Poor quality Suntour forks on MTBs

[CRANX]

This is the Rant and Rave section...I just want to say I am totally hacked off with the Suntour SR Forks on my son's 24" GT Stomper MTB - the design is very poor, the dust seals keep coming off and it is not long before dirt gets in and the forks seize up. Even though the bike is under warranty, the retailer tells me that the distributors (Dragon Sports SA) will not consider a warranty claim. In any event, replacing the forks would be a waste of time, because they would just be seized within 6 months again.

 

So I agreed to a service and they the forks and got them moving again, but I had to pay. When I got the bike back I compressed the forks in the shop, and the seals popped off. Whoever serviced them at Dragon Sports hadn't bothered to fit them properly - but even once they are 'properly' fitted, they still pop off. Poor service and Junk quality.

 

Moral of the story: Don't buy any kids bike with Suntour SA forks as standard equipment. DON'T BUY SUNTOUR! The design is flawed and the backup is sub-standard (or should I say standard South African) and if your kid is a serious rider like mine, he will be disappointed. I can't speak for any other forks in the Suntour Range, but I would not touch them, or any bike that comes with them. I am also not feeling the love for GT anymore. Surely they test the stuff they stick on their bikes?

[gummibear]

What bike is it on and where did you purchase the bike?

[EigerSA]

How old is the bike? Surely if they under warranty then distributors have to honor? If everything is above board on your side, then write to the distributor and cc suntour themselves. I got suntour on my entry level 2 years ago and if you accept that you get what you pay for, then they've actually done quite well.

[Mojoman]

I had a Suntour Mag32 on my GT when I bought it, within a week or so it had to go back as there was a strange and suspicious 'creaking' noise coming from the fork. It was the coil version. The shop where I bought it from replaced it with a Mag32 air shock (and did not bother pumping it up with air but thats another story!) and now almost 8 months later and around 2800km done it is still OK. I think its just luck of the draw, as it is with anything these days. They seem to be quite popular on entry level machines.

[Tumbleweed]

How old is the bike? Surely if they under warranty then distributors have to honor? If everything is above board on your side, then write to the distributor and cc suntour themselves. I got suntour on my entry level 2 years ago and if you accept that you get what you pay for, then they've actually done quite well.

 

Warrantees on forks are only honoured for as long as the original manufacturer specifies.

Edited October 18, 2010 by Tumbleweed

[CRANX]

What bike is it on and where did you purchase the bike?

GT Stomper 24" bought at City Cycles in Century City...can't blame the retailer though.

[Christopher Brunsdon]

@snailman: Would love to know how they "serviced" your fork. I got the V2 (photos on the hub) and the only way to "Service" is to unscrew the nut, remove, clean, put back and tighten nut - 5 minutes while drinking my wine.

 

These OEM ones are really cheap and crap (as you discovered) yet I in no way believe this is a reflection of Suntours overall quality but more a 100% failure on the LBS on not advising you.

 

 

I bought my bike from Williams in Somerset West, an LBS that is well respected and who many professionals make use of. The fact that he sold me a bike with the V2 (cheapest Suntour at that time) was not an issue as he immediatly rattled off his disclaimer about the fork - does & donts

[Christopher Brunsdon]

I just read the mtbr reviews and it really is a crap fork:

 

http://www.mtbr.com/cat/older-categories-bikes/2006-front-shocks/sr-suntour/sf-m2000/PRD_413652_1546crx.aspx

 

Cannot even find the specs on Suntour's site. Perhaps a Hubber has an old fork for you?

[Headshot]

They are shitty. My g/f has one similar on her Schwinn - its sticky and creaky and not very responsive - and heavy as a chevy.

[joe moer]

its an entry level fork

wot do you want it to do

also don't forget that kids ride 10x harder than us decrepits

suntour are oawesome for the money you spend....

put it this way.... entry level suntours are disposable....

the topend stuff is awesome considering they half the price of their competitors...

in anycase, why complain when now is upgrade time

any excuse to improve should be grabbed and guilt left at the bank managers doorstep

[anthemboy]

Compress the shock and while compressed, re-fit the dust covers. I do the same with air shocks when the dust cover pops off during full compression.

[RexFuzzle]

I have a more expensive Suntour fork, the Axon air fork and all was well and good for the first 1000 or so km. It then started leaking and so i took it in for a service. First the LBS said they couldn't service it then they said I would have to wait till the first week of Nov to get the parts. So basically I'm stuck with a fork tha goes flat in 20km and the lockout doesn't work when it's flat. Feel you pain @snailman

[Jester]

Not all bike shops can or are able to service forks, in fact some of them know nothing about shocks/forks. I Ride with a Suntour Epicon and just completed the Mankele Isuzu 3 Towers Challenge with this shock and it never let me down (trust me it took a pounding and a halve). I Take care of it, clean it and service it when required. Get the shock to a shop that actually know what to do and just maybe you'll be surprised. If you are in the Pretoria area, take it to Andre at Epic Sport. If not, good luck, because no matter what you buy, the LBS will probably not be able to work on it, and have to send it to some far away place be to serviced/repaired. I Hope you get the problem sorted, good luck.

[dirtrider]

Johan Bornman can fix anything and as far as I am aware he can do it in most major centres as well . He also present courses on how to DIY shocks , gears , microwaves and welding .

[Shebeen]

Isn't Omnico the GT agent?

[Dicky DQ]

Johan Bornman can fix anything and as far as I am aware he can do it in most major centres as well . He also present courses on how to DIY shocks , gears , microwaves and welding .

 

Ja but his course will cost more that a new upgraded fork. So the issue is you pay your money, and as long as you know what you are getting, you take your chances.

 

Remember most "Basic" forks cost more than most entry level bikes...................