Fantastic first forks or for those on a budget, they take the big hits well, climb ok and are reasonably adjustable for the price. I gave these a beating and were still fine with no servicing when I sold them on
Similar Products Used: RockShox Indy XC, Judy TT, Recon SL, Marzocchi DJ3, EXR pros, Pace RC40 fighter
Bike Setup: Marin Wolf Ridge, Pace RC40 fighter, RockShox Ario 2.1, XT dual control, XTR mechs, XTR brakes, Hone cranks
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Submitted by
tengwar3
a Cross Country Rider
from Nashua NH
Date Reviewed: April 22, 2009
Strengths: Many adjustments with a great range to be very soft to reasonably stiff. Lockout is easy to use and adjustments to the spring tention are a snap.
Weaknesses: Do not ride in any weather that is below 40 degrees Fahrenheit because it will freeze up.... and well, there goes your suspension. I have also just resently been having a few problem with it, and i have only had it for a season of riding.
Bottom Line:
This fork can take what you punch at it.... granted your smooth, but isnt that how all forks are? I have done a 5 footer with this fork and i didnt bottom out, because of how do drops i always land on my rear rather than both at the same time. This has helped the fork survive in many cases. Its reverse arch is there for the extra stiffness that it so badly lacks. There also seems to be a lot of play between the stantions in the one i have as well (checked the hub/stear tub and they were not the problem).
The great thing about this fork is though its versatile. It has its weaknesses (more than most forks) but it has its strengths. Lots of adjustments with a wide range of stiffness. Lockout is easy to use, but i rarely have used it because i like to ride anything thats interesting... so thats a loss for me.
It is going to be the first thing that i up grade though, shooting for a tora or a reba right now. But if this came on your bike, ride it till it brakes, then upgrade it. Thats how it works till you got the bike you want.
Bike Setup: Garry Fisher Parahna 2007 stock, with Nashbar Race Saddle.
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Submitted by
Smurfje007
a Cross Country Rider
from Netherlands
Date Reviewed: June 11, 2008
Strengths: A lock out. If it isn't broken it worked fine for me.
It can handle the weight of 87KG without problems.
Weaknesses: Leaks pretty fast oil. After the first revision and 500KM further even harder then before. Manitou says: "Advice your local distributor". I would i'd never done that, because after the revision it leaks harder than ever before.
Bottom Line:
Avoid this fork. If it's broken, buy another one. Do not aspect much support from the manufacturer.
Maybe some bad luck, but if a manufacturer doesn't take a problem seriously it says enough for me.
Similar Products Used: A stock schock from Merida, Rockshox.
Bike Setup: Cube frame, LX disc, shifters and gears. Sram9 chain.
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Submitted by
kevin childs
a Cross Country Rider
from kalamazoo
Date Reviewed: March 5, 2008
Strengths: got the diva edition(07)works good for my riding nice and tight in the corners keeps me moving quick through the trees(at 140 lbs.)and still gives good kush on those big fast drops
Weaknesses: after a year and a few hundred miles it's not bottoming or dropping out but has taken on the feel of a cheaper not so competent shock but still performs well for what i expect out of a shock
Bottom Line:
you can't find a better fork for the price in my opinion. they're better shocks out there no question. but if you're looking for a tight xc fork with lock out and weigh under 2bills this fork will easily fit your needs for at least 2 to 300 miles at price that won't hurt cha peace!
Similar Products Used: rock shox indy xc,rc,cannondale head shock,marzocchi mz comp
Bike Setup: oem on a 07 gary fisher marlin genisis
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Submitted by
Bentley
a Weekend Warrior
from Bellevue, WA, USA
Date Reviewed: April 28, 2007
Strengths: I'm 14 and only weigh 110 pounds. i don't know much about forks but it is the only fork i've tried thats soft enough for me it absordes bumps and drops great.
Weaknesses: none yet
Bottom Line:
perfect for anyone that doesn't wiegh much. I have a buddy whoes only 90 pounds, and as soon as he took a spin on my bike went out and bought his own Axel.
Submitted by
Jasper
a Cross Country Rider
from Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Date Reviewed: September 12, 2006
Strengths: Sokes up every bump, long travel. Adjustable travel and rebound.
Weaknesses: Not to stiff in combination with disc brakes, far to soft.
Bottom Line:
Not to expensive, nice value for the money. It hasn't let me down yet, although it's much to soft for me, I weigh about 75 kilos, 160-170pounds. I have magura Julies as brakes, the fork can't handle discs very well, it bends quite a lot when braking hard. Overall I'm satisfied. In a year or so I'm going to buy a new fork. Driving 2,5 years, 3 times a week for 13miles for just 150 bucks is not expensive.
