout worked fine on the trail, where it actually matters the most, so whatever I guess. Anyway, great review, the disagreements are actually a good thing, it keeps everyone honest, and points out perceived flaws despite opinion. Very happy to see the fork in action, thanks!
Glad to see the progression of the channel. Would love to see you guys learn some more technical qualities of damper tech. That's where the value is spending more. More exotic materials etc.
Enjoyed the video. But I have to say I’m going with the Rider’s review over the dyno. A true test is on the trail not sitting still with 295lbs pushing down on it. No disrespect intended. Keep up the good work.
One of the best air fork i dream to have, i definitely want to try this one but for now i cant afford to have 🤧 nice jump idol, i learned a lot from you. Always ride safe.
To answer Wolfman. You would need a better fork if you were riding trails like Whistler goat's gully or making huge jumps on the A line. The Aion would probably be overwhelmed and or wouldn't last long before needing a rebuilt. But for what you are doing the Aion is perfect. It's all related to the usage. I know you guy's are leaning more towards budget component's, and I thank you for that. You are doing a great job at showing us, budget riders, that we can safely have loads of fun and not break the bank . Especially with crazy bikes price these day's you guy's are like an essential service😅. But if the Tick ever get a chance to go to a big mountain bike park and get a high end rental, he'll see the difference. WARNING: riding big mountains is highly addictive and cost a lot of money.
Great comment!👍 We are glad that you understand that we are speaking from a budget, average rider, green, blue, and black trail type riding situations. Obviously, when people are racing and/or riding ridiculously large jumps and drops, they need ridiculously tough and capable equipment. Thanks for the kind words. 👍
@@brianpham2584 I'm implying that it deepens on what you are doing with it. You dont take a trail fork on freerides or downhill. But you could take a freeride fork on trails. You need the right fork for the right job. I know that I wrote "Suntour" in my comment but what I meant was "Aion" I will edit it.
You grossly estimate the range of sr suntour. Xcm/raidon doesn't equal aion/durolux/auron. The aion is still in the trail category, but no different than riding a 34/pike. Plenty of pros running these forks In ews and suntour stuff in rampage even. I was in the same camp until I got a my auron 35. I send this fork down more chunk and gnar and feel more confident in the damper than a fox 36 I had before. I also have a zeb ultimate in a bike, and other than stiffness, I'd almost say the suntour is better with the PCS damper. Riding a wide range of trails on all. Give the high end of sr suntour a try. You will be pleasantly surprised.
I would have ridden Blue Jay anyway😉!! They do that crap here @ Turkey Mtn bc they dont wanr you to leave tracks! Hello...we make tracks wet or dry!! Its what happens to our trails when Libs are in charge of em🤬!! The only reason a trail should be closed is if they are doing controlled burning...that at least makes sense!! Great vid...thanks for all you do
If I had to replace one of my Recons I would definitely consider the 35EVO. After rebuilding a Rockshox Recon, my lockout wasn't working properly with the "recommended" volume of oil. The specs also show oil level, measured from the crown, 80-85mm. 85mm from the top gave me a little movement on lockout, 80mm; no movement. After forgetting to unlock my forks a couple of times, I no longer use that feature. Not sure what I will do when I forget to pull up my zipper after urinating.
Have you guys reviewed the Yari yet? Not always budget but I picked a 170mm up for 239 bucks this winter. Seems like a great value so far. I changed the air spring to a 150mm but haven't had a chance to get on the trail yet to really test it with all this snow we keep getting.
That was a smooth couple of runs and looked really fast. Giving me that itch for a full squish again 😂😂😂. I'm with Wolfman on the lock out, it didn't seem to do much, other than that what a great fork Great review guys, really enjoyed this one, take care 👍🍻😎
You need to get a Marzocchi Bomber Z2 in for review. My daughter has one on the front of her trail bike and it seems just as good in most ways to my Fox 34 Performance on my Rocky Mountain Element. Some people like the Z2 better because the thicker lowers and heavier aluminum in the upper stanchions makes the fork stiffer than the lighter Fox 34. I would rate the Marzocchi well above a RockShox 35 I used to have a couple years ago. I will be interested to hear your opinion on some of these mid-range forks.
Suntour medium to high end are pretty decent. However, their low end XCE, XCT, XCM, XCR that are on big box and low end brand name bikes are everywhere, which gave it (suntour) a bad reputation. Are you guys using boost front wheel, or boost adapter?
Yeah, I think we showed it in the Initial Impressions episode, but it might have been edited out. Yes, we are using the boost adapter while on the Mongoose. The entry-level coil Suntour forks are still substantially better and tougher than the no-name non-adjustable crap that comes on most of the big box bikes. We are huge fans of Suntour, I'm just not a fan of this "lockout"😉😆. Thanks man👍 and thank you for being around for so long🙏
@@WOLFTICKVIDEOS No doubt even the coil suntour forks are better than most, if not, all stock from Walmart. I still run a couple coil XCR. In the defense of the Aion and it's "lockout", my buddy's trek superfly 2 carbon came with some high end rockshox, he was never able to fully lock it out. Not sure why, just not too familiar with high end forks.
