Submitted by
geno
a Cross Country Rider
from houston
Date Reviewed: February 8, 2002
Strengths: rigidity, good dampening, durability, low maintinance
Weaknesses: weak fork brace
Bottom Line:
since I bought it and aftermy initial dissapointment ( broken brace) I have been so pleased. this poor fork has been beaten over small and large trails in all conditions. I am finaly retiring her for a lichter weight air dapened shock but i will most likely keep it as a back up.
Pretty good performance for about 6 weeks of intense off-road use. Then I lost the rebound adjuster assembly while riding. No problem, warranty: only did it take about 1 month to repair the fork at the Manitou service point. After their "excellent" service life was never the same. I was left with a f@ckin' expensive piece of crap which did not work the way it was supposed to. I owned this fork for about six months. During this period this fork was turned in for service for a total period of 15 weeks... and still they didn't get it right. Luckily I met an idiot who was desperate to get this fork and wanted to pay for it, so I sold that piece of crap. Ever since I am the happy owner of a Marzocchi Z2 Atom. This fork is a bit heavier but therefor a lot more reliable, easier to maintain/tune. And most of all Marzocchi spells service with a capital "S".
Weaknesses: Cracked the crown after a year, but Manitou replace with heavier but stronger crown, no problems since.
Bottom Line:
Wow! 4 years on this fork and I'm Clydesdale. Rode the bike daily for 3 years until I bought a new OCLV with a SID race. I still prefer the ride of the old alum Schwinn because the fork is so much better and still performs flawlessly. I can't really tell the difference with damping adjustment but who cares, JUST LEAVE IT AND RIDE IT! Kudos to Manitou! If you find a well cared for used one for sale cheap $50 or so, go for it, you won't be sorry.
Similar Products Used: Rock Shox JUDY's , SIDS, MARS CL
Bike Setup: Currently on 4 year old Homegrown set up as single speed
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Brently
a Cross Country Rider
from Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: December 19, 2000
Strengths: This fork aborbs the smallest to fairly large bumps on the trails. It is nice to adjust the rebound and dampening depending on the conditions you are riding in. It is semi- light for an oil dampened fork. And very easy to rebuild.I am really happy with my buy!
Weaknesses: The damper blew way to quick. I found that out when i was taking it apart to replace the stanchions/crown/steerer tube, becuase I grew and needed the steerer longer. It is really expensive to replace that assembly, because you cannot get a single piece due to it being pressed together. I also found that the adjuster nobs stuck on me, and wouldn't release very easily, but a shot Manitou Prep M fixed that!!!
Bottom Line:
Excellent fork for the money, but needed improvements on the damper!!!! Get a Manitou if you already haven't!!! Excellent forks!!!
Bike Setup: Devinci 1000 series, with XTR drivetrain, mavic cross ride wheelset, RaceFace - stem, low riser handlebars, real seal headset, and LP cranks. Ritchy Logic Comp clipless pedals.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
yong
a Cross Country Rider
from indianapolis
Date Reviewed: August 28, 2000
Strengths: Light weight, looks
Weaknesses: Stiction, high maintenence, poor seals, frozen adjustment knobs.
Bottom Line:
OK fork. It was cheap and has lasted me so far. I wouldn't say this is a plush fork at all. It doesn't work well on the smaller bumps, but takes medium ones well. I can't how I have to take this fork apart after every wet ride to relube. Also the damper leaks like a runny nose. I'm looking to get a XVert super, and hopefully Manitou has improved things a bit in the last three years.
Submitted by
B
a Cross Country Rider
from Palos Hills,IL
Date Reviewed: July 9, 2000
Strengths: Stiff. Good on bigger bumps. Light weight.
Weaknesses: Damper??
Bottom Line:
I thought the shock was great. A real deal @ $150 when Colorado had a blow-out sale. It preformed flawless until damper blew out after 2.5yrs and probably 1000miles which included everything from Moab to racing. Did the damper blowout too soon? Who knows. I still would buy another if it was available.
Bike Setup: cannondall M400 with xt+lx deralers mavic crossmax rims cannondall M400 xt lx deralers mavic crossmax wheels cool
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Submitted by
Brian Buell
a Cross Country Rider
from North Richland Hills, Tx.
Date Reviewed: June 3, 2000
Strengths: I bought it in '98 so I got it for $250 bucks.. it was a good deal.. considering I had an Indy C at the time.. it worked great for the first year or so, pretty strong, good color
this fork is stiff, even on the softest setting, for a heavier rider, or the rider who likes a stiffer fork. it has quite a bit of stiction. but I must say it is the best shock I have ever riden... but.. I also have only riden a p.o.s Quarda 5 and an Indy C... not saying much
Strengths: Came on bike, Matches the color of my bike.
Weaknesses: Crap! Rebuilt 4 times once at the factory (took 4 weeks), Plastic is for soda bottles not Bikes. When the fork compresses that shaft that the rebound ajust knob screws into shoots 6" out of the bottom of the fork (shop mechanic quote: "WOW! I've never seen that before!). Come to find out this was happening because it was all striped inside. Will never buy a answer shock again.
Bottom Line:
Sucks! I don't have time for stuff that doesn't work!! Ever hear of Quaility Control! You charge $500 bucks for these things, get it right.
Strengths: cheap, some pro is paid dough to ride one
Weaknesses: cheap, some pro is paid dough to ride one (wishes he was ona zokes) plastic sucks! I got shot in the mouth with one of those stupid plastic top caps on my mach 5proxc and i'm 145lb and the cap was all the way in! ugh!
Bottom Line:
buy a zokes! give it 2 flamin dog craps because it was ok and cheap, but minuse the rest because their customer service is sorry and they won't ship to the customer when their s#!@$ breaks! thier seals suck too.
it was great for the first two years. If you keep blowing seals take it to your local shop. The Spoke in Denver told me about an offer manitou had to redeem themselves on the 97 sx ti. Manitou sent me a 99 rst for $105.00. Normaly they have several to choose from, but since i sent mine in at the end of the season the rst is all they had left. I tried to handle it myself but Manitou told me I had to go through an authorized dealer. So check with your local shop!
Weaknesses: hefty by today's standards - if you care damper leaks
Bottom Line:
I've raced on this fork a while ago and I now use it on my beaterbike. After two years and almost no maintenance it has less stiction than my brandnew SID SL. It is a bunch stiffer than the SID. By today's standards it is heavy for racing but it is purrrrfect for beating around the bush.
I have a 97 Manitou sx ti I would like to rebuild for use on an older bike, but of course, parts are difficult to come by. The main issue is a leaker damper assmbly, and a chewed Read More »
