The '04 Minute was awarded Bicycling Magazine's 2004 "Editors' Choice" award for "Best all-purpose suspension fork", and we expect no less from the new '05. The Minute Two uses a lightweight air spring and comes in 100mm or 130mm travel versions. Due to the lighweight air spring design, hollow crown, and 30mm aluminum stanchions, this is the lightest fork in the Minute lineup.
Submitted by
winsail
a Cross Country Rider
from Soquel, CA,USA
Date Reviewed: July 31, 2009
Strengths: Super light air fork with tons of adjustability, really smooth riding
Weaknesses: Takes some time to adjust to proper riding attitude, Almost too many options
Bottom Line:
This is a fantastic lightweight shock that performs as good as my Fox. It has more adjustability. It is harder to set-up.
The 30mm stanchions flex a little compared to 32mm stanchions but the shock weighs less and works great for a cross country shock. It is not a downhill or free ride shock.
Similar Products Used: Fox Float RL, Marzocchi Bomber
Bike Setup: 2008 Trance 2 Stock with upgrades Manitou Minute 2, Easton EC90 carbon Seatpost, WTB Deva saddle, FSA Carbon Riser Bars,
BB7 Brakes, Speed Dial Levers
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Matt
a Weekend Warrior
from CoSprings
Date Reviewed: September 13, 2006
Strengths: Sucks up moderate rocks, roots, dips, ditchs, most of the stuff you were unexpecting like a champ.
Weaknesses: BOB, is supposed without SPV it would be worse but i cant tell a difference.
Bottom Line:
This is my second review of this fork. I do so only because it is a champ to ride with. I stop riding Xc and started doing heavy all mountain and my minute did not skip a beat with me. I took my hardtail down the face of Keystone and their blacks, and minus having a sore from the hardtail portion, the minute was totally sic. I am 185 pounds and the fork supports me plenty. If you are interested in a totally value-full fork, minute 2:00.
Bike Setup: Haro Escape 8.2 (hardtail) XT stuff and hayes nine
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Submitted by
kendall young
a Cross Country Rider
from Sicily, Italy
Date Reviewed: May 20, 2006
Strengths: The shock handles the bumps well and climbs very nice once you get it tuned to your liking. It's stiff and holds air well. This is the first Manitou I have ever owned. I have always had Marzocchi forks on my bikes but the price was right on the Minute.
Weaknesses: None so far
Bottom Line:
I'd rather be riding a Marzocchi, but the minute is a great fork.
Bike Setup: 2005 Santa Cruz Chameleon. SRAM XO. Set up for XC.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Kris
a Weekend Warrior
from Washington, DC
Date Reviewed: May 11, 2006
Strengths: Fork is easy to fine tune to your riding ability. It handles drops as well as it handles flat singletrack. Warranty response.
Weaknesses: I've had the rebound adjust break twice internally, fortunately it was under warranty twice. The second time the seals blew out from the internal breakage.
Bottom Line:
The fork has held up well to all kinds of trails. I'm 6'5" 215 lbs, it responds well to my body size and raging riding style. I've had two big wrecks with it and it's stood up to most of the abuse. It has handled three foot drops as well as fast singletrack. It responds well when adjusted. If you ride hard and expect your fork to respond to drops and slick dirt lines and need something to support your weight and aren't concerned about the weight of your fork...go get this one, if it's under warranty.
However, it has had it's fair share of internal problems, see above. If it goes again I'm switiching to the Fox Vanilla 130 RLC.
Bike Setup: Trek Liquid 55, Manitou Minute 2 fork, Manitou SPV 3 shock, WTBMoto Raptor Tires, WTB Speed V Laser saddle, Hayes HFX discs, Bontrager Race Lite Wheels, X9, Xt X9 triggers.
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Submitted by
Matt
a Weekend Warrior
from Colorado Springs, Guess
Date Reviewed: May 10, 2006
Strengths: Solid looks. Smooth travel when pounding over jumps, rocks, and anything else. Perfect travel distance for freeriders. Light as hell.
Weaknesses: SPV likes to mess with me. Usually it is not an issue, pedaling only takes 20mm. Would avoid jumps over 4 feet.
Bottom Line:
TBL is that I would recommend the Minute TWO to anybody who asked. This has been my first fork that i really put money into and it has performed flawlessly.
mialem napisac, jak juz nieco pojezdze i moge smialo powiedziec, ze rewelka...po odpowiednim ustawieniu jest naprawde miodnie...amor chodzi mieciutko, wybiera co popadnie no i przede wszystkim nie buja...jedyne co od czasu do czasu przestawiam to regulacje tlumienia - po prostu na malych nierownosciach przyjemnie jest kiedy szybciutko wraca, ale na wiekszych lepiej go nieco stlumic...w 100% godny polecenia!!!
Weaknesses: weight, completely F*'d service manual (not the fault of the fork).
Bottom Line:
Great fork. The price was definetly right for a fork that does all it promises. Hundreds less than fox, for instance. SPV works awesome with minimal setup. I forget that it's even working until I look down on a climbs and notice that my fork isn't bobbing. SPV is not a lock-out, and does not perform like one. It minimzes bob and keeps the fork from diving into its full travel. If you want to be constantly messing around with a lever and transforming your suspension into a 4 pound rigid fork then look elsewhere. If you want plush travel, ease of operation, reliability, and stable platform tech at a price that an actual sane person would pay, the minute2 is for you.