I remember the Wolfman Dyno & the difference in lock out for the 2 of you but somehow not the price. Will go back to see. This is a nice fork & maybe a good upgrade for me (depending on price;)
I completely get what Wolfman is saying about the lockout, but the other side is, it needs to give. If it didn't, it would eventually fail catastrophically. There is no way to provide a full lockout without physical contact, and on a fork it would have to be metal on metal, and that would eventually fail, resulting in the destruction of the fork. The give is not because it isn't a good lockout, it is BECAUSE it is a good lockout, and is providing a bailout for unrepairable damage.
I'm glad you understand what I'm saying, but there is a big difference in 10-15mm of give and 100mm of give. Did you happen to catch the Initial Impressions episode? During the dyno, I literally didn't even know The Tick had locked it out😆🤷♂️. All of our Suntour forks give a little, but at what point is it unacceptable to call it a "lockout"🙄. Either way, thanks for supporting us by watching and commenting. I'm looking forward to seeing how the RockShox 35 Gold stacks up against this one. Great comment 👍
@@WOLFTICKVIDEOS I did see the last video with the Dyno test, in didn't realize it was 100mm, that really is an aweful lot, definitely more than you'd like, and that isn't a great "lockout".
If your looking for better it is fox. I have a $750 hardtail that I want to put one on . Sadly, I base this option only on looks. I know I would kick myself in the butt to spend over a grand on looks. Great review . I ride a SR Suntour CXR 29er now. I would consider buying this fork for upgrade. Even if it's black on black.
Good fork, but default negative spring is too hard. My weight is 65 kg and it's impossible to adjust sag > 20%. When I try to decrease pressure, fork travel also decreases. Just ordered soft negative spring for this fork, hope this will help.
😁 That's a little to much fork for the rears 2.5" of stock travel, I moded my ledge X1 rear rocker and drilled another shock mounting hole in more to get the max 3.5" travel ware the rear triangle cross brace actually hit's the back of the seat post tube now... so you need to use a coil shock and add spacers to the shaft to limit the travel so the brace don't hit the seat post down tube. just move the new hole level with the original one and leave the thickness of metal in between the new hole you drill the same thickness as what is in front of the original hole on the rocker and the ledge X1 gets plush you can make the max travel like 3.25" that's 3/4" more travel than a stock ledge without spending any extra $ if you have a coil shock. nice forkk.
I was wondering about altering the size shock.... I measured the eye to eye and it looked like you could easily add another 10mm without messing up and locking the frame into a lowrider! Haha! But I ended up just going with the dnm air shock... Still gotta try to find a 27.5 wheel to replace the factory wheel and get a new drivetrain.
Beyond this fork, the RockShox Reba, and I can't even include Fox because they've gone crackhead with their prices. But the more you spend you really aren't going to see much of a difference in performance. What you're paying for is less weight, they get lighter as the price goes up. Unless you're a weight weenie that $450-600 range really gets you in to a fantastic fork.
$500 fork to compare is a Marzocchi Bomber Z2. When you get into more expensive forks you'll run into high(small bump) and low(wallow) speed compression damping adjustments at the top of the right stanchion.
@@WOLFTICKVIDEOS That's just a Motion Control(limited performing) damper Recon with larger diameter stanchions that can't be upgraded because of the different inner dimension. No Charger. MC damper has poor small bump and stops working at higher speeds over repeat bumps. Fox 34 Performance is like a Z2.
The lock out is a low speed compression dial, it's meant to dampen the compression of the fork. There are forks with high and low speed compression, you don't want full lock out anyway, and want there to be blow off when a huge impact comes, so the system won't break, but I guess they don't offer the same range, as some others do, unless the dial was installed wrong which is would not matter here as you could turn it endlessly, as the dial does not go over the crown, if it was not for the stop internally i guess. I had two Fox forks where the lockouts were different, as they stopped at different point due to the dial being misplaced ad the compression already adjusted differently, so had to adjust the adjustment it self and put the dial on correctly. But mgiht not be that. But with Fox CTD and GRIP you could adjust it to almost locked out. I could on Fox Girp2 too, but that was high and low speed compression, so stiff it felt like rigid.
When riding, NO ONE would put the amount of pressure that you do during Wolfman Dyno. Going up to the cats meow showed that the "lock out" worked just fine and the way it should.
