The Firefly Plus is sweet! It incorporates lightweight titanium coil springs to further lighten the ride. Plus you can adjust the travel from 110-150mm to suit the terrain. With SPV Evolve damping, you can stand to climb or sprint without performance-robbing bob.
These are the most awesome forks i've ever felt, but after a while of hard using they start to feel poor. I probably should have replaced the oils earlier but after a year they felt lousy so I sent them away for new oils and they feel great again. The paint of the forks is strong too, but if you do manage to get some of it off you can always touch it up with a black texta or paint and have it looking new again (what I did).
The SPV dampening can be a pain to work, but if you get it just right its a dream, also what the other reviews haven't said if you ride a lot on it set at 110 and do dirt jumps the SPV can break and you won't be able to adjust to 110 anymore.
5 flamin' chillis!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
toby
a Weekend Warrior
from Watson Lake, Yukon, Canada Date Reviewed: October 15, 2006
Favorite Trail:
my back yard
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$250.00
Strengths:
Adjustable, plush, strong
Weaknesses:
non yet
Similar Products Used:
drop off4, dj3, 888, sherman breakout
Bike Setup:
stock '06 manik except fork (firefly plus)
Bottom Line:
This fork offers good value for your dollar is a great deal if you can find one unused or good cond for sale. fork is not quite as plush as a 888 (to be excpected) but other than that it is the plushest fork i have ridden. the rapid travel feature is nice when climbing or doing urban and the exterior adjustability makes tuning a sinch if you are looking at a new fork and can find one in good shape GET IT you wont regret it my bike feels like a completely new bike with this fork
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
John Podlipnik
a Weekend Warrior
from Sacramento, CA, USA Date Reviewed: June 8, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Culvert in Auburn i guess, fun trail
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
Great travel/action (feel of suspention) manitou forks are great in that sense. Light, versatile...all the givens...
Weaknesses:
Iv owned two Manitou forks and have found they are a little bit on the flimsy side. I guess I am talking about quality. I owned a Sherman awhile back and when I was changing the oil in the fork one of the screws on the bottom leg of the fork leg literally broke in half. My current fork (the one this review is for has cracked where the axel connects to the fork leg.
Bike Setup:
Burly steel single speed hardtale
Bottom Line:
Great forks but have had problems with quality (above...). Although I am ruff on my bike stuff. Try one for urself.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
gearheadnatureboy
a Weekend Warrior
from hood river, OR Date Reviewed: May 25, 2006
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
380.00 greenfish
Strengths:
light for what it is, very adjustable for weight of rider using SPV pressure, stiff steering repsponse, excellent on big and medium sized hits
Weaknesses:
quality control sucks. Mine came with 2 of the 3 oil chambers dry (left semi bath chhamber and SPV chamber).
Similar Products Used:
i own/have owned Z1 from 2004, 2003, and 1998, a 2001 psylo, a 2004 Fox float RLC (overrated),2005 sherman slider and about 10 other forks on too many bikes to mention. I'm a
Bike Setup:
heckler, float rear shock, heavy wheels, bar and stem, light cranks, hayes,
Bottom Line:
I have the thru axle. I weigh 190 lbs naked before my morning jelly doughnut. SPV turned inn 3/4 of the way, SPV pressure of 70, stock springs. This is without a doubt the best trail fork I have ridden. Very versatile. Caveat: out of the box it will likely suck. Mine was harsh, no rebound dampinng. My sherman slider had similar problems, but was transformed with an oil change. You must plan on immediately checking the oil levels (16 cc in each semi bath, 4.25 inches from the top is the oil height for SPV, I put in 7 wt oil, though the manual says to use 5 wt for SPV). Now it is quiet and plush. the 150 mmm travbel feels like a lot more than the 130 of my Z1, which was the previous fork, on this bike. I thought thhe Z 1 was the best fork for the heckler, until I tried this! pedals great in 150 mm mode, heckler now feels more balanced. great on big hits and medium hits, still loses a little compared to zochi on small chatter. takes 5-8 ft drops with gaps to smooth tranny without problems. 110 mm travel mode is excellent for climbing and I find it more useable/tolerable than the Zochis ETA, since it gives about 2 inches of useable travel (4 inches is BS) I have the heavy springs on order, but I regret ordering them, since it seems to do fine with stock springs. Maybe I will be able to use less SPV pressure and improve small bump performance with heavier springs. Plan on lots of oil changes in wet weather to keep performance high. My other bike is a Transiition Dirtbag with dual crown sherman slider, which IS the best bike in the world. Weight weenies stay away, pure downhillers should go for something better on small hits. But if you like climbing and descending and jumping and dropping and anything that may come your way, then here is your fork. 1 chili off for selling a fork with no oil.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
chris
a Weekend Warrior
from missouri Date Reviewed: March 31, 2006
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$315.00
Purchased At:
jensonusa.com
Strengths:
?
