Strengths: This fork has been the most reliable piece of bike componentry I have ever had the joy to ride on. 4yrs, 10K+ on this air fork, and besides a once-a-yr take apart and clean, it has only had one leaking oil seal replaced a couple of yrs. ago, and that is IT!! It has never leaked a lb of air, the Lockout has always worked, rebound damping has also always been effective, compression damping is internally adjustable, it is super light, relatively stiff (if on an xc bike) and HAS NOT BROKEN...
Weaknesses: Seals are not Marz. quality, I ran lizard skins on em for the entire time, and it has helped alot I think in keeping this fork working...We don't ride in wet conditions here much so keep that in mind..
Bottom Line:
I have broken every frame and fork that I have ever owned in the past 15 yrs. Considering this fact, it has suprised me considering it is just over 3 lbs., I am 200lbs+, and it has over 10K on it. The reason is, I believe is for the following reasons..1.) This purchase was a Supergo closeout of Mars air forks destined for Europe. Maybe I just hit on a better batch of forks? Hmmmm... 2.) Lizard Skin protective boots....3.) I don't abuse my stuff...4.) Regularly maintained and cleaned it. And 5.) I don't do the geek freerider jump-off-of- buildings thing...
Strengths: ajustable, soft feel, great for small bumps and obsicals
Weaknesses: shock tubes not covered, almost to soft
Bottom Line:
great for light trail rideing. not good for riding when wet, it gets sticky and I have heard of it locking, but it has never fully locked on me. it is great for ajustability, and it has always worked for me.
Submitted by
Orlando Rodríguez
a Cross Country Rider
from Bogotá, Colombia
Date Reviewed: February 25, 2003
Strengths: lightweight Tuneability
Weaknesses: all, well, except its paint
Bottom Line:
This is NOT a good fork at all, it is flexes a lot, when you try to descend stairways all you can think of is when will it finally snap. If you ride in wet/mudy situations the fork just won´t work. However if you will use it very lightly it might, just might, work. Ahh, almost forgot, those decals came out after a couple of rides
Strengths: Great action, very smooth and adjustable. Very light
Weaknesses: Very unreliable. you simply can not get in the mud with it or she'll lock up on ya.
Bottom Line:
Well, I hate to say it but Manitou dropped the ball on this one big time and so did Gary Fisher for putting the thing ont the Sugar. The Sugar rocks, the fork sucks. It locked up on my during the 24-hour race, but luckily we had a mechanic on duty to fix it pronto. DO NOT BUY THIS FORK. i love how plush it is, but after a bit of rain you're screwed.
Submitted by
Craig Jackson
a Cross Country Rider
from New Zealand
Date Reviewed: July 4, 2002
Strengths: Light & responsive (initially - see below)
Weaknesses: Unreliable!!
Bottom Line:
As you can see from other reviews, these forks are not designed for a long life. Mine have been rebuilt twice now after seizing up (1st time 1.5yrs after purchase)and have now locked out a third time. I have been told by the bike shop that the anodizing on the shafts has worn away so the seals can't seal anymore, water gets in and now the forks are useless.
Bike Setup: Marin Juniper Trail (forks came with bike)
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
oli snowball
a Cross Country Rider
from newbury,berks,england
Date Reviewed: June 9, 2002
Strengths: Light v.adjustable and easy to service, when they work they are excellent!
Weaknesses: They don't work anymore! flex, they lockout!
Bottom Line:
I was chuffed to see these forks going for such a good price (200 pounds) and so after some some consideration i bought them. What a mistake!! I started racing last year and decided i had to get some light forks, I had never bought/owned manitou forks before and was simply going on what i had heared and their reputation. When they arrived the first thing i noticed was the weight...very good, i was sure i had made the right decision and fitted them the same day. After the the first month of trouble free riding the problems began... I noticed that i was no longer getting full travel from them, so i decided they must need servicing and the bushings cleaning. I was amazed at how easy they were to service and clean up. The problem had gone..at least for a few rides, then disaster struck. They just locked out completely. After another service they were ok again and.....you guessed it, it has been like this for the past 5 months. I have been working in bike shops to 3 years and have never seen anything like it, neither have any of my colleges who have worked with bikes for donkeys years! Well i am going to cut my losses and get some new forks, maybe some marzocchi marathon s.....so will some one hurry up and review some!!
