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Submitted by
turbodog72
a Racer
from mississippi
Date Reviewed: September 5, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | b'ham, al / oak mtn | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | friend | | Strengths: | Light, reliable, easy to service. | | Weaknesses: | Replacement parts. | | Similar Products Used: | judy, r/s duke, etc. | | Bike Setup: | 1993 Schwinn Sierra. | | Bottom Line: | Bought used from a friend about 1994. It's 2009 and I'm rebuilding it for the first time. Love this fork. Found some new elastomers and suspensionforkparts.com
Yahoo! Looks great on vintage mid 90s bike. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jason Smith
a Weekend Warrior
from Da Wood, GA
Date Reviewed: March 6, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | oregon | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | Hand-me-down | | Strengths: | Beautiful CNCing. Late 90's graphics are rad! Siplicity rocks and it lasted the better part of a decade. | | Weaknesses: | I never had a single problem with this shock until finally the elastomer wore out on me and i was getting zero travel. what can you expect after 10 years? | | Similar Products Used: | None | | Bike Setup: | Steel hardtail now running RS Tora up front. | | Bottom Line: | Great fork in its day. Serious bling back in the late 90s. Now it just looks cool in my garage. The simplicity of this thing is what made it great. To bad today's forks are so complicated and unreliable. Like another review said, guess thats the cost of progress | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from Cyprus
Date Reviewed: May 23, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | XC + Downhill in Cyprus hills | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | UK, Worthing | | Strengths: | This is also a review for the UK made Smokestone Mudmonster
Fullsuspension. Got the Man.4 with this bike, and still these days, this is a masterpiece of bike. | | Weaknesses: | Expensive | | Similar Products Used: | GT-Timberline, Rotwild (Germany custom-made bike), Marin Bearvalley, and many others | | Bike Setup: | XT-Shifters, XT-Brakes, XT-Hubs, Mavic SUP 121 ceramic, XTR derailleur and so on.... | | Bottom Line: | This fork came as the then top-of-the-line fork with my UK made Smokestone Mudmonster. The Mud-Monster was the ultimate full suspension bike in the late 90's in Great-Britain. It had a very sad history, as the back suspension was a break-through in invention, and an US Company bought the rights to get it off the market for some strange competitive reasons. So only very few mudmonsters were sold, and they have more than cultstatus these days and are highly sought after collectors items as well. The frame was made of 6005 aluminium like a piece of art. Great perfection and what really was the eye-catcher was this utmost clever back-suspension, which was a true invention, and a typical example of british understatement in mastery.
Maybe this sounds like a rave-review, but it isn't, its just the truth! The bike is anyway not available anymore, I haven't even found it in search machines, that rare it is now. The last one I saw went in UK ebay for a stunning high sum, but.... as I said, this is now a collectors item.
I just felt the need to write something about this bike and the sad history surrounding it. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andrew
a Cross Country Rider
from Atlanta
Date Reviewed: January 23, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Outside | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$300.00 | | Purchased At: | Miami Cycles | | Strengths: | I've had this fork for almost 10 years and it's still the sexiest beast around. I recently replaced the "original" elastomers with steroid-injected MCU's and now I have the toughest 2 inches of travel around. I'm not a downhill/extreme rider so this is all I need on my hardtail. | | Weaknesses: | Short travel. Not for hard-core riding. You wouldn't take your Bentley four wheeling. | | Similar Products Used: | Many | | Bike Setup: | Raleigh M400 frame. Avid Ultimate brake levers. Onza H.O. cantilever brakes. Kore Elite bar. Kooka XC stem. Ritchey Scuzzy Logic headset. Manitou 4 fork. Sun Rhyno Lite rims. XTR hub(F)/XThub(R). XT Crankset/F&R Derailleurs. Shimano 747 pedals. G.T. Ti Bottom bracket. Shimano 7 speed shifters and cassette. Bontrager Connection 1.95 tires. W.T.B. Rocket V saddle. Thomson Elite seatpost. Sette Ti skewers. | | Bottom Line: | The "Mona Lisa" of forks. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ryan
a Weekend Warrior
from Manchester, NH, US
Date Reviewed: March 7, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | came on bike | | Strengths: | strong lite very reliable | | Weaknesses: | frezzes in below zero degree weather | | Similar Products Used: | super six, blacke elite | | Bottom Line: | great for the money very durable good over all | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Marq101
a
from amsterdam, holland
