Strengths: smooth, plush. Rebound dampening is great. great colour.Lockout is perfect.
Weaknesses: not a maintenence freeoutfit
Bottom Line:
Great fork. Very strong--awesome rebound dampening. But--to keep this baby working right you have to keep the oil level up and the springs lubed. I wish I could get my mits on another new one to keep in stock up. This fork has been raced and ridden hard on some very tough trails and keeps answering the bell. No oil or air leaks if you KEEP THE OIL LEVEL UP AND THE SHOCK LUBED!!!!!!!!!!!! Lockout is flawless.
Similar Products Used: Manitou skareb elite/rockshox sid
Bike Setup: Iron horse warrior disc/sun rhynolite rims/shimano lx drive train/Hayes mx1 disc brakes/maxis hard drive dual comp tires
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Submitted by
Zach O'Hare
a Cross Country Rider
from Monterey ,CA
Date Reviewed: June 13, 2005
Strengths: almost as light as sid,stiff(unlike the sid)PLUSH,PLUSH,PLUSH Did I tell you it was plush and smooth?Good seals,doesnt leak oil,doesnt leak air,looks really good(the photo at the top of the page IS NOT A MARS! )
Weaknesses: didnt come with stickers :) other than that lame excuse for a weakness,NONE
Bottom Line:
this is a hard find. You know why?NOBODY WANTS TO SELL THEIR MANITOU MARS SUPER!! Buy one if possible!! Its insanely plush,although it has a high preload,the lock out never fails the rebound adjustment is INCREIDBLLY awesome,an awesome XC fork,very light BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY IT IT IT IT!!!!!!!! Not a good DH fork
Strengths: Super plush. Super responsive Rebound damping Super light Stiffer than a RS SID
Weaknesses: Internal Compression Damping Adjustment???????? Owners manual could use somemore technical info (i.e. Air Preload suggested settings, internal compression damping details, maybe some exploded views of the forks internals like they used to in the past manuals)
Bottom Line:
I put this fork on because I wanted to try something new. I usually use SID's, which i might add are a little flexy, but have great tuneability. At first I didn't like the ultra plushness of the Mars Super, as I usually set the air spring on the SID to give a harder ride, but now I really like it. It took a couple of rides to dial in my rear shock to give a balanced feel between the front and the back, but once I got it......sweet riding pleasure!!! I'm kinda tempted to try this fork on my Hardtail. The rebound adjustment works awesome. I haven't tried adjusting the compression damping yet, but I will as I'm not used to blowing through most of my travel all at once. I would recommend this fork.
Similar Products Used: RS SID Race/SL/XC, Marzocchi Marathon SL,
Bike Setup: GF Sugar, Full XTR, Fox Float RC Rear shock
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Submitted by
Eric
a Weekend Warrior
from Tempe, Az
Date Reviewed: May 27, 2003
Strengths: Very light, responsive, excellent fork!
Weaknesses: Doesn't work with my Yakima roof rack!
Bottom Line:
Has anyone had problems getting this fork to attach to a yakima roof rack with the Q towers? The disk brake mounts are perfectly in the way. I had to turn my handlebars all the way around to mount the S.O.B. Other than that, though, the fork is terrific!
Strengths: light, stiff, plush, adjustable (what more is there?)
Weaknesses: none
Bottom Line:
wow! you need one of these. 3 inch forks don't get any better, though i haven't tried fox yet. very light, but still stiff (unlike the scary sid). so plush, and incredibly adjustable. air preload, responsive rebound adj, flawless lockout. mini-booties work great. expensive, but this is what you're paying for. get one.
Bike Setup: 2002 giant nrs air, full xtr, king, thompson, etc.