Similar Products Used: I work in a bike shop so i get to try/service a lot of forks
Bike Setup: Raleigh RSP 150 frame,raceface cranks n BB, mavic, Easton, Time pedals, XT.....etc
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
vincenzo
a Cross Country Rider
from salerno italy(near amalfi coast)
Date Reviewed: April 18, 2002
Strengths: Weight,look,TPC works fine.
Weaknesses: Incredibly flexy(terrifying),sticky action(high breakaway treshold),terrible bottom-out if you try to set it plush enough,unsafe feeling(notice the stereer tube press-fit plug they were forced to adopt as a "safety" recall),bothering lubrication routine required(microlube).Costly,also.
Bottom Line:
I've never felt comfortable with this fork right from the start:the flexing under braking was unbelievable,i really was able to see the wheel axle shifting backward under the bars-maybe this was enhanced by the power of the HAYES,but i'm really asking myself how they believe a fork acting like that to be safe,and disc brake compatible,too.Apart from this,the flexing was also noticeable-even if to a lesser degree-in every situation on the trail,giving the bike a nervous,unsafe and uncomfortable feeling-talking about pure performance ,the small hits sensivity was really poor,showing a high start-up treshold(maybe typical of an air spring,but the FOX on the rear,to say,is an air shock and it's much plusher)and if i tried to run lower pressure to minimaze this,i got a wild bottoming on steep downhills.I realize it is a ligthweight,good looking fork,and the TPC is really effective,but the strenghts of this fork end up here-i simply believe this fork to be unmatched to real mountain biking,but this is of course a personal opinion-maybe x-country addicted in search of a light,stiff damping response fork will love it-but this was the first thing i've changed on the bike,as i use it for trailriding instead of xc racing.Anyway local racers seem to love it,but i don't know if xc racing has so much to do with real mountain biking.I've tested the 2001 version and i have to say they improved a lot:the 2001 is stiffer ,more solid and much smoother but the gap with the bomber is still wide,and let's consider the price,too.
Similar Products Used: MARZOCCHI mxr coil 80-an absolute top performing fork,the bomber series being in my opinion the benchmark of serious mtb forks.
Bike Setup: FSR XC comp disc 2000,MARZOCCHI mxr coil 80(the MARS was stock),MRP X-link,RITCHEY risers,DEORE octalink cranks,545 pedals,HAYES hydraulics (stock).
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Mikko
a Cross Country Rider
from Helsinki Finland
Date Reviewed: March 28, 2002
Strengths: Light weight and super adjustable dampening. Right travel length for a Cross Country race bike. Good price for weight and features
Weaknesses: I have owned a several forks now and this is possibly the most unreliable fork I have ever ridden. I simply couldn't reccomend this to anyone. My fork has spent so much time being serviced it isn't funny anymore and I am looking for a new fork after only 3 months of riding it.When applying the front brake while riding you can see an inch or so movement out of the front axle. Never take this fork out in anything but totally dry weather. After having used my fork only once in some rough wet conditions it has to be sent away for a service and I don't see it for two weeks. It is now down to less than 70mm travel. Bushings blew up after 3 months of riding it! Stay clear of this fork or stick with your rigids. Less trouble. And it is weights much more than claimed 3.0 lbs !
Weaknesses: Flex, No fork boots, Sticker peel off easily
Bottom Line:
If used for XC racing its good. If used for semi-aggressive trail riding, performance falls short. If you jump or do drop offs you will probably kill it. I weight 168 lbs. and use it just for XC races. I use the X-vert for trail and fun rides. This fork is a nice alternative to the SID. Its easy to tune. Its not very stout but the SID is flexy also.
Weaknesses: Leaked air before warranty. LEAVE THE BOOTS ON!
Bottom Line:
Worked good but got sick of putting air in every other week so i sent it in for warranty before the year was up. It came back with fork boots but there were none originally. I figured I could cut 'em off to save a few grams. Sand got in there and messes with the piston and caused stiction. After I overhauled it and filed the abrasions down it works good again. I still need to put boots back on though. Fuction before weight is an expensive lesson.
