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Submitted by
Dr. Nick
a weekend warrior
from RRRRRRockingham
Date Reviewed: October 8, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
This is an OK fork. Its much better than anything RS puts out (what isn't?)
But it still doesn't live up to the high standards of performance that
Zokes has thrown at riders for about 2 yrs now.
I like the weight, but it comes at the expense of flex.
I also had a problem with a cracked crown after a mdoerate crash.
bomb proof these are not. Even after I repaired them I could could never
shake the feeling of having a delicate fragile fork.
Not good for instilling confidence on fast techy dh's.
Price is also a bit high for an average fork. | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike Herring
a weekend warrior
from Portland, OR
Date Reviewed: September 11, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
SX Ti 80mm, Palmer Edition:
These things are great, and light. I wish I had more of a selection on mental file to compare to, so far a Manitou 3 and Judy T2, but plenty of time on motorcycles so I guess that will have to do. I really like the adjustable rebound, it works but I find that they pack up a little when I use beyond the first click (all the way CCW). I think I have bottomed them a few times but am not sure as the spring bottoming bumper transition was really smooth. I have had them three months now and have had no problem with seal weep, and once they loosened up (about 2-3 rides) they move smooth as butter. Best of all I think is their awesome stiffness: nose wheelies with no shifting or flexing, very confidence inspiring. I orginally bought them from Nashbar for $200 because lI am a poor college student, with baby on the way, and still wanted to enjoy the luxury of hydraulically controlled spring action. I am extremely impressed with them and would pay far more if I had it to do again, even in Kawasaki Green (it kinda grows on ya). I will try to get back to you with more details in time. My stats: 5'11 175lbs, hard rider, prefer to slam and bounce off things. | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
jason
a cross-country rider
from tuscaloosa, AL
Date Reviewed: April 6, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I just purchased a 97' close out FS-TI for $200, WOW!!!
I actualy purchased the fork just because it was a good deal, but
when I installed it and went for a ride I was sooooo impresed I
couldn't belive the difference. 80 yes 80mm of travel on this, the
palmer edition, is all plush, controled performance. This fork is
worth three times what I payed for it, and if I had to replace it
for that or more, I would in a second. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Robert
a cross-country rider
from NV
Date Reviewed: March 11, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I'm outraged at the lack of quality in this product, as well as the lack of service from the comapny!!! After a crash, I noticed a crack in the crown.
(It was a good crash, but no more severe than other's I've been in)
I took the fork back to the LBS and 1 week later, they called to tell me that
Manitou(Answer) would not do a free replacement since it was my fault that the fork broke. If you spend big money on a MTB part, you'd expect that it
would be somewhat durable, and if not, that the company would be responsive to
the customer's needs. Manitou has lost a customer. | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Paper Boy
a weekend warrior
from USA
Date Reviewed: August 2, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I work in a bike shop and recently just puchased a GT Avalanche LE. This bike arrived stock with a Judy XC on it. Now, knowing the problems with Rock Shox (i.e. blown oil cart. and top caps shooting off), as well as being equiped with employee discount and a sale from Answer, I quickly and happily swapped my Judy for my now beloved SX Ti. This fork is far stiffer thatn the Judy, giving better tracking, as well as 1/4 more travel, not to mention the smooth ride. Many people don't realize that the Rock Shox Type II spring system is mostly elastomer with a small spring. The SX Ti, is mostly ti spring, with a little elastomer to keep the shok from bottoming out, and spings are quicker than elastomers, so you get better response throughout the travel. sorry for ranting, five flaming chiles!!!!!!!!! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Sam
a
from cross-country rider
Date Reviewed: July 31, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I just changed my fork on my STS-1 for a FX Ti and let me tell you something, this isby far the lightest and stiffest long travel fork on the market today. I could not stand my Judy SL, whoever said that the Judy Sl 1997 had rebound control must have been coming straight from a quad 5 or an INDY. This Manitou with the Bulge Stanction tubes is the shitt. And the rebound is so adjustable and REAL ! ! that it balances with the rear suspension really perfect. Please if you are suffering from nonexistant rebound on your judys, make the switch, it is worth it ten times over. And do not forget to bug the hell out of Rock Shox to get your cartridges changed, they know they are pieces of shitt. It is so true that they don't even argue with you on the phone, they just send you another one, needless to say that it doesn't make a difference in how your fork perform afterward. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bryan
a racer
from Canisteo, NY
Date Reviewed: July 25, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I have had my SX Ti for almost a year. I got a pre-production version from Manitou. I have had a few reliability problems (mostly with the bushings), but Manitou has been OUTSTANDING about warrenties, and I blame most problems on the pre-production standards. Only had to fix anything once. I love the performance of the fork. I weigh 155lbs and have noticiced a little too much rebound at times. A little too much plastic, too. I like it and the company way better than a Judy. | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Will