Date Reviewed: July 21, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Suspension is firm, materials, build quality | | Weaknesses: | No pick up for a disc but hé, that's not its fault | | Similar Products Used: | not yet | | Bike Setup: | Balance AL550, everthing shimano LX and some dia comp components. Only done 500 miles | | Bottom Line: | I realy can't say a lot about this fork. I just purchased the bike. It's all old school but i'm so well chuffed with it that I had to write something about the fork. It's all CNC machinery. A sort of CNC art. I know I will sound like an old fart when i say: "they don't make em like this these days". But in this category they don't. It hase become too expensive. Things come and go except for this fork. It has come but it'll never go. | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Crazy Mike
a Cross Country Rider
from The Netherlands
Date Reviewed: April 4, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | A true classic. Beautiful CNC machining, inside and out. Lightweight, and very nice on an older hardtail that needs a fork that's not al tall as the current models. Extremely easy to service. This was a big reason why I got it in the first place. Not a Rock-Shox ;-) | | Weaknesses: | A little flexy, seals really aren't good enough to keep the mud out, so need to keep the boots on when trail conditions are bad. Elastomers just don't cut it anymore these days. | | Similar Products Used: | Manitou EFC, RST 460, AMP F4-BLT, Suntour SR-72, Rond O24U, modified RST Aerosa AET. | | Bike Setup: | 1991 Miyata Elevation 5'000. All classic parts 1991-1996 except for the brakes which are vee's | | Bottom Line: | I dumped the original internals of this fork and put in Englunds (total air technology) instead. Removed the cable guide and polished the brace. Replaced the OEM steel steerer with the aluminum one from my EFC, and pressed some extra O-rings underneath the dustwipers to act as extra seals. The fork works beautifully and weighs in at 1275 grams - lighter than a SID. The fact that this fork is not as tall as most modern forks means it's perfect for my non-suspension corrected hardtail, a Miyata Elevation 5'000 that's still a mean beast after all these years. I would like to give it 5 chilies in both departments, but with the stock internals and those inadequate dustwipers, it gets no higher than 3 overall. I would give mine 4 because of the Englunds, still losing one due to the dustwiper problem. (But then again, if you leave the boots on, it should be fine). | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
A G
a Cross Country Rider
from San Diego
Date Reviewed: January 12, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$350.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Fantastic on the small stuff, great on the medium stuff, OK on the large stuff (I'm not really concerned with big hits). Simplicity, ease of maitenance | | Bottom Line: | This fork is a true CLASSIC. Great for XC. Over the 5 yrs that I've had the fork my weight has fluctuated between 190-210, and I ride hard!!! I have replaced ever single component, including the frame. The fork stays!! I have replaced the elastomers once! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nick
a Cross Country Rider
from Tempe, AZ
Date Reviewed: July 31, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Decent durability- I rode mine for 4 years, and I wasn't even the original owner. Good damping. Mine was cheap, but I don't know anything about the original price. | | Weaknesses: | Short travel, and heavy. Lots of flex. | | Similar Products Used: | Manitou Spdyer, Marzocchi Z4 | | Bike Setup: | Steel hardtail | | Bottom Line: | Mine took me all over the country- Utah, Illinois, Tennesee, Wisconsin, and I never had any problems using it for cross country. It has a good feel to it, little or no maintenance is required, and you aren't going to end up leaking oil all over the place and riding home on a bottomed-out fork. Plus there's a fun whooshing noise when it compresses. However, after all those years of riding, I went to do an 18" sidehop drop.. CRACK. I couldn't figure out what had cracked on my bike from looking at it, so I decided I might as well break it the rest of the way so it wouldn't happen when I wasn't expecting it. This time both fork stanchions snapped where they enter the crown. At least I was expecting it. 4 years seems to be a reasonable amount of life for a big (180#) guy like me, if you can stand the limited travel. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Matt N.
a Cross Country Rider
from Flemington, NJ
Date Reviewed: July 18, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Tequepis, Santa Barbara | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | orig. equip. on Fisher Supercaliber | | Strengths: | Simple, reliable design. | | Weaknesses: | Heavy (for its time), flexy. | | Similar Products Used: | Manitou III, Mach 5 SX, 2000 SXR, most Rock Shox | | Bike Setup: | Fisher Supercaliber, SXR with Englund kit, King HS, Syncros stem, Bontrager Ti bar & barends, XTR drivetrain/levers/V-brake, White Industries/Syncros/DT Revolution/Rigida carbide rims, Mythos XC, Salsa Flip-Offs, Race Face cranks, World Class Ti BB, Easton CT2 post, Avocet 02r Kevlar, King cage. | | Bottom Line: | Simple technology (elastomers) with major limitations of flexiness (too soft for riders over 160 lbs) and really stiff second half of travel.