Weaknesses:
?
Similar Products Used:
?
Bike Setup:
?
Bottom Line:
Jensen usa has these for 315 right now. i havn't tried mine yet but it's on the way.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
ryan vieldhouse
a Downhiller
from N.J Date Reviewed: February 25, 2006
Favorite Trail:
great northern onto road to nowere
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$699.00
Purchased At:
pedal sports
Strengths:
plush hevy duty fork best i have ever had
Weaknesses:
hard to set up just right and if you put air in it it looses rebound
Similar Products Used:
none
Bike Setup:
mongoose firlane single black dimmond
Bottom Line:
you get what you pay pay for. as i said up there i dont really know what plush means sorry.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
ryan berg
a
from redcar Date Reviewed: December 12, 2005
Favorite Trail:
any were with a dirt jump
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$550.00
Purchased At:
with bike
Strengths:
really good fork and strong
Weaknesses:
i have a ? for all you professional guys how do u stop the fork topping out wen u pul up to manual, jump etc ( eg the fork makes a bang when you pull up i think it is because there is no air in the forks)?????
Similar Products Used:
......
Bike Setup:
le toy 3 frame fire fly plus sunn double tracks hope head set hope mini with wavey rotor profiles with fly bikes chain ring 24/7 bar and stem blue hope sqewer blue hope spacers and blue hope big un's! its a beast
Bottom Line:
i need this question ansering please guys this does my head in when i ride :( (i have a ? for all you professional guys how do u stop the fork topping out wen u pull up to manual, jump etc ( eg the fork makes a bang when you pull up i think it is because there is no air in the forks for the rebound to kick in??????)
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Andy
a Cross Country Rider
from Fort Collins, CO Date Reviewed: September 15, 2005
Favorite Trail:
We got tons of 'em
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$449.00
Purchased At:
Rock N Road (out of biz)
Strengths:
Burly, relatively light, stiff, titanium spring, good service manual, easy to work on.
Weaknesses:
Are different ti spring weights just not available? There seems to only be one spring weight for this fork.
Similar Products Used:
Pike Team, Marzocchi Z150
Bike Setup:
Heckler w/ Fifth Element coil ti spring, Crossmax XL wheels, Avid Juicy sevens, full sram, triggers, thomson, Easton - all the good stuff... 210 lb rider - I run about 70 - 75 psi.
Bottom Line:
I had a great year riding this fork and prefer it to my other all-mountain type forks. The ti spring makes this noticeably lighter than other coil forks and SPV is the best I've used for reducing brake dive and bob.