a weekend warrior
from PA
Date Reviewed: July 18, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
Compared to a 21R......okay, there is no comparison. This is a great shock and I will never go back to Rock Shox. It is not that they are bad, it is hust that the SX Ti is better than a 21R or a XC. No problems so far and I have thrashed this . | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
tacoman
a cross-country rider
from Hawaii
Date Reviewed: July 17, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
Manitou SX ti
Use: 175 miles (all offroad)
Owned: 4 WeeksFork seems responsive and plush. No problems with stiffness( I am 195lbs) I can only compare to Q5, Q21, Judy XC LT, and Head Shock DB60. The Manitou certainly out performs the Quatras and, in my opinion, the Judy. Just yestarday , I traded bikes on the trail and rode the canondale(DB 60) for ~two miles. It did'nt even compare. I have yet to bottom the fork out and the 70mm of travel seems more than enough for me.You can't beat the value on 'em either. I got mine from a Performance Price Match for $275 to my door. (minus another $27.50 for being Team Performance.)Did alot of asking around before purchasing this fork, and am completely satisfied. For the most part, those who own them-love them....Two Thumbs Up. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave
a weekend warrior
from MI
Date Reviewed: July 12, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I purchased the FS Ti for 375 mail order, as my very first suspension fork for my 1996 GT Karakoram. It's great, after you put about 100 miles on it to break it in. Action is very smooth for MCU/Spring with cartridge damping. I would reccomend this fork over the Judy, it also has much more travel. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Anand Mehta
a cross-country rider
from Oxford, England
Date Reviewed: July 10, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
A great fork, if a little stiff. Needs a good bit of time before it is fully broken in, but when that happens its smooth sailing. To make the fork work better ditch the MCU and replace with the short spring from the JUDY II system. The judy spring is a stiffer and will give the fork a better feel. Otherwise a great fork - I just hope that it does not break on me! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a cross-country rider
from USA
Date Reviewed: July 6, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
WOW!!! I had my first serious ride since getting my new FS/Ti on my Giant 980. I had a Quadra 21R on the bike and BOY what a difference. I love this shock. I recomend it to anyone. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
The Cardinal
a cross-country rider
from Hanalei, Hawaii
Date Reviewed: June 29, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I purchased the FS Ti and put it on a Manitou HT. Although it changes the geometry slightly, if you limit the preload it gives you ample sag to compensate for the added height. Originally I was going to purchase a Bomber 2 after all the hype I was reading, but I was loyal to Answer products due to their high level of service in the past. They have constantly improved and I have been pleased with the results. There is a new dampning for l998 and hopefully if it is significantly better will be retrofitted to the earlier models. If not no big deal because if this fork doesn't hold up Answer usually comes through with replacing it with an upgraded fork. Regardless of all the hype, I'm having a blast riding on a regular basis. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Randy
a cross-country rider
from Wisconsin
Date Reviewed: May 21, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I really enjoy this shock. It has a wide menu of adjustments both for preload and dampening. So far the shock has worked excellently. I will be starting my race year off on June 1 and will give more feedback then. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark
a
from Toronto, Canada
Date Reviewed: May 7, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
This is a message to ARI. Are you 11 years of age and have a Y50!!!???
If you are, who paid for the thing and teh reason the manitou isn't working is that you don't weight enough to activate it.
the manitou is a great fork. WAY better adjustability than a Judy, a big coil 4 and it is stiff and smooth. But it does weigh 6 oz. more than the SL. I don't own one, but I wish I did. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ari Papoutes
a weekend warrior
from Wimbledon, london
Date Reviewed: April 14, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I am not a very good biker but I am a rich boy of 11 and I am very proud of my Trek Y50 which only 5 people get every year on the european market. I think Carbon Fibre Bar Ends are very cool. My FS Ti are excellently brill.For some odd reason they seem not to be moving but I am sure they are supposed to be.I think they are excellently brill value and I advise all silly people to get them. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nathan Davidson
a racer
from San Diego, CA USA
Date Reviewed: April 10, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
This fork is much better than my Manitou three. For nearly three years I have been racing on the most demanding and technical courses around the world. I always had a difficult time on the technical fast downhills due to a lack of travel and a fast rebound from my Man. 3. Now with the Mach 5 ti, I tackle even the most difficult downhills with a great ease, and leave my competition wondering who that speed demon was that just blew by them. A definite winner in my book. If I could give this shock a six....I might. The only thing I would change is the fact that it doesn't know how to hold a conversation as well as most of my friends do. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ben C.
