Submitted by
Jesse
a Cross Country Rider
from Caronport, Saskatchewan, Canada
Date Reviewed: September 22, 2004
Strengths: -Good travel. I've ridden it on some very rough terrain and I've never bottomed it out. -Good damping and wide range of adjusability -Light weight for a 105mm fork
Weaknesses: -74mm disc mounts -no lockout
Bottom Line:
Probobly the best fork I've used. I mainly do XC and a little bit of light dirt jumping, and this fork seems just right. I do wish it had a lockout though. Only four chillies overall for no lockout. I wonder if Manitou's new TPC lockout kit would work with it.
Similar Products Used: Rockshox Mag 21, RST 191CL, dept. store junk
Bike Setup: Schwinn Racer AL hardtail(not the lightest in the world, but I like it), Shimano XT componants, Rigida wheels(planning on upgrading to Mavic Crossrocs)
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Submitted by
Uncle_Mike
a Weekend Warrior
from Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: June 1, 2004
Strengths: Extremely dependable and low maintenance - hassle free. Original seals dispite harsh riding conditions.
Weaknesses: Plastic stanction caps and adjustment knobs - but hey, it's been >3 years and they're still on.
Bottom Line:
I originally reviewed this product over 2 years ago (see below) and it is still going strong. Today I finally picked up it's replacement (a 2004 Minute 3) and felt it appropriate to say a few words. At first I was skeptical to say the least. Marzocchi was all that I wanted. It is now on my third Tracer frame and other than annual cleaning, I've had to do nothing to it!! The grease zerts probably helped. This fork has endured several enduro's and 24 hours plus several thousand km's of trail riding with a 200 pounder on the bar. Basically my last review stands, with another two years' proven track record. Tonight it gets retired to my backup bike. I'm really hoping the Minute serves me as well. Way to go Manitou!
Bike Setup: 2003 Tracer, Manitou firm ride kit, Hayes Hydro, XT/XTR drive, Chris King, Raceface cranks, Time pedals, Thomson, tubeless...
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Submitted by
Moragn Misek
a
from Fitzwilliam, NH, USA
Date Reviewed: January 13, 2004
Strengths: awesome fork, super plush, adjustable
Weaknesses: 74mm disc mounts
Bottom Line:
this fork rocks, my cuz rode it XC and I was riding the SID for dual and freeriding, so we swapped. we both noticed a very good difference. If you can pick one of these up cheap for any of your bikes that could use a 4" fork this is def something to consider
Similar Products Used: Marzocchi DJ2, SID SL, Judy XC, RST381R
Bike Setup: 00' Giant Industries ACid slalom w/ truvativ cranks, hellbent risers, snafu pedals, singletrack rims, yeti ODI lock ons, oldschool 8spd drive train. custom built stem, King headset....
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Submitted by
A Fatman
a Cross Country Rider
from Feladafing
Date Reviewed: May 2, 2003
Strengths: Performance
Weaknesses: if you have a Marzocchi Race on your other bikes: perhaps those plastic knobs
Bottom Line:
As I am quite heavy /240lbs), I am quite dependent on a perfect fork (put a yellow hard ride kit in it). I still think the Manitou X-Vert super 2001 the best fork for real hard riding, beating the Marzocchis by a small margin. The Marzocchis suck up all kind of small pebbles, the Manitou does not. But when you go hard 'n fast, the Manitou keeps you a lot more stable. The dampening is still a bit better than Marzocchis'. Also, the geometry remains sharp even with 105 mm travel in a hardtail, since the fork goes down parrallel to the steerer (RS tend to a forward angle). If you are able to get one in mint condition, snatch it. It is the best fork for fast xc on hardtail or fully.
Strengths: Great allround fork, very predictable, doesn't bottom easy. works well at every inch of it's travel. Looks great without the shock-boots.
Weaknesses: without shock-boots it tends to suck-up dirt and water. I'm not saying the seals are bad, but it is remarkable that the dirt on your fork-legs does an entirely other movement than on a Marzocchi. Further it is a bit expensive.
Bottom Line:
Perfect fork but a bit I'm afraid to take the shock-boots off.
Similar Products Used: Manitou SX-E, Manitou X-vert (not the super)
Bike Setup: Azonic DS-1, Magura, Mavic 521, XT, DMR pedals and seat.