I had far more problems with subsequent Manitous though than with this fork. The price of "progress," I guess.
Why is it that in recent years forks have gotten simultaneously much heavier, more expensive, and less reliable?
Three flames for not being any of these. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
juan
a Cross Country Rider
from j
Date Reviewed: July 7, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | Wheel World | | Strengths: | Reliable, easy to maintain, durable | | Weaknesses: | Limited in adjustments, no rebound control. Over the years the fork has become very very flexy. | | Bike Setup: | The fork came stock on a Balance AL 750 hardtail. Full XT except for the cranks (LX) and the shifters (gripshift). | | Bottom Line: | The fork has been very good it takes punishment well and requires very little to keep it maintained. Unfortunately it is beginning to show a lot of flex especially at low speed in technical terrian. The brake pads begin to touch the rim in this type of riding.
I would probably keep riding it if it were not for the flex and the fact that it's getting harder to find elastomers.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Peter Erdmann
a
from Littleton, Colorado
Date Reviewed: September 21, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Matthew Winters | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$80.00 | | Purchased At: | MTBR! | | Strengths: | Strength. Craftsmanship. Simplicity. Effectiveness. | | Weaknesses: | Lonely. They need to make these again (something similar, anyway). | | Similar Products Used: | Everything under the sun. | | Bike Setup: | Trimble #196, Original XTR, USE, FSA, & Salsa goodies, Mavic USTs. 20.5 lbs, & tough as nails.
This bike kicks my ass. | | Bottom Line: | They certainly don't make forks like this anymore. For good reason. No company could afford to! All CNC'd... this fork gives me wood. I'm going to get a bunch of em.
Oh yes, and it rides like a dream.
Hot diggity! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ryan M.
a Weekend Warrior
from St. Pete, FL
Date Reviewed: June 24, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Santos | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Price nowadays :)
easy to rebuild
Looks | | Weaknesses: | None for how old the technology is | | Similar Products Used: | Judy and other Manitou | | Bike Setup: | '95 specialized stumpjumper comp, manintou comp 4
xtr brakes/levers/shifters/r. der
flite ti saddle, spin wheels ceramic | | Bottom Line: | This bike came with my used '95 stumpjumper comp. I guess it was my first suspension fork but compared to 2000 Rock Shock forks it's quite to contender for being 5 years old! Great beginner fork although i ride it with xtr/spin etc. stuff i should probably upgrade my fork now. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kristmundur Guðleifsson
a Cross Country Rider
from Iceland
Date Reviewed: February 23, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Simplicity, weight, stiffness, beautifully machined.
Good value | | Weaknesses: | Seals could be better | | Bike Setup: | ´95 Stumpjumper hardtail | | Bottom Line: | I've had my M4 since '95 and think it's a truly great
product. It's very effective for xc riding but is by no means a dh fork, as it tends to bottom out harshly on really
nasty bumps and lacks controlled rebound damping. Used within it's intended range, however, it does its job beautifully. The design is beautifully simple and effecive,
resulting in bombproof reliability and great durability.
It needs regular cleaning/rebuilding to keep it smooth, especally in wet conditions. A complete rebuild is very simple, however, and takes less than half an hour. Very
DIY friendly. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Blizzard
a Cross-Country Rider
from Alamogordo NM
Date Reviewed: December 23, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Too many to list | | Duration Product Used: |
more than 3 years | | Strengths: |
Durable
Machined CNC Aluminum | | Weaknesses: |
Limited travel and adjustment, Chromo steerer | | Similar Products Used: |
Quad10, Judy XC, Z2 Atom Bomb, Manitou SXE | | Bike Setup: |
Mt Fuji SX, LX and XT groups, Gripshift, Mavic 217 | | Bottom Line: | This bike came on the front of the first bike I owned with a suspension fork. I rode it hard for three years before swapping it for a Judy XC. It was a decent fork but technology has changed and I've moved on to new stuff. The Manitou 4 takes it easy now hanging on the wall in my garage. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brian
a Cross-Country Rider
from St. Paul, MN
Date Reviewed: November 9, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Many... | | Duration Product Used: |
more than 3 years | | Strengths: |
A tuff fork overall
SO EASY TO MAINTAIN!
