The Fork has 6" (150mm) of air sprung, oil damped travel. Run it open at six inches while riding or, with the flick of a switch, reduce it to 4" (100mm) of travel while climbing technical terrain.
The Upper tubes and lower crown are welded together, a much lighter and stiffer method of building then bolting or pressing the legs into the crown (50mm upper tubes, 32mm lower stanchions).
External rebound adjustment.
True quick release dropouts, act much like a ski boot binding.
Maverick's integrated stem (included) bolts directly to the upper crown. Three stem lengths are available: 70mm, 90mm, and 105mm. Stem weight: 130 grams.
The upper crown is available in three different profiles: low, medium and high, to fit a variety of frame sizes.
Stanchion Guards included.
Fork weight, including upper crown is 1686 grams.
Maverick Hub with 24 mm axle available separately (244 grams).
Build Height (Axle to Crown Race): 517.4mm.
Ride Height (with recommended 35-40mm sag): 477.4 to 482.4mm.
Submitted by
Brad Billingsley
a Cross Country Rider
from Denver, CO Date Reviewed: July 21, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Sunnyside - Aspen, CO
Duration Product Used:
Tested or demo'ed only
Strengths:
Maverick's customer service and the plush feel of the fork.
Weaknesses:
Older style clamp at bottom of fork
Similar Products Used:
Fox Float 100, Rock Shox SID, Manitou Minute
Bike Setup:
Maverick ML7, full XTR
Bottom Line:
I borrowed this bike from a friend to test ride. I found a broken piece of metal where the clamp holds the fork to the wheel. I called Maverick and was able to stop by that afternoon (I live in Denver, Maverick is in Boulder). Ethan helped me to not only replace the broken fitting with an upgraded design, but he fully refurbed the forks, with newly designed springs and some fine tuning to make the fork sit perfectly on the quick release. And he did it all for free. As I've been looking for my next new mountain bike, I've read many reviews with frustrated bike owners due to poor service. Maverick does it right, and has made a loyal fan out of me. Thanks, Ethan!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Gem Mook
a Cross Country Rider
from Somerset NJ USA Date Reviewed: September 25, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Mt sSnow
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$700.00
Purchased At:
www.maverickamerican.com
Strengths:
2005 Version features new tops with o-rings , Tuneable, capable of big hits WITH THE PROPER SETUP! Plush for XC use, strong for aggressive riding, drop friendly to a few feet. the new one rocks, the lockdown features works like a charm, better than my TALAS's and more travel, less wight and stiffer-worth each penny.
Weaknesses:
None anymore, Maverick has fixed them all in their current revision, so do yourself a favor and buy a new one! Just make sure you get it serviced-like a car this thing works best with clean oil in it each season. anyone who loves their bike should be doing this anyways.
Similar Products Used:
Marzocchi Junior T,Fox Talas, other rockshox stuff i got rid of quickly(Duke,Psylo),Marathons,
Bike Setup:
ML8 with DUC32, Crossmax SL's for XC, XM819's for trail/all mountain, Time ATAC XS,Easton DH,Terry Fly,Thomson, Hope Mono M4
Bottom Line:
This is a wonderful engineering marvel from the folks at Maverick. They do good things there in CO. There are reviews below you need to take with a grain of salt: users who use Maverick's new 6" air sprung fork need to understand the basics of air shocks before making changes, or experimenting and then posting their botched results.
Talk to a pro, or betteryet let a pro do it. the folks at Maverick are so cool, so helpful, just ask Etha, and he'll show you how to make this fork a dream compliment to any 5-6" rear travel rig. Also works well with 4" bikes but will cost a degree of head angle. Well work it in most cases.
I have to watch out, my wife has been looking at this thing the wrong way. Its a great fork for light or heavy riders, buy it, and their frames rock too.
Air pressure acts as a progressive spring and more or less progession can be achieved by altering air volume inside the air spring by adding oil or removing oil from the oil lubed air spring. Further, you can play witht he wieghts of oil to a degree, moreso on the rebound and compression side. You no longer have to play with oil wight tho, they have the shim stack, and rebound valving just right.
Its not at all a high maintainence fork, but you do need to maintain and service it on time. The new blue seal work great. The forks broke in fantastically after about 10 hrs of use, and are now buttery smooth. I added 10cc's of oil to the airspring and haven't had to do much else. I get great big hit response without bottoming out and can still run a pressure that allows me to rollwell over square rocks and keeps the drops wrist friendly.