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Submitted by
Mike Semis
a Cross Country Rider
from Brno, Czech rep., Europe
Date Reviewed: April 25, 2003
Strengths: Still one of the lightest fork on the market,stiff enough even in rough trails, good looking, plush, reliable
Weaknesses: needs some maintenance
Bottom Line:
This fork is great. I use it in all weather conditions (muddy, rain, snow and frost) and it works - plush, stiff and reliable. Yes, it needs maintenance: 1.- Lube it with a grease once a 1600 km. 2.- to have lock out perfectly working, keep recommended oil level in right leg. 3.- It holds air preasure for weeks, but you must keep recommended oil level in left leg (when the air starts to leake, after cca 2 months of use, I just open air valve, put some oil in and thats it. It keeps air for another weeks. REALLY GREAT FORK
Bike Setup: Specialized S-works FSRxc 02´,Rolf Dolomite disc wheels, Shimano XT - disc brakes, front and rear derailleur, FSA Orbit Xtreme headset, Thomson Elite seatpost and stem, Time pedals
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Submitted by
jack rawlins
a Cross Country Rider
from chico
Date Reviewed: March 7, 2003
Bottom Line:
Just a word to answer those who complain about Manitou's workmanship. I've ridden my Super every other day for two years. It has never leaked oil, never needed air (!), never needed anything but routine maintenance, which for me means a trip to the LBS every year or so for an oil change. Take that, Rock Shox!
I can't imagine why the people below have had dificulties with the lockout. Mine didn't work when delivered until I raised the oil height to the specified level. I'm guessing they either have a low oil height or they didn't replace the o-ring seal when they raised checked it. I normally check the air level monthly out of habit but it has never lost an air to date. The internal tolorances seam to be a little tighter than the sids i've used. The mars seams to remain slop free while the sid's seam to develop play within a couple of months. The sids ride very well but the free play has always bothered me a little. Bottom line learn how to maintain a fork and you should have no problems. I highly recommend the mars supe.
Similar Products Used: sid/white bros SC 72UL/Headshock/Judy SL/Amp F3
Bike Setup: Gunnar Rockhound/Full xtr except American Classic Wheelset
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Submitted by
doubleB
a Cross Country Rider
from Blacksburg, Virginia ... USA
Date Reviewed: January 31, 2003
Strengths: Works good on the '01 Fuel 100. Has held its air now for almost a year.
Weaknesses: Lockout doesn't work (AGAIN!). Air leaked constantly on my HUGE California vacation back in '01, 4 days, 4 trails, 100+ miles, and 13,800' of elevation gain. Thank God I brought my HP pump along. I almost drove to the Answer shop while in Santa Cruz and raised holy hell, but I had to catch a flight home to Virginia.
Bottom Line:
Look I am not a hard core racer, just a year-round cross country rider and occasional XC racer with a penchant for gnarly, steep, sick downhills and really technical singletrack. We ride at night, we ride in the cold - we ride a lot.
This '01 Mars Air Super fork had to undergo a lot of LBS service before it finally held air with ANY consistency. Thank God the LBS guy knows what he is doing.
However - I've also had the lockout quit for the third time now. I won't bother with that anymore - I can ride w/out it. Once this fork is dead and down for the count I will be looking very closely at the Fox Forx line. The rear shock on my Fuel hasn't so much as whimpered in over 2 years.
From what I can tell Manitou has lost their desire to build the best forks in the industry. Their website SUCKS, their parts are not engineered to the same degree of quality and finish that over the years (4 Manitous since '94) I have come to expect.
They need to get over the canda$$ed crappy BLACK stickers I see all over the trails and fancy paint schemes and get back to building simple, durable, strong yet silky forks that make everyone else's look like second rate. I hope someone at Manitou reads this and gets a clue.
You guys USED to be the BEST, but I am definitely NOT seeing it anymore. I will give you props on ONE thing though, the Microlube system is money. It has kept the stanchions in pristine condition and I have never had stiction issues. Thus the two chilis instead of just one.
I wrote this review because I was asked to recommend a new fork to my buddy who is looking to replace a Rock Shox and I quickly realised that I couldn't recommend him to Manitou. How sad.
Weaknesses: works great for the first 50 miles...I had a 01' Mars Super, it sucked. LBS rebuilt it a times. Finally they sent it to Manitou. It got lost (great!) or so i thought.
They (LBS) replaced it with an 02' Mars Super (great) or so i thought. I had less than 80 miles on it and it started compressing slowly and rode like a rock. Sent it back...rode nice again i.e.for about the same amount of time :<(
I hate this fork...It is useless. It is now going back again. In the meantime i have borrowed my friends old sub-80mm SID and kicked butt (2nd place 1st Sport race).
I can't wait to get it back so i can dump it and get a decent fork!!!
Similar Products Used: I've ridden several SID equipped rides as well as longer travel Fox Forks.