SIMPLE=GOOD | | Weaknesses: |
COLD WEATHER!!! | | Similar Products Used: |
Various others | | Bike Setup: |
UNIVEGA | | Bottom Line: | I've had this shock since Jan 94. I have over
10,000 miles on this trooper and she is still
in excellent condition! I have never had any
bad experiences with this fork mile after mile.
I am soon to up grade however as I think the time
has come. I will remember this shock as a true
winner, a good friend. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jethro
a Weekend Warrior
from Calgary AB
Date Reviewed: September 17, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
all of em' with single track | | Duration Product Used: |
more than 3 years | | Strengths: |
Smooooth travel
BEE-u-tiful
Easy to rebuild
Light | | Weaknesses: |
To flexy: discontinued: elastomers turn to concrete below +10 C | | Similar Products Used: |
RS Quadra '95
RS Judy '96-98
Marzocchi Z3 and Z3 L.T. | | Bike Setup: |
RMB Hammer (93), original components except cranks,seat post, seat, wheels, bars and stem (all broke over time) | | Bottom Line: | I have had this fork since the day it came out. I found it to be much smoother, rigid, and trouble free than the Judy of the same era (thats why I bought it. At present I am 220 lbs and kind over power the fork when braking (man those stanctions flex). I tried it for a while with a set of Speed speings in it. Not a good Idea as there is no damping with out the elastomers. I still like thei fork and us it on my comuter bike with slicks and the very occasional all day fire road ride. fo those applications it is great. If your under 180 lbs, looking for a simple, bombproof (i really us to abuse it and it still works), light, used fork, pick on of these up. Great on the comuter too. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jim Blizzard
a cross-country rider
from New Mexico
Date Reviewed: March 7, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
I got this for three years ago with a Mt Fuji SX. I just replaced it with a Judy. I have ridden it hard in rough country in NM and CO. I gave it no maintenance during the three years. I opened it up to look at the innards and the elastomers were still in good shape. Although its now obsolete the fork worked well. I vote 4 chiles. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Conor Clapton
a downhiller
from Seattle WA
Date Reviewed: December 30, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Racing stop light to stop light this is the finest fork by far!!
I have been riding the Manitou 4 for three years solid, boy does it suck up those wheelchair ramps and expansion grids!!
Light as a feather, never done any maintinence and it still moves a little.
Works great in the snow, soft snow.Talk about bomb proof I hit a car at about 25 mph, head on, well he turned left in front of me coming at me ,so broadside but still really fast, it hurt, alot!!
But the fork did not give a fork, it bent not at all.The best shock I ever had!!!True story from the streets of Seattle,
HOME OF THE REAL HILLSJammin always
Cman | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Christian
a cross-country rider
from Quebec,Canada
Date Reviewed: October 3, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I have these babies now for 4 years, and i never had any problem with them. The only nagging thing is very fast rebound on washboard stuff with the stock bumpers. I just recently modified the travel from 2 to 4 and changed the stock bumper to a mix of newer MCU's and coil spring. What a difference. Now i have way more control on descents, and the fork is super plush. The only draw back from a longer travel is that the fork as a bit more flex. Overall it's a great minimal maintenance fork. Couldn't give 5 chilly's because of the rebound beeing to quick. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ben-jammin
a cross-country rider
from Blacksburg, VA
Date Reviewed: August 20, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I just replaced my M4 because I found a 80mm travel '98 Manitou Pro LT from Supergo for $120. I plan on keeping it for when I buy a new frame maybe next year to put back on my old but trusty ride. I have rebuilt the M4 once in three and a half years of hard riding. The only maintenance I do is a regular cleaning, inspection and regreasing every 2 months or so when it develops stiction. I broke an inner arm bottom cap once last Oct. while doing some serious technical downhilling on some worn MCUs. Manitou replaced the broken part for free. The shock was better than two years old! The same exact breakage occured on my buddy Richard's M4 this spring and they treated him the same. Great Service, that is the reason I finally replaced it with the relatively newer technology. Maybe the Pro LT has no rebound cartridge, but I don't want to worry about those oil cartridge blow-ups I keep hearing about. I want to ride, not screw around with replacing those damn things every few months. Most of the friends I ride with had bought RS before I got my M4 and thought they were nice, but in the years since they all have switched over to Manitou and are glad for it. 5 chilis and a cold beer for Manitou!! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark N
a cross-country rider
from Toledo, OH
