Submitted by
vilneff33
a Weekend Warrior
from canada
Date Reviewed: July 5, 2008
Strengths: Wow, theres nothing more i can say, this fork is amazing, i see ppl saying it takes forever to break them in but i bought mine off a DH racer so they were already broke in. i cant bottom them out and if i do, i ahve 2 more hard couls to go in, but i have a soft coil and 2 medium coils in them right now. they are very light due to the CF casings, and there is NO flex in them. the most amazing fork i have ever used,
Weaknesses: i blew the right seal very quickly and had to ship it out of Ontario because noone replaces manitou seals in ontario
Bottom Line:
best fork i have ever used in my life, ill never buy anything else,
Strengths: Super tough with bottomless travel. As light a a fork this tough can be.
Weaknesses: A little flexy on really big drops and rock gardens.
Bottom Line:
This is one tough lifht fork. I like to do alot of crazy stuff with my bikes and lots of parts don't stand up. I regularly take this fork off of 250-300 foot buildings and it doesn't even bottom out! If you want a tough light free-ride fork look no more. Like I said, I huck 300 footers all the time, so if you are a normal rider and keep your drops under 50 feet you will never have any complaints with this fork.
Submitted by
Jonathan
a Downhiller
from Whistler, BC, Canada
Date Reviewed: December 11, 2003
Strengths: Best 7" fork out there.(period)
Weaknesses: Not a Marzocchi. Requires more maintenance than other fork designs. Pricey.
Bottom Line:
Long break in period but soaks up the big hits right of the bat. It does not get supple for a very long time.
note: Take a plastic dental pick and carefully clean the grit from under the dust seal part of the seal every few runs and it will feel much better.
It tracks amazingly well = very fast. The progression is sooooo nice it feels bottomless. When you come through braking bumps at speed, cause you dont need to slow down there, it is incredible, where other good forks that are set up well will rebound harshly and your bike goes "brrrddaaapp," like when you pound through any rough section fast, this fork goes "bwooooshhhh..." It's really unbelievable. There is a reason so many fast racers ride this fork. Its very light to begin with, but because of the inverted design most of the weight is closer to the rider and the result is a front end that feels feather light. The carbon fiber uppers are probably easier to seriously damage than other materials but crashing is not good on the whole, and is not recomended for any product. You have to lube it up every once in a while which requires a bit of time when you could be riding. It's more work than a Marzocchi, it's more expensive than everything else, but it is the best DH fork out there. If your trails are slower and more technical and you like a torsionally stiffer fork, you will want a torsionally stiffer fork, buy a Marzocchi with a 20mm axel (not a shiver).
Similar Products Used: Marzocchi Super T Pro 02,03,04, Monster T 2003, briefly tried - boxxers, 888, shivers, Other Monsters, Stratos S8, and others
Bike Setup: V10 med, maxis minions
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
David
a Downhiller
from Beverly Ma, USA
Date Reviewed: August 31, 2003
Strengths: GREAT for racing...just if your at a course where you're proan to crashing, and/or hitting trees you might want to look at the avalanche DH8 Ti. The fork is awesome though for me.
Weaknesses: Twists ALL the time...carbon fiber.
Bottom Line:
Awesome fork. Very expensive. Twists a little bit. End of story.
Strengths: bottomless soaks up anything and everything nice weight very stiff
Weaknesses: on my 1st ride on my new bike i had quite a large crash and the legs twisted between the crowns, but it was easy enough to fix. Long break in period needs regular lubing
Bottom Line:
F#(king awesome fork when its running smoothly - need to fully break them in. Ive none a number of huge drops and jumps and still havnt managed to bottom out the fork. Price is a bit steep, but its worth it.
Strengths: A quick follow up review on my post over two months ago.
"I'm still VERY HAPPY WITH THIS FORK and how well it rides! It performs awsome out on the local DH trails and drops!"
Weaknesses: The 20mm Axle is a real B!TCH to get off when it's 110 degrees and your out on the trail in the ARIZONA HEAT!
Bottom Line:
Yea it cost a lot... It's still worth it! FREEridings only a lame slogan. $1.000 dollar "+" forks aren't FREE to ride on inless your a SPONSORED RIDER! DEAL WITH IT!
QUICK TIP, If the fork stiffens up when your breaking it in put about 20cc's of fork oil in each of the top caps and it's SUPER PLUSH again. "WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH ALL OF THE FORK COPANY'S SHIPPING OUT NEW FORKS THAT ARE LOW ON FORK OIL?" The Dorado fork flat out rocks on the trail and on drops. I thought I really liked my old Marzocchi's till I got the Iron Horse TEAM with the MANITOU DORADO DH fork on it! SO PLUSH yet it's really SAVED MY A$$ on every BURLY trail hit OR HARD LANDINGS so far! "See you at the NORBA NATIONAL DH race @ Durango in August?"
Similar Products Used: Manitou X-vert DC, X-vert Carbon, Dorado DH, Sherman Slider, other
Bike Setup: Norco Shore
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Karl
a Weekend Warrior
from Montreal, QC ,Canada
Date Reviewed: June 11, 2003
Strengths: Very plush and responsive to small bumbs and soaks up all the large obstacles as well. No problems worked graet right out of the box.
Weaknesses: None so far, maybe a little expensive at full retail but quality and workmanship are first rate
Bottom Line:
Great fork for downhill and freeriding , inspires cofidence , lets you rip through sections at speed instead having to pick your way down. Great flexibilty in adjustments to suit any rider.
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