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Reviews 1 - 11 (11 Reviews Total)
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Submitted by
ptpalpha
a Weekend Warrior
from MichiganDate Reviewed: December 26, 2008
Strengths: It's got the right geometry for non-suspension corrected older bikes, it looks great, it's easy to maintain and rebuild.Weaknesses: It is what it is. 2" of travel on elastomers. If you know that going into it, it's not a weakness.Bottom Line: I love this fork. After rebuilding it with new elastomers and grease from suspensionforkparts.com the travel is plush and the adjustments cover my range of riding conditions perfectly. The fact that you can pick these forks up on ebay for less than $100, plunk another small chunk of change into the rebuild kit, and have your retro MTB back on the trails with a bullet-proof vintage fork makes them all the better. Buy one, rebuild it, and ride it. You'll love it!!
Favorite Trail: Poto
Duration Product Used: 6 months
Price Paid:
$80.00
Purchased At: EvilBay
Bike Setup: '89 Specialized
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from CincinnatiDate Reviewed: February 7, 2003
Strengths: I never had any probles with this fork untill last year. I beat the hell out of it and it still gave me plenty of travel. After three years the forks can only take so much.Weaknesses: NoneBottom Line: Like I said, I worked the forks for over three years and they were great. I have been riding single track for a long time and never used any shox untill I got the gary fisher and what a huge door it opened. Great shox for the money.
Favorite Trail: huston woods
Duration Product Used: More than 3 years
Purchased At: Some dude
Similar Products Used: I never had to buy any other shox untill now.
Bike Setup: Stock Gary Fisher Supercalibar. Only the best!
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Jerome Naleski
a Cross Country Rider
from flagstaff az usaDate Reviewed: September 4, 2001
Strengths: beautiful lines, strong brake arch, lasting quality, toughest thing on my bike.Weaknesses: noneBottom Line: one tough ass fork. In first month of the the forks life I was rear ended and bike was on the trunk, the bike on the outside of the rack was dented and so was the trunk, the fork on my bike between the two was tough enough not to be even scratched. This fork still treats me very well and lets me ride with the best of them. I plan on having it FOREVER.
Favorite Trail: sunset
Duration Product Used: More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$300.00
Purchased At: from a bike cop
Similar Products Used: none
Bike Setup: 8 tube carbon fiber univega, nice xc, now it is a sweet single speed.
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Erik
a Cross Country Rider
from San DiegoDate Reviewed: July 24, 2001
Strengths: Plush travel, short fork brace compatible with the Manitou 2 and 4 (in case you bought an aftermarket brace).Bottom Line: This was a great fork at the time, and would be a fine addition to any retro-bike or first mtb for someone. The 3 used the short bumpers (following the hot tip developed for the 1) but offered more travel and adjustability than the 2's did. This fork was a better deal than the 4 that followed it.
If you've still got one, just remember to polish the bumper skewer to a mirror finish, run the little boots to keep the seals clean and keep lithium grease far, far away from the elastomers.
Favorite Trail: John Bull
Duration Product Used: 2 Years
Purchased At: San Diego Cyclery
Similar Products Used: RS-1, Manitou 1,2,5
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Mike
a Weekend Warrior
from San DiegoDate Reviewed: May 21, 2001
Strengths: Well-built, great looks, easy maintenance, simple yet effective suspension for the small to mid-size bumps.
Weaknesses: Lack of dampening in stock form, not great for the big hits
(but not designed for that).Bottom Line: For its day, this was an awesome fork! It has saved my butt many a time. It worked quite well on small & mid-sized hits. It was even better after I added an Englund
oil-dampening cartridge. I am still using it on my Bridgestone MB-1, primarily on the street now. I've never had a problem with it.
I replaced a Manitou 1 with the 3. It was a big improvement, being able to change elastomers on a skewer,
instead of taking the whole damn fork apart on the 1 (otherwise I thought the Manitou 1 was great for such a simple design. It was just a pain to work on). It was much better than the original Rockshox I had before it!
I've now moved on to a sweet Manitou SX-R, but I still love the great looks and simplicity of the 3. In fact, for lighter or less demanding riders, this is still a great fork! My wife is using my old Manitou 1 & my daughter has a Manitou 4 I found for a great price. As you can see, I'm fond of these forks. Thanks for a lot of great rides Answer! I'm a Manitou Man for life!!