Date Reviewed: June 26, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I just replaced my M4 with an SX-Ti only because I got a real good deal on the SX. I would never have replaced my M4 otherwise. I put an Englund rebound damping cartridge in after the first year and made a great fork excellent. It is STIFF, plush (over small stuff), simple, low maintenance, and the last of the CNC beauties. It has no problem with water, but hardens slightly with cold. I don't ride the rough trails in the cold anyway, my ass hardens up more than the fork. I am looking for a rigid frame to make my backup hardtail so I do not have to get rid of it. It'll be for introducing non-riding friends to biking on a good setup, not some trashy beginner bike. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dylan Kwapy
a weekend warrior
from St. Louis Missouri
Date Reviewed: June 15, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
This is a great shock! There is just enough travel so its not to plush as to be hard ride. But its got enough travel for just riding around outside is the woods or where ever. Its not a great downhill fork though but its great for the riding i do. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ted Kanemitsu
a weekend warrior
from Kaunakakai Hi. USA. 96748
Date Reviewed: February 14, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
This is a great shock. It came with my Mt. Fuji SX and was hands down better than the other (I don't want to use thier name) one I had before. In Hawaii, we don't have the problem with extreem temperature changes that affect the ride caracteristics of the elastomers, add that to the almost zero maintenance and you have one less head ache. I've seen these around in catalogs for a little over a hundred bucks. For that price, it's more than worth it. I'll have to give it a 5. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kevan Yalowitz
a cross-country rider
from Issaquah, WA
Date Reviewed: December 30, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I have some 97 speed springs with little use that will fit the following forks:Manitou:
3
4
Mach 5 SX
EFC 2.5,
Mach 5 Comp/MagnumRock Shox:
Quadra 5
Quadra 10
Quadra 21The retail is $65 to $70 but you pick the price you want them for.
These will improve your fork ALOT!E-mail me at wbqf@juno.com ASAP with your price!
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Waxy
a racer
from Australia
Date Reviewed: November 21, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
Manitou 3
---------
I have had these forks for five years and ridden 40,000 km on them! I have attached front panniers to them and ridden across a sandy desert on them. They have filled up with water and the grease has solidified in them.Sadly they no longer work. The black anodized legs are now silver and are externaly butted. The elastomers are split, the bushings are worn out and the o-rings are perished. RIP Manitou 3, the lightest, stiffest, strongest .... well in 1992 anyway! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andrew
a weekend warrior
from NSW, Australia
Date Reviewed: September 17, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
Light, pretty rigid, cheap and enough cushion to take the edge off bumpy trails. They require little maintenance as long as you keep away from crossing streams. The M4's are good - but even better with Answer's MCU & coil kit. This really makes an improvement over the standard elastomers and does provide some damping. Go and buy Answer's MCU & coils. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Colin
a weekend warrior
from Wisconsin
Date Reviewed: August 18, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I have a Manitou 4 on my 92 Gary Fischer Pro Caliber and love it. I only paid $175 for it brand new and it came with the 1 1/4 steerer crown I needed. It is not as plush as a Lawill Leader I have ridden but it is a lot simpler and cheaper. I do notice a lot of flex in my brakes though. Still I would recomend it to anyone. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Danilo Souza
a cross-country rider
from São Paulo
Date Reviewed: August 1, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I bought my M4's two years ago with my khs bike, and I couldn't find nothing to complain about. The fork is incredible, much better than the judys that I tried before.I'm thinking about buy a new rig, but I want to keep the fork.I really love my M4. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brandon Wong
a cross-country rider
from San Luis Obispo, CA
Date Reviewed: July 31, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I have had my M4's for over two years now and have kept them stock. For
people looking for plusher elastomers, I came across a set of Manitou
MCU's that fit M4 and M3. But I think you can easily fit some of the low end
M5 stuff too. Bring them in to compare. I am using two mediums and one soft
in each leg, and it a little plusher that the stock M4's mediums.I didn't go for SpeedSprings because I have a hard tail and did not want to
add a damper. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
jc
a cross-country rider
from nj
Date Reviewed: July 22, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
Good fork, great price, how can you go wrong. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tom
a weekend warrior
from NJ
Date Reviewed: July 12, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
Manitou 2. After four years and nearly 3700 miles, I found that maintenance on the fork nearly impossible after blowing apart rubber bushing again and again. The fine tune adjustment screws froze up after a couple hundred of miles with only riding through puddles. This shock sucks, coil over oil. I would give it a zero, but it not there. | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scott Nye