Bike Setup: intense m3 full chris king and axel fork
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Submitted by
rob c
a Cross Country Rider
from grimsby
Date Reviewed: March 22, 2006
Strengths: fairly cheap manitou customer service is excellent
Weaknesses: very weak, flexible the stanchions corrode and pit easily, the postmount is a pain in the 4rse too soft the preload is either very soft of very hard nothing in between
Bottom Line:
if youre going to ride on roads mainly then maybe this fork is for you, i ride alot in mud and the wet which has caused the seals and stantions to corrode i am now on my 3rd pair of the forks (manitou keep replacing them for me) and still gettin the same problem have upgraded to a better fork now :D no problems at all
Submitted by
Andy Baxter
a Weekend Warrior
from Grimsby, U.K.
Date Reviewed: January 6, 2006
Strengths: Cheap, Adjustable, Look quite good (Reverse Arch), Not a lot else out there that's as good for money
Weaknesses: A bit heavy, Occasionaly top/bottom out
Bottom Line:
Cheap & cheerful, not had any major probs, did the C2C(U.K.)150 miles, with no probs, soaks up almost anything I care to throw at them, but maybe I'm not trying hard enough!
Submitted by
Ryan
a Cross Country Rider
from New Londen CT USA
Date Reviewed: May 12, 2005
Strengths: good lock out, soft for amiture raming's, good flex, nice color.
Weaknesses: this is not a reliable fork i am 14 and weigh about 130 and it some times stifens out when outher times it goes smouth not recomened for any drop off over 12 in. i am not that grate of a rider and can only ride some advanced singal track and it still is horible the first month it paformed ok but after the 2ed or 3erd it started giveing me a whole bunch of probles not worth bying at all suck a rip off
Bottom Line:
its bad for all riders even in the amiture levil but i would recimend it for riders just starting out and going into cross contry cheep first buy
Similar Products Used: Marzocchi All Mountain, Marzocchi Bomber, Marzocchi DJ III
Bike Setup: Giant Rainier with Marzocchi Dirt Jumper III and Avid mechanical disc brakes.
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Submitted by
Jason Brown
a Cross Country Rider
from Molalla, OR
Date Reviewed: October 19, 2004
Strengths: Good Customer Service
Weaknesses: Cheap as a $5 Hooker.
Bottom Line:
I bought the bike about 3 months ago. I ride quite a bit of cross-country on singletrack. There are about 50 miles of trails less than 10 miles from my house, but most of it is technical singletrack with a lot of roots and rocks, no big drops to really speak of and lots o' hill to climb. The Axel Elite is a cheap fork to begin with. I weigh around 190 lbs and this is too much for the fork to handle. To begin with I cranked the compression real high and the fork handled pretty much anything I could throw at it. Then one day I packed in about 15 miles and noticed that I bottomed out at least 4 times. Putting the bike back in my truck, I noticed large amounts of oil coming from the lockout side of the fork and dripping all the way down to my front hub. I took the fork back to the bikeshop and they said they would tear it apart and get back with me. This was a nightmare waiting to happen. I did some research while I jonesed for some riding and found out that you have to pay to play. These Axels are crap if you ride more than 15 miles 2 to 3 times a week. So, the guy at the shop puts my fork together and tells me the lockout cartridge is blown but I can still use the fork, mistake #1. This is the reason for the oil leaking so badly. They did absolutely nothing. I call Manitou personally and they have great customer service, and send me the lockout cartridge and new seals for free. I decided to rebuild the fork myself, mistake #2. Bottom line the fork is still a piece of crap and I am looking at getting a Marzocchi fork.
Do not buy this fork unless you are lighter than the bike itself.
Came on a Specialized Stumpjumper. The Axel is a POS. The preload is all or nothing. The fork bottoms out on any hit - made for someone who weighs sub-100 lbs. The beast weighs a ton. I feel for all those who get stuck with this fork because the manufacturer was to cheap to stick something decent on. Switch out immediately (I threw on a SID Team, which I LOVE).
Submitted by
Bret Marts
a Weekend Warrior
from Cleveland
Date Reviewed: August 19, 2004
Strengths: Cost, adjustable travel
Weaknesses: soft fork, not built for a rider above 170 pds.
Bottom Line:
I'm your average XC rider weighing in at 153 pds. I bottomed out the fork once, then promptly adjusted the travel the very next day. Since then the fork has performed well. This is a great buy for a lightweight rider who will not be taking on major jumps. Buy it if you are looking for a cheap fork and are under 170 pds
