DVO Beryl D2 Fork Reviewed by Top Member Reviewer and Jenson USA Award Winner 3

Every month we award the Top User Reviewer with a little prize. This month Jenson USA pitched in another $100 gift card! Vital member nature.culture took home top honors after writing a several in-depth reviews. Here is a highlight discussing a very affordably-priced DVO fork:

DVO Beryl D2 Fork - MSRP: $399

The Good: Good value. Very supple off the top. Stiff chassis. Wide rebound adjustment range. Really good customer service and warranty. 

The Bad: Internally-adjusted OTT feature. Some finish issues.

"For $225 USD (MSRP) less than the Diamond you sacrifice a few features (the quick-release axle, the external Off The Top and high-speed compression adjustments), but for me it was worth it.

The chassis is the same as the Diamond D1 and D2 (OEM) and the damper is shared with the OEM Diamond D2. From what I understand, the Beryl is basically the same fork as the Diamond D2 as they both have the same bolt-on axle, same adjustable travel range and same 51mm offset.

Since I like to try new gear and had another longer-travel bike in mind for the next season, I also chose the Beryl for its 130-160mm travel adjustability that could be done at home by just adding or removing internal plastic travel spacers. My bike at the time had a 130mm travel limit, and the coveted one needed a 160mm fork so this was perfect. Wrenching on my own bikes is one of my favorite pastimes and I like to be able to do everything at home. The DVO engineers had that in mind when designing their forks and this was another point to convince me.

Outside of the reasonable price and travel adjustability, another thing had made the choice easier. If you want to make me sad, give me a fork with a creaking crown-steerer unit. I just can’t live with this. I had a peaceful season with the Recon RL, and I didn’t want to pay for a new fork and get the annoying creaking sound after a few rides. I kept reading about FOX and Rock Shox forks with creaking crowns getting sent for warranty, and I had heard from DVO themselves that they had this issue covered so that was another point for the Beryl. 

I like to run a fast rebound so that the fork doesn’t pack up on fast successive hits and I still had quite a few clicks of adjustment, so in my opinion, the Beryl’s rebound adjustment range is wide enough for pretty much everyone. Unfortunately, I can’t tell what my Off The Top setting was since it was adjusted internally and I didn’t feel like changing it. The stock setting just felt right and the small bump compliance was awesome but you can choose one the 3 settings (softer to firmer off the top) if you feel like opening up the fork. I should add that all the adjusters were easy to turn with gloves and the finish of all the parts is very nice. The steerer even has written lengths on it so it makes it easier to remember where you want to cut it. 

I didn’t feel any binding in the chassis and the stiffness felt very good, but I think that the small creaking sound that I was sometimes hearing at the end f the season was coming from the CSU. Maybe it was because my fork had a 2017 serial number stamped on the crown and they hadn’t perfected their press-fit process by that time yet. It wasn’t too annoying though and was very subtle. I have had a few surprises when riding trails that I didn’t know and sometimes landed drops a bit nose-heavy or held on tight in steep rocky sections and never really felt the fork flex. It never held me back from going faster in any way, which I think is one of the most important qualities of any component.

The finish was nice and it functioned very well but unfortunately, my Beryl probably had defective bushings from the factory. I started to see some vertical scoring lines on the right stanchion in the very first rides. The service I have received from S4 and DVO is exemplary and the fork is backed with a 2-year warranty, so it feels like I’m in good hands.

So even with the issues I’ve had, is the performance/cost ratio worth it? I think so, and if I had to do it all again, I’d probably buy the same fork. Or for a bit more money, maybe a Marzocchi Z1, but it’s a tie. I’m hoping that DVO will continue to make a more affordable fork like the Beryl for people like me who don’t have an unlimited budget but still want a durable, sturdy and well-performing fork." - Read more»

Shop DVO forks at Jenson USA

Want to be in the running for March's award? Review the components, apparel, or bikes you ride in the Vital MTB Product Guide and keep an eye on the Top Reviewer leaderboard. We'll announce the winner in early April.