Bike Setup: 2005 Kona Dawg, 2005 Manitou Minute 2 - 130mm
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Submitted by
pavka
a Cross Country Rider
from Zamosc, Poland
Date Reviewed: March 21, 2006
Strengths: Coz, moze kilka slow po polsku...Przede wszystkim SPV, sztywnosc, waga, mozliwe regulacje, nie wspominajac juz o wygladzie
Weaknesses: poki co nie zauwazylem, choc trudno by w tak krotkim czasie cos wyskoczylo
Bottom Line:
Coz moge powiedziec...na razie jestem zadowolony, a amor jeszcze nie jest w pe³ni ustawiony...do tej pory mialem sztywny widelec, no i z tym jest miodzio....wagowo - super, dzia³anie - super, mam nadzieje ze moja opinia sie nie zmieni...jak pojezdze dluzej - napisze cos wiecej....
Similar Products Used: w zasadzie to mierwszy amor na ktorym jezdze, ale podobno rebe rock shoxa mozna do tego porownac...ale czy na pewno?
Bike Setup: UUUUUU MongoosePRO DX 4.0 (2000 lub 2001 - nie pamietam) po tuningu...czyli ze starego zostala rama, siodlo, kierownica, mostek, sztyca, manetki i piasty, a z nowosci to przezutki shimano xt 2004, hamulce v-ki lx 2004, korva sugino vx700...no i manitou minute 2:00 100mm 2005
Strengths: Weight, quality of travel, set it and forget it
Weaknesses: none so far
Bottom Line:
I really like this fork. SPV delivers on its promise, and it provides a very balanced ride when matched with the Maverick designed suspension of the Klein. Stiffness feels on par with my Reba fork. In general, a great fork.
Similar Products Used: Reba Race w/poploc(another very good fork), Duke SL, Judy XC, Mag 20, Manitou EFC & SXr, AMP F2&F3....
Bike Setup: Klein Palomino far from stock
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Submitted by
Bernhardt
a Cross Country Rider
from Santa Cruz, Ca
Date Reviewed: January 15, 2006
Strengths: Smooth, firm travel. Plenty of stiffness. No oil leaks. Holds air very well.
Weaknesses: Manitou's pump doesn't work for me. I use a Supergo fire sale special. Takes some time to set it up.
Bottom Line:
This is one nice fork. It sucks up bumps, holds a line, and accepts a 2.4 tire. Just don't ask it to suck up the small bumps while climbing(as well as the ancient Amp forks did/do), the big ones going downhill, and eliminate pedal bob with the same setup. At least I haven't found it, but then I'm more setup for the big hit/no bob/no bottoming out scenario(I have the SPV volume cranked about 3/4 of the way in - results in a more of a rising rate as the fork compresses.) than for a super plush Cadillac ride - if you want that, get a $70 fully suspended bike at Wal Mart & ride it on the road. LOL
Bike Setup: 2002 Trek STP400(frameset) & rolling collection of parts
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Submitted by
Agnelo
a Weekend Warrior
from Portugal
Date Reviewed: January 1, 2006
Strengths: Very good structure (no torsions), looks very well. Good for the downhill and very light in weight (around 1550 Kg).
Weaknesses: Too much dificult to tune the SPV Evolve. Very stiff on technical trails with rocks and.
Bottom Line:
SPV Tunning, stiffness and low sensivity. This may be the main booton line of this fork. If you love to make calculations and pass some of your time tunnig it could be a good choyce for you.
Similar Products Used: Manitou SX TI. Rock Shox SID.
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Submitted by
Anthony
a Cross Country Rider
from North Lake Tahoe, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: November 9, 2005
Strengths: Minimal pedal bob, light weight, adjustability, good looks (and the finish matches Santa Cruz black ano perfectly).
Weaknesses: Stiff, harsh ride.
Bottom Line:
Manitou Minutes do what they do: they control pedal bob at the expense of suspension plushness and response. It's a stiff-riding fork that's nowhere near as plush (at ANY setting) as a typical Fox, but it's also a much better SPV system than Fox (by the way, do Rock Shox or Marzocchi matter? Does anything they make not suck?). Pick your poison: do you want a plush fork that pedals like crap and is laughably overpriced (FOX), or a fork that pedals great but beats the hell out of you on anything other than pavement-smooth fireroads (Minute)? Right now I have both, and when I get tired of the drawbacks of one fork I switch to the other. Hopefully they'll figure out that most riders want something in between (like a TALUS with Manitou's SPV, or maybe a coil Minute that doesn't weigh 5 pounds...).
Similar Products Used: Fox Vanilla RL's and TALUS RL's, Manitou X-Vert Supers, Rock Shox SID.
Bike Setup: Blur, XT, Avid Juicy 7's, RaceFace.
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Submitted by
Patrick
a Racer
from Atlanta, Ga, USA
Date Reviewed: September 7, 2005
Strengths: Lightweight, very firm, great looks. this fork's air suspension SPV Evolve is lightweight and extreemely effective, eliminates bobbing and absorbs terrain magnificently.
Weaknesses: none
Bottom Line:
I acquired this fork via warranty exchange. Manitou upgraded me from a splice super to the Minute for free, only had to pay shipping. But if i had 600 bucks id definitely spend it on this fork its outstanding!
Weaknesses: Leaked oil from rebound knob the first day on trail. Same problem from a 2005 Black Super Air (see review 5/30/05)
Bottom Line:
It's great that Manitou upgraded me to this fork after dinking around with a leaky 2005 Super air for 2 months. The Minute 2 is highly adjustable making it a sweet ride. Takes the hits and the bike goes were its pointed. The SPV system is far superior to a manual lock-out Almost never use rear shock lockout because of it. BUT the rebound knob leak from inception is AGRAVATING ! I question the forks longevity.
[font=Times New Roman][size=3]I am looking to upgrade my X-vert super on my Tracer this season. I am a pretty light guy (150 lbs) but don’t ride with finesse. I race and my recre Read More »
