this fork has an uncanny ability to deal with a riders mistakes and still keep the front wheel connected to the dirt.
its travel is supple but still gives the wheel plenty of room for roots, rocks, and steps before bottoming out.

the rebound of the fork could be faster. i have been riding this fork for eleven years amazingly it has gotten better with age. however, the spyder does not spring up as fast as you may need it to when the trail gets hairy. in its defense though, throughout those eleven years i have experienced a bottom out less than ten times.

for the money you can't find a better deal on an entry level fork. it's light fork willing to tackle just about anything you throw at it. my spyder has improver with age, it's crazy. if you are searching for a used fork to get your latest bike project running, keep an eye out for the manitou spyder

Similar Products Used:

RS indy xc, RS judy tt and xc,

Fantastic for just bouncing around town, but also seems to make the transition from tarmac to trail relatively well in all but the nastiest down slopes :D Perfect for a light rider such as myself.

Can be a bit soft at times (but that maybe the pies I ate for lunch).

Not half bad as they were given to me with the bike.

well, i did something no one would have done. It blows up my warranties, but it worth it ( who cares anyways?)

HERE'S WHAT I DID..
I OPENED BOTH CAPS AND TOOK OUT THE MCU'S AND EMPTIED MY SHOX BY PUTTING THEM UPSIDE DOWN. I POURED SOME OF MY SHOCK LUBRICANTS MIXED WITH CHAIN LUBES . THEN, I PUT A NEW SPRING AND INSTALLED XXX SEAL THAT MY FRIEND HAD ON HIS JUDY TT.( CRAP) I LOCKED EVERYTHING BACK, AND, I HAVE A PLUSH, 3.5 INCH TRAVEL!!! I LOVE IT AND I OPENED THE BOTTOM AND INSTALLED REBOUND DAMPING TOO. I M GETTING A NEW SHOCK, BUT WHAT THE HECK! IT 'S FOR FUN YOU KNOW. TESTING YOURSELF.

NONE AFTER MY HOME-STYLE UPGRADE.. UM....... LONGER TRAVEL?

WORTH THE TRY, MY UP GRADE REALLY MADE MY SPYDER TO A JUDY XC!

sort of plush,(joking)

the caps, absorbs Nothing. rather get a syncros rigid forks.
compare to others, it's a crap bottomed it out in the shop when i bought it.

never buy it. i got it because it was on my good bike.(except the fork...) will get new psylo's on it. boxxers and shivers are too stiff for me. ( i weigh only 130 lbs!) better than RST craps though.

Similar Products Used:

rock shox boxxers, psylo sl, xc, bombers flighlight Z5,Z4,Z3,Z2,Z1, mazocchi shivers,

price-$300

Requires maintenance after 3 months

Decent price, nice, easy adjustability, but my covers on them have already come loose, and i believe they will need maintenance now since the shock doesn't go down half as far as my friends Rock Shox Indy C's and RST 281's even though my shocks are on as loose as they go....yet, i may be wrong since i am a beginner, so i'll give them the benefit of the doubt.....4 chili's it is!

simple design-"micro-lube"[saves U from having to uncrew pre-load caps]

?

I took 2 hours tinkering with it to get 3" travel. I used Marzocchi soft spring on left leg & bunches of elastomers on right."it's very firm now for jumping & DH--I modified it from DOUGALS.8m website..it helped..I like simple design forks W/O tpc & all that stuff that might leak..because they always do!Except Monster-T..I wish the Pre-load caps were metal, like on Marzocchi's..Plastic kinda sucks

Similar Products Used:

Marzocchi z-3 4"--Rockshocks indy xc -Manitiou Pro-C-Manitiou X-vert 99-4"[leaked slightly]"

tough, works suprisingly well

not exactly pro material

i use this fork for riding around college cause it works well and it's so cheap, like everything else on my bike, that i won't cry if the bike is stolen. i was actually suprised at the ability for this fork to absorb som rough stuff. i only use it on roads and sidewalks, but do some drops (2-3')and long stairways eyery day and the spyder hasn't bottomed out and in fact gives a very smooth ride

Sturdy,strong,handles and turns well,plush for 70mm.
Takes up the jumps,doesn't bottom out easily.

Could have nicer stanchions,better sealing and a bit more plush.Couldn't take a serious beating.

It works amazingly for the price.It can take a sound rip around and takes the edge off the hard hits.Sweet handling
and hey,its Manitou,one of the most reliable fork builders.

Similar Products Used:

Headshox Fatty.

You can bang this thing up well! It is durable, and great for entry level riders who are looking for their first shock. It looks good too, so u can brag to your friends about your new fork.

When you get into DH biking like me....you need more travel, Manitou 2000 carbons here I come.

I want a new fork!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Similar Products Used:

RST crap,Rock shock Jett, Sid SL at lowest travel.

-Price
-3.5" Travel
-Adjustable

-Adjustment cap comes off easily

I bought this fork because I was on a budget to get my new bike up and going. I have been impressed with it's performance so far. Stiff or soft, this fork can do it. The adjustment caps came off before I ever rode on the fork, but that's nothing a little glue can't fix. The adjustment caps don't do much either, you're better off replacing mcu's.

Similar Products Used:

RST 281, Indy C