I use this fork for daily XC abuse, occaisional light DH use at local lift access trails, and swap the stem on the upper crown between 70mm and 90mm and don't miss my old Fox at all. I thoguth I would, but behold. I do not miss it at all.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
John
a
from San Diego, CA, USA Date Reviewed: June 13, 2005
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
Rose Canyon Cycles
Strengths:
Stiff and precise steering, yet plush, long travel, customer service
Weaknesses:
None
Similar Products Used:
Fox, Rock Shox
Bike Setup:
Santa Cruz Heckler
Bottom Line:
My first DUC32 leaked, but Maverick replaced it. After four months, the new fork lost the lockout knob and started clunking. It turned out to be a loose nut at the top of the damping shaft that was easy to diagnose since it was in plain view with the lockout knob missing. Everything was fixed in five minutes. Moral: Thread-lock that knob.
I expected this fork to let me go faster than I ever thought prudent, but I also thought a longer travel fork would make it harder to get through tight turns. Not this one. It's so stiff, I found myself actually oversteering until I got used to it. I can clean technical stuff that I couldn't before because now I can simultaneously turn and take a hit. This baby goes where you point it without hesitation. You can't really appreciate how much difference a truly stiff fork makes until you try it.
The DUC32 also makes the front end lighter so the first time I tried a pretty big wheelie drop, I flipped over backwards. But I learned from that and this fork and bike combo is now a technical climber's dream. Leave that lockout off and just get up there, even up stuff none of your friends can climb. I did the 54 mile MTB Epic ride at Sea Otter this year with 8,000 feet of climbing, rode it all but two sandy pitches that even Tinker Juarez walked, and passed lots of people on the downhill legs.
Bottom line: It's a lot lighter and stiffer than comparable six inch travel forks, but doesn't cost that much more. If you like carving single track and sailing through gnarly terrain, this is the fork for you. Here's to Maverick for "thinking outside the box" and figuring out how to take advantage of the 24mm axle and monocoque construction to keep things really stiff and light.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Doug
a Weekend Warrior
from Albuquerque, NM Date Reviewed: January 13, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Otero until they closed it.
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$500.00
Purchased At:
Friend
Strengths:
Rock solid handling, rigid and precise, truely point and shoot. Excellent ground tracking and liked the travel lock down. Similar to Zoch's ETA...my fav.
Weaknesses:
Doesn't absorb well. It's almost like it has too much compression damping.
Similar Products Used:
Zoch Z1-FR Coil
Bike Setup:
Titus Switchblade with the 5th Element 5" travel option, Mavic XM819 with Conti Verticals. Comparing it to a Quasi-moto with a Z-1FR Coil.
Bottom Line:
Let me be fair, the Maverick is a great fork for what it is designed to do. I don't believe them when they say it is a "XC & light-duty free-ride" fork. There's no Free-ride in this puppy. It is a true XC racing fork, no doubt about it. It handles as sharp as a scalpel. You want to maneveur, this thing will slice and dice like nobody's business. A double crown and 23mm axel will make sure of that. But that is it's weakness. The dampening is too firm. It will not absorb big imacts well at all. My friend used it and he felt the compression dampening was too stiff so he went from 7.5 wt oil down to 2.5 weight. It didn't really improve it much. He swapped it for a Zoch Z-150 coil (Our personal Fav). I bought it from him to try. I had the same feeling after I rode it so I dropped the air pressure from the recommended 90lbs down to 80 and then 70. It got a little softer and friendlier but it was still too firm. Now let me tell you what the problem with that is. When you are riding on a real smooth XC oriented trail it's the cats meow. But if you get into any type of baby-head terrain it becomes Mr. Hyde. The razor shape handling then becomes scary when the front end doesn't absorb an impact and the steering twitches and practically tosses you off the side. I had one impact induced wreak on it that put a dent in my beautiful Sitchblade frame. Nice. Now, I know that air springs are not linear and they will NEVER feel like a coil, but a lot of folks say it did, so I tried it. Nope, it ramps up the spring force like any air fork. I'm now a commited Coil Spring fan for a front fork. I'm yanking the Maverick off and going to try a Manitou Minute One. Hopefully some coil in the front fork will help tame the trail a bit. The Manitou won't have the sharp handling of the Maverick, but hopefully it won't spit me off the bike either.
