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Submitted by
chuck
a Cross Country Rider
from GA
Date Reviewed: May 29, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$225.00 | | Purchased At: | mtbr classifieds | | Strengths: | let me just say this, its may 2005 and its still going strong. | | Weaknesses: | every once in a while a product is made so well that a manufacturer loses money because no one needs another. | | Similar Products Used: | marzocchi marathon sl | | Bike Setup: | zaskar | | Bottom Line: | if you can find one still buy it. not only does this fork work fine for xc it is incredibly lightweight. i raced for two years on it and still have it on my wifes bike. why isn't still on mine? the fork i got for her (marzocchi marathon sl) had too much travel making the standover height too tall. i miss it. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Luis Ortiz
a Cross Country Rider
from San Juan PR
Date Reviewed: February 26, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | any kind | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$179.00 | | Purchased At: | supergo | | Strengths: | reliability reliability reliability
low wight and great action | | Weaknesses: | they dont do it anymore!! | | Similar Products Used: | SID race | | Bike Setup: | trek 8900 trek stp GF Sugar team | | Bottom Line: | Im sorry Im 3 years late but this is a testimony to the durability of this mutha'!!!
I have tottaly refused to go "air" over the last 3 years.Ive seen the forks go from titanium springs to air this,air that,an back to springs,and my fork has yet to leak any air...
The current Manitou line(Skarebs) are heavy,unreliable!!! ;(
the SIDs leak air and flex like a plastic spoon,I see all my buddies buying one fork a year and my SX-ti its still going much like the Duracell bunny!!!!
I am tottaly in love with my fork(it outlasted my marriage and three frames!!) and the day that it finally dies I will do a monument with it. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mike b
a Cross Country Rider
from Sodom in the North
Date Reviewed: December 12, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | boggs | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$275.00 | | Purchased At: | park cyclery sf | | Strengths: | light weight
adjustability
small bump sensitivity
overall plushness
durability | | Weaknesses: | long term durability | | Similar Products Used: | sx r
judy sl
judy xc
marzocchi xc 400
| | Bike Setup: | sc superlight 25.5 lbs, give or take a few ounces | | Bottom Line: | i think i wrote a detailed review on the wrong model year. sometimes i smoke too much weed and forget when i purchased things.
this is the yellow manitou sx ti, right?
i will repeat--this is a Schlarvey Fork of Love. it is so much better than my sx r. i have raced many times on this fork and have ridden lots and lots of long cross country miles on it. the bushings have finally broken, so let's see if manitou can repair this fork as well as they did my sx r.
all in all, this fork is worlds better than any rock shox product i've used. | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Lami Bertan Tokuzlu
a Weekend Warrior
from Istanbul, Turkey
Date Reviewed: August 10, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Belgrade Forest Trail | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$169.00 | | Purchased At: | JENSONUSA | | Strengths: | very stiff and responsive(stiff at first but works perfectly well when it has to), goog adjustablity (external compression and rebound damping and preload adjustment), relatively light, price. | | Weaknesses: | I have not discovered any so far. | | Similar Products Used: | 98 Manitou SX, 2001 Judy XC, 99 Manitou Pro, a cheap Marzocchi(I don't remember the model, this was a good fork but got broken) | | Bike Setup: | 99 GT Zaskar, Mavic Crossroc wheelset, Hutchinson Python Tubeless tyres, xt lx hollowtech shifters, Avid Arch Rival brakes etc. | | Bottom Line: | I had been riding my 2001 Judy XC fork (plush but very heavy and flexy and has very soft springs) for the last 8 moths until I discovered this fork for a great price in JensonUSA. I was expecting to shave 700 grams from judy but thanks to JensonUSA, this turned out to be an OEM fork 200 grams heavier than the after market one. What's more, unlike the other OEM forks in their website, this one did not have an indication about that. In fact, they discovered that this was an OEM version after I told them. Despite this surprise, I quite liked the fork's performance. I bought it for a price much less than what I paid for the Judy and this fork still performs much much better than that. It is a great fork but just keep in mind that you are getting something heavier if you buy the OEM version from Jenson. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Graham Mitchell
a Weekend Warrior
from Perth, Australia
Date Reviewed: July 27, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$2000.00 | | Purchased At: | Bicycle Entrapreneur, Perth | | Strengths: | Simplicity, ease of maintenance, ease of adjustment,
lightweight. | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | spyder R
Spyder R | | Bike Setup: | Marin Mount Vision 99 | | Bottom Line: | This is a superb light, highly adjustable fork. After 2 years hard use in unforgiving Australian conditions I have overhauled once (fresh damping oil, spring re-grease, sliders and bushings cleaned out).