Don't call it a "lockout," and we can all get along 😆. When I stand and pedal, it gives too much. We tried all kinds of stuff. It just doesn't "lock out" enough 🤷♂️. I said it at the end, but he might have edited it out. It would be fine for smaller people but not the best for the big boy club when it comes to the "lockout"😎
Yeah Wolfman looks like a strong dude, besides being big. I guess "lockouts" on cheaper forks and shocks either don't last long or don't work like they should, because mine on my DNM AOY-36RC failed; I just discovered that it did tonight going to run a quick errand. The thing is behaving just like the lockout on the Aion 35, when before it locked the shock out completely.
Love suntour. Once they bought marzocchi way back in 06 they really had it made. The only thing I don't like is they don't have maintainable/serviceable rebound. It's just a strut like the ones in a hatchback. Tenneco... SMH.
@@themountain59 Tenneco owned marzocchi from 2008 to 2015 when fox acquired it Tenneco also owned sr suntour. That's why the forks/suspension was pretty much the same from 08-15.. Bryson Martin left Marz and DVO was created. NoeTenneco owns DVO and Ohlins 😂 yes, suntour owns DVO and Ohlins
I used to own this fork and it felt good initially but after 2 months it began to feel sticky and wouldn't compress if it was under 60 degrees. Ive had the lowers serviced and that didn't help either. Sr Suntour stated that forks should experience some issues in the cold and because of that they wouldn't take it back to see if they could fix it. Its up to you, but I would recommend something else.
Wow, that sucks. I'm surprised SR Suntour didn't try to help you any. They definitely performed great (except for the non-existent lock-out) in our test. I believe it was somewhere in the 50s when we filmed this, but it might have been closer to 60ish. We don't recommend anything. We only test/review and share our experiences. It's up to the consumer to decide for themselves what they should consider buying or not. It's always good to hear from others who have had experience with the same products. Thanks for watching and commenting👍.
I am having exactly the same issue with my aion. here in texas for the most part of the year when it’S hot the fork performs pretty well for what it is. however when teperatures drop in the 60s, the fork exhibits very annoying rattling/knocking sound on the trail.
If you dont wanna do the super budget forks, it is better to pull the trigger, add some money and buy marzocchi Bomber Z2, because that fork performs as forks priced twice as much. It was around 500-600 dollars if I remember. But this Aion and the RS 35 are both great forks, I wouldnt complain.
Hahaha I"m definitely a BIG HIT!🤣 If it is not going to completely lock out, it should really be called a "stiffener" or a "travel reducer." Did you watch how much the so called "lockout" gave during the dyno? Maybe this fork is just not big boy approved!🙅😆
One minute in and the Tick is already doing something something sketch haha, and all that work just for the trail to be closed is a bummer! Sounds like a great fork but also comes with a higher price tag.
I had to completely rebuild the Gold 35 and replace the factory wipers with some SKF wipers. Stiction now is gone, but it's still a harsh and rather unresponsive fork - RS did cut too many corners on the Gold 35. (isn't a real 35mm fork neither; just 34mm on the inside, so no upgrade on the damperside of things.) Rather get a Yari for the same price; at least it can be upgraded internally. I will replace the Gold 35 in the near future.
The rockshox yari, domain, or lyric would be a better comparison than the 35 rl gold. I think the lyric and domain might be a little over 500$ but the yari should be right under 500$
Having ride both this and the RockShox 35 I can tell you the Suntour AION is much better, smoother, durable fork. I actually blew the the damper out of the 35 and had a bad crash and broke my wrist
All airforks in that suntour brand never lock out stiff. They just go down super slow. But it will help in the climbing sections. Had a buddy test out my fox float ctd 2014 fork and he was about 230lbs, he didnt even made the fork lower half an inch.
The issue is that it should be called something else if it doesn't actually lock out. Not sure if everyone does it the same, but I tend to put a fair amount of weight over the front of the bike when I stand to pedal. 10-20mm of give would possibly be acceptable, but 60-100mm is a bit much. If you don't have an issue with a lock out not actually doing the job of it's title then this fork is a fantastic fork. Thanks
@@WOLFTICKVIDEOS Thanks for the reply, Thought i should add, Im 55y.o. (Not grumpy yet tho, lol.) from Australia, I'm 6'2" and about 255lbs running Marzocchi Bomber at 115psi, I checked it after watching, it has some give also, I have to say I hadn't noticed it before that, my old Rockshox SID on my 90's bike does too, but its old. I'm keen to see the result on the new Rockshox. Cheers to ya both. Its always a laugh watching you two.
Only reason not to ride that stream, IMO, is if an electric motor would end up below the water line. A disagreement? Knock me over with a feather. I'm no expert but I've never seen a "lock out" that actually locks. In my book if you want no travel go rigid. Sorry Wolfman but, for a change, you lost this debate. Have you ever mentioned the price? Do I need to go back & rewatch previous vids where I missed it?