Recently, while "just riding along" I broke the bolt on the SPV /rebound assembly that threads in to the lower leg. A potentially dangerous situation. This meant that there was only one leg secured to the uppers. Fortunately, it was obvious that something was wrong and I took the fork back to the lab. After disassembling the fork and discovering the problem, I called Manitou's customer service line and got Tyler on the phone. After a few minutes of me trying to explain the part I needed Tyler asked if I wanted to send it in or have them send me the part. I opted for them sending the part. The new rebound assemply was at my house within a couple of days. The fork was reassembled and rides as good as new. While I was rebuilding the fork I lowered the oil height by about 5-7 mm and am now squeezing out every mm of travel. If you're not getting full travel you may want to experiment with oil height - it's a relatively easy mod.
Anyhoo, I think it's a great product and I was very pleased with Manitou's response when it broke. What else could I ask for? Five chile's all around.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Cameron Couch
a
from Hong Kong Date Reviewed: June 11, 2005
Favorite Trail:
any fast downhill trail
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$450.00
Purchased At:
secret
Strengths:
very strong, looks good, not to expensive, lots of adjustments, spv elvolve.
Weaknesses:
bit heavy, springs too hard, dont move over small bumps.
im a 13 year old kid from hong kong and i race DH tracks with 6-12 foot drops. i dont way alot so the springs are a little hard, and replacments are a rip of. good froks, take time to wear in though
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
gonzostrike
a
from Missoula MT USA Date Reviewed: April 17, 2005
Favorite Trail:
bobo's frantic neurons
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
bike doc dirka dirka
Strengths:
steering accuracy, resistance to torsional and fore/aft flex, travel feels great from mid-range to bottom
Weaknesses:
VERY hard to set up SPV Evolve to get the right combo of pedaling firmness and small bump suppleness. You end up giving up small bump compliance to get better pedaling.
Similar Products Used:
many single and dual crown forks over the past 7 years
Bike Setup:
Turner Sick Packs with the usual stuff for backcountry bingo
Bottom Line:
Impressive fork that still needs some tweaking of the SPV feature to match Marzocchis on small bumps, but otherwise an absolutely ideal combination of travel, weight and stiffness. Ideal for those who don't mind giving up a tiny bit of small bump compliance for the ability to climb under power.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
William Childress
a Downhiller
from Mad heights VA Date Reviewed: April 14, 2005
Favorite Trail:
all of them
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$425.00
Purchased At:
Ebay
Strengths:
SPV is the dabomb, light fork good do all fork. would recomend it to anyone who has 1 bike that they freeride and trail ride. This fork also makes a good dirt jump / urbin fork.
Weaknesses:
fork cost to much if you pay retail buy one on Ebay
Similar Products Used:
dirtjumper II 6" model
Bike Setup:
02 Kona stinky and Fetish obession
Bottom Line:
I like this fork alot but if you get one make sure you get a warrenty with it I have seen many reviews of people getting manitou forks and having problems with them. get a new one if you get one so the factory has got your back. Buy this fork if you need a light long travel single crown fork that gets the job done on the street on the trail and in the air.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Bok
a Weekend Warrior
from Bulacan, Philippines Date Reviewed: March 28, 2005
Favorite Trail:
as long as their is dirt road
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$585.00
Purchased At:
Friend
Strengths:
very stiff, 6" of limitless travel, SPV evolve, torsionally rigid for a single crown fork, the 20mm thru-axle
Weaknesses:
none so far... but the left leg sticker came off...had to glue it though... doesn't really matter at all. i guess price? you get what you pay for...
buy this fork! every one who loves aggresive XC or a little bit of downhill runs should buy these. it's a great all-around fork. it feels like your flowing thru rocks and ruts in a downhill run. bottomless travel. it's good for aggresive trail riding! worth every penny! 5 Flamin' Chilis
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Steve Johnson
a
from Port Angeles, WA Date Reviewed: February 25, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Limbo
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$345.00
Purchased At:
e-Bay
Strengths:
Torsionally ridged, 6" adjustable rate travel, black is beautiful, 5lbs,
Weaknesses:
none yet.. oh yeah.. the foil stickers fall off so if you want the company blah blah get out super glue.