Bike Setup: 01' Titus RacerX, all XTR, tubeless, all the good stuff.
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Submitted by
Brian Smith
a Racer
from Bellevue, WA, USA
Date Reviewed: January 4, 2003
Bottom Line:
I just ordered it and I don't even have it yet! BUT FOR $180, FREE OVERNIGHT SHIPPING, AND NO SALES TAX, AND 3LB I CAN TELL YOU NOW I LOVE IT. This was just what I was looking for to replace a worn out RockShox Indy (97), which is also lightweight, but flexy, and not very durable. I am a top NORBA Expert, but I only weight 134lb. Still, with 3 years on it, it still took me to 2nd place in the Washington/Idaho/Montana regional series, Expert 30-40.
Submitted by
Bizario
a Cross Country Rider
from Rexford, MT
Date Reviewed: November 23, 2002
Strengths: Color, rides nice for about an hour.
Weaknesses: Workmanship.
Bottom Line:
You have heard the saying: Never buy a car built on a Monday or a Friday. I truely believe this fork was built just after the 4:20 break on a Friday. This fork has been a pain from the start. This fork came as OEM on my 02 Marin MVP & has been a problem from the start. For starters the rebound piston assy was laying ine the bottom of the Damping chamber & the fork wouldn't hold air for more than a day. After getting the OPC converted back to a TPC the fork was worked on for the air leak problem as well. I am still battling this problem & my bike has spent more time (Are you reading this Manitou?) at the LBS then my place. I have tried to get Manitou to take it bake for warranty but they keep puhing me off onto my LBS who is not happy with this situation. As of now it will haold air long enough for a short (2Hr) ride so I have to take my shock pump with me. Bottom line... DON'T BUY A MANITOU FORK!!!
Similar Products Used: all previous manitou top xc forks
Bike Setup: 8xtr, crossmax, easton carbon, control tech stem
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Submitted by
Mike Semis
a Cross Country Rider
from Brno, Czech rep., Europe
Date Reviewed: August 27, 2002
Strengths: one of the lightest fork on the market (real 1390g if ready to use), stiff enough even in rough terrain, good looking, plush
Weaknesses: can be smoother in small bumps
Bottom Line:
This fork is till now great. Looks good, design and quality of manufacturing is in the top. Before I ride it for the first time, I was afraid of 80 mm of travel. Sometimes I ride NO-Roads terrain, but this fork handle it without problems (suspension is progressive- more travel=more hardness). Riding this fork is plush, can´t hear any noises, can´t feel any play. When I compare my front and rear (Fox Float RL) suspension, rear seems to be more smooth in small bumps. I have some experience with coil forks whitch are generally smoother, but also heavier than air forks. It is up to us to decide what do you prefer. Totally plush "coil" (0.5 kg heavier) or little harder "air". However Mars Super is very, very smooth air fork. We will see. Later I write my other experience.
Bike Setup: Specialized S-works FSRxc M5, Rolf Dolomite Disc wheelset, Shimano XT -disc brakes, -cranks,-rear and front derailleurs, FSA headset, Time Atac pedals, Thomson stem and seatpost, Fizik saddle
Buy the fork if you can. It is everything i expected + more. It reacts to small chatter bumbs but will hold up to bigger things. THe air adjustment is easy to use, and the lock-out lever is small but still easy to use. I thought it was but JT did not so it is your preference. THE BEST FORK OUT THERE!
Any tips on pulling it apart and putting it together. Already downloaded the pdf from Manitou's site. Supposedly its not holding air (I think over a period of a day or two), and I Read More »
according to the manual, there should be a knob at the bottom of the right leg or the fork for rebound dampening. my fork has a very big allen type screw but no knob. do i just tur Read More »
I´ve got a 00 Mars Super with 2 problems. 1st : The anti bob is getting hard to turn, specially at high temperatures. 2nd: The fork is now leaking some oil through the bottom. A Read More »
has anyone out there replaced the spring in their mars for a stiffer version?
the reason i ask is because i just cant seem to get my mars stiff enough by adding more air. once i Read More »
I'm looking for the extra-firm ride kit for a Mars Super. Part # 85-9188.
My LBS's don't carry them. I have tried for the last few months to contact Manitou via e-mail and pho Read More »