A. Most of our forks lock out completely B. You need to go back and watch the Initial Impressions episode and we show the price and the "lockout" or lack there of.😆🤣 Thanks👍
All of our Suntour forks give a little, but 80-100mm or so? They really need to change the naming, in my opinion. 10-15mm, maybe even 20mm, but where is the limit? Thanks👍
Another excellent evaluation gentlemen!! Happy happy Sunday!!
What a letdown! I thought you're crossing the log ON the bike! hahahaha! That would have been epic!
Haha, I thought the same. The Tick actually used good judgment for once😆👍
LOL
Just bought mine too... Now i'm waiting it to arrive. This version is full of cool features btw. It has an integrated mudguard mount, the axle is made out of titanium and doesn't have threads (it ca be placed from both sides of the fork), the travel can be adjusted from 120mm up to 160mm by adding or removing the spacers from the air shaft and the maintenance is pretty chill to do because Suntour doesn't add any oil to their forks, we just have to clean, replace some parts (if necessary) and re-greese the internals.
For this price, I think this is the best all mountain fork you can buy today XD
(Sorry for my messy english, I'm brazillian hehehehe. Love your videos, guys. Keep it UP!)
I have been beating the hell out of my Aion 35 for almost 4 years now and it’s been awesome. Happy to see a great review on the fork.
Thanks brother, it's gonna be awesome on our Marin Patreon Build!
I had the Aion (150mm) on my Trance 4, great looking fork but for the life of me i just couldn't get it right for me. i guess horses for course and it seemed by your ride and your scores this fork worked well for you buddy... well done mate. Your next for the Gold 35RL (160mm) is exactly what i replaced my Aion with and for me its worlds apart. I'm really glad you enjoyed the Aion. The beauty of our sport is exactly this, everything is so individual and wat you guys have done with that whole bike is little short of magic So well done guys awesome review ..... love the look of both The Cats Meow and Ragnarok they both look great locations for both fun and testing ...... great video guys.
For me this fork is the only affordable one, finally I can build an enduro bike in less then 500$. I still like 26 wheels and now they are so cheap, that sometimes its more expensive to swap a tire
That fork seems incredibly smooth on landings!
It might be the smoothest fork we have ever experienced. 👍
I had the Aion 160mm fork on my Enduro bike great all around fork but ended upgrading to the Suntour Durolux 170mm fork since I have been riding at a lot more downhill bike parks . Biggest difference I noticed between the Aion and Durolux is the Durolux seems to handle the larger hits better once you have the low speed and high speed compression dialed in. The large hits practically disappear while the small bump compliance remains just as good as the Aion.
The GOAT is back!! And so is Jon Jones!! :P
😆
That fork is beast, I’ve had really good luck with the Air Forks from SR Suntour
We have had great luck with all of our Suntour forks. Thanks🙏👍
@@WOLFTICKVIDEOSHello, I'm from Brazil. I want to upgrade my suspension and I'm interested in this AION, and the Suntour Aion is cheaper than the Fox and Rockshox. Would it be a good upgrade choice?! I currently have a rockshox 35 Silver TK
Wolfman really stood his ground on his opinion of the lockout 🤣
Well, what else does he have any business to speak on? Dude sits on his ass, spend a couple of bucks, and talks MAD shit. In south Texas we call them kinda guys "ass clowns"
@bobbye7353 Around here we just call it "being the boss"
I was waiting for the Tick to get a snorkel and just ride through the opener! Solid fork, can't wait to see it on Project Chong
Loving the slothcam!! Glad you didn't fall off the log. I'll have to rewatch to give my additional thoughts on this one.
Such a great ride video!! Love that you use so many cameras! Great stuff
Man thanks!! We try to get creative when we can, makes it look better but damn THE EDITING!! LOL
I'm getting that fork!!! Your enthusiasm is great!!! Cats meow looks good
You wont be disappointed. Thanks man! I do get excited like a little kid sometimes.😆
Great review nice to see you and wolfman getting on about the lock out lol nice looking fork to 👍
I love this fork and is what i currently use. Its just a step below the auron and the durolux which is the top trail/enduro forks for suntour. The lockout may not work immediately if the fork was turned upside down, it needs to be cycled a few times for the oil to go back down into the main chamber which is why it may have not been working when Wolfman was testing it...that lockout cartridge is also pretty easy to service
That Mongoose really handles the Cats Meow like a champ. Especially with that fork.
Excellent fork great review very good job
Thanks buddy👍🙏
The "Lockout" is probably designed with a blow-off function. Or, it might be a little low on oil in the damper? In my opinion forks are for control and sucking up trail chatter and hits. I don't ever use lockouts, don't even install the remote lever. I find them useless. Also, the lockout worked fine on the trail, where it actually matters the most, so whatever I guess. Anyway, great review, the disagreements are actually a good thing, it keeps everyone honest, and points out perceived flaws despite opinion. Very happy to see the fork in action, thanks!
