Marin Wolf Ridge, Pace RC40 fighter, RockShox Ario 2.1, XT dual control, XTR mechs, XTR brakes, Hone cranks
Bottom Line:
Fantastic first forks or for those on a budget, they take the big hits well, climb ok and are reasonably adjustable for the price. I gave these a beating and were still fine with no servicing when I sold them on
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
tengwar3
a Cross Country Rider
from Nashua NH Date Reviewed: April 22, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Yudicky Farms
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
Many adjustments with a great range to be very soft to reasonably stiff. Lockout is easy to use and adjustments to the spring tention are a snap.
Weaknesses:
Do not ride in any weather that is below 40 degrees Fahrenheit because it will freeze up.... and well, there goes your suspension. I have also just resently been having a few problem with it, and i have only had it for a season of riding.
Similar Products Used:
RockShock Judy
Bike Setup:
Garry Fisher Parahna 2007 stock, with Nashbar Race Saddle.
Bottom Line:
This fork can take what you punch at it.... granted your smooth, but isnt that how all forks are? I have done a 5 footer with this fork and i didnt bottom out, because of how do drops i always land on my rear rather than both at the same time. This has helped the fork survive in many cases. Its reverse arch is there for the extra stiffness that it so badly lacks. There also seems to be a lot of play between the stantions in the one i have as well (checked the hub/stear tub and they were not the problem).
The great thing about this fork is though its versatile. It has its weaknesses (more than most forks) but it has its strengths. Lots of adjustments with a wide range of stiffness. Lockout is easy to use, but i rarely have used it because i like to ride anything thats interesting... so thats a loss for me.
It is going to be the first thing that i up grade though, shooting for a tora or a reba right now. But if this came on your bike, ride it till it brakes, then upgrade it. Thats how it works till you got the bike you want.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Smurfje007
a Cross Country Rider
from Netherlands Date Reviewed: June 11, 2008
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$1000.00
Purchased At:
Stock on bike
Strengths:
A lock out. If it isn't broken it worked fine for me.
It can handle the weight of 87KG without problems.
Weaknesses:
Leaks pretty fast oil. After the first revision and 500KM further even harder then before. Manitou says: "Advice your local distributor". I would i'd never done that, because after the revision it leaks harder than ever before.
Similar Products Used:
A stock schock from Merida, Rockshox.
Bike Setup:
Cube frame, LX disc, shifters and gears. Sram9 chain.
Bottom Line:
Avoid this fork. If it's broken, buy another one. Do not aspect much support from the manufacturer.
Maybe some bad luck, but if a manufacturer doesn't take a problem seriously it says enough for me.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
kevin childs
a Cross Country Rider
from kalamazoo Date Reviewed: March 5, 2008
Favorite Trail:
fort custer
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$500.00
Purchased At:
breakaway bicycles
Strengths:
got the diva edition(07)works good for my riding nice and tight in the corners keeps me moving quick through the trees(at 140 lbs.)and still gives good kush on those big fast drops
Weaknesses:
after a year and a few hundred miles it's not bottoming or dropping out but has taken on the feel of a cheaper not so competent shock but still performs well for what i expect out of a shock
Similar Products Used:
rock shox indy xc,rc,cannondale head shock,marzocchi mz comp
Bike Setup:
oem on a 07 gary fisher marlin genisis
Bottom Line:
you can't find a better fork for the price in my opinion. they're better shocks out there no question. but if you're looking for a tight xc fork with lock out and weigh under 2bills this fork will easily fit your needs for at least 2 to 300 miles at price that won't hurt cha peace!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Bentley
a Weekend Warrior
from Bellevue, WA, USA Date Reviewed: April 28, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Philip Arnold park in renton
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
REI
Strengths:
I'm 14 and only weigh 110 pounds. i don't know much about forks but it is the only fork i've tried thats soft enough for me it absordes bumps and drops great.
Weaknesses:
none yet
Bike Setup:
07 Novara bonanza
Bottom Line:
perfect for anyone that doesn't wiegh much. I have a buddy whoes only 90 pounds, and as soon as he took a spin on my bike went out and bought his own Axel.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jasper
a Cross Country Rider
from Nijmegen, The Netherlands Date Reviewed: September 12, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Berg en Dal
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$150.00
Purchased At:
Kersten Wielersport
Strengths:
Sokes up every bump, long travel. Adjustable travel and rebound.
