Submitted by
Heriberto Mejia
a Weekend Warrior
from Mexico, D.F:
Date Reviewed: December 30, 2002
Strengths: Performace, long lasting and condenfice
Weaknesses: Leaking cartrige (after two years), MCU spring (upgrade in 1998), Preload knobs.
Bottom Line:
I buy this fork only because I see an add-on of Supergo in MBA, the MSRP is $345 so when i see in a local bike shop in $120 I'm run to buy it. I'm used by five years and I'm very happy whit it, but last month when I'm service I see that one upper leg have a snap, so I need replace. In five years I'm run XC and DH and the fork have a nice performace only in XC.
Similar Products Used: RS Judy SL 98; RST Mozo Pro 97; Marzocchi Z2, Z3 98-99. All on buddie bikes.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Matt
a Cross Country Rider
from Buffalo
Date Reviewed: April 26, 2001
Strengths: hasn't broke, does its thing, was ok a few years back, but old technology isnt better than new in this case. easy to tear apart. bushings still oe.
Weaknesses: have seen similar forks die, oil leaks when hung, stock springs no good for me
Bottom Line:
man oh man. now that ive just read a review i did over three years ago for this fork, i realize i really was on crack back then, but i guess it has helped to have worked in a couple bike shops. well, i rode the fork without oil in it for over a year because it continually leaked from the cartridge. turns out, that if you hang your bike from the ceiling, from the front wheel, you need to turn the damping adjuster in all the way, or else oil will begin to flow out of the fork and onto the floor. the fork itself has held up well otherwise, run without boots this whole time with oe bushings. however, i question the durability of the whole fs/sx line for that year. buddy had fs stroker, the fork felt like ass. another friend had an sx, and cracked the brake arch from the lowers, twice, and i saw an fs ti in the shop i worked at where holes were worn through the stanchions. the stock springs/mcus weren't right at all for me, switched to speed springs last year. mcu's would get hard in the winter, but with the springs its less noticeable then a judy from the same era. plus, now that ive torn apart my sid, it is a whole heck of a lot easier the tear apart this old manitou. but, all in all, the fork is ok. i like my sid, can set it up however i like easily but we'll see about that fork in three years. my manitou is still on my beater bike, and it works, so to those of you who still have the old manitous, ill be honest, its an ok fork.
Similar Products Used: only other fork i've owned is '00 sid 100, but have used various others
Bike Setup: '97 gt zaskar le, sid 100, mavic cross link, 8/9sp xtr group, thompson post, lp dh bar, azonic stem, michelin hot s, sdg saddle, s-works grips, d-ace cassette, primo platform pedals
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Tom Loonan
a Cross Country Rider
from Waterloo, IA, United States
Date Reviewed: February 21, 2000
Strengths: Super plush, especially after tweaking with the elastomers and oil. Alloy steer tube and crown arch add strength and lightness. Ease of greasing elastomers.
Weaknesses: Had mucho problems with leaking, until I changed oil. I realized that the top screw on the damping unit(the part name escapes me now) was totally unscrewed!! OK now. Would have preferred a color other than white. Cheap-o elastomer tuning knobs, anyone know where to get maybe some alloy ones?
Bottom Line:
I've recommended this fork to several friends, however, they haven't 'seen the light' yet, their losses. I see no reason to replace this fork, I'll thrash it until she don't work no more, then rebuild it.
Strengths: Great damping adjustment VERY easy to rebuild Looks great Not a Rock Shox
Weaknesses: Maybe slightly heavy Leaks (read below)
Bottom Line:
From a letter in September....I bought a Judy XL for my Y
Well, after 260 miles on the XL, the damper had no oil left. Rock Shox great customer service screwed up like usual. Luckily I had rebuilt the FS back in June and it was already for some action. I brought it to school hoping to sell and it and fortunately I didnt. The FS went back on the Y. With an inch less travel, I likes it better for the riding I do. Trials, Jumping, Trails, and drop offs. All on one bike. The Trials thing is tough with a 4" travel for, so the FS was much better with that. The FS actually has decent damping, unlike the Rock Shos, so that was a major plus with drop offs. The fork is always leaking oil, so I ordered a high pressure seal kit from Manitou (Answer). The use double lip rubber seals! Wow! The original ones have single PLASTIC lips that dont seal a damn thing.
Now I have ordered a 2000 X-Vert DC with 120 mm of travel for the Y. They are out of stock till February, but I cant wait to ride it. There is a 6.5 foot drop that Im waiting to do. I know that fork will smoke my Judy XL. DOnt buy Rock Shox.