The log crossing was not Danny MacAskill approved 😂
Love your and wolfman's reviews.
Amazed you could hold the bike while balancing over that sketchy log👍; glad it wasn't dry rotted, or else😳
i am looking forward to the gold 35 review!
Oh us too!! Hopefully Blue Jay is open!!
Glad to see the progression of the channel. Would love to see you guys learn some more technical qualities of damper tech. That's where the value is spending more. More exotic materials etc.
Yall still running tubes? I've never used a lockout 1 time over 1000s of trail miles 💪
Enjoyed the video. But I have to say I’m going with the Rider’s review over the dyno. A true test is on the trail not sitting still with 295lbs pushing down on it. No disrespect intended. Keep up the good work.
For sure man, hopefully you enjoyed the episode, sometimes Wolfman is on crack!! 🤣🤣🙄
One of the best air fork i dream to have, i definitely want to try this one but for now i cant afford to have 🤧 nice jump idol, i learned a lot from you. Always ride safe.
Cant wait for the Rockshox35. These forks are always on ebay basically brand new from new bike pull outs.
To answer Wolfman. You would need a better fork if you were riding trails like Whistler goat's gully or making huge jumps on the A line. The Aion would probably be overwhelmed and or wouldn't last long before needing a rebuilt. But for what you are doing the Aion is perfect. It's all related to the usage. I know you guy's are leaning more towards budget component's, and I thank you for that. You are doing a great job at showing us, budget riders, that we can safely have loads of fun and not break the bank . Especially with crazy bikes price these day's you guy's are like an essential service😅. But if the Tick ever get a chance to go to a big mountain bike park and get a high end rental, he'll see the difference. WARNING: riding big mountains is highly addictive and cost a lot of money.
Great comment!👍 We are glad that you understand that we are speaking from a budget, average rider, green, blue, and black trail type riding situations. Obviously, when people are racing and/or riding ridiculously large jumps and drops, they need ridiculously tough and capable equipment. Thanks for the kind words. 👍
@@WOLFTICKVIDEOS y'all gotta do a video at the BME!!!
Are you implying that all Suntour forks are not capable?
@@brianpham2584 I'm implying that it deepens on what you are doing with it. You dont take a trail fork on freerides or downhill. But you could take a freeride fork on trails. You need the right fork for the right job. I know that I wrote "Suntour" in my comment but what I meant was "Aion" I will edit it.
You grossly estimate the range of sr suntour. Xcm/raidon doesn't equal aion/durolux/auron. The aion is still in the trail category, but no different than riding a 34/pike. Plenty of pros running these forks In ews and suntour stuff in rampage even. I was in the same camp until I got a my auron 35. I send this fork down more chunk and gnar and feel more confident in the damper than a fox 36 I had before. I also have a zeb ultimate in a bike, and other than stiffness, I'd almost say the suntour is better with the PCS damper. Riding a wide range of trails on all. Give the high end of sr suntour a try. You will be pleasantly surprised.
I would have ridden Blue Jay anyway😉!! They do that crap here @ Turkey Mtn bc they dont wanr you to leave tracks! Hello...we make tracks wet or dry!! Its what happens to our trails when Libs are in charge of em🤬!! The only reason a trail should be closed is if they are doing controlled burning...that at least makes sense!! Great vid...thanks for all you do
If I had to replace one of my Recons I would definitely consider the 35EVO. After rebuilding a Rockshox Recon, my lockout wasn't working properly with the "recommended" volume of oil. The specs also show oil level, measured from the crown, 80-85mm. 85mm from the top gave me a little movement on lockout, 80mm; no movement. After forgetting to unlock my forks a couple of times, I no longer use that feature. Not sure what I will do when I forget to pull up my zipper after urinating.
Have you guys reviewed the Yari yet? Not always budget but I picked a 170mm up for 239 bucks this winter. Seems like a great value so far. I changed the air spring to a 150mm but haven't had a chance to get on the trail yet to really test it with all this snow we keep getting.
Its rly shit and I love it
i run the Aion 35 Boost RC PCS 27.5" set at 150mm...no lock out, I'm a set it and forget guy. I love this fork!
I had a feeling you would like them cant wait to see how they compare to the rockshox
I run this fork on my Surface604 Shred ebike, replaced the stock Suntour XCM32 spring fork, best upgrade I made, it rides gr8t!
did you use Suntour's upgrade program? If not, you could have saved $100.
@@NonLegitNation2 I did not, I found a bargain on an auction site and saved quite a bit more than the UP program.
