The SR SUNTOUR Durolux SGX is another ‘aspirational’ Taiwanese derailleur - having a crack at breaking the stranglehold with which Shimano Deore XT grips the heart of the mountain bike enthusiast.

It’s a respectable attempt, mixing the old, Japanese, SunTour tradition (slant parallelogram, one sprung pivot, guide pulley concentric with the front pivot) with SR SUNTOUR’s own obsessions (13 tooth guide pulley, 15 tooth tension pulley, wildly styled pulley cage plates and ‘twin-pull cable routing’).

Despite SR SUNTOUR’s protestations, the finish is more Deore than Deore XT and is certainly not XTR. The black paint is a mite fragile, the surfaces of the castings are not quite silky smooth and the whole style is a touch satanic in its blackness. But, while I might not choose one, I would certainly use one.

I have heard that SR SUNTOUR have given up making rear derailleurs (to concentrate on their burgeoning fork business). If this is true, it is something of a pity - the Durolux showed promise.

This example is the long pulley cage SGX version.

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1. •Brand: SR SUNTOUR
   

2. •Country: Taiwan
   

3. •Date of introduction: 2005?
   

4. •Date of this example: unknown
   

5. •Model no: unknown
   

6. •Weight: 275g
   

7. •Maximum cog: 34 teeth (source: SR SUNTOUR)
   

8. •Total capacity: 45 teeth (source: SR SUNTOUR)
   

9. •Pulley centre to centre: 85mm
   

10. •Index compatibility: 9 speed
    

11. •Chain width: 3/32”
    

12. •Logic: top normal
    

13. •Pivots: two pivots, front sprung and rear unsprung
    

14. •Material: largely aluminium with a steel inner pulley cage plate.
    

0058/B