Submitted by
matty jeffry housing burgenberg
a Racer
from australia
Date Reviewed: December 20, 2006
Strengths: these forks are so good i love them...i hit a 20ft gap and the absorbed it all. the colour is awsome and the preload is justa s good as marzzochi's.
Weaknesses: nothing they rock my jocks
Bottom Line:
love em....hit most stuff on them and no trouble at all...good for all sized people.
Similar Products Used: only used an RST capa which is nothing compared to this one.
Bike Setup: Freerider
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Submitted by
TC
a Weekend Warrior
from Pasadena, CA
Date Reviewed: April 18, 2002
Strengths: Stiff and light, easy rebound and compression damping adjustment, cool looking black MRD crown
Weaknesses: unexplainable noise and stiction
Bottom Line:
The first day I bought this fork, I've noticed the sliding noise and stiction. I thought that'll be fine after brake-in period. But that never happen....-_-||. I've also tried all the bikes with the same fork. and NONE of them has that problem. They all fuction smoothly and plush. Then I took it to the bike shop, the tech had disambled and cleaned the whole fork. That didn't help. Then, I sent it to Manitou... that didn't help eigher. Then I sold it on Ebay... that helps me to buy a new Black fork. Conclusion is- this fork is great, but it's not for me
Similar Products Used: 97 RS Indy XC, 97 RS Judy DH, 98 Xvert-R, 98 M Jr-T & Z-1.
Bike Setup: 98 GT STS 1000
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Submitted by
tony
a Cross Country Rider
from san diego, ca
Date Reviewed: April 4, 2002
Strengths: Plush. Great damping. Light for a 4" fork. Inexpensive. Microlube ports make maintenance a snap.
Weaknesses: Flexy. Fork boots are useless.
Bottom Line:
This is a great fork and for the going price of $200 on closeout, it's a screaming deal to boot. Its only real drawback is the flex, but can be overlooked considering it's bump-eating performance. Both the X Fly and Psylo are stiffer, but the damping and quality of travel are tops w/the Manitou. I'm deducting 1 chile for the flex, but it's a great product.
Submitted by
Jeff
a Weekend Warrior
from Roanoke, VA
Date Reviewed: August 19, 2001
Strengths: Cheap, excellent dampening controls, very easy to maintain & modify, stiff.
Weaknesses: -Elastomers are garbage in the cold. -Orange took some getting used to.
Bottom Line:
I think this is an awesome fork. The dampening is the best. I think those that say the controls are ineffective are judging them by what the fork feels like pushing it up and down in the garage or shop. You've got to ride it to tell. 3 or 4 clicks of the compression knob won't make a noticable difference in your garage, but it makes a real difference on the trail.
Any idiot can break down this fork and do maintenance, and you don't even need to do that to lube it, due to the microlube ports. It's also very easy to modify in a number of ways. Messing with different springs and elastomers takes about 5 minutes if you are slow. Reducing the travel was also very easy, and does not intefere with the position sensitive compression dampening (which is a very effective system)
My only gripe is the elastomers in the cold weather The fork gets much stiffer.
Weaknesses: Could everyone please agree on the standard for disc brake mounts!!! If you're riding disc brakes you may need an adapter to convert from post mount to IS mount.
Bottom Line:
I bought this CHEAP when my SID 100 blew up and I needed a fork ASAP for a week of riding around the Winter Park, CO area. I didn't have the time or parts to rebuild the SID so based on some good comments and the cheap price I bought this orange... uh, beauty.
This is my first Manitou and I was unaware that Manitou uses a different disc caliper mount than Marzocchi and Rock Shox. (Manitou uses post mount or 74mm - everyone else uses International Standard (IS) mount or 51mm. As far as I know, Hayes is the only brake company to use post mount calipers as stock.)
So, I had to purchase an adapter to mount my Formula disc brakes - that process added a day and around $20.00 to the cost. I also needed to replace my front rotor as the position of my caliper changed and my old rotor was too small. Add another $50.00.
So, you would expect me to post a less than good review... No, the adapter / rotor issue was my own ignorance and most people are still running v-brakes anyway - which are not affected. Besides, even at $275.00 this fork is a good value. It's well made, super adjustable and it has broken in really well. I am totally pleased - I really like the extra stiffness compared to the SID's and I don't think I have sacrificed anything with regards to feel or plushness. Also, the bright orange color makes most motorists think they've encountered road construction cones and they get out of my way.... and when I get back in the woods the hunters know not to shoot at me.
I am going to finish out the season with this on my bike. Goodbye SID. If you're considering purchasing one of these for back /cross country use / light freeride - do it. Well worth the money.
Purchased At: pricepoint... where price is the point
Similar Products Used: Sid SL, Sid XC, Sid 100, Marzocchi Z-1 X.fly, various Judy's, Mags and Quadra's. This is my first Manitou
Bike Setup: Carbon fiber i-drive with lots of tasty bits.
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Submitted by
crypto tiger
from bay area
Date Reviewed: July 12, 2001
Strengths: Eats bumps nicely, travels great, not too bad on climbs
Weaknesses: Needs stronger spring, preload adjustments SUCK!, fork boots do not fit exactly right.