I'm giving it a 3 Chili for value cause the things are expensive. I will give it a 3 for Overall rating, because again, what it does, it does real well. It's just that it seems a little narrow on the focus of XC handling and doesn't provide what I would consider great big hit absorbtion. Also, there' NO way this is a 6" travel fork. The best I got was 5"...of course they all play that game, don't they.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ryder
a Cross Country Rider
from Roosevelt Natl Forest Date Reviewed: December 5, 2004
Favorite Trail:
my own
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
Stiff, plush, stiff
Weaknesses:
hmmmmm need a new fork up
Similar Products Used:
fox, marzocchi, manitou
Bike Setup:
Mav and the goods
Bottom Line:
Unbelievable fork, it will make you better. Worth the dollars.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Weez
a Racer
from NJ Date Reviewed: November 27, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Blue Mtn, Stuart Airport, Cannonball Trail
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$800.00
Purchased At:
Cycle Craft
Strengths:
Incredibly Rigid fork - nothing else can come close w/dual crown at 3.5 lbs - long travel
Weaknesses:
Blew out seal after 4 months had to have rebuilt- headset problems but cld be just wearing out bearing cause i ride so much- makes some weird cable knocking sounds - no big deal though. Also, a bit expensive and a real investment when u factor in the hub (136.00) and a new wheel build. But u get what u paid for.
Similar Products Used:
Marzocchi Marathon, Headshock ultra
Bike Setup:
Maverick ML7
Bottom Line:
There is no doubt that this fork breaks new ground. At 3.5 lbs u get the stiffest lateral rigidity on the planet. Now when I try riding my 2003 Marzochi Marathon SL, it feels out of control like a wet noodle. Also, i am positive that this fork has saved my ass on a couple of drop off occasions (long travel). I think the seal blow out problem I had was a result of an early build. The people at Maverick gutted it and replaced all inside mecahnisms and sent back in under a week. Was like a new fork and performance was right on from that point fwd. Keep in mind they have real innovation here and since having it on the market going into 3rd year, i bet most the kinks will have been worked out. Again, this fork is STIFF and gives confidence at an incredible light weight. Nice going Maverick!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Richard Orefice
a Cross Country Rider
from eastchester, ny Date Reviewed: November 25, 2004
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
sierra Cycles
Strengths:
light, stiff, goof fit and finish. unique. matches the ano finish on my moment(black)
Weaknesses:
can only accomidate up to 2.3 tire
Similar Products Used:
fox talas rlc, fox f100x
Bike Setup:
large ellsworth moment, dhx 5.0
Bottom Line:
Im 220 lbs. and ride technical single track and extreme cross country. the fork is very plush a soaks up everything I throw at it. 3-4 ft drops are cake and the thing inspires confidence. I ot the chris king 24mm hub, its a jewel and it makes the fork so stiff.
Im still messing with it but im compeltely satisfied with the product. Forget about any previous negative feedback you have heard about this fork. Follow the instructions for setting it up and it won't be screwed up. By the way its real simple to tune and set up. I was waiting for the new Fox 36 but I got impatient and couldnt wait any longer. I was hesitant about the fork beacause I heard a few bad things about it. I will be keeping it. Im impressed and I am real critical with my stuff. I had to buy new whells for the hub and fork to work. It killed me to get rid of my SL mavics. The new Mavic 823 with the chris king hubs are mint, im real pleased.
PS: The guys who tried talking me out of it have rode my bike and they are now eating their words. Don't hessitate, forget the hype, buy the fork. you will rock.
Sierra Cycles- Fransisco- he is the man. Scarsdale,NY call him for the set up.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
tom meinholz
a Cross Country Rider
from san luis obispo, ca Date Reviewed: October 30, 2004
Favorite Trail:
a new one
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$775.00
Purchased At:
spokesman
Strengths:
stiff, light
Weaknesses:
stem area needs some retooling for a bit more versatility, rebound does not work at all, does not stay in short travel position.
Similar Products Used:
various
Bike Setup:
Foes FXR, king 24mm front hub,hope, easton....
Bottom Line:
A great design but terrible customer service. No return on emails or phone calls. No quality control. For $800 I would expect them to at least test the fork before sending it. Rebound adjustment does nothing and it does not stay in short travel setting. Nothing more annoying than looking forward to something like this and then getting it and immediately having to send it back or to the shop. Another 10 days without a ride. These guys suck as far as their customer service goes. Not what I expected. Maverick, are you there? If so, return your emails. Or are you so busy turning out new orders that you can not take the time to take care of your existing customers.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
brandon
a
from marquette, mi Date Reviewed: August 26, 2004
Favorite Trail:
flow
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$800.00
Purchased At:
downwind sports
Strengths:
lightest 6" fork on the market. the best way to keep your freeride rig under 30lbs. smoooth travel all the way through. easy adjustment all at the top of the fork.