a cross-country rider
from MAINE
Date Reviewed: July 10, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
After reading so many good reviews on this fork I feel The need to warn potential buyers of the forks major weakness. It does not like water! Mine would lock up after any water crossings. I called Answer and they sent me new wiper seals for free but warned me they would only diminish, not eliminate the problem. Answer provides good backup but if you ride in a wet enviroment loof elsewhere for a fork. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Pat Cryan
a cross-country rider
from Pawcatuck, CT
Date Reviewed: July 2, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
Been riding my M4 for over 2 years now and have never had any problems. No lock-ups, loss of grease on the sliders and have never felt any flex. I'm not that paranoid to be able to feel a bit flex in it. Last year I went to a Englund oil catridge and that did wonders to improve the feel of the fork. The catridge has not leaked yet and I recently went to the Englund air catridges. So far it blows aways any other fork including my fork with the old setup. Great fork, simple to maintain and a blast to ride. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Karl Hamilton
a cross-country rider
from Arlington TX
Date Reviewed: June 19, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I've had my Manitou 4 on my Litespeed Ocoee since Feb 95 and feel it is one of the great forks of all time. Mountain biking is about reliability, performance, and simplicity; and the M4 shines in all areas. I've put over 2,500 miles on this fork including countless races, and it still works great. For most of us who aren't pro level racers, the lack of rebound damping may not be such a big deal. On the other hand, several of the guys I ride with have blown both Judy and White Bros cartridges mid-ride/race. My M4 requires minimal maintenance (occasional regreasing) and smooths out the terrain.Mission accomplished. Well done Answer! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steve
a cross-country rider
from Gilroy, CA
Date Reviewed: May 31, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I've had mine for a couple of years now and have been very satisfied with my 4. Over the years I've tried many upgrades; the lastest being Speed Springs and now Answer's springs. I liked the Speed springs as they were a very good upgrade compared to the stock elastomers. But I race occassionally and I bottomed out the springs and damaged my internals. Answer has great support at Big races such as the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey and Mammoth. I brought my shocks to them and they tore it down and replaced my damaged stantion tubes and replaced the speed springs with the Mach 5 upgrade kit. This kit works even better than the speed springs as it includes an elastomer with the springs. It's never worked better and the I'm extremely happy with the fork's response. I personelly don't like alot of damping and these new Answer springs work perfect for me.Downside to the Manitou 4 is the fork legs seem to flex too much for my taste. Especially in rock strewned or deeply rutted trails. The new 97 forks have very little flex, but have too much dampening, although the Ti fork is pretty sweet. I rode one and like the response, but not the price.4 chili's if you upgrade to Answer Springs. It would be 5 if it wasn't for the flex. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rusty Becker
a cross-country rider
from Finksburg,MD
Date Reviewed: April 11, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
Manitou 1 .....yes ther original
Closest thing I can find to reviewing the original
Great Fork...it has been abused for 5 years and still works like a pro
And think about it...It is the design and use of elastomers that every
company has now switched over to.....and the same weight as the Quadra 21
simply put
The First, The Original, Simply the BEST | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Esmond
a weekend warrior
from Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: April 7, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I have a Manitou 4 shock on my 1995 GT Pantera. I like it's rugged looks and the adjustable knobs on top of the fork legs. It seems to do the job on the trails I ride on. Overall i like the fork and i'll give it 5 chille things. Oh, one more thing, is a squishy air sound when the elastomers compress, normal?? Anyone out there who knows the answer to this question, please e-mail me. I would greatly appreciate it. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jon
a cross-country rider
from California
Date Reviewed: February 25, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
This shock is a great improvement over earlier elastomer's. It's true it can't match the present day top of the line for rebound damping but on XC trails it really does the job. It soaks up most of the bumps and lets you stay in much better control than previous forks.
I think for the money this is the best shock you can buy!!! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Blank Man
a racer
from Portland, Maine
Date Reviewed: February 16, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
This shock plain and bluntly sucks mother &*()#* ^$#^ dumb &$%!!!!!!!!!!!
