Submitted by
NPL
a Cross Country Rider
from Tarrytown, NY Date Reviewed: August 29, 2009
Favorite Trail:
The one I'm on
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$250.00
Purchased At:
Ebay - new
Strengths:
Plush for an air fork (after the break-in period). Good adjustability. Light weight. Tracks well. Doesn't leak. Well made. You can find it for a song new on ebay.
Weaknesses:
None yet as long as Manitou stays in business.
Similar Products Used:
Rockshox, Marz
Bike Setup:
'97 Kona Cinder Cone
Bottom Line:
Really nice fork for the money!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
aldous
a Cross Country Rider
from Brooklyn, NY, USA Date Reviewed: July 30, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Blue Mountain
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$350.00
Purchased At:
eBay
Strengths:
Light, stiff, good-looking, plush, great seals
Weaknesses:
Variable lockout adjustment not so adjustable, slightly longer than normal break-in period.
Similar Products Used:
Ridden pretty much every fork out there
Bike Setup:
VooDoo Bokor frame, XTR cranks, cassette, shifters and derailleurs, Bontrager Valiant hoops, Chris King hubs & headset, Avid SD7 V-brakes (Old Skool, y'know), Thomson seatpots & stem, WTB saddle, Race Face Evolve XC flat bar, bar ends, XT pedals
Bottom Line:
Manitou hit a rough patch a few years ago with some dubious offerings, but I'm happy to say they're back. I loved the Manitou III I had on my old Kona Kula - stiff, low maintenance, bombproof. So I gave the R7 a try because it was one of the lightest forks out there, which matters to me because I love me some climbin'.
First, the fork looks amazing, the paint and overall finish are classy and subdued. But who cares about that (well, yeah, I do, actually...). Setup is easy, esp. with the Manitou shock pump (highly recommended whatever fork you're rocking), and the air spring pressure has held solid as a rock (unlike a lot of other air-sprung units) since the initial charge. Manitou says there's about a 20 hour break-in period, during which the fork feels a bit notchy, and that's about right; after that, though, it's plush as hell, soaking up really big hits with nary a wobble. Travel is super-deep on the 'softest' setting, not the full 100mm but then again what fork actually delivers full travel? Lockout for climbing is easily achieved by flipping a well-designed, easy to find knob on the right stanchion top. A Rock Shox Poplock-style remote lockout would be nice, but whatever. The oil seals have held up really well, even in the wet and grimy Northeast, with no leakage at all.
My only beef is that lockout/stiffness adjustment - the 'max plushness' setting works beautifully, the next stiffer setting indeed stiffens the ride, but between that and the five or so clicks to lockout I can't really tell the difference. This is no big thang, I love the gnarly stuff and can't really imagine fine tuning this fork on the fly anyhow. So no biggie. The R7 isn't quite so responsive on washboard-type bumps, either, but performance there is still serviceable. Overall the rebound is pretty amazing, and the adjustment works as it should. Stiffness is great - the fork is rock solid even on twisty descents, and if you have it set up right for your body weight it doesn't dive too much with heavy front breaking.
Bottom line: a plush, stiff, responsive, super light XC fork. I'm really happy with it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
kanfierce
a Cross Country Rider
from singapore Date Reviewed: July 29, 2009
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$350.00
Purchased At:
Tampines Famous Bike
Strengths:
colour pehpeh....sibay swee
jin "kin", balu 1.6 kilo nia
Weaknesses:
buay plush leh!
lanjiao air pressure ai pump kah sibay "teng"
Similar Products Used:
LockShok SID
Bike Setup:
VOODOO Djab
Bottom Line:
mai hiam buay pai
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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