No kidding, it totally defies belief that this technology has been around for so many years.
New Manitou 160mm Fork
- Thread starter jezso
- Start date
I don't think it has been so much an issue of can it be done, so much as, the choice of dumbing down the tuning options for the majority of riders so they can't screw things up. That assumes that your customers can't tune their own fork or shock which isn't true in the upper performance segment of the market. I'm looking optimistically at Manitou's and DVO's new offerings so I can ditch my Fox 34 CTD fork. Make a fork with meaningful damper/spring settings where changes can actually be felt by the rider and somebody is going to have a big seller on their hands.
Fox since '05 model year.
RS since whenever the Lyrik and Totem came out. '06?
I GOTS ONE!
Its a real good fork, top quality for sure. High and low speed is real nice to have, but you have to take the time to find your sweet spot. Manitou's tuning guide helps, but it's a bit broad in terms of setting ranges.
More when I get more time on it.
Its a real good fork, top quality for sure. High and low speed is real nice to have, but you have to take the time to find your sweet spot. Manitou's tuning guide helps, but it's a bit broad in terms of setting ranges.
More when I get more time on it.
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I got a white one, just waiting for a frame to put it on, let us know how you get on with it!
44mm.
http://www.manitoumtb.com/products/forks/mattoc/
The 26" lowers have the same clearance as the 27.5" lowers. You can convert between wheel sizes by swapping out a few internal bits (included). The offsets will be slightly different, 41mm (26") / 44mm (27.5").
does anyone know if you can adjust the travel on this very easily? i'd really like to get one in the 170mm option but would like to knock it down to 150mm for most trail duty.
Trail side, probably not.
You need to drop the lowers and pull the air spring. 10 minute job with the right tools (8mm thin wall socket, cassette lockring tool, 8mm allen).
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awesome buckets! thanks. 2 of my 3 trail wheel sets convert to 15mm so looks like this is a go. i still wish they just made it 20mm. anything 160mm+ travel should just be 20mm by default it seems.
Actually it's a 8mm socket, but it needs to be a thinwall one otherwise you won't be able to go all the way. The cassette locking tool actually needs to have a large hole than usual otherwise you won't be able to unscrew the airshaft. Once you have the proper tools, it's a 10min job.
oh snap, just in time (a little positive reinforcement never hurt anyone):
http://www.pinkbike.com/news/manitou-mattoc-pro-review-2014.html
http://www.pinkbike.com/news/manitou-mattoc-pro-review-2014.html
@ZoRo, could you share your experience now that you have more time with the fork? I'm weighting the Mattoc Pro against the RS Pike RC3. And to be honest, what seduces me the most about the Mattoc is the relatively simpler hydraulic cart design. I'm familiar with the TPC ones, and never had access to a Charger damper. Since I live in a country where getting proper service for any fork is just impossible, I tend to do it myself. Bleeding the Charger is a task I've never done, but I've peeked into a few TPC carts in my time.
Does it ride high in its travel? how do you feel turning the dials effect the actual riding characteristics?
Thanks, and sorry for reviving a somewhat old thread.
Does it ride high in its travel? how do you feel turning the dials effect the actual riding characteristics?
Thanks, and sorry for reviving a somewhat old thread.
I've got a Mattoc Pro, and have a fair bit of time on the Pike. Both are great, but I like the Mattoc a little better. It's got better mid stroke support, and less stiction high in the travel. I don't love their axle system. It works fine, but it's not as easy to use as some others. The bottom out resistance is borderline too aggressive for me- I'm running it wide open, which is about right, but I'm not really able to use the adjustment much. It should be noted that I'm lightish (155lb) and run my suspension pretty stiff, so I don't need as much bottom out help as a lot of people. I also find that the rebound damping range is pretty slow (though again, my taste is to run it pretty fast, so grain of salt there). Next time I open it up I'll try to revalve the rebound stack to speed things up a little, though I'm okay with it set to wide open.
Thanks for your feedback. I tend to run the rebound wide open or close to that too. I weight considerably more than you (95 kilos, or ~210 pounds), so perhaps I'll be using the bottom out feature a bit more.
I've also read some other positive opinions about a better mid stroke support on the Mattoc against the Pike, so I'm seriously contemplating it as the prime candidate for muy next bike (a Propain Tyee 2). Plus, it would mean saving almost 200 euros over the Pike.