Strengths: they are light and look nice good adjustment
Weaknesses: they break easy I mean the nob on bottom of the right fork leg broke on mine twice
Bottom Line:
They are a light fork but the nob broke on me twice and manitou fixed it free but the time they took was the problem. It is a good fork for the money and $199.99 is a good price.
Similar Products Used: marzochie z2 x-fly, rst XMO, rock shox sid and judy xc.
Bike Setup: Brodie alpha with Xt front and rear, and Xt hubs and X517 mavic rims
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Matt Hancock
a Cross Country Rider
from Auckland
Date Reviewed: September 25, 2001
Strengths: Lightweight, easy to tune.
Weaknesses: flexy, maintenance, servicing in New Zealand
Bottom Line:
As a budget alternative to SID dual airs I think these forks are great. You need to keep an eye on fork oil level and make sure there is a tablespoon of oil in the LH leg (above the air spring) or they will get soft. They are a little flexy but they're for XC use and its a trade-off. I have had excellent service from Answer/Manitou in the US, which makes up for the lack of service in NZ. The rebound adjuster knobs break but should be replaced free of charge.
Weaknesses: Slight knocking when hitting 1-2" bumps in road or sharp rocks on trails(check below)
Bottom Line:
Overall a great shock,I had a knock problem(see above),and was going nuts,breakdown,cleaning,breakdown,cleaning Then I called Manitou,they said that it sounded like the seal might have dried out some,Live in NM.,and to try a small amount of shock oil in the air chamber,IF this didn't work to call them back and they would take care of it, WELL IT WORKED,no more knocking no more pulling my hair out THE FOLKS AT MANITOU are GREAT,when they had the recall,I called them and received the alum.plug within 24 hrs.Bottom line GREAT FORK,GREAT COMPANY that stands behind their product and all us MT.BIKERS.
Strengths: Microlube grease ports, disk brake compatable, smooth action.
Weaknesses: Factory safety recall, flimsy when using disk brakes.
Bottom Line:
When using disk brakes the torsional flex is a little scary. Best if used with traditional rim brakes. The action of the fork and adjustability is great, but I think the safety recall "quick fix" of forcing a aluminum piece into the steerer tube is unsettling. I don't even want to ride the fork hard anymore. Anyone want to buy it?
Similar Products Used: JUDY SL, XL, C Long Travel.
Bike Setup: Seven Cycles wXT/XTR/Raceface gruppo.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Crazy Chris
a Cross Country Rider
from Arleta, Ca. USA
Date Reviewed: September 8, 2001
Strengths: Light weight, disc brake compatible, comfortable ride, cool black color, new red inserts in the steerer tubes
Weaknesses: no pump for the oil, Adjuster knob on top turns but i don't notice any difference,
Bottom Line:
I've haven't been riding this shock long enough to know the good and bad yet but I notice a major improvement over the original Rock Shox C it came with which was basicly crap. I purchased it at Wheel World where I heard they were a great bike shop (someone lied). I asked for the top tube to be cut to the length of my orginal shock and they said no problem so i left it and came back an hour later and they never touched it. They didn't even remember me from an hour ago. I guess purchasing a $179 shock, $100 Hawg Camelback and $30 Crank Brothers Power Pump wasn't enough to keep their attention for more than an hour. If you want to upgrage from a stock shock then get the 2000 Manitou Mars.
Bike Setup: 1998 Schwinn Moab 3, Deore XT front/Deore LX rear, Kore Lite Stem, Race Face Air Alloy Riser, Avid 1.0 Brakes, Bontrager Super Stock Wheels and Hubs, Specialized Team Control/Team Master Tires
hey guys,
last year i sanded down the orange paint on my '00 manitou mars C. At the time, everyone told me it was a dumb idea, because its made of some sort of Mg alloy, b Read More »
hey guys,
i got caught in a random storm out in so cal, and it killed my fork. the mud got everywhere, (in the seals, it was really gross, the kind where it adds like 30 p Read More »
