[rweakley]

I've read some threads about the Rock Shox motion control with external floodgate, and am trying to compare it to the Manitou system. I can get an R7 Pro for $350, so am considering that fork over a $550 SID.
The way I understand it is that the Absolute Platform damping adjusts the compression and floodgate in one dial. I.e. the more compression damping you set it to, it takes more of an impact to override that compression damping. If you can offer any more insight into the system, or confirm/deny my understandings, please do so!
Thanks in advance.
-Randy

 

[cutthroat]

Absolute + is compression damping - the more you turn the dial, the more damping you get until the fork basically locks out. There is still a blow-off feature that will kick in on really hard hits if you have the compression dialed all the way in.

Motion control is broken up into 2 parts. The compression dial adjusts compression. The Floodgate adjusts blow-off threshold. Adjusting the Floodgate affects the "firmness" of the compression adjustment, i.e., if you dial up the Floodgate, the compression tune becomes more pronounced. Turning Floodgate all the way over and the compression all the way over will feel like a lock out. Opening the Floodgate all the way and dialing the compression all the way on adds compression but not to the same degree of lock out. In some respects the Floodgate acts sort of like a platform setting that determines when your compression damping kicks in.

You can fine tune the Motion Control a little more, but I like the simplicity of the Absolute + myself.

 

[bing!]

I have the rs external floodgate. First if all, its set at the factory. If you dont wanna mess with it, you dont have to. 200 hundred is a big price diff. But i wouldnt let the floodgate sway my decision. It would be what i could affford, then which fork will work better for me.

 

[rweakley]

It seems like a good system the way they describe it, but I like the idea of Motion Control's finer tuneability. I have a Tora with motion control, but it of course doesn't have external floodgate. My Recon on the other bike has no motion control at (or lockout for that matter). So as you can see I have no experience with either of the forks in question. Any other preferences or opinions are welcome. Battle it out and post your experiences! Manitou vs Rockshox.
By the way the description I read about Manitou is here.
Seems that

 

[cutthroat]

RS makes a fine fork and Motion Control is an excellent damper. My experience with it was that I set the Floodgate once then pretty much ignored it and just adjusted compression as needed.

Manitou's system is just simpler and equally as effective IMO - the new + damper has much finer tuning capability than the initial versions. You can also adjust the shim stack internally if you feel the need. For the $200 difference I would go Manitou and use the savings to upgrade something else on the bike, or buy a lot of beer. Either fork will serve you just fine.

 

[half_man_half_scab]

I was really impressed with the ease of use and service in the Absolute + system. I really miss it, having switched over to a Fox with Fit damper.

 

[jdgang]

another difference is that you can add the PopLock Adjust(handlebar mount) to any year SID that has the moco unit/with the compression adjustment. Only 2011 Manitou can add the lock out compression adjust, the previous years only have the remote lock out (MILO), I do not know it this can be retrofitted to the 2008-2010 forks.

 

[trailville]

At the same price, I'd take the SID, but for $200 difference it's hard not to go with the R7. I have both (though my R7 is older and doesn't have ABS+), and they're both very good lightweight forks. I think the SID is a little stiffer due to the larger stanchions, so that may be a consideration especially if you're a heavier rider. You'll get plenty of arguments on both sides as to which damper is better, so that makes them about equal in my book.

 

[mullen119]

cutthroat pretty much nailed it. The only thing worth adding is the "blow off" on ABS+ is actually a high speed compression shim stack that can easily be tuned for different rider weights and riding style. Changing the shim stack takes less the 15 minutes and makes for endless tuning options.

 

[rweakley]

Sweet, I think I am going to go with the Manitou, as long as it's a good system. I'll put the 200 toward a 2x10 crank. $1000 further and I'll have a nice light bike.
I was thinking about buying a Sette Serum SLX, but I enjoy working on the bikes enough that building a rig would provide me with enough satisfaction to justify the higher cost. Plus I can pick out exactly what I want (i.e. a 2x10 setup vice the 3x10 the Serum comes with). I also have this weird psychological attachment to the Raleigh frame I have. It was my first bike that got me into mountain biking 5 years ago and I can't seem to let it go.


I am very wary of posting this next bit, because I don't want to be labelled a spammer, but figured I would throw it out. Hopefully it helps someone.
As an FYI the site offering this price is promotive. If you can get on one of the "teams", you can access various participating brands at discounted prices. You buy directly from the manufacturers too, not the website as I understand it. I applied for the Military team, being a Marine (a Captain I was on a 24 hour duty with turned me on to the site). Two of the brands I have access to are Manitou and Crank Brothers. No Shimano or SRAM participation as of yet...oh well. With those two alone, I can probably knock about three lbs off my bike!

 

[mullen119]

Sweet, I think I am going to go with the Manitou, as long as it's a good system. I'll put the 200 toward a 2x10 crank. $1000 further and I'll have a nice light bike.
I was thinking about buying a Sette Serum SLX, but I enjoy working on the bikes enough that building a rig would provide me with enough satisfaction to justify the higher cost. Plus I can pick out exactly what I want (i.e. a 2x10 setup vice the 3x10 the Serum comes with). I also have this weird psychological attachment to the Raleigh frame I have. It was my first bike that got me into mountain biking 5 years ago and I can't seem to let it go.

I am very wary of posting this next bit, because I don't want to be labelled a spammer, but figured I would throw it out. Hopefully it helps someone.
As an FYI the site offering this price is promotive. If you can get on one of the "teams", you can access various participating brands at discounted prices. You buy directly from the manufacturers too, not the website as I understand it. I applied for the Military team, being a Marine (a Captain I was on a 24 hour duty with turned me on to the site). Two of the brands I have access to are Manitou and Crank Brothers. No Shimano or SRAM participation as of yet...oh well. With those two alone, I can probably knock about three lbs off my bike!

I have used both motion control and ABS+ and I find ABS+ to have a few benifits over the standard motion control unit. I think you will be very happy.