Bottom Line:
Great fork, but I prefer the air/spring combo of the MARS. For a coil shock, it's the best around. You definitely can't beat the travel (105mm) for an XC fork, but is also great for downhills. I haven't had any problems on any climbs. Like I said though, for a coil shock that comes stock on the Enduro Pro, you can't beat it.
Similar Products Used: MARS1, Judy XC long travel, Mag 21
Bike Setup: Enduro Pro
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Submitted by
Mark
a Weekend Warrior
from Littleton CO
Date Reviewed: June 27, 2001
Strengths: Stiff Stiff and Stiff,sucks up rocks ruts and drops like nobodies business
Weaknesses: dampening and preload adjments marginal
Bottom Line:
after putting 3 dampeners in my judy, rockshox suggested getting a new fork I DID This X-vert lets me go faster with out worrying about anything a strong stable flyer suitable for my size 6'0" 200.
Similar Products Used: Judy SL,old school manitou2
Bike Setup: Ibis Mojo full chris king and XTR light and fast
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Submitted by
MJ Rose
a Cross Country Rider
from Pleasanton, CA
Date Reviewed: April 24, 2001
Strengths: Lightweight, 105mm travel,plush, stiff, infinitely adjustable, easy to lube, looks great, disc mount
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
This is by far one of the best forks out there. Ive only owned a few in my bike riding life but ive ridden quite a few. I used to be jealous of my buddy's lefty fork. Not anymore! The x-vert rides like a dream, smooth travel, never bottoms out. This fork has saved my butt several times! $200 at pricepoint.com. A few years ago this wouldve been a heavy way expensive down hill fork. Get one you will not be dissappointed.
Similar Products Used: RST, MArzocchi, Manitou magnum
Bike Setup: FSR, with X-vert super. XTR, XT/Mavic 517, truvativ crankset, monkey lite bar
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Submitted by
Alex Taylor
a Weekend Warrior
from Sidney
Date Reviewed: April 22, 2001
Strengths: Awesome crown, cool colour, strong and easily adjustable, PLUSH!!!
Weaknesses: Annoying squeaking sound when compressing (this is just because of the air holes in the boots, not noticeable when riding)
Bottom Line:
This is an AWESOME FORK. The first thing I noticed about these forks is how plush they are - they're nice and soft, and consistently soft. While a lot of bombers are stiff on light rides, the X-Vert Super compresses on hard or light rides and hardly ever bottoms out. While they may not be great for huge drops/jumps they're perfect for most people.
Bike Setup: 2001 Kona Stuff w/ Mantiou X-Vert Supers, etc..
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Submitted by
Mark Pezold
a Weekend Warrior
from Norfolk, MA, USA
Date Reviewed: April 22, 2001
Strengths: Light enough for XC and still has 105mm of travel! Microlube, Looks great, can't break it, awesome dampening
Weaknesses: Tough on climbs, but who cares
Bottom Line:
This fork is amazing! The weight cannot be beat if you want a good amount of travel. For a while I couldn't decide whether to buy a SID XC, but that 80mm of air worried me. I definatly made the right choice. The price just can't be beat, if you look around on the internet you can find them for $250. I ride XC, but still love freeride ect, and this fork is the best compromise ever. Not only can you save money, but you can use it in so many situations. The dampening is the best around and the ease of microlube is so much better than any air fork! It never blows through its travel right away. This fork is for anyone who wants to save some money and still ride with one of the best forks on the market.
Bike Setup: Giant DS/2, completly tricked out from factory specs.
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Submitted by
Crazy Bit#$
a Weekend Warrior
from Upstate NY
Date Reviewed: March 27, 2001
Strengths: -Awesome damping+adjustability -Plush enough for serious huckin' -Light enough for XC -Microlube -Not too expensive -Best Manitou EVER!!
Weaknesses: -Needed heavier springs -Not as stiff as a Marzocchi
Bottom Line:
IT KICKS ASS!!! Best Manitou fork--except for maybe the '01 Supernova..
All it needed for serious hucking was heavier springs.It is light for a 4-in. stroke fork--light enough for XC as well.It easily survived a 6-FOOT DROP that snapped a Manitou SX like a toothpick!And they aren't too expensive(you can find them on the Internet for around $250)!So get one..get one right now..
Similar Products Used: Some Bomber and Rock Shock stuff.
Bike Setup: 00 Heckler, Binalla float with lockout in front, Race Face, Mavic X 183 wheels, LX, XT & XTr stuff.
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Submitted by
Preston Peterson
a Cross Country Rider
from Kirkland WA
Date Reviewed: February 23, 2001
Strengths: Excellent action and damping
Weaknesses: Clicking and travel
Bottom Line:
I love the action of this fork. Set it up with stiff spring kit. Spring rate rose too much and robbed travel so I went back to the medium bumpers with the high rate springs and it is perfect. Damping adjusters didn't seem to work and fell off, but I have it dialed in perfect so no worries.
BUT, anyone considering this fork should realize that it only gets 3.5" travel. I had all of the springs out of it and the absolute mechanical limit of movement for the fork was 3.5". I confirmed this a number of ways, and there is no way around it. I don't know why they lie. It rides awesome and is perfect for hardcore XC and it survived months of 4' drops off my huck platform, but the travel is down 1.5" from a Z1 and that is something to think about.