DVO Beryl - worth a go?

[Dirt Tracker]

Hey guys just wondering if anyone has had much to do with the world worst named fork - the DVO Beryl (makes me think of the north of england and what ever that god awful soapie was the brits liked. All depressed, unhealthy looking people and whippets. Sure a few of the water women in that were named Beryl). 

Anyway, let's come back from that tangent. I've been offered a 140mm (down from 160mm) DVO Beryl to go on my Kingdom Vendetta. I don't really know anything about them apart from they are a cheaper spin off of the Diamond (which I know equally nothing about) and there sees to be a sweet weight range of 70 - 80kg for the standard Neg spring and if you chunk up after some time on the pies then you'd best upgrade that part. 

Any thoughts, experiences and info welcome. 

[Eddy Gordo]

I have a diamond. Its a beast of a fork. I am comparing to fox 36, 34, rs revelation and older Marzocchi.

I have struggled with the competitors forks, but I am real happy now. Not sure how the beryl stacks up tho as it doesnt have all the adjustments that the diamond has. If you dont mind the basic settings on it, then the rest is very similar to the diamond, and you could possibly like it.

[Dirt Tracker]

Truthfully I’m pretty simple when it comes to forks. I’m not a tweak’r and just want to set it up and ride. Too many things and I just feel like I’ve possibly screwed a setting and then mind starts ruining the ride.

[MTBRIDER1234]

31 minutes ago, Dirt Tracker said:

Truthfully I’m pretty simple when it comes to forks. I’m not a tweak’r and just want to set it up and ride. Too many things and I just feel like I’ve possibly screwed a setting and then mind starts ruining the ride.

I used to be a set and forget guy, then I realised it is pretty simple. I set sag, then use high/low speed compression to get the desired support throughout the travel and add/remove tokens depending on how easily I bottom out. 

That is obviously a large oversimplification but hopefully it may give you a better idea how to tune your fork and make it a little less daunting.

[Dirt Tracker]

12 hours ago, MTBRIDER1234 said:

I used to be a set and forget guy, then I realised it is pretty simple. I set sag, then use high/low speed compression to get the desired support throughout the travel and add/remove tokens depending on how easily I bottom out. 

That is obviously a large oversimplification but hopefully it may give you a better idea how to tune your fork and make it a little less daunting.

Thank man, I've had a few forks with the wider range and have tuned them this way and that. For me they are nice to have especially if I can set and forget. I've been riding a fair while and frankly My older pike and Coil MRP were the best up front across a number of frames. Set up, ride, check it's not bottoming out or diving and away you go. Sure the rest are nice to have but will I really miss them? I'm kind of moving towards the simpler angle now after a Ripmo with all the bells and whistles and this Beryl is going for the SA equivalent of R5K but not heard much about them. Recently bought a 2016 smuggler with 115mm RS deb' rear travel and 130mm pike up front and that brought me back to ground. Was so much fun and for the trails that 90% around CT the Ripmo was so overkill and made riding hella boring. Hence the movement into a Hardtail! 

I guess my Q was more about riding experiences with them (even with the less fancy stuff), the stiffness, tracking etc  and this thing that seems to crop up about there being a very definite sweet spot of 70 - 80kgs else you need to replace the neg air spring to suit. 
 

 

[droo]

Can't comment on the Beryl from experiance cos I've never seen one, but the Diamond is a great fork so the chassis is solid. The Beryl looks like the same spring and damper configuration but minus one adjuster on the damper and with a bit of a hack of a spring preload.

If you're in the sweet spot and more of a set and forget rider I reckon this will be a great budget fork.

[Jewbacca]

A mate of mine imported one and rode it for a while. He loved it. 

It's heavy, but it works. I rode it once or twice and remember it had a bit of a clunky bottom out (I remember nose bonking some drops and jumps) but the small bump feel was super good and the mid stroke was solid.

I'm also a set and forget person who can and has been fiddling with suspension since it was polymer tokens and a spring. I cannot be bothered these days. I want to hop on and go ride my bike without ting tings, clang clangs, tick ticks and boing boings constantly needing attention.

I think it will be a really good fork provided you can still get bits for it in SA. Do Intl Trade still exist/import DVO?

I'd say go for it.

[Eddy Gordo]

For me the diamond is set and forget. It has 6 clicks low speed compression, 29 High speed compression, 20 rebound and 14 Off The Top settings.

I see the Beryl has a 3 way OTT which is internally adjustable. No high speed compression and 3 low speed compression settings which will be climb being the firmest, firm and downhill. And of course rebound. Seems it much simpler to tune.

[droo]

54 minutes ago, Jewbacca said:

I think it will be a really good fork provided you can still get bits for it in SA. Do Intl Trade still exist/import DVO?

They do, service parts are pretty well stocked.

[Jewbacca]

2 minutes ago, droo said:

They do, service parts are pretty well stocked.

If that's the case then I would definitely give it a go.

Also, pictures. 

[Eddy Gordo]

Yeah droo at stoke services mine!!

[Dirt Tracker]

Thanks for all the feedback. Seems like it could be worth ago despite the 'budget' tag slapped on it from 'droo. 🤨

Nah, all good. Just sorting out the finer details and glad that it can be worked on here. Didn't realise you couldn't' get it here. I guess it's their equivalent of a Yari(?) but seeing as they are going for E370 odd new you'd think they would have a good market here. 

 

[Dirt Tracker]

On 8/24/2022 at 10:29 AM, Jewbacca said:

If that's the case then I would definitely give it a go.

Also, pictures. 

This is the combo built up (and soon to be torn apart, boxed and sent my way). TARR-Tain-EYY-umm time! 

Edited August 25, 2022 by Dirt Tracker

[Jewbacca]

3 minutes ago, Dirt Tracker said:

Thanks for all the feedback. Seems like it could be worth ago despite the 'budget' tag slapped on it from 'droo. 🤨

Nah, all good. Just sorting out the finer details and glad that it can be worked on here. Didn't realise you couldn't' get it here. I guess it's their equivalent of a Yari(?) but seeing as they are going for E370 odd new you'd think they would have a good market here. 

 

So Intl Trade/Custom Bikes are the importers of DVO and they have them at a not so budget friendly option.....

https://www.custombikes.co.za/collections/dvo-forks/products/dvo-forks-beryl

[Dirt Tracker]

Just now, Jewbacca said:

So Intl Trade/Custom Bikes are the importers of DVO and they have them at a not so budget friendly option.....

https://www.custombikes.co.za/collections/dvo-forks/products/dvo-forks-beryl

Woah... that is steep. 378 euros online in the land of the Frankfurter and at a standard conversion that starts it journey here at a shade over R6.3K

[Jewbacca]

27 minutes ago, Dirt Tracker said:

Woah... that is steep. 378 euros online in the land of the Frankfurter and at a standard conversion that starts it journey here at a shade over R6.3K

Yeah... That's a big difference!

Definitely worth it