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Submitted by
AJ
a Weekend Warrior
from Ottawa, Canada
Date Reviewed: December 12, 2002
Strengths: Strong fork, 4 inches of travel, tps+ damping's great, STIFF, handling is still good, the micro lube ports add a good touch, these things can can take a good 6-7 foot drop with ease.
Weaknesses: Not muchThey don't perform too good when it's cold out, the travel gets reduced. Shock boots make it look ugly, along with some of the the corny stickers.
Bottom Line:
This is a great overall fork that can be used anywhere from XC to aggressive freeriding. These things are stiff and can take a good hit or drop. Cleared an 8 set to flat cement ground, and various dirt drops and jumps and I have yet to bottom them out. I cut off the shock boots. There is no real need for them, they have the same seals as a Marzocchi, plus they look nicer. If you're looking for an all-around great performance fork, check them out, They're a great buy!!
Bike Setup: 2002 Norco Katmandu, Manitou fork, various upgrades.
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Submitted by
Andreas Klauser
a Cross Country Rider
from Feldafing
Date Reviewed: July 1, 2002
Strengths: s.below
Weaknesses: s. below
Bottom Line:
Got a tip from Jeff (see review Manitou X-Vert super 2000), how to reduce the travel a bit. Now it has 85-90mm travel, yellow hard ride kit in it. The function is as before, no bottoming out as feared beforehand, coil characteristics just a little stiffer. But now its a xc fork that goes splendidly with a racy hard tail, edge sharp geometry now. How is it done? you disassemble the coil side, put in plastic washers (as Jeff did) or a small coil (I used two of those small coils from a Marzocchi Atom 80) on the top out bumper. Then you shorten one of the elastoes to match the reduction of travel brought about by the wahers/small coils. Then you put the fork together again. Works nicely.
Similar Products Used: Other Manitou Forks, Marzocchi Z-4.
Bike Setup: Strong Frame, Shimano and Avid stuff...
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Submitted by
AARON
a Weekend Warrior
from AVONDALE,AZ.
Date Reviewed: April 2, 2002
Strengths: GREAT DAMPING,GREAT ADJUSTIBILTY,LIGHT FOR A "LONG" TRAVEL FORK.
Weaknesses: AFTER THE FIRST YEAR THE TPC+ STARTED PUCKING OIL DOWN THE FORK LEG AND FROM UNDER THE BOOT.ANSWER FIXED IT UNDER WARRANTY AND I HAD IT BACK I THREE DAYS!! NO TROUBLE SINCE THEN.
Bottom Line:
GREAT RIDING 4" FORK WITH GREAT ADJUSTIBILITY.STIFF AND LIGHT,STRAIGHT STEERING.LITTLE SERVICING NEEDED TO KEEP GOING SMOOTH.MICRO PORTS FOR GREASE ARE A WELCOME TOUCH.THEY ARE ON SALE FOR UNDER $200 FROM JUST ABOUT ALL THE MAJOR MAILORDER HOUSES.IF YOU NEED A GREAT FORK THIS IS A HUGE BARGAIN AND A GREAT PERFORMER!!
Similar Products Used: ROCK SHOX JUDY THAT CAME AS OE.
Bike Setup: 97 GT-LTS-2,X-VERT SUPER,MAGURA HS-33'S,RACE FACE STUFF.
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Submitted by
Uncle Mike
a Weekend Warrior
from Ottawa, Canada
Date Reviewed: March 28, 2002
Strengths: Durable, maintenance free, light for a tough 105mm fork, good compromise between full XC and Trailbike/Freeride use.
Weaknesses: No complaints. If anything; I'd have to say lack of personality. It was just dependable, consistant and doesn't over emphasize any handling trait.
Bottom Line:
Picked up this fork in the box from a pro after a sponsership change. I threw it on the bike and started riding with only a preload adjustment. Rode it a lot over the entire season with practically no servicing other than occassionally cleaning the stanctions. Overhauled it recently and it was in perfect condition inside. (The Tracer was worn out by Summer's end.)
This fork has provided trouble free, predictable performance, and bailed me out of some sticky high speed situations. I highly recommend it if you're looking for more fun than a typical XC fork, but want to remain quicker than freeride offerings. Haven't tried the Black line, but would expect similiar performance.
Picked up a firm ride kit in order to adjust sag without excessive preload for this year. (200lbs).
Similar Products Used: Marzocchi Z2 Atom Bomb, Z1 QR20, Rock Shox Judy XC...