Duration Product Used: More than 3 years
Purchased At: Low-Fat Cycles in Temecula (sadly gone now)
Similar Products Used: Rockshox original & Judy SL, Manitou 1 (now on wife's bike), Manitou 4 (now on daughter's bike), Manitou Pro (on son's bike)
Bike Setup: Jamis Dakar w/Manitou SX-R (my main ride), Bridgestone MB-1
w/Manitou 3 with an Englund dampening cartridge (not air).
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Garrett
a Weekend Warrior
from ColumbusDate Reviewed: April 18, 2001
Strengths: I hav used this shock for about 7 years. It is extremely easy to maintain... just take it apart. All CNC, which is much cooler than one piece magnesium.Weaknesses: Hard to find parts for.Bottom Line: Wish they still made these. Maybe they will since retro seems to be popular. Not likely.
Favorite Trail: Caesar Creek
Duration Product Used: More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$300.00
Purchased At: Competitive Gear, Erie, PA
Similar Products Used: manitou magnum (crap), Marzocchi Z1
Bike Setup: 98 GT Avalanche. All 2000 LX components. Franken-bike.
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Steve
a Weekend Warrior
from Colorado Springs, CODate Reviewed: October 24, 2000
Strengths: light weight, super simple, no maintenanceBottom Line: This is a great fork. It is getting to be older these days, but it is still light and practically maintenance free. Since I am a heavy guy at just over 200lbs I set it up with a set of stiff elastomers when I first bought it and haven't touched it since. The thing is just about indestructible.
Duration Product Used: 2 Years
Bike Setup: Gary Fisher SuperCaliber
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
will busbee
a Cross Country Rider
from columbia S.C.Date Reviewed: September 2, 2000
Strengths: light weight, super simple, mucho styleWeaknesses: no dampeningBottom Line: these are quite possibly the best forks ever made, they can be completely rebuilt in less than 20 minutes, and they last, my mani 3's have less play in them after 5 years of riding than do many judy's new (and i am a fan of judy's)the key is just maintenance. i have them set for long travel, a whopping 2.5 inches! but i find it plenty for me, i've replaced the elastomers once and love the fork, it's fast, relatively smooth, and guaranteed to make it back home. Oh, i did have one problem. after a measly 4 1/2 years of abuse i did have to re-bond an end cap on one of the stanchion tubes, i bought an extra, but found my wal-mart bond ample strong.
Duration Product Used: More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$350.00
Similar Products Used: rock shocks mag 20, mag 21's
Bike Setup: stump m2
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Marcel
a Weekend Warrior
from Sacramento, CA, USADate Reviewed: July 4, 2000
Strengths: Low maintenance fork. Works very well for my needs.Bottom Line: Bought the fork when it first came out (can't remember when). Once I had the bumpers dialed in, it was perfect. I grease it periodically and that's it. No complaints whatsoever.
Duration Product Used: More than 3 years
Similar Products Used: Rock Shock Quadra
Bike Setup: GT w/ Magura Raceline hydraulic brakes, deore lx components, manitou 3 shock.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Galilao Tsu
a Cross-Country Rider
from AlbuquerqueDate Reviewed: September 23, 1999
Strengths:
For me it has been a no maintenance fork. I just ride it. I'm 5' 5 and 129 pounds. Apparently I put grease on the elastomers that was incompatible with the bumpers, which eventually softened into putty. Installed new bumpers and rides fine again.Weaknesses:
Nothing significant.Bottom Line: A good, reliable, and easy to maintain undamped fork.
Duration Product Used:
more than 3 years
Similar Products Used:
Manitou Mach 5 SX. Rock Shox Quadra 21R.
Bike Setup:
Kona Explosif, then transferred the Manitou3 to a Mongoose IBOC.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jack
a Cross-Country Rider
from Lou.Ky.Date Reviewed: March 16, 1999
Strengths:
Still works like new,it
on the same bumpers.My
weight is 250 and this
fork has proved itself
to me time and time
again.I have passed it
on to my wife`s bike.Weaknesses:
noneBottom Line: This fork was well worth the money,I spent in `94` on it because its still working very well today.I just put speed springs in it and now it works even better.Now my wife is using it.I replaced it with a new,Manitou EFC.
Favorite Trail:
Otter creek park blue diamond
Duration Product Used:
more than 3 years
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Reviews 1 - 11 (11 Reviews Total)
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