[Zed.]

Dougal has noted they tightened up bushing tolerances on the 37mm model to improve stiffness. And I think it’s Rulezman/Paul Aston who note that you should let all the air out of the fork, compress it and then tighten the pinch bolts to get ideal chassis alignment, and that this should be done on occasion to ensure alignment is maintained. Good to hear you found doing a similar process produced consistent results.

what with all this talk of alignment and random curiosity, I'm going to drop the wheel from my Norco & have a play (with & without wheel & air in airspring)

off to Dyfi on Friday so hopefully no interesting results - but I do have a freshly rebuilt / new csu Mezzer that can be fitted if theres anything suspicious

Rich.

 

[thebigoutside MTB]

Hey guys,

I just joined the Dorado Pro club after having massive success with the Mezzer Pro. One of the things that really made the Mezzer shine for me was burnishing the bushings, it noticeably improved sensitivity and feel.
That brings me to my question: do you recommend burnishing the bushings on the Dorado as well? Since the Dorado uses dual crowns and lacks a traditional crown brace, I imagine it relies more on bushing overlap for stiffness. I'm a big fan of burnishing, but I want to avoid introducing any unwanted flex or play if it compromises structural integrity.

For reference, I currently run a +0.07 die on my Mezzer. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

 

[CaveGiant]

Well it seems like I've hit enough rides to give a fair first impression on the rockeater tune.

It took a bit longer than I expected to get close for a few reasons:
A) My old Dorado was high friction due to a manufacturing defect which Manitou nicely resolved a few weeks ago. This meant I'd been running a fork with friction limited rebound for a year and had modded my bike extensively to work with it.

B) The new fork hadn't been lubed properly! Can one major company lube the friking air chamber correctly, it's not that hard!

However now I'm running a low friction fork. The geometron geometry is a bit more normal. I've been having a few great rides.

Currently it's similar to my last custom tune from Dougal in that it's extremely supportive, but never spikes. However on the old one I ran rebound open and lsc closed. With that setup it was amazing.
With the new one the adjustments are usable and useful.

So fun has been had, more fun will follow!

 

[johnsogr]

Hey guys,

I just joined the Dorado Pro club after having massive success with the Mezzer Pro. One of the things that really made the Mezzer shine for me was burnishing the bushings, it noticeably improved sensitivity and feel.
That brings me to my question: do you recommend burnishing the bushings on the Dorado as well? Since the Dorado uses dual crowns and lacks a traditional crown brace, I imagine it relies more on bushing overlap for stiffness. I'm a big fan of burnishing, but I want to avoid introducing any unwanted flex or play if it compromises structural integrity.

For reference, I currently run a +0.07 die on my Mezzer. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Id say evaluate how you fork is with everything bolted up and torqued. I lucked out and mine is perfectly smooth out of the box (I always service new forks straight away) without the need for burnishing.

 

[boostinmini]

Hey guys,

I just joined the Dorado Pro club after having massive success with the Mezzer Pro. One of the things that really made the Mezzer shine for me was burnishing the bushings, it noticeably improved sensitivity and feel.
That brings me to my question: do you recommend burnishing the bushings on the Dorado as well? Since the Dorado uses dual crowns and lacks a traditional crown brace, I imagine it relies more on bushing overlap for stiffness. I'm a big fan of burnishing, but I want to avoid introducing any unwanted flex or play if it compromises structural integrity.

For reference, I currently run a +0.07 die on my Mezzer. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

I burnish every new fork i get, why not, worst thing is it's better

 

[Roto599]

Have done more riding on the Shockcraft custom tuned Dorado Pro. At first I was dead sure the by Dougal recommended
90/135psi is way too much pressure.
Now I’m not so sure. When riding fast, rough, steep DH tracks, it’s actually really good. Firmed up my rear sprindex also from
520 to 550, and the bike feels balanced. With this much pressure though it’s not a super comfy hammock making all rocks and roots disappear, but feels to have good traction still. I have gone down to 83 on the main while keeping the 1.5x for IRT, but that was already too soft to my liking after having first ridden it at 90… maybe somewhere 85-90 will be my sweet spot (I’m 85kg plus gear on a 17kg DH bike). I also tried backing of the LSC while keeping the pressure at 90, but that didn’t significantly make the fork feel softer. Note that I’m a very average rider. But hey have an issue, seems my crowns are moving, as developing play in headset quite fast. What assembly paste have you been using with success between the Pro carbon stanchion and crown? Have the new double bolt upper crown. Have been torquing to 12.4Nm Thanks!

 

[thebigoutside MTB]

@johnsogr & @boostinmini
I ended up taking it to my buddies shop and found out there is already a lot of stiction. Yes, I'm sure I can ride it without issue but since I have burnished all my other forks, I have become very picky about that off the top suppleness of the burnished bushings. So I'm going to go ahead and have that done. Thanks guys!