That was a smooth couple of runs and looked really fast. Giving me that itch for a full squish again 😂😂😂. I'm with Wolfman on the lock out, it didn't seem to do much, other than that what a great fork
Great review guys, really enjoyed this one, take care 👍🍻😎
Amazing
Thanks👍🙏
You need to get a Marzocchi Bomber Z2 in for review. My daughter has one on the front of her trail bike and it seems just as good in most ways to my Fox 34 Performance on my Rocky Mountain Element. Some people like the Z2 better because the thicker lowers and heavier aluminum in the upper stanchions makes the fork stiffer than the lighter Fox 34. I would rate the Marzocchi well above a RockShox 35 I used to have a couple years ago. I will be interested to hear your opinion on some of these mid-range forks.
Suntour medium to high end are pretty decent. However, their low end XCE, XCT, XCM, XCR that are on big box and low end brand name bikes are everywhere, which gave it (suntour) a bad reputation.
Are you guys using boost front wheel, or boost adapter?
Yeah, I think we showed it in the Initial Impressions episode, but it might have been edited out. Yes, we are using the boost adapter while on the Mongoose. The entry-level coil Suntour forks are still substantially better and tougher than the no-name non-adjustable crap that comes on most of the big box bikes. We are huge fans of Suntour, I'm just not a fan of this "lockout"😉😆. Thanks man👍 and thank you for being around for so long🙏
@@WOLFTICKVIDEOS No doubt even the coil suntour forks are better than most, if not, all stock from Walmart. I still run a couple coil XCR. In the defense of the Aion and it's "lockout", my buddy's trek superfly 2 carbon came with some high end rockshox, he was never able to fully lock it out. Not sure why, just not too familiar with high end forks.
I remember the Wolfman Dyno & the difference in lock out for the 2 of you but somehow not the price. Will go back to see. This is a nice fork & maybe a good upgrade for me (depending on price;)
I completely get what Wolfman is saying about the lockout, but the other side is, it needs to give. If it didn't, it would eventually fail catastrophically. There is no way to provide a full lockout without physical contact, and on a fork it would have to be metal on metal, and that would eventually fail, resulting in the destruction of the fork. The give is not because it isn't a good lockout, it is BECAUSE it is a good lockout, and is providing a bailout for unrepairable damage.
I'm glad you understand what I'm saying, but there is a big difference in 10-15mm of give and 100mm of give. Did you happen to catch the Initial Impressions episode? During the dyno, I literally didn't even know The Tick had locked it out😆🤷♂️. All of our Suntour forks give a little, but at what point is it unacceptable to call it a "lockout"🙄. Either way, thanks for supporting us by watching and commenting. I'm looking forward to seeing how the RockShox 35 Gold stacks up against this one. Great comment 👍
@@WOLFTICKVIDEOS I did see the last video with the Dyno test, in didn't realize it was 100mm, that really is an aweful lot, definitely more than you'd like, and that isn't a great "lockout".
If your looking for better it is fox. I have a $750 hardtail that I want to put one on . Sadly, I base this option only on looks. I know I would kick myself in the butt to spend over a grand on looks. Great review . I ride a SR Suntour CXR 29er now. I would consider buying this fork for upgrade. Even if it's black on black.
Have a Suntour Auron on my hardtail. Imho, it does everything a Pike or a 36 can do at a much lower price point.
Good fork, but default negative spring is too hard. My weight is 65 kg and it's impossible to adjust sag > 20%. When I try to decrease pressure, fork travel also decreases. Just ordered soft negative spring for this fork, hope this will help.
I've had these forks for almost 3 years, the lockout is phenomenal, they DO NOT move when it's turned on. I don't know how wolfman can say different.
Go to the Wolfman Dyno. Time Stamps are in the description:
th-cam.com/video/1sA17ObOHYQ/w-d-xo.html
😁 That's a little to much fork for the rears 2.5" of stock travel, I moded my ledge X1 rear rocker and drilled another shock mounting hole in more to get the max 3.5" travel ware the rear triangle cross brace actually hit's the back of the seat post tube now... so you need to use a coil shock and add spacers to the shaft to limit the travel so the brace don't hit the seat post down tube. just move the new hole level with the original one and leave the thickness of metal in between the new hole you drill the same thickness as what is in front of the original hole on the rocker and the ledge X1 gets plush you can make the max travel like 3.25" that's 3/4" more travel than a stock ledge without spending any extra $ if you have a coil shock. nice forkk.
I was wondering about altering the size shock.... I measured the eye to eye and it looked like you could easily add another 10mm without messing up and locking the frame into a lowrider! Haha! But I ended up just going with the dnm air shock...
Still gotta try to find a 27.5 wheel to replace the factory wheel and get a new drivetrain.
