REVIEWS DEALS BIKESHOPS TRAILS

Manitou Markhor, worthy upgrade over a RockShox Recon Silver RL? Plus a couple other questions.

4693 Views 8 Replies 3 Participants Last post by Dougal, Jan 13, 2022

1813254617.th

Discussion Starter · Dec 6, 2021 (Edited)

I'm eyeing the ~~(steel and sexy)~~ 2022 Marin Pine Mountain. I'm thinking about flipping the stock RockShox Recon Silver RL on ebay and getting a new Manitou Markhor. I'm pretty light (120-130lbs) and I'll mainly be using the bike for heavy-laden bikepacking and light trail use.

From what I've gathered:

The Manitou Kwiktoggle compression damping is better than the RS Motion Control, and can be upgraded to the excellent ABS+ damper.
The Manitou is lighter, not that it matters because I expect the Pine Mountain to be a freakishly heavy bike at 35 pounds fully kitted out.
RockShox may be stiffer due to the 32mm stanchions, not that it matters because I'm light enough.
Manitou will most certainly be smoother than the RS Solo air spring, if the smoothness of my friend's old and never-before-maintained R7 Super is anything to judge by.
The Manitou Markhor shares the same seal kit and has other interchangeable parts with the 2007 R7 Super.

Anything I'm missing here? How well will the ABS+ equipped Markhor stack up against the RockShox 35 gold?

How much do you expect me to get from flipping the Recon Silver RL on fleabay?

If I do get the Markhor, I'm going to take the fork apart to increase the travel from 100mm to 120mm to better match the Recon RL. Will the Enduro Fork Seals from Real World Cycling be a worthy mod to do on the fork?

Finally, what oils should I put inside the Markhor? Am I correct in assuming that the Markhor and 2007 R7 Super with TPC lockout use the same oils? Anyone familiar with the oil levels in the Markhor and the 2007 R7 Super?

Thanks.

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Dougal

· #2 · Dec 6, 2021

ABS+ stock is better than any of Rockshox stock fork dampers. Including all the Chargers.

Oils are 15cSt damper oil (I use Motorex 2.5wt, stock is Maxima 5wt) and there are different levels for Kwik Toggle and ABS+. Check with Kwik Toggle that you can fully compress the damper shaft. I run about 3cc less damper oil than stock.
16cc of heavy lube oil in each lower leg. I use Motorex Supergliss, stock is Manitou Semibath 5W40 which is Motorex Powersynt 4T 5W40.

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1813254617.th

Discussion Starter · #3 · Dec 6, 2021

Dougal said:
ABS+ stock is better than any of Rockshox stock fork dampers. Including all the Chargers.

Oils are 15cSt damper oil (I use Motorex 2.5wt, stock is Maxima 5wt) and there are different levels for Kwik Toggle and ABS+. Check with Kwik Toggle that you can fully compress the damper shaft. I run about 3cc less damper oil than stock.
16cc of heavy lube oil in each lower leg. I use Motorex Supergliss, stock is Manitou Semibath 5W40 which is Motorex Powersynt 4T 5W40.

Thanks for the info, Dougal. Time to find a motorcycle shop and grab some Motorex.

The ABS+ damper is that good? I had no idea. I guess the Markhor & ABS+ is the absolute best combo for me at that price range.

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seitenryu

· #4 · Dec 7, 2021

1813254617.th said:
Will the Enduro Fork Seals from Real World Cycling be a worthy mod to do on the fork?

Don't bother, the stock seals are great. Maybe the Ariete seals are a small improvement.

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Dougal

· #5 · Dec 7, 2021

seitenryu said:
Don't bother, the stock seals are great. Maybe the Ariete seals are a small improvement.

The Manitou 30mm seals are better. I haven't seen Ariete in a Manitou size.

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1813254617.th

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jan 12, 2022

Dougal said:
The Manitou 30mm seals are better. I haven't seen Ariete in a Manitou size.

RWC sells Manitou 30mm ARI fork seals. I've already bought a Manitou seal kit, so that's the route I'm going with the rebuild on my friend's 2007 R7 Super.

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Dougal

· #7 · Jan 12, 2022

1813254617.th said:
RWC sells Manitou 30mm ARI fork seals. I've already bought a Manitou seal kit, so that's the route I'm going with the rebuild on my friend's 2007 R7 Super.

The Manitou 30mm seals are the best you'll find anywhere. We see R7's coming in that are 10+ years old for first service with original seals.

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1813254617.th

Discussion Starter · #8 · Jan 12, 2022

Dougal said:
We see R7's coming in that are 10+ years old for first service with original seals.

Add my friend's 2007 R7 Super to the list of R7s that are 10 years old with the original seals and are perfectly fine. There was some dirt in the bath oil, but the bike had recently been ridden in enough mud to clog up the wheels. Stanchions were nearly perfect, bushings were in excellent condition.

It all makes me really look forward to getting a Markhor with the ABS+ damper for touring purposes. The R7 Super me and my friends can't stop fawning over only has a TPC Lockout with a spring-backed blow off valve.

BTW, how does one determine the oil levels for Manitou dampers? I believe that for the R7/M30/Markhor it is 110-125mm for the older TPC lockout and 83mm for the ABS+?

Thanks

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Dougal

· #9 · Jan 13, 2022

1813254617.th said:
Add my friend's 2007 R7 Super to the list of R7s that are 10 years old with the original seals and are perfectly fine. There was some dirt in the bath oil, but the bike had recently been ridden in enough mud to clog up the wheels. Stanchions were nearly perfect, bushings were in excellent condition.

It all makes me really look forward to getting a Markhor with the ABS+ damper for touring purposes. The R7 Super me and my friends can't stop fawning over only has a TPC Lockout with a spring-backed blow off valve.

BTW, how does one determine the oil levels for Manitou dampers? I believe that for the R7/M30/Markhor it is 110-125mm for the older TPC lockout and 83mm for the ABS+?

Thanks

The rough guideline for the Manitou dampers is enough oil to cover the piston and ports but low enough that you can still fully stroke the shaft by hand.

Numbers Shockcraft uses, most are straight from Manitou but some are tweaked by us:
R7 Fluid Flow 110-125mm
R7 Platform Plus 73-88mm
R7 TPC Lockout 100mm
R7 TPC No lockout 85mm
R7 Remote Lockout 104-119mm
R7 SPV 108-123mm
R7 Absolute 90mm
R7 MRD 80 Absolute 120mm
R7 MRD 100 Absolute 125mm
R7/M30/Markhor ABS+ 83mm
M30/Markhor Kwik Toggle 100mm

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