Skip to main content

DVO Diamond fork



DVO’s Diamond has the potential to be super-plush and sensitive, but patient set-up is crucial. The 35mm stanchions and oil-rich internals add weight, but it’s seriously stiff under load and doesn’t get unsettled by the biggest hits or most aggressive lines.

Clearance under the arch is so tight on the 29er version that large 2.4in tyres will rub on DVO’s bolt-on fender and mud-jamming can be an issue. The insert that the 15mm QR axle threads into is loose, making losing it a real risk if you remove the wheel to fix a puncture. While first-year reliability has been excellent despite minimal maintenance, our sample has suffered significant paint flaking. The stroke is super-smooth and succulent once moving, and DVO’s mechanical ‘Off The Top’ negative-spring adjustment allows you to pick a sweet spot somewhere between a firm start with a linear stroke and a hypersensitive start with an obviously progressive end. Winding on the preload noticeably shortens the ride height though. Compression and rebound damping are also fully adjustable, with potential to create a supportive but fast-reacting ‘sticky’ feel that really flatters tyres if you tune it right.

Travel 160mm (140-150*)
Weight 2,140g
Stanchions 35mm
Wheel size 650b (29in*)
Axle 15mm (Boost*)

Price $1273






Popular posts from this blog

KONA SHRED

With a reputation for no-nonsense ruggedness and a background in the always progressive and punishing riding of Canada, Kona have been building hardcore hardtails for longer than almost anyone else. The Shred is the most expensive bike on test but it’s a proper trail tank.

ENVE M50 29" Wheels

Utah based company ENVE have been making drool-worthy carbon components for some years now. Despite the fact that carbon rims are becoming more and more common on mountain bikes these days, you can guarantee that ENVE wheels will be a talking point when someone is eyeing off a steed. Instantly, the big bold logos on each rim scream "fast", "light" and to some extent, "expensive" The kids call this 'bling'.

Cannondale Trail SL 29 SS

The fat aluminium tubes are a constrast to the skinny items seen elsewhere in the test, but this rigid Cannondale uses them to create one of the most old-school - and lightest - rides here.

NS Bikes Metropolis bike

There aren’t many companies like NS Bikes, whose entire product range is designed around getting rad, ripping corners and boosting jumps. The Polish brand are passionate about freeride and have gained a reputation for building heavy-hitting,wellspecced and reasonably-priced bikes. This latest incarnation of their Metropolis dirt jump rig follows in this vein, with a doublebutted 4130 chromoly frame and an array of reliable kit. The frame mixes MTB and BMXtechnology, using a threaded bottom bracket and Race Face AEfect two-piece crankset in combination with horizontal dropouts and an integrated headset and seat clamp. A Manitou Circus Elite fork gives 100mm of air-sprung travel, with a 20mm front axle to maintain stifness. The Metropolis rolls on 26in NS Fundamental rims, fitted with Kenda Small Block 8 tyres. We reckon the combo of chrome frame and tan-wall rubber looks pretty rad too! The full build weighs a fairly robust 12.13kg , but it should have no problem shrugging of s...

YT Tues downhill bike

The new Tues downhill bike is here – and won a World Cup on its first outing While a number of big brands have launched 29er downhill bikes,YT Industries are sticking with proven 650b wheels – for now, at least. The latest Tues comes in five sizes (S-XXL), with the biggest sporting a reach of 495mm. Head tube and chainstay lengths now vary between sizes, to put the rider in a better position on the bike. The S-L bikes have 435mm stays, while the XL and XXL are a shade longer, at 440mm. Reach is longer than last year on some sizes, including the XL ridden to victory by Aaron Gwin at this year’s openingWorld Cup round.A reachadjust headset can be used to tailor the fit further. YT have also made subtle but significant changes to the suspension. The initial stroke is said to be more sensitive, while there’s more mid-stroke support, to sit the bottom bracket a shade higher when on track.YT have decreased end-stroke progression, by five per cent, to make tackling really big hits th...