Weaknesses:
Not to stiff in combination with disc brakes, far to soft.
Similar Products Used:
Rock shox Judy and RST Gila
Bike Setup:
Home made hardtail with blank frame from the shop.
Bottom Line:
Not to expensive, nice value for the money. It hasn't let me down yet, although it's much to soft for me, I weigh about 75 kilos, 160-170pounds. I have magura Julies as brakes, the fork can't handle discs very well, it bends quite a lot when braking hard. Overall I'm satisfied. In a year or so I'm going to buy a new fork. Driving 2,5 years, 3 times a week for 13miles for just 150 bucks is not expensive.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jason Sanborn
a Cross Country Rider
from Saco Date Reviewed: September 7, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Polelines
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$175.00
Purchased At:
Gorham Bike and Ski
Strengths:
Sweet looking, nice lockout feature. Weight is decent.
Weaknesses:
A little mushy on the bottom end.
Bike Setup:
Gary Fisher Piranha.
Bottom Line:
Value plus fork. I beat the p@ss out of my bike, keeps on going. Forks have saved my shoulders and elbows from much abuse!! Bravo
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
michael lockhart
a Downhiller
from swindon Date Reviewed: April 21, 2006
Favorite Trail:
my living room
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$2690.00
Purchased At:
used
Strengths:
amazing amount of travel and good for huge(90ft) drop perfect for international downhill
Weaknesses:
nout
Similar Products Used:
super monster ts
Bike Setup:
intense m3 full chris king and axel fork
Bottom Line:
amazing for downhill and freeride i luv them soooooooooooo mutch
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
rob c
a Cross Country Rider
from grimsby Date Reviewed: March 22, 2006
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Strengths:
fairly cheap manitou customer service is excellent
Weaknesses:
very weak, flexible the stanchions corrode and pit easily, the postmount is a pain in the 4rse too soft the preload is either very soft of very hard nothing in between
Similar Products Used:
pace rc39s
Bike Setup:
specialized rockhopper
Bottom Line:
if youre going to ride on roads mainly then maybe this fork is for you, i ride alot in mud and the wet which has caused the seals and stantions to corrode i am now on my 3rd pair of the forks (manitou keep replacing them for me) and still gettin the same problem have upgraded to a better fork now :D no problems at all
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Andy Baxter
a Weekend Warrior
from Grimsby, U.K. Date Reviewed: January 6, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Dalby Forest (Red Route), N.Yorks., U.K.
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Purchased At:
Stif, Leeds, U.K. (Fitted to bike as std.)
Strengths:
Cheap, Adjustable, Look quite good (Reverse Arch), Not a lot else out there that's as good for money
Cheap & cheerful, not had any major probs, did the C2C(U.K.)150 miles, with no probs, soaks up almost anything I care to throw at them, but maybe I'm not trying hard enough!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ryan
a Cross Country Rider
from New Londen CT USA Date Reviewed: May 12, 2005
Favorite Trail:
all at bluff point
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$150.00
Purchased At:
wayfar bikes
Strengths:
good lock out, soft for amiture raming's, good flex, nice color.
Weaknesses:
this is not a reliable fork i am 14 and weigh about 130 and it some times stifens out when outher times it goes smouth not recomened for any drop off over 12 in. i am not that grate of a rider and can only ride some advanced singal track and it still is horible the first month it paformed ok but after the 2ed or 3erd it started giveing me a whole bunch of probles not worth bying at all suck a rip off
Similar Products Used:
none except my friends wall-mart spechil
Bottom Line:
its bad for all riders even in the amiture levil but i would recimend it for riders just starting out and going into cross contry cheep first buy
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mike Muller
a Cross Country Rider
from Simsbury, CT, USA Date Reviewed: March 20, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Alpach, Tirol, Austria
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$160.00
Purchased At:
Bicycle Cellar
Strengths:
Light weight, smooth riding, easy to adjust, great as a beginner's fork
Weaknesses:
Can't handle too many heavy landings
Similar Products Used:
Marzocchi All Mountain, Marzocchi Bomber, Marzocchi DJ III
Bike Setup:
Giant Rainier with Marzocchi Dirt Jumper III and Avid mechanical disc brakes.
