Sur Ron Front Suspension: What’s New In 2022
Since its inception back around 2018, the Sur Ron has come with four different front suspensions depending on which front forks and rear shocks were available at the time of production. The Sur Ron is a light bike, the Sur Ron front suspension is an important part of the bike and will make the difference between your bike sticking to the ground like glue and being comfortable and safe or not.
The Sur Ron bike comes with front suspension of either DNM, Fast Ace, RST Killah, or KKE forks, and these forks are considered to be medium-low end downhill mountain bike forks. The stock front suspension is good for about 75% of riders but whether it is good or bad will depend on the terrain you ride, your riding style, and your skill level.
Since the Sur Ron has been equipped with multiple front shocks over the last few years, this has led to some riders wondering which shocks are best.
Most riders are finding the front suspension works well for their needs while others do not like the stock forks that come with the Sur Ron and they recommend upgrades. but why the variance? Let’s learn more about each shock and why riders love them or hate them.
KKE Forks
As of late 2021, the Sur Ron front suspension can be a new fork known as the KKE fork.
Many of the Sur Rons being shipped out around the world are coming with the KKE Front forks installed or the KKE is one of three stock forks available.
KKE is a Chinese company said to have been making suspensions for only about 10 years.
The KKE front forks are an inverted or upside-down fork that is said to be slightly heavier duty than the DNM and Fast Ace forks and is classed somewhere between a downhill mountain bike fork and a dirt bike fork. This is fitting since that is exactly what a Sur Ron is, part mountain bike, part dirt bike.
Some experts say this may be a good move for Sur Ron company and that these forks might be better than the DNM or Fast Ace forks, but only time will tell how well these KKE forks hold up and there are some cons reported by some riders.
The benefits to the KKE forks are that they are built for disc brakes and they have a more sturdy caliper mount and more fork contact in the triple mount which makes them feel more rigid.
KKE Pros and Cons
Pros
- A more solid and stable fork that ensures less twisting of the fork
- More solid triple clamp
- Made with a better caliper mount and built for disc brakes
- Better handling on the trails due to less fork twist
- Adjustable for rider size and terrain type
Cons
- Said to leak oil through the seals right from the start and will get worse with more use
- Parts and services are limited or not available
- No repair kits are available at this time (2021)
- Not great for large jumps or large rocks and very rough trails
The Bottom Line On The KKE Forks:
Based on our research and after using the KKE front forks, these are the best stock Sur Ron Front suspension available for trail and street riders. However, there has not been enough time and riders using this fork to determine their longevity. Because of that, if you are planning on replacing or upgrading your current Sur Ron front suspension it might be better to spend a little more money and seek out a more reputable and slightly better front suspension like the DVO Emerald Inverted Suspension Fork or the FORK MARZOCCHI BOMBER 58 27.5”
DNM Volcano Forks
The Sur Ron front suspension is often the inverted DNM Volcano Forks. The DNM forks are considered to be a decent mid-range average mountain bike fork. Being a mountain bike fork it is built for bikes that weigh much less than the 110-pound Sur Ron and therefore hardcore trail riders do not rate this fork well.
The DNM fork is a suitable fork for most Sur Ron riders under most situations and for that reason, it is still considered a decent fork for the average rider doing average trail and street riding.
These DNM forks are similar to the KKE forks but the DNM company has been making forks for a long time and the DNM may come with better internal parts and better seals that might last longer. You can adjust the rebound and compression on these DNM forks
On The Trail: If you plan on doing hard jumps or fast rough trails, many riders report bottoming out this fork when landing. It has decent compression and rebound for most trail riding. But for big jumps or very rough trails, it is recommended to upgrade to a much better front fork that fits on the Sur Ron.
On the streets: This fork performs well when riding on the streets.
Pros and Cons of the DNM Volcano Forks
Pros
- Good for street riding and light trail riding
- Inexpensive with parts and services more readily available.
- Repair kits available
Cons
- Poor performance for large jumps
- Not good on very rough terrain and big rocks
- The caliper mount is not as strong and may cause deformations with heavy braking and extra torque on the left front wheel bearings.
DNM Volcano Forks Conclusion
The DNM Volcano fork is a decent to mid-low range mountain bike fork that is suitable for light trail riding and street riding but is not great for jumps and very rough and rocky terrain. These forks are about $475.00 in the USA if you want to replace the ones that you have now.
RST Killah Forks
The RST Killah Fork is another stock option for Sur Ron Front suspension and as far as we know it is still available through some dealers even in 2022. This fork is about $500.00 new in the USA.
This is a mountain bike fork that comes with 200mm of travel (7.8 inches), along with 13 clicks of compression adjustment and a rebound adjustment. Like the other stock forks that come available on Sur Rons, this is a mid to low-end fork that handles well on the streets and for light use on the trails.
Most average riders will find this fork to be suitable on the trails, but hard riders and guys doing big jumps or on rocky terrain are reporting bottoming out this fork.
Unlike the DNM and KKE, this is not an inverted fork.
Overall this is another decent for street riding and casual trail riding, but it’s lacking the performance required by hard trail riding and jumps. Like most stock forks provided by Sur Ron, it handles similarly to the other forks they have used.
FastAce Suspension Fork For Sur-Ron
Another mid-low-end inverted mountain bike fork offered as the stock Sur Ron suspension is the FastAce Fork. Similar to the other forks offered by Sur Ron, the FastAce fork is best used on the streets and for light trail riding only.
This is a $500 fork designed for mountain bikes that are much lighter so Sur Ron riders doing any hard and fast trails, track racing, or very rough terrain will not be happy with this fork and will want to upgrade this fork as soon as possible.
As far as we can tell, the FastAce fork is no longer being offered at most dealers and is similar in performance to other Sur Ron front suspensions.
The guys from Luna Cycle did a comparison video on the FastAce, DNM, and RST forks.
Set-Up Sur Ron Forks
When setting up your fork, it’s important to ensure that your forks are aligned properly and are not splayed outwards or inwards.
To do this, it’s important to lightly lube your axle so it moves freely between each fork before tightening, but don’t tighten the end bolt caps just yet.
Ensure that the axle is even on both sides, then ensure each fork leg is perfectly straight, then tighten the pinch bolts at the bottom of each fork which will secure the axle and the fork in place. Then tighten the end caps on the axle.
Use Loctite and a torque wrench to secure them. Now your forks should be installed properly. If you find that you have stiction in the forks it could be because they are not aligned properly. If that’s the case loosen all screws, align, and repeat the steps.
Upgrade Front Suspension
We know that many trail riders will eventually want to upgrade their Sur Ron Suspension, so we are working on an article on the best-upgraded forks and rear shocks that are compatible with the Sur Ron. We should have this article complete and ready for you in August 2022. Check Here To see if it’s Ready
Sur Ron Front Suspension Summary and Q&A
The overall consensus of the Sur Ron front suspension is that it is suitable for most riders but it could be better. Whatever stock shock came with your bike, you can always use it as is or you can upgrade.
Since it seems like Sur Ron continues to change their front forks, we will continue to update this page, and as we get more information on each fork we will let your know.
If you have a question, comment, or tip about the best front forks for a Sur Ron let us know in the comments section below.
Ride Hard, Ride Safe
Graham and Team
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