The SX Ti soaks up everything that I can throw at it, including some dreadful choices of line. It absorbs small and big hits without complaint, neither topping or bottoming out harshly. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a Weekend Warrior
from Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: June 18, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Glen Stuart Ravine | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$175.00 | | Strengths: | GREAT reaction to the bumbs on a trail. Light weight for higher air time! | | Weaknesses: | None yet. | | Similar Products Used: | RST (something) | | Bike Setup: | Peugeot Dune GSX/Shimano V-brakes and gears | | Bottom Line: | THERE'RE GREAT! Compared to an old *crappy* pair of RST shocks these things are amasing. They're quiet (no *pist*, hissing sound whenever it absorbes a pebble (which my old shocks did). I got an incredible deal on them from a good bike store. Look around at every store for the best price. They're kinda hard to find because they're last years model but it's worth it when you do. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
jay
a Weekend Warrior
from ottawa canada
Date Reviewed: June 8, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$220.00 | | Strengths: | have not bottomed out - better than old shox | | Weaknesses: | not found yet.....some of the other reviews have me nervous though. | | Similar Products Used: | Rock Shox Mag 21 | | Bike Setup: | high end steel cross country | | Bottom Line: | I was using old Mag 21's for 5 years with no major maintainace, and thought that the new forks would not be much of an improvement... but got these through a person in the industry at a good price - bottom line - night and day diference, my front end feels super solid , and super plush...I have not bottomed out at 195lbs. perhaps other forks are better, but for me..this is money well spent - They have made my rides more pleasurable + I am cleaning sections this spring that I walked last fall! highly reccomended | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
DAN
a Cross Country Rider
from BERKELEY, CA
Date Reviewed: November 26, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | any with a good decent | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | It kinda' does go down, doesn't it? | | Weaknesses: | Well let's see, umm...everything!
The lockout broke within the first four months, there is verylittle tire clearance, ugly design, cheap decals peel of way two quickly, it's not as plush as it should be, and the plastic adjuster knobs suck!(sorry if I left out anything!) | | Similar Products Used: | judy xc, sx r.... | | Bike Setup: | santa cruz chameleon xtr, king... | | Bottom Line: | This fork sucks! I hate it, just about everything went wrong! plus manitou is refusing to replace it because the store I bought it from wasn't a aoutorized dealer. If you'd ask me, all the stores that sell products should be authorized dealers. My friend had a judy xc lying around so I bought it off him, if you want a good fork for the money go with that.
Bottom line:
If you like wasting money, buy this fork!
This fork gets one flamin chili because thats the lowest, and two flamin chilis because (i must admit) it does work OK but it is outfitted with such cheap parts that ...damn! | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ra
a Cross Country Rider
from Columbia
Date Reviewed: September 21, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Chimney Rock Reservation | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$300.00 | | Purchased At: | Pricepoint.com | | Strengths: | light weight and long travel. proven TPC technology. Titanium springs for instant reaction and all-season reliability.
Lok-Out feature is included and it surprisingly works. I won't recommend using that gadget on rocky uphills or downhills.
Beefy construction. Aluminum steerer to shave of extra grams. | | Weaknesses: | has a little play when front brakes are applied. Not noticeable when on the go but annoying when 'giggling' the bike to check headset play.
Oh yeah, when I bought this baby there was a major assembly defect. The dampening bolt was not screwed in. It took me a complete week to realize it. I was about to return the darn thing. Someone in either PricePoint or Answer was sleeping on the job. As usual check all bolts before installing anything on your bike. Don't take spanking new stuff for granted.
PricePoint sells a lot of repacked items. My shock did not come with a manual and I had to rely on my experiece to install and maintain the shock. I also believe PricePoint is partly responsible for the loose dampening bolt. They should have 'quality checked' this shock first before shipping it to me.
The spring is a little stiff. I like my shocks plush. I weigh 170lbs and the darn thing doesn't give when it rolls over a 1" pebble. I already have the spring preload set all the way up (-).
Oil level is a tad bit tricky to measure especially when the Lok-Out unit is in place. I played around with the oil displacement before I was "satisfied" with the oil level. | | Similar Products Used: | early model Answer SX-R TPC. modified stacked spring and MCUs. | | Bike Setup: | Shimano and lotsa metal. | | Bottom Line: | great all around performance. The height is a little bit of getting used to. Low maintainace and the Lok-Out feature is a blessing.