This is a factory blem I got on ebay. Tiny dent in the crown, No warranty,$350.00 off! My beloved tracer has been reincarnated! This bike rocks! This fork is the perfect match for my custom rear end. At less than 30lbs I'm 10lbs lighter than my friend's Heckler. I can ride this bike on an all day epic or engage in some real huck-lite. On the huck side I had the fork set up in a linear mode and managed to bottem it out on some front wheel 4' landings. I weigh around 185 and came straight down on the front :). I've since changed the rate to a more progressive one and could tell the difference in a little test off my front wall (only 2'). The rebound works great as well. I wouldn't put this fork on my real huck bike (Uzzi SLX with Z150fr soon to be Fox 40rc2) and I wouldn't pay 650+ for it but for what I wanted it is perfect! It is too early to tell if it will last. I'll re-post if I have any problems.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Levi Porter
a Downhiller
from Harbor springs, Mi, USA Date Reviewed: December 21, 2004
Favorite Trail:
were te hucks have no names
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$650.00
Purchased At:
Adrenaline
Strengths:
Very tunable,dosnt bottom easy, light weight. its climbs good. if you put it on 5 inches its great for streat to
Weaknesses:
the sticker falls off, it can not be set up propery so it works good on both travel settings, recal on the fork legs or somthin like that,i haven sent myn in yet http://www.answerproducts.com/dynamic.asp?pagename=recall-sherman
Similar Products Used:
Marz Dj3 and dj1, Sherman Breakout pluse spv, the 04 flcik marz z150.
Bike Setup:
Banshee chaperella,05 firefly, atom lab trail pimps, romic D with ti spring
Bottom Line:
This fork is great for my style of riding wich is, Ride my freeride machince up one trail fora mile or so and get to the top, turn around and go down the other trail which has ladders, 7-12 foot drops, off camber fst flowy trails and dobles, its a great fork. i ride my bike to work and cant help but do a little urban on the way down and just puttin the fork down to 5 in makes that easy, and of course on lunch break i have to go out to the local roof drop and hit that well in my aperin and collerd "might mac" shirt... good times. and to top things off every sunday we would go on a 10 mile xc ride on our freeride bikes, but i would usally bail out around 6 or 7 beacuse im not in shape and work at a fast food joint. but the fork handles it all with grace
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Scott
a Downhiller
from Lakewood Ohio Date Reviewed: October 9, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Snowshoe
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
See the 1st review below.
Weaknesses:
See the 1st review below.
Similar Products Used:
See the 1st review below.
Bike Setup:
See the 1st review below.
Bottom Line:
This is a follow up. Well these forks are so awsome that I had to post again after I had put them through some serious abuse. They really do have 6" of travel but it feels like they have 7" of travel.
I have decided to move these forks to my Haro extreme for next season and pick up the 05 slider plus forks for my Bullit. I have to say that they arte great but I want to start racing DH (novice) and I do get a little scared when I am going over 30mph and hit washboards with ANY sc fork. These flex in that situation but it isn't bad I just want to push farther. Who knows they may be fine but I just want the piece of mind.
The Firefly plus is only .5" shorter than a standard dc 170mm fork so the geometry changes very little if you are thinking of switching from DC. Unless you want to race go ahead and switch.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Rick Hutchison
a Weekend Warrior
from North Van,B.C.,Canada Date Reviewed: September 11, 2004
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
6" Travel, updated SPV, overall stiffness
Weaknesses:
Haven't found any real weaknesses yet other than only achieving 5.5 inches of travel and that the stanchion tubes are slightly stained.
Similar Products Used:
A plethora of Marzocchi forks most of which were poo. I have a Fox Vanilla 125 RLC on my other bike which, is good however not as good as this one.