What is that you dislike more about the axle system?
It's just a little fiddly. Basically the way it works is, the ends of the axle are hexagonal, with one smaller diameter than the other (exactly the same as the Dorado axle, if you're familiar with that). Where it differs is, there's a quick release lever with a keyed end that engages in a nut in the non-drive side dropout. You slide the axle in from the drive side in a specific orientation, rotate the QR lever 90 degrees to engage the keyed end, and then close the QR lever. It works fine, but if the axle gets dirty at all it gets sticky and difficult to get the key to engage.
It's minor, and absolutely isn't a reason not to buy one. But there's definitely room for improvement there.
It's minor, and absolutely isn't a reason not to buy one. But there's definitely room for improvement there.
@slimshady
Well I got the chance to ride 2 versions of the same fork. 26inch @140mm on the TRC and 27.5@160mm on the Bronson.
Both felt butter and the dials really work. I'm not the type to fiddle with the fork once it's setup properly, but let me tell you it wasn't a tedious process in any shape or form for any of the 2 forks.
Of course, the 160 is quite a bit more supple in the beginning of the stroke, but you can still adjust the 140mm to be supple while not blowing out travel.
The best feature of this fork, apart from being red, is the bottom out adjustement. It works, plain and simple. And as the review on PB suggested, you can kinda "cheat" by having more bottom out resistance while going with a more supple adjustement on the high speed compression setting.
Relieability is stellar.
Get the proper tool kit from Hayes if you want to service it. I tried with some makeshift tools and ended up fucking up one of the forks. Good thing I know one of the main guys at Manitou otherwise it would serve as decoration in my house!
I'm trying the new Mcleod shock for the coming season. I'll report back when I get some proper riding on it to see if they compliment each other as good as Manitou claims.
Well I got the chance to ride 2 versions of the same fork. 26inch @140mm on the TRC and 27.5@160mm on the Bronson.
Both felt butter and the dials really work. I'm not the type to fiddle with the fork once it's setup properly, but let me tell you it wasn't a tedious process in any shape or form for any of the 2 forks.
Of course, the 160 is quite a bit more supple in the beginning of the stroke, but you can still adjust the 140mm to be supple while not blowing out travel.
The best feature of this fork, apart from being red, is the bottom out adjustement. It works, plain and simple. And as the review on PB suggested, you can kinda "cheat" by having more bottom out resistance while going with a more supple adjustement on the high speed compression setting.
Relieability is stellar.
Get the proper tool kit from Hayes if you want to service it. I tried with some makeshift tools and ended up fucking up one of the forks. Good thing I know one of the main guys at Manitou otherwise it would serve as decoration in my house!
I'm trying the new Mcleod shock for the coming season. I'll report back when I get some proper riding on it to see if they compliment each other as good as Manitou claims.
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Care to elaborate? It seems like the only tricky tool is the super thin wall 8mm socket. I just ground one down.
@HAB
You can always grind a 8mm but the tolerance is really tight.
The main problem is the cassette socket. It needs to be cut all the way through to be effective and engage the in the air shaft. That's how I fucked up my 1st fork. Without the proper engagement, you strip it. I'll snap a pic of the modified tool (the official one made by manitou) tonight. And all of the tool kit while at it.
With the kit, the fork is a breeze to work on and actually a real pleasure for the home mechanic
You can always grind a 8mm but the tolerance is really tight.
The main problem is the cassette socket. It needs to be cut all the way through to be effective and engage the in the air shaft. That's how I fucked up my 1st fork. Without the proper engagement, you strip it. I'll snap a pic of the modified tool (the official one made by manitou) tonight. And all of the tool kit while at it.
With the kit, the fork is a breeze to work on and actually a real pleasure for the home mechanic
Holy canola! 61 bucks for a deep, thin wall 8mm socket, a cut out cassette tool and another socket?
I better get mi Dremel skills improved...
I better get mi Dremel skills improved...
The Park FR-1.2 is deep enough to get over the footnut, no need to modify. The fr-1 and fr-5 are not. Also, you can use a 4mm allen instead on the inside of the valve instead of the 8mm thin wall on the outside. Kind of a pita but an option if you need it.