We’ve seen some of these items over the past 12 months in various states of prototyping and production forms, but this is the first chance we’ve had to weigh the actual production versions of the Marvel and Tower forks.
Above is the Marvel Expert 120mm travel with 15mm thru axle. At 3lb 12oz (3.75lbs), that’s not bad for the 2nd tier model with that much travel and a thru axle design. They’ll also offer a 100mm version and Pro level that should be a bit lighter.
Jump past the break for lots more new goodies from Manitou, including a new color option and upgraded bits for the Dorado DH fork…
The Tower has been a long time in development. Now that they’ve got the final casting done, they’ve also added a longer 140mm travel version to join the 80, 100 and 120 options. Since travel isn’t adjustable, the internal part of the stanchions is shorter on the shorter travel versions, saving about 50g per size drop. The one we weighed is the 120mm Pro w/ 9mm QR. The Expert forks will be a bit heavier.
Both forks have both 9mm QR and 15mm thru axle options.
The Manitou Dorado DH fork gets a new black & white color option.
It also gets a redesigned stanchion guard with stronger mounting points to prevent them from cracking (as easily) during impact and keep the overall shape stiffer so it’s less likely to rub on the forks’ legs.
Lastly, they’ll be offering the new Absolute Plus Tuning Kit. Primarily, it’ll allow shops to individually tune the Ab+ platform and velocity damping with various shims, and it’ll include spare pistons, knobs and O-rings for basic repairs, too. The kit will retail for around $100 to $120 (TBD) and each parts bag will be available separately to replace bits that are used more frequently. For shops, this gives them the ability to perform more service in house and increase revenues rather than farming out suspension work, and it allows them to better tune their customer’s forks to the local trails and riding style.
The kit comes with an extensive guide showing compression and rebound curves for the various shim options and forks, making it easier for shop techs to pick the right parts for the right rider and trail conditions.
