GVX is an ultra short suspension fork

GVX is SR Suntour’s new short-travel fork, for riders who require only a bit of travel.  

The Japanese suspension specialist is reacting to demand for much shorter forks, primarily aimed at gravel riders and those committed to bike touring.

This new GVX is the answer to that trend, from SR Suntour, and offers three travel grades, 40-, 50- and 60mm.

Product designers for the GVX had been mindful of how a short-travel fork could alter steering responsiveness, especially when cycling through its travel. This issue is particularly relevant to gravel and bike touring framesets, which features relatively steep head angles and are not customarily designed with a geometry that has to account for fork sag.

The solution is specific offset measurements for the individual travel values. At 40mm of travel, the GVX runs a 45mm offset, which increases by a millimetre at 50mm of suspension action. Riders who take the option on the 60mm fork specification gain 47mm of steering offset.

Structurally the GVX forks feature 32mm quality alloy stanchions, which are an upgrade over the brand's NRX-D 30mm travel forks, which have a much cheaper stanchion finish. 

A benefit of using an air-sprung cartridge, instead of a simpler coil-spring system, is the presence of both rebound adjustability and a lockout function. For gravel riders and bike tourers who wish to tailor their suspension function, appropriate to terrain, rebound adjustment is crucial – especially if the bike is being laden with gear.

The GVX ships from SR Suntour with a removable compact fender, whilst there are mounts for a larger mudguard.

Any suspension fork with exceptionally short travel presents a packaging challenge with regards to its arch brace and tyre clearance. Despite this, SR Suntour has managed to enable tyre clearance ratings of 45mm for 700c tyres and 50mm if you wish to run the 650b wheelsize.

The GVX is recommended to sell for $499 and has a weight rating of only 1750g.