Bike Setup:
2004 Santa Cruz Heckler with 5th coil rear, RaceFace, XT/XTR.
Bottom Line:
So far I'd have to say this is the best fork I've ever owned or ridden for that matter. If you want a fork that performs as good as or better than any out there this is it. It's great to be able to do tight turns again after changing from a DC Junior T.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Corey
a Weekend Warrior
from Flemington, NJ Date Reviewed: September 6, 2004
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$563.00
Purchased At:
beyond bikes
Strengths:
the fork it's self is so adjustible, i havent even had enought time to play with it all. from supple and plush, to drop ready its all in here.
Weaknesses:
only that i got it in QR..
Bike Setup:
cannondale f1000, rhynotlite's xl, firefly plus 05
Bottom Line:
the fork is awsome, i cant wait to discover all of its applications, today i went dh'ing and it sucked up the rocks like they were nothing (very tech/rock gardens dh). find your sag and and your set. also if you dont have one, get a fork pump, it's a must and you'll regret it if you dont. bottom line, one of the top single crown high travle, realitivly light weight forks you can get.. awsome.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Brandon
a Weekend Warrior
from Charlotte, NC USA Date Reviewed: September 6, 2004
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$520.00
Purchased At:
The Bicycle Shoppe
Strengths:
Very adjustable. Can be adjusted for stair drops with urban riding or plush for downhill. SPV is dope.
Weaknesses:
Uses a special adaptor for 8" HD Hayes brakes.
Similar Products Used:
Marzocchi Drop Off 2
Bike Setup:
Haro extreme frame, Fox DHX 5.0, Sram components, many more upgrades
Bottom Line:
I was uneasy about the fork thinking that all the rage right now is dual crown forks. I was set at ease the first ride I took with this fork. 150mm travel feels like a 170mm when hurling downhill. Also I am lite guy with all my gear I only weight 150 so alot of forks come to stiff for me. With the Sherman it is very easy to adjust to what ever rider and weight you might be.
The only problem I had is I was told by Manitou that the Sherman can clear up to a 2.8 tire. Well my Kenda blue groove 2.7 did not clear had to do some moding to make it fit works fine now.
Just adjust the sag and go. With the SPV it adjusts in just seconds. I went riding at a local single track with some rooty downhills. Then on the way home stopped off downtown to hit some stair gaps. The only thing I changed on the fork was a couple spins of the SPV took just seconds.
Very happy so far heading off to Snowshoe this weekend and it is going to be wet so will see how it handles it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Joe
a
from Philadelphia, PA Date Reviewed: August 18, 2004
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
My bike shop
Strengths:
Light, only a pound heavier than my last fork, this fork is 5.17 pounds (digital scale). Strong, the stantions are thick and beefy, with standard QR, it's really stiff. Plush, when set up right rocks disappear, it's so amazingly adjustable.
This is the best money I've spent on a bike product. Highly recommeded. It can be set up to do cross country in it's shorter setting, and hard freeride in it's longer. SPV is the coolest thing ever, it works so well, and is very noticable. The dampening and rebound work very well. A very good fork for anyone that can get it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Scott
a
from Lakewood Ohio Date Reviewed: August 12, 2004
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
150mm travel, adjust for climbing, SPV evolve is way better, very stiff with thru axle.
Weaknesses:
None so far.
Similar Products Used:
Many Zokes 130mm to 170mm
Bike Setup:
Bullit with the 5th yada yada
Bottom Line:
I actually ordered 04 Slider Plus forks but these came in by mistake. I really wanted SPV and DC to replace my Jt T's. Well my Bullit is my all around bike and I gotta say that I decided to keep them.
Glad I did, the qaulity if the SPV evolve (compression dampning) actually feels like it has more travel than my 170mm Jr T. These forks were only .5" shorted in the axle to crown so my geometry didn't change enough to concern me. I have really charged everything I did with DC forks (except high speed wash boards) and they still inspire confidence especially as SC!
I really lucked out and I am glad I didn't send them back.
I am going to Snowshe WV next week so I will update my review then.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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