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Manitou
Dorado MRD X-Works
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Average Rating
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3.75/5
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# of Reviews
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8
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MSRP
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$
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Weight
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Description:Input from World Cup racers and Manitou’s elite group of freeride talent has led us to develop an all-new MRD X-Works. The X-Works not only has more travel, bigger stanchions, and more torsional rigidity than Dorados of old, it also has more tuning options via our revolutionary SPV damping system. It is the new high water mark in mountain bike suspension technology.
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Submitted by
Doug
a Downhiller
from Denver, CO USA
Date Reviewed: October 12, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1600.00 | | Strengths: | The fork is a good stiff design for an inverted fork. This is one of the first made and haven't had any failures yet. | | Weaknesses: | Same complaint as the others...small bump compliance is really lacking. I will not be happy if Manitou doesn't correct the problem w/o charging me $. | | Similar Products Used: | Super T. and 7inch dorado | | Bike Setup: | Foes Fly, romic shock, King steelset,mavic,hayes,maxxis | | Bottom Line: | This could be a great fork that is worth every penny, but I need to see much better small bump compliance. I like the feel of the fork on drops and at speed, but in the braking bumps...well, lets just say it was a good forearm workout. This fork was introduced to the market about six months ago and Manitou has yet to give us a concrete answer to this problem. Like I stated above, I hope after investing this much money into a fork that manitou will solve this problem without additional cost. Don't get me wrong, other than the one problem I love the fork. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
bigbikerider
a Downhiller
from the shore
Date Reviewed: August 30, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$2000.00 | | Purchased At: | local bike shop | | Strengths: | smooth valving
stength to weight ratio
stiff for an inverted(thank the hex axle)
8" travel
integrated stem/crown assembly
| | Weaknesses: | small bump sensitivity
reliability
COST $$$ | | Similar Products Used: | 03/02 monsters /shivers/juniorT/small marz singlecrows/rigid | | Bike Setup: | big,burly,expensive | | Bottom Line: | my first impression of this fork was that it felt really good for north shore techy burly style trails. i could apprecitate the feel of the inverted design to track and absorb roots and rocks on steep,techie terrain. there will always be flex in an inverted design, but the hex axle/carbon and crowns all work together to make this fork stiffer than a shiver. when i started riding it in whistler..things went bad. this fork has been rebuilt 3 times and is in for its forth rebuild due to malfunction. 2 blown spv bladders, broken rebound adjust(still doesnt work), and now an internal sleeve has blown through the seal. manitou was cool enough to install heavy springs after my local shop pointed out i would never need them. now i dont need to run a million PSI of SPV pressure for compression damping. ***i should mention that i am a heavy rider at 220 without gear, so this fork hasn't had it easy.*** the SPV system makes this fork very sticky and dead feeling at speed. my hands would blister then bleed from the vibration of braking bumps. i've been trying to survive my whistler days(20 in so far) and a summer of shore days, yet i fear im gettting arthritis. by the time a almost got my hands on what manitou called the evolve upgrade(since they recognized that there was an issue), they decided to ditch them and introduce something else that has yet to be announced....TPC in the Xworks perhaps? i hope manitou does the right thing and graces my bike with a new fork as a replacement. i guess the morale of the story is, before i put everyone to sleep here, is to stay away from first year production of emerging bike technology. im not scared of manitou, since i like some of what i see in there fork, but this years MRD x-works is a failure IMO. i would love to try TPC dorado soon but may need to get a 888. spent way too much money on this fork. happy trails all who read right to the end of this review :) | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
marco
a Weekend Warrior
from Santiago, Chile
Date Reviewed: July 14, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Valle Nevado | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1600.00 | | Purchased At: | intercycles | | Strengths: | Good looking, light, stiff enough, lots of travel, good on big hits. | | Weaknesses: | Very bad on small bumps (sticky feeling), rebound is too slow even set with full speed. | | Similar Products Used: | Marzocchi Shiver '02 and '04, X-vert carbon, Mozzo XXL. | | Bike Setup: | Cannondale Gemini DH, Hayes Mag, Race Face North shore DH cranks, etc.. | | Bottom Line: | The fork performed very sticky out of the box. Took it to Intercycles (great service) and said that the SPV valve was broken. Rode it again, but the fork still didn't worked. Manitou is sending the parts to fix it (all the internal parts, including SPV). I hope this time the fork will perform as a $1.600 fork, else I'll go back to the reliable Shiver. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Geremy
a Downhiller
from Bendigo
Date Reviewed: July 4, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | this is an update on the forks after riding them for a while | | Weaknesses: | i now have to agree with the previous two reviews in that these forks are very sticky and there really is no small bump performance. the rebound is also very slow even when fully open. manitou was unhappy with the original run of both the 2004 x works and standard dhs. that is why no one is running the 2004 dhs which, as a matter of interest look nearly identicle to the x works with regards to the carbon outers, crowns and stantion guards. they have sorted out these problems with a system called spv evolve. this system was first evident on the prototype evolver dh air shock. this upgrade will be provided (possibly free of charge?)to owners of original x-works forks and in some instances other manitou forks with spv. as i said manitou was unhappy with the performance of their fork and for the price they want their product to be perfect and their customers happy. If you own a set of these forks and feel they are lacking, get in touch with your local dealer or distributor for the upgrade. | | Bottom Line: | these fork work well for their intended design purpose but not well enough for the price and the users needs. however the new runs and the upgrades for the originals should address all these problems and the fork should then be PERFECT. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
RV
a Downhiller
from vancouver
Date Reviewed: July 2, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$2000.00 | | Strengths: | light
stiff
8 inches
SPV
integrated stem
| | Weaknesses: | fork is very sticky and dead feeling with no small bump sensitivity.
