i broke the steer tube after ten months of intense use and MANITOU's warranty won't repair my fork for free !!! they wan't me to pay 104 euros , thanx a lot MANITOU i bought a state of the art fork and they won't deliver a proper warranty with it !!!! I used to think MANITOU was a great company , now not so much !!!!!!!!!!!
Bike Setup: 24 bike ( le toy 2 ) Formula B4 , Mavic 321 , pro taper , race face , XT ...
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Submitted by
Sean
a Weekend Warrior
from Ottawa, Canada
Date Reviewed: August 2, 2001
Strengths: Good looks, travel, plush
Weaknesses: price, tuning knobs
Bottom Line:
Good fork, but I find the adjustment knobs don't change the feel that much. And the one on the left has locked up on me - which is what happened on my Xvert Super last year and it ended up breaking off when we tried to free it up. I'm still waiting on the replacemenmt piece. The know is metal, yet the little piece it spins is plastic - so the plastic gives first. Maybe they should rethink that part.
The local shop owner put one on his bike too and it spooged oil all over his rotor with hardly any rides. upon taking it apart, the rod in the TPC stack wasn't completely smooth and it had worn his seals/bushings out after very little riding. The rod was actually ribbed! I hope this was a one off situation.
Bike Setup: Intense Uzzi SLX, Hayes, Mavic 321's, XT drivetrain, XTR cranks (2 x 9 gearing), flats
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Submitted by
Adam
a Weekend Warrior
from Los Angeles
Date Reviewed: June 5, 2001
Strengths: Stiff, super plush and no silly looking brake mounts
Weaknesses: stock internals a little too soft
Bottom Line:
This fork is super stiff and super plush. For the kind of jumping that I am trying to attempt the fork comes stock with mcu's and springs that are way to soft, causing me to bottom out alot. After putting a heavy spring kit in there the fork has been nothing but awesome.
Submitted by
Jack
a Cross Country Rider
from San Fran
Date Reviewed: March 5, 2001
Strengths: Nice and light, but at a cost. Looks nice too
Weaknesses: Keeps breaking. Flexes.
Bottom Line:
Ok, the fork is nice and plus, and pretty light. I like to do techie rides, and have a blast just railing down some trails. This fork is nice and plush, but man does it flex. I weigh 160 lbs. When I climb technical trails, that is where I notice it the most. When I am about to stop, turn and accelerate, my steering is off due to the flex. Never had this with my Marz or Stratos M5 (I love htis fork !!!) but hey, what compares to their forks. Downhill last year, at Downieville, the stupid bottom axel portion came off !!!! Cracked completely..Talk about close call. I noticed it before I did another run. Manitou takes forever to get the fork back to you too.
So, I am sticking with non-carbon stuff from now on. Oh, did I tell you it chips !!!! a few nice crashes, and its all chipped apart too. Kinda expensive for such a fork. Metal is the only way to go !!!
Strengths: Stiffness of 20mm axle and box crown design results in laser like steering precision.
Weaknesses: Not as tunable as a Zoke and 120mm is not 5 inches.
Bottom Line:
Everything a pro level single crown dual slalom fork should be, rigid and plush. The precise steering is most confidence inspiring and has taken my riding to another level. A wee bit hefty but not a liability.
I chose this fork based on rigidity of its true 20mm through axle vs. QR 20 available on Zokes. However I find myself second guessing my decission everytime I ride my Z-1 equipped bikes. The tuneability & action are not on par with a Zoke and I miss the extra travel when things get wild. But then again my non 20mm axle Z-1's feel like wet noodles when it comes down to relative rigidity issues.
Millenium and Supernova are excellent DS and jumping forks but for agressive trail riding I say go Z-1 ECC QR 20. Not as rigid but its a Zoke.
Strengths: Stiffest single crown out there, very smooth travel, easy to maintain
Weaknesses: 20.25" crown to axle is tall for a 120mm travel fork
Bottom Line:
Much stiffer and better feeling than the Z1 I rode for the past two years. I've been a big Marzocchi fan ever since I switched from my old X-Vert to the Z1 but I like the Millennium a lot better. Easily the best single crown fork i've ridden.
It's a tall fork, though. Something to consider if you're choosing between this and other 5" travel forks.
Price is high but you can find good deals on this or the Supernova if you look around.
Similar Products Used: '99 Marzocchi Z.1 BAM, Manitou X-Vert, White Bros. SC90
Bike Setup: Ventana La Bruja, mostly XT, XTR cranks, Hope BULB hubs and C2 brakes, Mavic F519 rims, IRC Kujos
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Submitted by
Synth
a Downhiller
from Redmond,WA,uSA
Date Reviewed: November 19, 2000
Strengths: Stiff, looks beautiful, Easy to rebuild, Can take lots of abuse.