Bike Setup: 2000 Intense Tracer, XTR/XT, RaceFace, Chris King, Thomson, Mavic, XTR Brakes...
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Submitted by
Alan
a Weekend Warrior
from Birmingham
Date Reviewed: February 10, 2002
Strengths: This fork is great. I can't say enough about it. The definition of bang for the buck. The fork is very sturdy, but i only weigh around 145, so... It has more than enough tavel for me(no drops more than 3-4 feet. I am most impressed by how it handles successive small bumps. The faster I go, the smoother everything gets. It doesn't jump to the side, making handling great. The fork was great right out of the box, I had to do some adjusting of course but it is easy to dial it in for each ride in only seconds.
Weaknesses: none found yet. If you want to call one of the manitou stickers coming off a little go ahead.
Bottom Line:
5 FLAMIN LUMPS OF RAT CRAP!!! Anyone who wants a great shock that is on sale right now, by the way, that will take anything xc short of freeride, then this is the ticket for you. Unbelievably smooth travel and more than enough adjustment for me. I have yet to bottom it out, even pulling a 3.5 foot drop on the softest setting ( i weigh 145 or so) but this fork could do well for much bigger guys as well. It isn't a marizzochi so if you are 180+ give it a test ride first. No trouble with the dust caps like some other people mentioned. But overall a great fork.
Bike Setup: specialized rockhopper, xt rear der., x-vert super, avid ti levers and breaks, xt shifters, time atac composites, kore lite3 stem, ea 50 bar, flak jackets, and who can live without shorty barends?
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Submitted by
eric
a Weekend Warrior
from birmingham, al
Date Reviewed: December 11, 2001
Strengths: Low flex, reasonable weight, decent travel, TPC+ and all for $170!
Weaknesses: Plastic parts are kinda cheesy. Compression damping adjuster backed out to far and I had to disassemble it to get it started back in it's threaded housing, hasn't happened since.
Bottom Line:
This is a good fork at a great price if you can still find one. Damping action is very good and tuneability is fantastic. The adjusters for both compression and rebound have a wide range of settings. Weight is pretty reasonable at 3.7 lbs for a 4" fork. Also, I love the microlube ports, they should be required by law! I'm having more fun since I put this bad boy on and that's what it's all about! Downgraded the overall rating one chili for the plastic parts but for what I paid there's no complaints.
this has been my favorite fork for the past two seasons. for some reason, my '01 'super didn't have the stellar bushing durability that my '00 fork did, but i've remedied that with new bushings recently, so i'm stoked again. the only issue that remains is keeping on top of the fork boots. if they get a little dry inside, they bind against the stanctions, which is very noticable when riding.
overall, in '01, this was the best 4" fork, imho, and i'm bummed that the '02 black series loses the tpc+ damping. that secondary damper piston did make a difference, but apparently the "average consumer" didn't notice it enough for answer to continue producing it (it was much more expensive than the much simpler tpc compression valve).
Weaknesses: I'll let you know when I have a winter season on it.
Bottom Line:
I bought this fork used from a riding buddy who used it the last six months (he bought an X-Vert Air to save weight on his behomoth fully).
I have had it for about a month and it is like getting a whole new bike. Small bumps have disappeared completely, medium bumps are no problem, and big bumps are handled nicely. It's stiff too (30mm stanchions). If it keeps performing like this all year it will be awhile before I'm feeling the need for a new fork.
On a bike built for a 80mm fork like mine, it does require readjusting the seat and bars (had to remove all my stem spacers to bring the bars down lower), and does slow down the steering somewhat. The tradeoff is much, much higher speeds on descents.
Despite worries that the extra inch of travel would stifle my climbing somewhat, that has not proven to be the case. Climbing is still more my problem than the bike's.
Have put in the yellow coil/elasto stiff ride kit, which only Bike Discount had immediately available (took only two days from first contact to delivery). The Manitou is not as plush as the Marzocchis, but the control of the bike with active riding is simply tremendous, better still than with the Marzocchis. Marzocchi Atom 80 and Manitou X-Vert are so different in character, and both are excellent forks (the Marzocchi Atom 80 Race is in my Trek OCLV hardtail). The Atom 80 is flattening out every pebble even at low speed, the Manitou keeps the bike more stable when peddaling and going VERY fast. I was never happy with Rock Shox (for a heavy customer like me the dampening is not good enough).