a cross-country rider
from Bellingham, WA
Date Reviewed: March 24, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I just upgraded from a Manitou 4. What a difference, this fork is so much more plush and rigid. At only $338.99 this fork is a great buy. I highly recommend this fork. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Alejandro del Rio
a racer
from Puebla, Mexico
Date Reviewed: March 20, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
after spending twenty years on motocross, I decided to give MTBing a try,
so last year I got a Trek Y bike, after spending some time with the original
Quadra 21R fork, I thought that there must be a better way. So I forked for the
best fork on the market and paid over $500 dollars for it, what I received was
a marginaly better plastic capped fork, which is by my standards way overly priced. I can't wait when real suspension companies like Showa, Kayaba and Ohlins get into this business and start offering REAL forks with REAL internals insetad of filling them with rubbers. | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jerry
a racer
from Michigan
Date Reviewed: February 25, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I gave the Sx Ti 5 chilies because I had to round up. All in all I'm
fairly impressed with the fork. It's a lot stiffer then the Manitou 3 I
came off of. It a lot smoother than my Man. 3 with the speed springs I had
In it, and I thought nothing could beat that. My only complaints about the
fork stem from the mechanics of it. Personally I would have put a bolt
through the external preload adjuster knob for the damping cartridge.
I'm worried that it will fall off. I would also have the end cap that
fits on the end of the damping cartridge to hold the fluid in, metal
instead of the plasic Answer used. The plastic end cap tends to round off.
On that same note I would have also made it metric instead of the odd
15/16 inch wrench. All in all given those minor problems it is still a
decent fork. I'd have to give it 4 1/2 chilies though. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brett
a weekend warrior
from Hertfordshire,England
Date Reviewed: December 22, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
I got these forks 11days ago and they are the best in there class.I have a Trek 950 '96 and they perform like a dream.I have one worry.Why do they make a sucking noise when i push down?
Anyway, TOP fork with 70 mm of travel A must for the doubtful judy buyer. YOU KNOW YOU WANT THEM!!!!!!
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Thad
a cross-country rider
from Chico
Date Reviewed: December 2, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
Very plush with the new Ti spring-Elastomer Combo. Finally a shock that can handle my weight on bigger hits - 200 lbs - yet still be plush enough to suck up the small stuff thanks to the spring.Shock is very light so climbing to the top of my favorite downhills isn't hindered.Slightly more travel than the Judy is a major plus - the 70mm feels just right and doesn't seem to wallow the way longer travel forks tend to while climbing.Once the dampening and preload were set, I ceased to even notice the shock. The best praise that can be given to a front fork!Only downside are the PLASTIC preload adjustment knobs. I would have preferred to see aluminum ajusters on a shock of this caliber.For much less that the Rock Shox though, I'll deal with plastic knobs.Would have been 5 chilies with aluminum dials | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Lucien Siochi
a weekend warrior
from Manila,Philippines
Date Reviewed: November 16, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
I like this shok because it is very valuable to me and my favorit color
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Justin
a cross-country rider
from Santa Cruz, CA
Date Reviewed: October 18, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
Having ridden a Judy SL for two years, I decided it was time to try the
competition, so I bought a SX Ti. It's only been on the bike 10 days,
a few of which were needed to break it in, but I'm already quite pleased
that I switched over. Besides having 6 mm more travel (with no increase
in dropout to crown distance), the travel feels smoother. Mind you I had
a Risse Gem cartridge with Judd springs in the Judy, so you can't blame
it on stiff MCUs. Like the Risse cartridge, the SX Ti has adjustable
rebound damping which is tremendous. Best of all, the things is stiff.
I never figured I'd notice the difference, but it was immediately obvious.My guess is that the new Judy's will be as stiff, but they still won't
have adjustable rebound. Bomber's appear to have it all, but time will
tell. Marzocchi hasn't produced a Judy/Mach 5 calibre fork yet, maybe
the Bomber is it, maybe it's not. The bottom line is this: the SX Ti can be had mail order for less than
$400 bucks. Judy SL's can't. If you are deciding between those two, give
the SX Ti some serious consideration. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dan
a racer
from Truckee, CA
Date Reviewed: August 20, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
I tested this at the same time as the Indy SL and 97 Judy XC. It performs about 5% better than the 96 version and it's noisier due to ti springs. Compression is slightly plusher and the fork's great stiffness is still there. But the price is gonna be high I was told. If the fork is only $50 more than the normal 5sx (which it won't be) then the fork would be worth it. If you need titanium springs and the color red then this fork is a great xc fork. If you don't have a lot of bucks stick with the current mach5sx. | | Overall Rating: |
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