Installation is straight forward (measure, cut, tap and tighten). Took me an hour to install. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from Calgary, AB
Date Reviewed: September 16, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Tuscany Trail | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | Soma Cycle | | Strengths: | Plush, Tunability, Micro Lube Ports | | Weaknesses: | None so far | | Similar Products Used: | SID XC, Judy Race, Judy XC, Z2 Atom 80 | | Bike Setup: | Gary Fisher Suger 2 | | Bottom Line: | This fork has elevated my riding! Tracks great! Way better then the SID. Just dial in the setting and forget it. Don't have to worry about maintenance, just give it a few squirts of grease every once in a while and off you go. No air pump to fiddle with (like the SID). Not as plush as the Z2 but what is? Got this fork at a great deal. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a Racer
from Boulder, CO
Date Reviewed: August 17, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$199.00 | | Purchased At: | Cambria Bike | | Strengths: | Lockout feature
| | Weaknesses: | Lockout feature/TPC cartridge
Flex
Durability | | Similar Products Used: | Sid XC, Mars C, Girvin Vector | | Bike Setup: | Trek 8900, XTR, Hayes disc brakes | | Bottom Line: | the TPC rebound damping never worked; whether it was set to full hard, full soft, or somewhere in between had no effect on rebound action. The entire TPC unit fell off my bike during the final stage of Mercury Tour last weekend. Answer/Manitou has been non-responsive to my warranty inquiry. No surprise. The fork was way too soft for me out of the box.
Another headache: with the SX Ti in need of repair, I went and bought a 2000 Mars C. I've found that Manitou changed the disk mount tab spacing, so that I need to go buy another Hayes caliper to fit that fork, which means major hassles with re-bleeding the brake. So, I'm forced to run cantilevers while the SX _hopefully_ gets fixed.
Bottom line: as with just about every fork I've tried, I spend more down time than ride time. Sure glad I didn't pay full retail for this piece of CRAP. And as with most manufacturers, customer service is non-existent. When is somebody going to produce a bullet-proof, durable, high performance fork? | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Eddie
a Cross Country Rider
from Wake Forest, NC, USA
Date Reviewed: June 15, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | new light | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | This is a durable product. Sometimes I challenge steps and survive and sometimes not, but the fork always has. | | Weaknesses: | none found yet | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | Trek 6000zx, Orbit Pig Headset, Azonic stem, the rest is LX type Shimano. | | Bottom Line: | The performance has been plush, I sometimes road travel this MTB and the fork makes all the difference on the aluminum Trek frame. I weigh apx 195lbs so the fork is always under pressure. The adjustment was fine right out of the BOX and the yellow & red colors match my black/yellow/red frame magnificantly!!! I shopped around for weeks before the purchase ... I made the right choice. When you choose I suggest consider your weight and style of riding then take one step up from what you think might work. This is not a cheap fork but you get what you pay for ...no worries. I find that bike shops respect the name and any would install it for apx 20 bucks. I had mine installed by a licensed professional. He also explained the overall qualities and explained that this fork is fairly maintenance free. The shop technician warned not to fill the oil because it may not require it for a long time. He aksed me to just bring it by and he would juice it up for free anytime because it takes so little when it needs a charge. How about them apples! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Aaron
a Cross Country Rider
from Provo
Date Reviewed: March 12, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | strength to weight ratio/ stiff legs | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | x-vert/ judyxc / marzok/ | | Bike Setup: | Ht alum frame | | Bottom Line: | best fork for xc after the sid. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Lindsay King
a Cross Country Rider
from Milford
