DVO returns after post-COVID slump with more tuneable luxuriously smooth fork and shocks

During the post-COVID downturn in the bike industry, DVO knuckled down and invested in developing and updating its suspension product lines.

That work has resulted in a new fork, the Diamond 36 Prime SL, and a new Opal XL air shock – both unveiled at the Taipei International Cycle Show.

The brand has not only investeded in new R&D machinery, but also in engineering resources, with a few engineers moving to DVO from the world of motocross racing, with a focus on dialling down damping performance and friction losses.

New forks incoming

The Diamond 36 Prime SL is a 140-170mm enduro fork with a 36mm-stanchion chassis. It features the new Prime damper, which offers eight clicks of high- and low-speed compression damping, along with 22 clicks of rebound-damping adjustment.

DVO has moved away from a bladder-based damper to one with a spring-backed IFP, which it says gives the fork more support and improved tuning capabilities.

The new damper has a higher-flow piston, which adds complexity, but also aids performance according to DVO.

While specific tools will be required, the damper's internals should be reachable by consumers, for those who like to tinker with their suspension.

In addition to the new damper, the brand has been working heavily on reducing the internal friction of the fork, by updating the surface finishes.

Friction is a killer when it comes to the feel of a fork, and so on paper, these should feel luxuriously smooth.

With the new damper offering more support, and with influence from the motocross engineers, the new fork is designed to run with much lower air pressures.

Bryson, the DVO engineer we chatted to, weighs around 180lb and runs 50psi in his fork. Even with damping turned right on, Bryson told us there's little to no spiking when hitting bumps, ensuring stability and comfort on the bike.

We also saw an updated Onyx 38 Prime SL. This longer-travel fork also features the new damper. Those who have an existing Onyx 38 fork will be able to retrofit the damper in their fork.

Further back

The new Opal XL shock is designed to bridge the gap between inline and piggyback shocks.

Inline shocks need to hide their damping circuits inside the main shock body, while piggyback shocks have them externally.

Those piggyback shocks, therefore, tend to have larger oil volumes and can perform more consistently on longer runs.

The Opal XL has a small piggyback structure merged into the top of the inline shock, bringing it out from the inside of the shock's body, but avoiding the bulk of a traditional piggyback shock.

DVO says this gives the Opal XL near-piggyback levels of performance without the bulk, making it ideal for frames with limited space inside the main triangle. That'll be handy on eMTBs where you want to squeeze a bottle in the frame.