Submitted by
Rick Hutchison
a Weekend Warrior
from North Van Date Reviewed: February 22, 2007
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
from a friend
Strengths:
Stiff and plush.
Weaknesses:
Might not be able to get parts in the future
Similar Products Used:
Fox Vanilla 125, lots of Marzocchi's, Manitou Nixon/Firefly Plus/Travis Single 150/ etc.
Bike Setup:
Santa Cruz Tazmon XT/XTR, Raceface, Blackspire etc.
Bottom Line:
Replaced a Fox Vanilla 125 RlC with this fork. I used to hate the sight of the Vanilla's flexing fore and aft under heavy braking and this was with a 6" rotor. The Dorado doesn't flex at all unlike the Marzocchi Shiver SC I had a few years back. I've always liked the way inverted forks follow the changes in the terrain. Don't know if anyone will ever see this review on a 4 year old fork but it's new to me.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jeremie Poirier
a Racer
from Montreal Qc Ca Date Reviewed: November 14, 2006
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
Traded
Strengths:
Very good rigidity, stiff on braking and on steering. Awesome plushness
Weaknesses:
Compression and rebound controls aren't effective enought, seems like it is not changing anything when you turn them around.
Similar Products Used:
Fox 36 Van R, PIKE TEAM, Shiver SC, Minute 2, Manitou Black, Nixon platinum, Sherman Firefly
Overall, the fork has a perfect amount of travel, good compression/rebound, decent weight, excelent stiffness, good plushness.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
jak allen
a Weekend Warrior
from swindon Date Reviewed: April 21, 2006
Favorite Trail:
forest of dean
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$1250.00
Purchased At:
red planet bikes
Strengths:
great looks, great feel and good amount of travel
Weaknesses:
price is a bit high, and a bit heavy
Similar Products Used:
manitou minute 1:00
Bike Setup:
santacruz chameleon, xtr gears, dorado sc fork mavic ex 721 on hope bulbs race face atlas am crankset and external bb hope mini brakes 24 old school pedals chris king h-set
Bottom Line:
great all round fork if a bit pricey but you pay for quality. recommended for freeriders
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tayor Sumser
a Weekend Warrior
from Ridgewood, NJ, USA Date Reviewed: April 6, 2006
Favorite Trail:
anything
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$380.00
Purchased At:
used
Strengths:
strong, nice looking, perfect amount of travel
Weaknesses:
kinda heavy, but doesnt really affect it, my seals are leaking after it was just rebuilt
Similar Products Used:
2004 dirt jumper 2, rock shox boxxer world cup
Bike Setup:
2004 p.3 with dorado fork, 24 inch mag 30 in back, 26 double track in front, holzfeller cranks, xt derailur
Bottom Line:
great fork, even thought he seals are leaking its still a great fork that holds its travel and uses its travel very well. i highly recommend one!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Rick
a Downhiller
from Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada Date Reviewed: September 19, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Bromont
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$600.00
Purchased At:
http://www.beyondbikes.com
Strengths:
Bomb proof, butterly smooth, great travel, awesome look.
Weaknesses:
A bit heavy but i don't mind the extra weight.
Similar Products Used:
Marzocchi MX Comp '03, Rock Shock Judy XC
Bike Setup:
GT XCR-5000 frame, Manitou Dorado SC, front Alex Rim Supra V, rear Sun Rhynolite Deore, Avid Ball Bearing Disc Brakes
Bottom Line:
First off, the fork is not worth 1200$, but since everyone seems to be letting it go for around 500-700$ it is the time to get one.
Great shock, runs great out of the box, found no weakness yet but the weight, give a very plush ride, can take huge drops without bottoming out.
Awesome shock, get it!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
erik
a Downhiller
from wethersfield, ct, usa Date Reviewed: September 16, 2003
Favorite Trail:
camel toe valley
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$500.00
Purchased At:
jenson usa
Strengths:
Very rigid during braking, there's no flex at all. Buttery smooth performance. It's great over root beds and on big hits.
Weaknesses:
It's heavy [I don't consider it a problem but it's not a cross country fork]. A little taller than an average fork so steering is effected slightly. After a crash you have to inspect for scratches in the carbon fiber and loosen and retighten the axle [it can twist a little].
Similar Products Used:
marzocchi z1 qr20, z3, dorado dh
Bike Setup:
2002 kona stinky stock except for fork
Bottom Line:
This is a very cool fork but it isn't for everyone. It's really heavy out of the box but once on the bike, the weight is negligible. All the weight is near the headtube so the front end is still easy to get up. You notice the weight on the uphills though. Downhill on the other hand is sick. It seems like there is much more travel than there really is, just like on the dh model. Flex through rock gardens is minimal with the hexlock axle but more adjustments are necessary on a regular basis than with a traditional fork. Is it worth 1200 bucks? no. If you can find a deal like I did, for the love of all that is holy, go get the b@st@rd. If you are interested in doing big drops but don't want to sacrifice performance on the trail, this may be for you.
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