Weaknesses:
price. also, only 3 stem lenghts and 1 stem angle. no option for OS handlebars
Similar Products Used:
minute 1:00, marathon s, sherman
Bike Setup:
heckler sram x9 5th element coil
Bottom Line:
if you have the money, go for this fork. it tracks well, climbs better than any other dual crown out there, all while maintaining great turning radius. oh did i mention its smoooth. it has the option to dial down to 4" for climbing but honestly ive only used it once. it does the trick at 6. even if you have a cross country setup, you can rock one of theses since it has the same ride height as a psylo.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Marco
a Weekend Warrior
from Caracas, Venezuela Date Reviewed: August 25, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Anything (Porcupine Rim, Utah.)
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$800.00
Purchased At:
RICHARDSBICYCLES.COM
Strengths:
LIGHT,STRONG AND EFFECTIVE. THE FORK LOOK REALY GOOD
Weaknesses:
I CAN FIND NONE (EXPENSIVE)
Similar Products Used:
EVERY DAMN FORK TO USE
Bike Setup:
SANTA CRUZ HECKLER 04
Bottom Line:
HONESTLY THE BEST FREERIDE FORK I'VE EVER RIDDEN, IT'S VERY VERSATILE,INCREDABLY STIFF, ANOTHER REALLY STRONG POINT IS THE RAPID TRAVELL U, JUST FLIP THE SWITCH AND PUSH DOWN AND IT LOCKS DOWN AND BECOME REALLY STIFF AND TO GET OUT OF IT U JUST FLIP THE SWITCH AND IT POPS BACK UP. IT'S EXCEPTIONALLY SMOOTH ....AS SMOOTH AS YOU LIKE WHEN YOU ARE JUMPING .... GREAT FORK, BUY IT.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
TrailDude
a Weekend Warrior
from Front Range Colorado Date Reviewed: August 15, 2004
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$800.00
Purchased At:
Mountain High Cyclery
Strengths:
Light weight, smooth travel, no flex, highly adjustable, cool looks, good integrated hub & stem.
Weaknesses:
Can't mount bike computer on front fork, no front fender option, need $50 adapter for roof rack, need $25 adapter to fit hub into truing stand.
Similar Products Used:
most recently: Marzocchi Z1 FR & FR SL
Bike Setup:
Titus Super-Moto, CK headset & rear hub, Raceface X-Gen Deux crankset, Avid Ultimate levers & mech dics, SRAM XO & rear derailleur.
Bottom Line:
I'm a Clydesdale at 6'3" & 220 lbs. This is the sweetest fork I've had to date. It has a low mounting height for 6" of travel so keep that in mind if you are thinking of getting one. This is the 1st fork I'ved owned with a through axle so understand the unique weaknesses (see above). I hope it is built a tough as the Marzocchi forks I've been running for the last 6 years on my old Quazi-Moto.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
piergiorgio rizzo
a Racer
from monselice(PD) ITALY Date Reviewed: August 9, 2004
Favorite Trail:
colli euganei park
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$800.00
Purchased At:
wrench science
Strengths:
very well constructed, very light & stiff, easily tuneable.
Weaknesses:
warning: don't blow out the seals ,the seals kit or whichever other replacement part are not available,not even the safety clips in guarantee,Maverick build wonderful fork but not the spare parts: in January i have bought the fork with 1 bushing & seals kit spare parts, but they were not still available,after 8 months and with the seals blow out I have tried to ask the spare parts directly on all the e-mail addresses on the web site maverick; has answered me the technical responsible Johns, has asked me a list for the parts to order,i have supplied it, but from more(3 months ago) has then not answered, like has not never answered nobody of all the contacts present on the web site!