 

[thebigoutside MTB]

Have done more riding on the Shockcraft custom tuned Dorado Pro. At first I was dead sure the by Dougal recommended
90/135psi is way too much pressure.
Now I’m not so sure. When riding fast, rough, steep DH tracks, it’s actually really good. Firmed up my rear sprindex also from
520 to 550, and the bike feels balanced. With this much pressure though it’s not a super comfy hammock making all rocks and roots disappear, but feels to have good traction still. I have gone down to 83 on the main while keeping the 1.5x for IRT, but that was already too soft to my liking after having first ridden it at 90… maybe somewhere 85-90 will be my sweet spot (I’m 85kg plus gear on a 17kg DH bike). I also tried backing of the LSC while keeping the pressure at 90, but that didn’t significantly make the fork feel softer. Note that I’m a very average rider. But hey have an issue, seems my crowns are moving, as developing play in headset quite fast. What assembly paste have you been using with success between the Pro carbon stanchion and crown? Have the new double bolt upper crown. Have been torquing to 12.4Nm Thanks!

This might be that the bushings are tight. Seems to be a common theme with these forks. Feel to see how the off the top compression feels, and that mid stroke to see if they are tight. If they are, burnishing might do the trick. I had the same thing happening with my Mezzer pro and once I had the bushings done, it was all I could of asked for. Good mid stroke support, with great off the top, small bump sensitivity.

 

[Roto599]

This might be that the bushings are tight. Seems to be a common theme with these forks. Feel to see how the off the top compression feels, and that mid stroke to see if they are tight. If they are, burnishing might do the trick. I had the same thing happening with my Mezzer pro and once I had the bushings done, it was all I could of asked for. Good mid stroke support, with great off the top, small bump sensitivity.

The bushings were burnished by Dougal, so should be good. He specifically mentioned the upper ones were tight. But entirely possible there is user error on tightening the axle - or if you believe Manitou Dorado RRT Review — AstonMTB Reviews , you should also loosen and tighten the crowns and steerer tube clamp quite often... "...
These USD forks do require more attention than a normal fork and straightening them is needed often. You can perfectly align the fork by unbolting everything on the fork, tightening the lower crown, and then connecting a shock pump to the main air chamber which allows you to fully compress the fork (air passes into the pump).
Once compressed, you can tighten the bolts in order: lower crown bolts, main axle bolt, left-hand side axle pinch bolts, right-hand side axle pinch bolts, upper crown legs, steerer tube crown clamp and then your direct mount stem. This will give you perfect alignment and a noticeable benefit in reduced friction.
Every time you crash you’re going to need to do this, and if you want ultimate performance then every 4-5 DH runs would help. ..." However not complaining about the small bump sensitivity, it's not bad. It's not phenomenal maybe. The rebound feels definitely better, somehow more natural/ logical (i.e. the fork behaves as I want for example when popping off features, and riding fast rough stuff it feels really calm). But really my issue ATM is the crowns slipping and causing headset to come loose. Are people running the surfaces clean and dry, or using something like this? SAC-2 SuperGrip™ Carbon and Alloy Assembly Compound Thanks!

 

[helium1989]

The bushings were burnished by Dougal, so should be good. He specifically mentioned the upper ones were tight. But entirely possible there is user error on tightening the axle - or if you believe Manitou Dorado RRT Review — AstonMTB Reviews , you should also loosen and tighten the crowns and steerer tube clamp quite often... "...
These USD forks do require more attention than a normal fork and straightening them is needed often. You can perfectly align the fork by unbolting everything on the fork, tightening the lower crown, and then connecting a shock pump to the main air chamber which allows you to fully compress the fork (air passes into the pump).
Once compressed, you can tighten the bolts in order: lower crown bolts, main axle bolt, left-hand side axle pinch bolts, right-hand side axle pinch bolts, upper crown legs, steerer tube crown clamp and then your direct mount stem. This will give you perfect alignment and a noticeable benefit in reduced friction.
Every time you crash you’re going to need to do this, and if you want ultimate performance then every 4-5 DH runs would help. ..." However not complaining about the small bump sensitivity, it's not bad. It's not phenomenal maybe. The rebound feels definitely better, somehow more natural/ logical (i.e. the fork behaves as I want for example when popping off features, and riding fast rough stuff it feels really calm). But really my issue ATM is the crowns slipping and causing headset to come loose. Are people running the surfaces clean and dry, or using something like this? SAC-2 SuperGrip™ Carbon and Alloy Assembly Compound Thanks!

I am also having this issue. The last time I tightened everything up, I noticed that tightening the second bolt in each pair causes the first to loosen quite a bit more than I expected, so I’m going to try going through the tightening sequence you quoted with the wrench set to the low end of the torque range, then the middle, then the upper end. If that doesn’t work, I’ll swing by S4 in Whistler to see if they have any suggestions.