As soon as I got it home,I went for a ride. 1 hour later, the thing flat bottomed
out!!!!!!!! It's $400 bucks of pure #@%$@!!!!! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tom
a racer
from Clifton, NJ
Date Reviewed: February 10, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I have ridden a Manitou 4 for almost 2 years and can honestly say This is a damn good fork!. Not great but good. Spongy elastomers and lack of rebound dampning have me drooling over Judy's, Mach 5's, and especially Bombers. I've considered buying a set of springs and an Englund oil cartridge but i'm hesitant to drop cash on a cartridge that look's like it will leak.If anyone has experience with these I would like to hear about it. As for the rest of the fork I have no complaints. I have had no contamination problems, even after riding in a downpour that turned singletrack into logflume wannabe's. The coating on the stanction tubes (inner legs) is super tough (not even a scratch on mine). H,MMM, I kinda wonder if you guys are using fork boots??? I also wonder if you noticed the picture up top is of a 3 not a 4 ??? Anyway...... I still like the works CNC/anodized look better than the cast/painted look of the 97's. About performance.... When tuned right this fork does the job, smooth's out the small bumps and can handle big hits as well. I've never been kicked over the bars as Dave would have you believe. Sometimes people rely too much on their bikes and not enough on there bodies. The best suspension you have are your arms and legs. Now go and ride!!! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
jerry
a cross-country rider
from Corvallis, Or
Date Reviewed: February 10, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
This is the only fork I've owned soI cannot compare to others. First complaint: 1) Cold weather unless you buy the cold weather kit, it just freezes up, 2) Upon a rebuild I drained clear water from one leg, mud from the other, I couldn't figure it out, 3) Too springy (no dampening on rebound) especially on log and rocks on uphill single track, I'm 175 lbs and didn't notice problems on agressive downhill riding.
Good stuff: 1) Easy to clean and rebuild, 2) Can tune the ride with different elastomer set-up, 3) reasonably durable
Big plusses: 1) Speed springs with the Englund dampening cartridge! Much better than the stock fork, however, it added about $100 to the fork price! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
scott nye
a cross-country rider
from maine
Date Reviewed: January 17, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I found the manitou 4 to work well over small hits and it greatly inhanced high speed control. I however had problems with it in wet terrain. After mud holes or stream crossings it would get sticky and somtimes stop working entirely. I called Answer with the problem, they sent me some wiper seals for free. This helped but they still don't like water. If you lived in the north east or in other muddy locals I would recomend a different fork. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Eyal Inbar
a cross-country rider
from Israel
Date Reviewed: January 7, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I have almost no experience with other forks, so I would assume some might work better, but personally I am very pleased with mine. I have no complaint, and I very much appreciate the fact that it is so durable and so easy to tune and maintain. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Todd
a weekend warrior
from Columbus, OH
Date Reviewed: January 5, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
As you'll see from the other reviews, the M4 is definitely a good fork. The reviewer below me has no clue. First, no one paid $400 for an M4 except maybe when they just came out, doubtful then even. I don't see how rebound can be non-existant, since anyone who rides one knows that rebound is lightning
quick...too quick for some who have complained of it! Compression can be adjusted with springs and elastomer mixing quite cheaply.
You can get this fork for dirt cheap in slightly used condition, and the plush travel of this puppy (which can be increased rather easily) is excellent.
...of course if *I* was sponsored by Rock Shox and had a '97 triple-clamp DHO, I'd be praising their forks over my old M4 too. Yeesh! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
amn
a downhiller
from winchester mass
Date Reviewed: January 3, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
if you own the manitou 4 you are the proud owner of a 400$ peice of shiit.The rebound non-existant.The compresssion sucks.Now I'm sponsored by rock shox and am on a DHO tripple clamp.rock shox kicks manitou's ass. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jonathan Barrick
a cross-country rider
from Barrie, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: December 26, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
I've had this fork a little over two years now and love it more every ride. When I bought it, I couldn't believe how active it was. Forget Rock Shox, Bradbury really knows how to make forks! Love how easy they are to service and stiffness is great. Just put Speed Springs in and they blew me away! Even quicker rebound and very progressive feel. They eat any bump on the trail. No problems here. Pure mtb ingenuity in this fork; function and form together at last. Tell the boys at Answer to keep up the good work! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
G. Wong
a racer
from San Francisco, CA.
Date Reviewed: November 29, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
My Manitou 4 really differs from the ads Answer advertised when this fork was the top of the line Manitou. It constantly makes crackling sounds during compression and flexes considerably. The stock elastomers are too soft(even the yellow ones), rebound at the speed of light, and also have way under the amount of claimed travel. It's pretty strong overall though and won't break. I went head on with another biker with a relative velocity of 20mph and knocked the left leg slightly out of alignment. It still works because it's so flexy and continues to save my butt on brutal trails. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Derrick Aynaga
a cross-country rider
from San Francisco, CA
Date Reviewed: October 21, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
Works great, easy to overhaul, light weight, and damn spiffy lookin'! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Clay Stanley
a weekend warrior
from Fairfield, CA USA
Date Reviewed: August 5, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
I feel that these are the best forks for the weekender or anyone that want's
to ride not just work on there forks. I have never had any problems with
mine and the price is to good to pass up right now. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Lee
a
from California, USA
Date Reviewed: June 18, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
Manitou 4 suspension fork.