Bottom Line:
If you are starting out, take it for the great price. Want something more durable, invest a bit more
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jason Brown
a Cross Country Rider
from Molalla, OR Date Reviewed: October 19, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Deer Skull, Rim Trail
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
Mountain View Cycles
Strengths:
Good Customer Service
Weaknesses:
Cheap as a $5 Hooker.
Similar Products Used:
Last Bike was a KHS in 98 with a front Manitou fork.
Bike Setup:
03 FSR Stumpjumper, pretty much stock w/ Avid Mechanical Disks.
Bottom Line:
I bought the bike about 3 months ago. I ride quite a bit of cross-country on singletrack. There are about 50 miles of trails less than 10 miles from my house, but most of it is technical singletrack with a lot of roots and rocks, no big drops to really speak of and lots o' hill to climb. The Axel Elite is a cheap fork to begin with. I weigh around 190 lbs and this is too much for the fork to handle. To begin with I cranked the compression real high and the fork handled pretty much anything I could throw at it. Then one day I packed in about 15 miles and noticed that I bottomed out at least 4 times. Putting the bike back in my truck, I noticed large amounts of oil coming from the lockout side of the fork and dripping all the way down to my front hub. I took the fork back to the bikeshop and they said they would tear it apart and get back with me. This was a nightmare waiting to happen. I did some research while I jonesed for some riding and found out that you have to pay to play. These Axels are crap if you ride more than 15 miles 2 to 3 times a week. So, the guy at the shop puts my fork together and tells me the lockout cartridge is blown but I can still use the fork, mistake #1. This is the reason for the oil leaking so badly. They did absolutely nothing. I call Manitou personally and they have great customer service, and send me the lockout cartridge and new seals for free. I decided to rebuild the fork myself, mistake #2. Bottom line the fork is still a piece of crap and I am looking at getting a Marzocchi fork.
Do not buy this fork unless you are lighter than the bike itself.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
dalle001
a Racer
from California Date Reviewed: August 26, 2004
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
Lock out.
Weaknesses:
Weight, way too soft.
Bottom Line:
Came on a Specialized Stumpjumper. The Axel is a POS. The preload is all or nothing. The fork bottoms out on any hit - made for someone who weighs sub-100 lbs. The beast weighs a ton. I feel for all those who get stuck with this fork because the manufacturer was to cheap to stick something decent on. Switch out immediately (I threw on a SID Team, which I LOVE).
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Bret Marts
a Weekend Warrior
from Cleveland Date Reviewed: August 19, 2004
Favorite Trail:
West Branch State Park
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
Spin Bike Shop
Strengths:
Cost, adjustable travel
Weaknesses:
soft fork, not built for a rider above 170 pds.
Similar Products Used:
Rock Shock Judy
Bike Setup:
Ironhorse Rogue 2003: Deore Drive system, Monster tires, hayes HMX1 mechanical disk
Bottom Line:
I'm your average XC rider weighing in at 153 pds. I bottomed out the fork once, then promptly adjusted the travel the very next day. Since then the fork has performed well. This is a great buy for a lightweight rider who will not be taking on major jumps. Buy it if you are looking for a cheap fork and are under 170 pds
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Patrick Ritchie
a Cross Country Rider
from Ottawa Date Reviewed: July 5, 2004
Favorite Trail:
The 6.9 at Camp Frtune
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$140.00
Purchased At:
Full Cycle
Strengths:
Smooth, But thats about it.
Weaknesses:
First off, its too soft, and I only way a 160 pounds. But what really gets me going is that little cheap plastic travel ajust cap. I was riding one of my favorite XC trails and when I droped a 12 inch rock, the suspension cap blew straight out the cylender and hit my in the eyebrow, milimeters from my eye. I ended up geting 13 stiches and the impact made a massive dent in my 230$ helmet. When my Bike shop called Manitou, they said send it to them....and they said the would send me a Manitou black platnium with lockout, rebound and travel ajust. Well I guess their paying me for my silence...somewhat
Similar Products Used:
NONE!
Bike Setup:
A Marin Nail Trail with hayes HFX-9 hydraulic disc brakes. XT Front and rear derailers, Race Face crank and bottom bracket. XTR disc hubs with rhyno lites. Race Face stem, head set and handle bars. XT shifters. Hutchkinson Scorpion tubeless. And I was going to buy a A nice 03' or 04' RockShock Sid Race....But Manitou is sending me the black
Bottom Line:
This is nt the first time this has happened, I researched it and last year the same thing happened to another rider with a similar fork from manitou. Manitou also told me that it was only a recreative suspension. But then why would you have it put on a XC bike?!?!?!?