 

[boostinmini]

I am also having this issue. The last time I tightened everything up, I noticed that tightening the second bolt in each pair causes the first to loosen quite a bit more than I expected, so I’m going to try going through the tightening sequence you quoted with the wrench set to the low end of the torque range, then the middle, then the upper end. If that doesn’t work, I’ll swing by S4 in Whistler to see if they have any suggestions.

I listed my sequence a few posts above that i think works better as far as axle goes.

 

[Roto599]

I listed my sequence a few posts above that i think works better as far as axle goes.

Yes thanks - have been using your sequence for a while now. Do you attach a shock punp to be able to cycle/ compress the fork fully in your sequence?

 

[boostinmini]

Yes thanks - have been using your sequence for a while now. Do you attach a shock punp to be able to cycle/ compress the fork fully in your sequence?

Mine is a coil so just cycle it and try and tighten partially compressed

 

[Roto599]

So have some more time on my Shockcraft custom tuned Dorado Pro. Initially Dougal recommended 90/135psi as starting point. As I wrote earlier, that is very firm. Dougal actually came back, but had missed his email, and corrected that to 85/130, or alternatively 75/150 with possibly a bit more LSC. Been playing around, and have to say the 75/150 feels extremely good. HSC still fully open. Rebound I've slowed down 2 clicks from his starting point pretty much regardless of the pressures I'm running, fork feels more calm but still not too slow there. Need to play a bit more w LSC, but getting very close to being very happy.

 

[CaveGiant]

So have some more time on my Shockcraft custom tuned Dorado Pro. Initially Dougal recommended 90/135psi as starting point. As I wrote earlier, that is very firm. Dougal actually came back, but had missed his email, and corrected that to 85/130, or alternatively 75/150 with possibly a bit more LSC. Been playing around, and have to say the 75/150 feels extremely good. HSC still fully open. Rebound I've slowed down 2 clicks from his starting point pretty much regardless of the pressures I'm running, fork feels more calm but still not too slow there. Need to play a bit more w LSC, but getting very close to being very happy.

I was playing in Chamonix last week and am thinking along similar lines to you.

As his tune for the last Dorado was amazing, I tried matching the feel with this.
On super steep rocks/roots it felt great with 82/130.
Lsc 3 from closed, unless silly steep then 2.
Rebound 14 from closed.

Really good feel, great use of travel and the grip was better than anything.
Each click on lsc on the rear was noticeable for front end traction.

I'm looking forwards to the next ride.

I am also printing some integrated mudguards which if they work I will post a photo, if you don't see an update then I got bored

 

[Roto599]

I was playing in Chamonix last week and am thinking along similar lines to you.

As his tune for the last Dorado was amazing, I tried matching the feel with this.
On super steep rocks/roots it felt great with 82/130.
Lsc 3 from closed, unless silly steep then 2.
Rebound 14 from closed.

Really good feel, great use of travel and the grip was better than anything.
Each click on lsc on the rear was noticeable for front end traction.

I'm looking forwards to the next ride.

I am also printing some integrated mudguards which if they work I will post a photo, if you don't see an update then I got bored

I wonder if we have a different tune (was yours the rock eater?), as I'm now -7 on rebound, rec was -9. So -14 would be way too fast on my fork. What were your original recommended damper settings? (for me HSC open, LSC and LSR -9 from closed). I'm 95 kgs with gear or so. Or then the LSC affects rebound, I'm still on the rec -9 on LSC, but will now start to add as am on a softer spring. Oh and I'm running fork at full length, so 203mm.

 

[CaveGiant]

Rebound/compression do affect each other, so it's not as fast as it sounds.
Recommend for me was -10 -10 +-2.
I have firm compression and medium rebound. {it's how it came, supposed to be F/F, but it worked}
100 kg with gear and fork at 190.
My last tune was full custom, this is rock.

The perk of Dougal's tunes to me is you can run very firm lsc without the harsh. So the front end is supported and you can push it down hard for grip, or float it for fun.
It allows me to ride over the front which is fun!

 

[Zed.]

so, my turn to play😜

was delivered nearly 2 months ago but was busy (work & riding) so now time to investigate a dorado rebuild

got as far as partial damper dismantle and leaving it drain overnight before attacking sometime tomorow🧐

what can go wrong🤣🤣🤣

Rich.

 

[CaveGiant]

You had a new toy to play with and you waited 2 months!
It was like Christmas morning for me!

 

[Zed.]

You had a new toy to play with and you waited 2 months!
It was like Christmas morning for me!

Im normally quick to start projects BUT have screaming adhd so easily sidetracked 😶

especially if theres something else to do😜

so, friday I drained the damper, yesterday watched the dh wc racing and today rode one of my 'other' bikes (Canyon Torque:ON) @ Bpw and therefore ignored my Norco Range Vlt that the Dorado's were fitted on🤭

maybe I'll sort my shit out tomorrow🤞



also, the Canyon has not been ridden since august lastyear (broke my heel and battery recall) so today I was comparing it's Zeb ultimate forks (180mm) with Mezzer and Dorado - theres no comparison and the zeb's are going 🤨

Rich.