Good:
Works well on small bumps that would otherwise tire out the arms.
Works decently on isolated big hits.
Reliable. I haven't encountered any breakdowns with this fork.
Low maintenance.
Bad:
Kickback on medium and big bumps can be annoying if there are several
such bumps close together (like a washboard of medium to big bumps).
Other:
The brake arch seems to have some fore-aft flex that is visible when
squeezing the brakes (while stationary).
Sometimes I still see new ones advertised for under $200. If you
want a simple, reliable, low maintenance suspension fork, the Manitou
4 is a good candidate. I haven't ridden the newer designs (e.g.
Judy XC/SL and Mach 5 SX/ProXC), so I cannot say if the performance
of those is worth the worries about reliability and recalls.
There is an oil damper available, but I have not tried it. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nick
a cross-country rider
from Australia
Date Reviewed: June 14, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
These forks are very nice. They are moderatly light and they have cool graphics. I have never bottomed out the 2.25 inches of plush travel. These are sweeeeet forks | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Johnny Whissel
a cross-country rider
from Meadville, PA
Date Reviewed: June 12, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
I got a manitou 3 suspension fork last season, and it made a great difference in my ride. It is smooths out both big and smll bumbs for me, and I have not noticed any problem with big hits either. In fact I have taken a bunch of big hits where I probably would have bailed if I were riding a rigid fork, but I pulled out thanks to my manitou. My roomate, who I ride with frequently has a 4, and he loves his too. Once you get the right elaastomers in there, and adjust it correctly, it is a great fork! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ski
a weekend warrior
from Houston
Date Reviewed: June 10, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
The M4 is a basic, simple component...but it works well. It may not be as plush as its oil-dampened brethren, but for a medium-weight, moderately aggressive person, the fork does its job well. Contrary to some reviews, it is easy to service and maintain. I really don't spend that much time working on it, and I manage to ride through some pretty bad weather and transport the thing on my car all the time. Not only do you have 5 elastomers in the main stack than can be fine-tuned in the springy-ness department, the large aluminum adjustment can easily tune the preload, even while riding! Once it is set up correctly, it soaks up little bumps and takes bit hits as well. There is a bit more po-go than in an oil-dampened fork, but it is really not excessive. No seals to burst either. A great performer, and can be found for a steal nowerdays. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave
a weekend warrior
from SF
Date Reviewed: June 7, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
model: manitou 3
I liked the small bump supple action, up until I hit a big bump at an angle. The lack of rebound damping seems to kick you over the bars, at least compared to a good oil damped fork. It is really noticable when you are grinding singletrack, and you have to just crunch an sidewall angled rock or something. The manitou will soak up some, but then just bounce your front wheel right off. Bitter. rebound damping rules.
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Eric Kirkpatrick
a cross-country rider
from
Date Reviewed: May 16, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
My one friend, I had, had one of those stem shox and I've tried RockShox.
I really like these. The on-board adjustable elastomers are good for tweeking
on the run. So you can really compensate for the riding conditions on the fly.
They handle gnarly downhill stuff real well. There simple to use and don't have
to worry about any leaky seals. They also made my bike lighter. Most EXCELLENT!
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
BRR
a weekend warrior
from Valley Village, CA
Date Reviewed: May 13, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
I like the fork a lot but it had a hard time handling repeated fast hits on
fast downhills. I tried softer elastomers but it didn't help, I've just
bought some speed springs but have yet to try them out.
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Cesar Lopez, Jr
a cross-country rider
from Northridge, CA
Date Reviewed: April 16, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
I ridden this fork for over a year now. I have replaced four of the
elastomers with the blue soft ones, and this increased its suppleness.
I have recently replaced the elastomer stack with some Speed Springs,
and this has made the travel more linear. The only thing I don't like
is that it has a gnarly rebound on slow, medium/large bumps, otherwise
it works great. Even though this fork isn't pictured on all the
magazines and many racers don't ride M4's, I still think this is a
bombproof fork. Ridged fork brace keeps flex to a minimal, and unlike
many friends and my brother I have never blown a seal and had oil leak
all over the place, ie. Mag-21's, & Judy's. I have seen these forks
for as little as $200-230. Don't fool yourself if you don't see many
of these forks in the magazines, I see many riders in the local hills
riding M3 & M4's its a gnarly fork.
| | Overall Rating: |
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