Date Reviewed: March 6, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Indian Ledge | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | ? none | | Weaknesses: | Stiff, high maintenance, does not work, hard to control bike while riding etc... | | Similar Products Used: | RS Judy,Manipo Shean palmer | | Bike Setup: | litespeed | | Bottom Line: | These people are crooks. The fork did not work out of the box. I have replaced rebound dampening, serviced the fork sent it in to manipu and it still does not work. I have been switching out the fork with a RS Indy (during frequent downtime) which blows this piece of garbage away. Anyway, Manipu has no customer service. There is no 800 number, I have to return the fork through a store and pay shipping. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
DBRacer
a Racer
from Greefield, IN
Date Reviewed: March 1, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Knobstone Trail | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Great adjustability, light weight, stiffness | | Weaknesses: | lawyer tabs, funny yellow color | | Similar Products Used: | '97 Manitou SX Ti, Judy Race, '99 SX-R | | Bike Setup: | '94 Diamondback Ascent, totally non-stock (mostly XT 8sp) | | Bottom Line: | This fork was a great deal for a leftover '99 (from Supergo). I didn't mind buying mailorder since my '97 SX Ti has been totally bulletproof in 2 years of hard racing. TPC full adjustablity is AWESOME - tuning this fork is a snap (along with it's sibling, the SX-R). Yellow paint is a funny shade...doesn't match any other yellow known to man (it has kindof and orange tint to it), and the lawyer tabs have got to GO!!!! I've got the 70mm version, since my frame is pre-suspension days, but I'm sure the 80mm version works just as well on more modern frames. This is a great fork for anyone - racer, weekend warrior, etc.. - because you can easily dial in the desired ride, since the external TPC adjusters allow you to change compression AND rebound damping independently, and without tools. I always considered my '97 SX-Ti to be a great race fork, but not for the casual cross-country rider. This fork, though, does it all! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark
a Cross-Country Rider
from Boulder, CO
Date Reviewed: December 22, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Golden Gate St Park | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
Light weight
Good looks | | Weaknesses: |
Creaking under braking
Bushings sliding inside fork leg | | Similar Products Used: |
RS Judy XC/Englunds
RS SID | | Bike Setup: |
DBR XR8, mostly stock | | Bottom Line: | This fork performed well for a short time. The action became sticky and with some investigation the bushings inside the right leg were sliding. Sent it back to Manitou thru my LBS with a promise of a 3-4 week turnaround. It has now been 3 mo. They now want to replace it with a 2000 SXR, a mid level fork. Very poor response. It takes weeks for them to respond to e-mail, no 800 line. It is safe to say I will never buy a Manitou product again. I'll give it 2 chilies because ot worked well when it worked. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Alvin
a Weekend Warrior
from Walnut Creek, CA
Date Reviewed: December 20, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Briones Trail | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
weight, Carbon, design, looks | | Weaknesses: |
reliability, too fragile for trails, tunability | | Similar Products Used: |
Manitou Pro, 98 Rock Shox SID Sl, 99 SID XC | | Bike Setup: |
XTR build, 8 speed, Selle Italia Gel Titanium Kevlar saddle, Manitou SX-TI Carbon, Time ATAC Carbon Pedals, DuraAce Chain, Mavic 217 rims/GT CNC hubs, Michelin Wildgrippers, Race Face LP cranks, Azonic ORC stem, Azonic 1.5 riser, Thomson seatpost, Serfas grips, Cane Creek C-2, Fox Alps 5R air shock, | | Bottom Line: | This is a great fork. Reliability wise, it's probably better than the SID line because it doesn't have to hold air, yet it weighs about the same as those forks. I love the carbon arch. It's like a work of art. They could've put a longer throw in the model, 70mm is just not enough. I do believe the Mars line is at the 80mm mark, however. Oh, the separation between the two legs is tight. I wouldn't recommend large tires in these forks, unless you like taking apart the brakes to remove the front tire. No complaints so far, and with the lube ports, this baby should stay in my stable of rides for awhile. 4 baby! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bomber Bob
a Cross-Country Rider
from Clark, NJ
Date Reviewed: December 13, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Chimney Rock | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Strengths: |
