Manitou Black

[bikesnoopy]

A friend has offered me a set of Manitou Black forks.
Apart from the fact that they have 100mm of travel i know nothing about these forks. Can anyone enlighten me?
They are black in colour with gold anodised ally stantions & a steel steerer & disc brake only with lock out.

Are they any good?
What operating system do they have - oil damped springs? Air? Elastomers?
What sort of weight are they?
Are they an XC fork/freeride/nothing in particular fork?
How much are they new?

They are about two years old & have had very little use & are immaculate. I have been offered them for £50. Does this sound a good price?

Thanks in advance for any info/opinions

 

[EarlofBarnet]

They're not too bad forks, not great but they'll do the job. Think they did a few different models, but chances are they'll be oil/coil internals. Unless their the elite model, I wouldn't spend £50 on them. £35 would be better.

They'll be more than two years old too, unless they're were old stock. Don't think they made them much more recently than 2005/6.

Weight wise with a steel steerer maybe 4.5lbs.

 

[bikesnoopy]

Thanks for that. I was going to put them on my single speeder which is currently running aluminium Mosso rigid forks.

How much were they when they were new? These ones really are immaculate & as good as new - which is why £50 seemed fair?

 

[EarlofBarnet]

They'll have been £150-£200 new, so guess £50 isn't too far wrong if they are perfect. I sold a set of Elite ones on here for £35 not too long ago. They were functionally fine but had marks on the lowers.

 

[bikesnoopy]

They're not too bad forks, not great but they'll do the job. Think they did a few different models, but chances are they'll be oil/coil internals. Unless their the elite model, I wouldn't spend £50 on them. £35 would be better.

Weight wise with a steel steerer maybe 4.5lbs.

Well, ive got them & theyre perfect - just a couple of small marks, but hardly used.
They are the Elite TPC model.
Just weighed them on the digital kitchin scales & they weigh in at 2lb 2oz which is about a kilo.
Im well pleased with my purchase!

 

[EarlofBarnet]

Good effort. The Elite ones are in a different league to the lower end ones. They sounds ridiculously light

 

[Reluctant]

The weight doesn't sound right to me - any fork under 3 pounds is really super light and the Black never set out to be that. I had a pair on my '03 Sunn Revolt - nice fork if you ran it in 100mm rather than 80.

This page from Weight Weenies looks like more realistic weights to me

http://weightweenies.starbike.com/listi ... nsionforks

Price wise, I remember Blacks starting around £300 and going up to the £450 mark, so i'd reckon you got a good deal there.

 

[superstu]

Friend has a set on his 08 (i think) Rockhopper. They're actually pretty darn good. I was very surprised, but having only just found this thread I would say 50 was a good deal. I'd get a set if I could find any.

 

[Khane]

80/100mm travel should weigh approx 4.1lbs
100/120mm travel should weigh approx 4.2lbs

according to my research.

 

[bikesnoopy]

If my kitchen scales are that fer out, no wonder my cakes are crap!!!

It sounded a bit too light to me too. . . maybe i need to get some new scales.

Still well pleased with the forks tho