Similar Products Used:
votec gs air double crown light air fork
Bike Setup:
Ellsworth Truth 2001, esp x.0 , frm isis crankset 2x9 system(29-44) with frm bottom bracket isis aluminium spindle 150 gr., maxm seatpost, seat slr carbon kit, maxm handlebar riser, formula brakes magnesium with braking wave disc
Bottom Line:
Great, unbeliveable fork, very accurate steering, light enough for Xcountry race use with reduced stroke from 150 to 105mm, the front maverick hub is stiff & light,it would deserve 5 flamin'chilis , but i vote 2 flamin' chilis for the spare parts service
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jay Etchings
a Weekend Warrior
from Las Vegas NV USA Date Reviewed: May 6, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Bootleg Canyon
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$700.00
Purchased At:
Escape Cyclery
Strengths:
Very Stiff, plush fork. Makes you a better rider on the first trip out.
Weaknesses:
Intergrated stem limits your choices. You need an aftermarket kit to keep the fork from losing the front wheel on extreme trails. It also requires a Mav hub 24mm.
Similar Products Used:
Firefly, U-turn
Bike Setup:
2004 Heckler, SRAM drive train, Avid Juicys, Atomlab DHR wheelset, 5th element coil, About 30lbs of Santa Cruzin Fun!!!
Bottom Line:
This fork is pricey and I had a problem with the ETA on day one. I will bring the bike back to the shop for service this week. But other than that, tis fork rocks! Its light and seems pretty strong. I trash parts and this fork has lasted through 3-4 weekends in Boulder city at Bootleg Canyon. So thats the real test. This is the best fork for the Extreme XC guy who likes to drop and jump too.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
adrian lev
a Weekend Warrior
from England Date Reviewed: April 21, 2004
Favorite Trail:
red bull in wales
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
The fork is just the best so good up/down hills. The fork gives the rider the ability to go flat out on all types of terrain.
Weaknesses:
today there was a pop and the fork has collapsed on my local trail
Bike Setup:
whyte 46 had to change tyres to intense comp60 as had lots of punctures on continental gravity 2.3
Bottom Line:
If you require a light folk with 6 inches of travel and light then this is for you. Its so smooth light and you just forget what you are riding under handlebars
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Matt Zatar
a Cross Country Rider
from Chicago, IL Date Reviewed: March 19, 2004
Favorite Trail:
The Super Pit
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$800.00
Purchased At:
RICHARDSBICYCLES.COM
Strengths:
Great fork. Super light. 3.5 lbs. Unbeleivably stiff. The 24mm axle which is bigger than the normal 20mm that every other forks use, makes the fork even stiffer. The quick release handles are very easy to use. The fork's finished is annodized the match the frame on my Foes FXR, is excellent also! Its nice to have the quick change 150mm down to 100mm right at your finger tips. It makes climbing a lot easier. I think these forks make people more interested in mountain biking becuase they are so cool and they really work!
Weaknesses:
None
Similar Products Used:
Psylo SL, Psylo Race, Fox Talas
Bike Setup:
Foes FXR w/ curnutt TI spring, Maverick Fork, Thompson pole, Monkey lite DH bars, SRAM X0 shifters & rear derailleur. XTR Front derailleur. Mavic 823 rims. Rear hadley hubs with 10mm thru axel. Maverick's 24mm front hub, w/ tripple butted spokes. '04 XTR cranks. Hope mono 4's disc brakes, and the best of everything else.
Bottom Line:
Its light. Its durable. Its stiff. Its easy to install, setup, & maintain. The extra travel sure helps. I have to say its the single best bike part that i've ever bought since the Foes FXR. I've been really happy with the Maverick fork. If it wasn't for the guys at Richardsbicycles.com, I would still be on my old Psylo fork. I'm glad I bought it, and I'de do it agian. GREAT FORK!!!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
doug
a Cross Country Rider
from Tyler, Texas Date Reviewed: March 2, 2004
Favorite Trail:
womble trail, arkansas
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$800.00
Purchased At:
Simpson's Cycle and Fitness
Strengths:
This shock really handles much better than any shock that I've ever used. It allows you to climb without any problems. It doesn't piston when pedeling. It descends very well with excellent control down rock gardens. Looks cool.
Weaknesses:
Cost is a little steep but the handling and safety are worth it.
Similar Products Used:
Talus RLC, Marathon, Marzochi bomber, Sid
Bike Setup:
Maverick frame, XTR all around, Chris king rear hub, monkey lite bars, Hope disc brakes
Bottom Line:
This shock looks like something off a B-1 bomber. The design takes advantage of torsional stability being a function of radius to the 4th power. The front hub helps to make a very stable construct that allows the fork to maintain excellent stability with turns. I really love the way it handles up and down steep hill along with the improved handling characteristics. I strongly recommend it for all cross country riders.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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