Weaknesses: Little heavy, F*(K'n expensive
Bottom Line:
Well, I've abused this fork for 6mo. I haven't had any problems since I fixed the top cap. It's supper smooth and tracks excelently in the mud and on the tarmac. Buy the SuperNova for the Y2K1 fork. It's expensive but the fork has lasted 6mo, which is a hell'ofa long time conceringthe way I ride.
Strengths: extra stiff, relatively lite, butifully make. supply over small hits but sucks up 6 foot drops.
Weaknesses: no canti tabs, leaky tpc cap(manitou fixed it immedately with no hassle. a bit spend but worth it
Bottom Line:
I have a Nok 2.6 on front and commute on the bike. the for has sustained mass abuse and has had only that one problem. Manitou is releasing the supernova for 01 and it's the same as the millenium. I highly recomend the fork for dual salom or free riding or some one who just wants more travel. Any questions, e-mail me (i'm a pro mech)
Similar Products Used: 00 marzocchi z.1 cr, lots of other
Bike Setup: azonic ds1,dual set up hayes ( of course)
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Submitted by
Big Daddy Robb
a Downhiller
from Seven Springs, PA, USA
Date Reviewed: May 22, 2000
Strengths: Silly strong, bad ass lookin 1 of 2000 made
Weaknesses: very hard to find, expensive
Bottom Line:
Great fork. I love it. Number 0347 of 2000. Easy to adjust. TPC compression chamber works great. The best single crown fork I have ever owned. It pushes you to go faster and bigger. I highly reccomend. Not for the xc'er. Bobs when climbing, but what 5in plush fork doesn't. None, believe me i know. Well worth the climb for the level and downhill performance.
Similar Products Used: Marzocchi Z-1 QR 20, Z-1, X Vert Super
Bike Setup: custom freeride hartail frame, millenium, Azonic bars, Race Face Turbine DH cranks, Hayes Disc 8in f, 6 in rear, sun MODO wheelset, shimano XT, acerbis r derailler guard, DCD
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Submitted by
Brad Stanton
a Downhiller
from Kanata, Ont, Canada
Date Reviewed: April 19, 2000
Strengths: I was lucky enough to snag one of these about three weeks ago. Been riding only four or five times thus far this season. These forks take at least 20 hours to break in and if that is the case, I'm looking forward till then because right now this fork is performing amazingly. By far the trickest piece of equipment I have ever owned... full adjustability, full Manitou race travel, and super stiff. Coming from a dual crown fork last year, it does not feel like I am sacrificing much stiffness. (no doubt the 321's help) This fork has lightened up my front end consideribly, allowing me to beef up my ride in other areas.(rims) Performs very well under braking... If you are the kind of rider who mainly enjoys freeriding, urban assaults and big drops, but loves downhilling the odd weekend too, this fork is the ideal. Only 2000 made, but my guess is this will be a full-production fork in the future. (It's too phat)
Weaknesses: Everybody is constantly asking you about the fork... Oh ya, it costs a bit of money.
Bottom Line:
Bottom-line- For the first time, you can get all the advantages of a single crown with the travel and stiffness of a high-performance DH fork.
Strengths: Exellent big and small hit capability, Baby XVERT CARBON! Need I say More.
Weaknesses: TPC+ works perfect, however I would like to see one change to the shim stack-wave washer speed sensetive stack. Answer designed the washers out of plastic because the fork is not a race fork like its big brother. If they were metal you could change them out thus providing a more responsive ride over stutter bumps. It seems to pack up on high speed bumps, which causes some feedback through the bars and grips.
Bottom Line:
If you can afford one, this is the best fork I have ridden to date in a single crown thru-axle design. And you can knock travel out of the fork for your DS ride!
Strengths: the most beautiful piece of art I have ever seen. SUPER PLUSH!!!!!! SUPER IN EVERY WAY EXCEPT THE PRIIIICE!!!!!!
Weaknesses: no such thing PRICE, but what do expect for something like that?
Bottom Line:
if I had ther cash I would buy this fork in less than a second, but until then, I can only dream of the endless hours of riding pleasure that I will get out of it. Anyone with half a brain and a deep pocket should buy this fork, well no thats not true, weight freaks and XC fold need not apply :)
what should i run up front? python, zmax millenium or a larsen TT? i got a tioga pyscho TT on the rear, i ride on loose dirt over hardpack, im 65kg and ride a hardtail doing just x Read More »
Does anyone know anywhere/anyone that has any spares for these left. I specifically need a new axle for them and a new set of crown/stantions would be good. I realise they are 6 Read More »
Hello,
Hope this is the right spot to post this question. If not, sorry.
This past weekend I "upgraded" my old beat up fork with a used one I got off Ebay. The steerer tube w Read More »