Nice
Thanks brother 👍🙏
Should do a new category for forks $500 and under for the higher end of budget forks
Beyond this fork, the RockShox Reba, and I can't even include Fox because they've gone crackhead with their prices. But the more you spend you really aren't going to see much of a difference in performance. What you're paying for is less weight, they get lighter as the price goes up. Unless you're a weight weenie that $450-600 range really gets you in to a fantastic fork.
yep. i think it's really weight, more travel and maybe adjustability in terms of adding or removing spacers.
$500 fork to compare is a Marzocchi Bomber Z2. When you get into more expensive forks you'll run into high(small bump) and low(wallow) speed compression damping adjustments at the top of the right stanchion.
Right on man 👍 Rockshox 35 Gold coming up!!
@@WOLFTICKVIDEOS That's just a Motion Control(limited performing) damper Recon with larger diameter stanchions that can't be upgraded because of the different inner dimension. No Charger. MC damper has poor small bump and stops working at higher speeds over repeat bumps. Fox 34 Performance is like a Z2.
The lock out is a low speed compression dial, it's meant to dampen the compression of the fork.
There are forks with high and low speed compression, you don't want full lock out anyway, and want there to be blow off when a huge impact comes, so the system won't break, but I guess they don't offer the same range, as some others do, unless the dial was installed wrong which is would not matter here as you could turn it endlessly, as the dial does not go over the crown, if it was not for the stop internally i guess. I had two Fox forks where the lockouts were different, as they stopped at different point due to the dial being misplaced ad the compression already adjusted differently, so had to adjust the adjustment it self and put the dial on correctly. But mgiht not be that. But with Fox CTD and GRIP you could adjust it to almost locked out. I could on Fox Girp2 too, but that was high and low speed compression, so stiff it felt like rigid.
My Diamondback Catch 1 has that fork out of the box. Been a good solid fork.
Same on my Catch 1. I am moving into a fox factory 34 here very soon.. I'm very curious to see if the fox is a way better fork
Where did you get your helmet at??
When riding, NO ONE would put the amount of pressure that you do during Wolfman Dyno. Going up to the cats meow showed that the "lock out" worked just fine and the way it should.
Don't call it a "lockout," and we can all get along 😆. When I stand and pedal, it gives too much. We tried all kinds of stuff. It just doesn't "lock out" enough 🤷♂️. I said it at the end, but he might have edited it out. It would be fine for smaller people but not the best for the big boy club when it comes to the "lockout"😎
Yeah Wolfman looks like a strong dude, besides being big. I guess "lockouts" on cheaper forks and shocks either don't last long or don't work like they should, because mine on my DNM AOY-36RC failed; I just discovered that it did tonight going to run a quick errand. The thing is behaving just like the lockout on the Aion 35, when before it locked the shock out completely.
open and firm
Love suntour. Once they bought marzocchi way back in 06 they really had it made. The only thing I don't like is they don't have maintainable/serviceable rebound. It's just a strut like the ones in a hatchback. Tenneco... SMH.
Marzocchi was bought by Fox suspension 😉
@@themountain59 Tenneco owned marzocchi from 2008 to 2015 when fox acquired it Tenneco also owned sr suntour. That's why the forks/suspension was pretty much the same from 08-15..
Bryson Martin left Marz and DVO was created. NoeTenneco owns DVO and Ohlins 😂 yes, suntour owns DVO and Ohlins
U can get the rockshox yari for 260 I think on planet cyclery rn.
I used to own this fork and it felt good initially but after 2 months it began to feel sticky and wouldn't compress if it was under 60 degrees. Ive had the lowers serviced and that didn't help either. Sr Suntour stated that forks should experience some issues in the cold and because of that they wouldn't take it back to see if they could fix it. Its up to you, but I would recommend something else.
Wow, that sucks. I'm surprised SR Suntour didn't try to help you any. They definitely performed great (except for the non-existent lock-out) in our test. I believe it was somewhere in the 50s when we filmed this, but it might have been closer to 60ish. We don't recommend anything. We only test/review and share our experiences. It's up to the consumer to decide for themselves what they should consider buying or not. It's always good to hear from others who have had experience with the same products. Thanks for watching and commenting👍.
I am having exactly the same issue with my aion. here in texas for the most part of the year when it’S hot the fork performs pretty well for what it is. however when teperatures drop in the 60s, the fork exhibits very annoying rattling/knocking sound on the trail.
Ну наконец то рабочий день кончился можно и расслабится под видосик
can you say this is better than solo air and motion control?
hows the small bump sensitivity?
should i go for the suntour aion or rockshox 35?
Well...We are going to be rating soon!! See which one comes out on top lol.
If you dont wanna do the super budget forks, it is better to pull the trigger, add some money and buy marzocchi Bomber Z2, because that fork performs as forks priced twice as much. It was around 500-600 dollars if I remember. But this Aion and the RS 35 are both great forks, I wouldnt complain.