if you bottom hard you can rupture the SPV bladder | | Similar Products Used: | shiver
monster T
jr T
bomber | | Bike Setup: | demo9/hope/mavic/atomlab/raceface/michelin | | Bottom Line: | this fork had major bugs for me out of box on the early production run. however, manitou has addressed these issues and are sending the modified parts neccessary to fix these issues. aside from the troubles i have experienced, the fork tracks amazingly, the damping is great on slow, technical, rough terrain. and this fork is really light. i look forward to gettting it fixed and hope it doesnt take too long. i would rate this fork 5 out of 5 if it didnt cause me any downtime or sore arms. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ivo
a
from Brno
Date Reviewed: June 28, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | stable platform, light, awesome looking | | Weaknesses: | first batch of the forks not very reliable | | Similar Products Used: | Marzocchi Shiver, Manitiou Dorado DH | | Bike Setup: | Intense M1, Hope 6pot, XTR. | | Bottom Line: | As for the function, the fork is excellent. Doesn't dive under the hard braking and you can setup, how the fork bottoms out. When Manitou fixes all the bugs the fork will be perfect. I had the following issues:
1. The fork is very sticky - Manitou stopped production after the first batch and the forks coming to the market should be ok. I fixed the problem with sandpaper - removed the bushings, sanded the inside of the legs a bit and put the new bushings in.
2. SPV valve looses air and SPV function is impaired. Manitou shall be producing new rebound assembly and might replace the original.
I did consult both problems with Manitou support while riding at the World Cup and hopefully the cures are coming. I would give 5 chilis if the forks worked without problems. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Geremy
a Downhiller
from Victoria, Australia
Date Reviewed: May 15, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Lots of travel, super plush with 30psi, no pedal bob what-so-ever. very responsive and rumoured to be lighter than regualr dorados, even though manitou denies it. thick carbon around stress points for added strength | | Weaknesses: | more flex than dorado dh but this is due to the extra travel and it's unnoticable when riding so its not really a weakness | | Similar Products Used: | sherman 1.5, shiver dc, super t's and dorado dhs. | | Bike Setup: | v10 and blue x works | | Bottom Line: | worth the high price tag, they absorb none of the pedaling energy and make the bike feel like a full rigid yet as soon as they hit the rough stuff they give way underneath you. the spv could be the best progression in fork history. Great for dh racers, freeriders etc. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Gene
a Downhiller
from Taipei, Taiwan
Date Reviewed: March 23, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1300.00 | | Purchased At: | Taiwan | | Strengths: | The SPV works perfect, long travel is also a plus, fork reacts sensitively to trail condition. | | Weaknesses: | None, so far | | Similar Products Used: | Manitou Sherman, Rock Shox Boxxer Team | | Bike Setup: | Banshee Scream Frame
5th Element shock
Mavic Deemax wheel set
Tioga White Tiger tires
Shimano Saint overall
Shimano XTR Duel Action shifter/lever
Chris King headset | | Bottom Line: | This fork is a perfect match to downhillers, the SPV works perfectly and the stability during downhilling is great.
It brings me a lot of confidence while I am on the trail.
The good looking of this fork is also a plus.
I love this fork. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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