I have used this fork for 2 years. Initially I had some leakage problems for which, Answer was extremely responsive. If you own this fork, lube it every 10 hours or so. This only takes 15 minutes. And, change the fluid every 25-30 hours. If you do this, the fork should work extremely well. Changing the fluid in the damping chamber should take less than 30 minutes and will pay off for you long term. I have to say that the staff at Answer has been extremely accommodating and helpful.
Similar Products Used: Sid SL Ti Superfly Sx Carbon Sc72ul
Bike Setup: Trek 970 HT Spooky Darkside HT
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
john b
a Cross-Country Rider
from golden, co
Date Reviewed: October 15, 1999
Strengths: nice ride. easy to adjust. great price.
Weaknesses: the brake arch broke at about 15 months. looking at some of the other reviews, this seems to be common. could have had brutal consequences but someone was looking out for me.
Bottom Line:
for about a year this was a really cool fork then it broke. i ended up buying another manitou because i really, really liked the sx-r and i think they fixed the weak magnesium brake arch problem. let's hope so.
This fork was working great for terrorizingthe campus until I started getting major top out smack. Obviously there was no oil in the damper and it was rebounding too hard. Manitou recommends no more than 10 weight oil, so I put 20 and the damping rate went way up. It felt sweet! Going off 6 foot drops were harsh, but VERY well damped and controlled. I put Speed Springs in it and it got a lot better. Especially in the winter. I just ordered a Judy XL to replace this fork. After hiting a stair in a messed up jumping attempt, It started making a popping sound when I hit the brakes or a bump. After investigating, it appears to be the pressed joint between the steerer tube and crown. $70 for a new crown or $200 for a BRAND NEW Judy XL...Anyone wanna buy an FS?
Submitted by
Xandi
a Downhiller
from Vic Australia
Date Reviewed: September 7, 1999
Strengths: Marketing (so Fools like us by them.)
Weaknesses: Magnesium legs snap easy continious oilleaks terrible customerservice in Oz.
Bottom Line:
IF YOU VALUE YOUR FACE DO NOT USE THIS FORK IN DOWNHILL CONDITIONS.Within 1 week of purchase I had my first oilleak,within 2Weeks the magnesium forklegs broke the first time.The 2 month after that, I cracked 3 simular FS forks in the same spot(magnesium brakearches)So if you owe a FS I would check the brakearches for cracks before every ride.(the same goes for Mach forks). Overall the only positive thing was the help I got from Manitou in the U.S.A.(the guys in Australia could not have cared less). It is good to see they redesigned the forklegs in the models following the FS series.
Similar Products Used: Rock Shock Judy DH Marzzocci Z1
Bike Setup: DBR,Trek
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
ben florie
a Cross-Country Rider
from reisterstown, maryland
Date Reviewed: July 8, 1999
Strengths: cheap
Weaknesses: heavy, stiff, unreliable
Bottom Line:
i bought mine for $120 last winter. i used it for a month, went to tear it down(being careful to only undo the 8mm, not the damping adjuster), and it spilled 3oz. of shock oil on my shop floor. theelastomers harden quickly, and the springs are too short. mine sucks in dirt, and the boot won't stretch over the seal. i have a stiff fork with no damping now.
Bought from colorado cycle for 109.didn't like it at first, to stiff, damping adjustment was unusable.Being a tinkerer, i took it to the shop and started to play.changed the elastomers to soft ones and lubed them with judy butter.replaced the oil in the damper with finnish line 2-1/2 weight.what a difference.now it soaks up the small baby's head rocks and roots of the new england forests like they weren't even there. the action is very progressive,and i rarely bottom it out ,even though i weigh 195. next month it will be two years old and outside of routine maintenance it has been flawless. this fork rocks. i wish they made a rear shock to replace that piece of crap rs deluxe. 5 chillies no doubt.
Submitted by
Owen
a Weekend Warrior
from western massachusetts
Date Reviewed: April 23, 1999
Strengths: very plush, smooth, and a great value
Weaknesses: the bolt on the preload leg is weak! i broke it off!
Bottom Line:
this is a great fork for the price -- and the answer people were great at helping me with the broken bolt, this fork is also very easily servicable saving tons of $ in bike shop fees :) - 5 chillies for performance minus one for the broken bolt (and the injuries that it entailed) = 4 flamin' chillies
Bike Setup: i just got a stumpey and theyre a great combo
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
BIG T
a Cross-Country Rider
from Wash. D.C.
Date Reviewed: April 20, 1999
Strengths: The fork is stiff in the cornering, and it sucks the bumps up nicely (Speed Springs help)
Weaknesses: I will let you know when I find one
Bottom Line:
I've heard some horror stories about these forks breaking at the crown, but I've had no trouble so far. I think you would have a hard time finding a guy my size that rides as aggressive as my partners and I do. So stop trying to scare BIG T