Just ride that skinny😂. Joking. Wondering how many parts of the fork shared with DVO Diamond since they are both manufactured by Suntour
Ну че сказать. Только могу лайк поставить :) классный Видос
Thankfully lockouts usually have a big hit threshold, releasing some travel as a safety for us and fork parts. Wolfman clearly is a big hit
Hahaha I"m definitely a BIG HIT!🤣 If it is not going to completely lock out, it should really be called a "stiffener" or a "travel reducer." Did you watch how much the so called "lockout" gave during the dyno? Maybe this fork is just not big boy approved!🙅😆
Soooo how soon are you guys getting a poseidon Norton? Haha
aion 35mm or axon 34mm?
One minute in and the Tick is already doing something something sketch haha, and all that work just for the trail to be closed is a bummer! Sounds like a great fork but also comes with a higher price tag.
Отлично вышло! Лайкос:)
I am surprised how good this fork worked. I do have a 35 RL Gold and it is bad. The sticky stanchions makes it unusable.
Dang! I hope we don't have that problem. Looking forward to seeing how the RockShox compares. Thanks👍
I just picked up a used Rockshox 35 myself... hoping that it is not the norm....
I had to completely rebuild the Gold 35 and replace the factory wipers with some SKF wipers. Stiction now is gone, but it's still a harsh and rather unresponsive fork - RS did cut too many corners on the Gold 35. (isn't a real 35mm fork neither; just 34mm on the inside, so no upgrade on the damperside of things.)
Rather get a Yari for the same price; at least it can be upgraded internally.
I will replace the Gold 35 in the near future.
Is that the Ledge? I have the Ledge2
That's the Ledge X1👍
Most fork over $500 dosen't have a lock out either
The rockshox yari, domain, or lyric would be a better comparison than the 35 rl gold. I think the lyric and domain might be a little over 500$ but the yari should be right under 500$
Having ride both this and the RockShox 35 I can tell you the Suntour AION is much better, smoother, durable fork. I actually blew the the damper out of the 35 and had a bad crash and broke my wrist
😔 eek! I just got one of those used....
Was it a gold?
So you should do a full suspension ledge vs hardtail ardor comparison/ speed test on cats meow
All airforks in that suntour brand never lock out stiff. They just go down super slow. But it will help in the climbing sections. Had a buddy test out my fox float ctd 2014 fork and he was about 230lbs, he didnt even made the fork lower half an inch.
I had the Aion 35 Evo, and the lock turns it into a completly rigid fork! Works perfectly.
This or the gold 35? In terms of plushness and small bumps
The Rockshox 35 is crap, there is no comparing those two.
Lockout is for climbing, and at rated weight. I don't get the issue.
The issue is that it should be called something else if it doesn't actually lock out. Not sure if everyone does it the same, but I tend to put a fair amount of weight over the front of the bike when I stand to pedal. 10-20mm of give would possibly be acceptable, but 60-100mm is a bit much. If you don't have an issue with a lock out not actually doing the job of it's title then this fork is a fantastic fork. Thanks
@@WOLFTICKVIDEOS Thanks for the reply, Thought i should add, Im 55y.o. (Not grumpy yet tho, lol.) from Australia, I'm 6'2" and about 255lbs running Marzocchi Bomber at 115psi, I checked it after watching, it has some give also, I have to say I hadn't noticed it before that, my old Rockshox SID on my 90's bike does too, but its old. I'm keen to see the result on the new Rockshox. Cheers to ya both. Its always a laugh watching you two.
Walmart is released a new mountain bike Ozark trail
Got one👍
Only reason not to ride that stream, IMO, is if an electric motor would end up below the water line.
A disagreement? Knock me over with a feather.
I'm no expert but I've never seen a "lock out" that actually locks. In my book if you want no travel go rigid. Sorry Wolfman but, for a change, you lost this debate.
Have you ever mentioned the price? Do I need to go back & rewatch previous vids where I missed it?
A. Most of our forks lock out completely
B. You need to go back and watch the Initial Impressions episode and we show the price and the "lockout" or lack there of.😆🤣
Thanks👍
All the suntour lockouts ive seen are like that. I have a Suntour Auron that is i think allitle better, has high and low speed compression adjustment
All of our Suntour forks give a little, but 80-100mm or so? They really need to change the naming, in my opinion. 10-15mm, maybe even 20mm, but where is the limit? Thanks👍
Doesn't make any sense imo 2 put a fork on that cost more than the bike. 🤷♂🤣
You mean the fork ISN'T supposed to cost more than the bike🤦🏻♂️🤷♂️🤣
@@WOLFTICKVIDEOS 🤣 Correct 👍 #StayInSchoolKids
You can find some ZEBs and Lyriks in this price range. Hard pass.
Пламенный приветосик с Хорошим настроением от меня!