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Leonard
a Weekend Warrior
from Perth W.A Date Reviewed: June 7, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Mundairing
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
reasonably smooth ride, not much stiction on the sliders, good damping
Weaknesses:
far too soft, with the stock springs in place it bottomed out on 1 foot drops (i only weigh 60 kilos) and even with heavier springs fitted the bottoming still happened. also the amount of lateral flex is insane, when heavily compressed the fork flexes to the right so badly the tyre rubs on the left fork leg just near the reverse bridge. there's been instances where it rubbed so bad it was like putting on the front brakes...hard!
Similar Products Used:
RST 318
Bike Setup:
03' rockhopper disc
Bottom Line:
This fork is cactus, and similar problems have occured on the skareb. however i am told this is not a manufacturers fault but a mishap that happened during shipment. apparently they were pakaged in such a way that the forks were put under stress and incidently they were stuffed before they even got here - the bridges were either weakened to the point where they were useless or broken on arrival. i've heard reports of the bridges cracking and even snapping.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
nick p
a Weekend Warrior
from lafayette indiana Date Reviewed: April 9, 2004
Favorite Trail:
all
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$150.00
Purchased At:
can only purchase answer products through a dealer, they do not direct service you stuff.
Strengths:
The fork is certainly smooth and soft.
Weaknesses:
I installed a firm ride kit, and the fork still pisses me off. I weigh 180lbs. The fork bottoms out easily, has been sent into the factory to be repaired and they didnt even fix it right! Always leaks oil out of the oil dampening stanchion. It is insanely soft and springy. Talk about losing energy from pedaling. I am sorry I purchased another answer product. Not reccomended.
Similar Products Used:
Manitou magnum
Bike Setup:
black schwinn mesa with stuff on it.
Bottom Line:
Answer products has an excellent online service situation. It has print offs that are quite easy to understand when you will NEED to access the site to fix your crappy answer product (Manitou) that you bought. Their service is also very poor. Put it on your enemys bike and laugh.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Marc Delarche
a Cross Country Rider
from Montréal Date Reviewed: November 5, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Rougemont, PQ
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
Looks, Smoothness for the price range. Damper ajustment, really works.
Weaknesses:
Spring seemed too soft at the beginning, but I`m used to it now, and I think it is what makes the fork smooth and that`s all. It is not a jumping fork anyway, you all know that. So maybe the spring is not as bad as I thaught at first sight...
Similar Products Used:
Suntour of the same price range and same technology (coil and oil...), seemed stiffer but work similarly. Stiffer spring, too, ahem.
Bike Setup:
Specialized rockhopper 03 (good bike for the bucks, by the way)
Bottom Line:
Good fork, for the beginners who ride cross country/all mountain. Good damper, spring seems too soft (I`m 150lbs), but it makes the fork smooth, and the ride confortable. Crappy on the big drops, of course.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
david boutin
a Weekend Warrior
from victoriaville,Qc,Ca Date Reviewed: August 16, 2003
Favorite Trail:
st-michel
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
good
Weaknesses:
good
Similar Products Used:
good
Bike Setup:
good
Bottom Line:
it's good
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
jim
a
from usa Date Reviewed: April 14, 2003
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
alright travel
Weaknesses:
rusts a little and bottomed out a couple of times
Bike Setup:
03 stumpjumper fsr
Bottom Line:
alright fork but not good for big stuff
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mike
a Weekend Warrior
from Sheffield Date Reviewed: December 1, 2002
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
Looks good Feels smooth
Weaknesses:
Only good if you weigh 120lbs. I weigh about 200lbs and there is too much travel in the fork and it appears that no matter how much I adjust it, its still not stiff enough
Similar Products Used:
Cheap crappy fork on my old Raleigh Activator
Bike Setup:
Specialized Rockhopper '03, standard factory spec.
Bottom Line:
This fork feels smooth and looks good. But the lack of manual adjustment means a stiffer spring replacement is essential if your any heavier than a 5'ballerina.
Good fork that should have a stiffer spring as standard!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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