Still Bitter | | Weaknesses: |
Still Bitter | | Similar Products Used: |
Still Bitter | | Bike Setup: |
Still Bitter | | Bottom Line: | Still Bitter about my experience with this fork and especially the company. Put you money into a White Bros. and get everything PLUS GOOD TIRE CLEARANCE!! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
KEN
a Cross-Country Rider
from BOSTON,MA
Date Reviewed: November 6, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
LIGHTWEIGHT
LOOKS | | Weaknesses: |
POOR TIRE REMOVAL CLEARENCE | | Similar Products Used: |
SID
JUDY SL | | Bike Setup: |
SEVEN SOLA TI | | Bottom Line: | THIS IS THE REVISED VERSION OF EARLIER MODELS WHICH HAVE RECIEVED POOR REVIEWS. THIS IS NOW A HARD TO BEAT FORK. THE CARBON BRK ARCH WHICH BEFORE HAD A PROBLEM OF BREAKING HAS SINCE BEEN ELIMINATED BY A BEEFED UP ARCH THAT IS STIFF/LIGHT/AND PERFECT CARBON ASTHETICS. ACTION WHEN NEW REQUIRES ABOUT A TWO WEEK NORMAL RIDING BREAK IN PERIOD TO GO FROM STICTION CITY TO PLUSH PARADISE. 70MM OF TRAVEL IS A LITTLE LOW BUT COMBINED WITH THE CARBON ARCH PROVIDE A VERY PRECISE AND FLEX FREE FEEL. THE TI SPRINGS ARE SMOOTH AND QUITE AND HAVE A PROGRESSIVE SPRING RATE TO AVOID BOTTOMING OUT. REBOUND AND COMPRESSION ADJUSTMENTS ARE BOTH EXTERNAL LIKE PRELOAD. ALTHOUGH ADJUSTMENTS IN BOTH MAKE ONLY SMALL CHANGES, THERE IS ENOUGH TO MAKE IT WORTHWHILE HAVING. IVE HAD A CREAK FREE,FLEX FREE,AND NO BREAKAGE OR LOOSENING EXPERIENCE SO FAR TO DATE. UNLIKE MOST AIR SPRUNG FORKS, THIS ONE IS NOT AFFECTED BY TEMP CHANGES AND DOESNT REQUIRE TOPPING OFF BETWEEN RIDES. THE EXTERNAL GREASE PORTS NOW DO WORK BUT FULL TEAR DOWN IS STILL BEST TO MAINTAIN THIS FORK WHICH IS PRETTY EASY. IT WOULD APPEAR THAT ANSWER HAS CORRECTED ANY AND ALL PROBS BECAUSE OWNING THIS FORK HAS BEEN ALMOST HEADACHE FREE. THE ONLY PROBLEM IS THAT THE DESIGN OF THE FORK DOES NOT ALLOW EASY REMOVAL OF BIGGER TIRES. 195'S ARE REALISTICALLY THE BIGGEST YOU CAN RUN WHICH IS NOT THAT BIG OF A DEAL FOR ME BECAUSE OF WEIGHT CONSIDERATIONS AND RIDING STYLE. BUSHINGS ARE LIFETIME WARR TOO-NICE. JUST MAKE SUR THAT IF YOU BUY ONE YOU MAKE SURE IT HAS TI SPRINGS BEFORE YOU TAKE IT HOME BECAUSE NOT ALL DO. ONES FOUND ON SPECIALIZED BIKES ARE MODIFIED WITH STEEL SPRINGS-YUCK AND THEY SUCK.OTHER THAN THAT FOR LIGHT WEIGHT,LOOKS, AND DEPENDABILITY (SO FAR), ITS HARD TO BEAT. JUST REMEBER, ITS NOT A MARZOCHI, ITS A LIGHTWEIGHT CLASS FORK-DONT ASK FOR 6 LBS OF ACTION OUT OF A 3LB FORK. MINUS ONE PEPPER FOR POOR TIRE REMOVAL CLEARENCE BUT PERFORMANCE STILL GETS 5. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
JJ
a racer
from San Francisco, CA
Date Reviewed: January 18, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
The 1999 Manitou SX-ti is totally adjustable from very plush to racing progressive. 3 adjustments can be easily made: compression preload,compression dampenin, rebound dampening. The compression dampening adjustability(SXR and SX-Ti only) is incredibly effective. This can make the fork either mimick a bomber to smooth out rock beds or make it feel pretty progressive to limit diving or anything in between. The 80mm feels alot more than the 64-65mm of older forks. And it's the stiffest Manitou or Rockshox ever built due to the stiff (thick arched) lowers. Actually, I don't feel the stiffness as much as smoothness in fork action and increased steering precision. It also feels light, probably on par with the Judy SL of old. This spring/elasto combo is well tested and can't suffer catastrophic failure like the SIDs. This is the best upgrade for you high performance frame that will last. Be sure to buy the grease injector for microlube ports. TPC hasn't changed much over the years because it works. Even last year's forks are good (gettem at Supergo). The non adjustable forks (old and new) are adjustable if you open them up. 1999 is Answers year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris
a racer
from Altoona, PA
Date Reviewed: January 12, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
WOW, what a nice fork. It has three seperate adjustmets including:
preload, compession dampening, and rebound damening. The TPC cartrige is
new and imporved, much smoother than last year. The fork is really light to,
Manitou says 3.1 pounds, but I weighed it at just a hair over 3 pounds.
The fork is an overall better fork than last year, more ridid too! Good Job
Maniou. Oh, I haven't tried the new Grease Ports out yet, but they are cool
and should save maitanence time.
| | Overall Rating: |
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