It may be quite warm right now for most of our readers, but winter will be back soon enough and Manitou will have you ready with a new and improved Mastodon fat bike suspension fork. The new fork is stiffer. It’s also lighter at all spec levels, with refined offset to optimize modern handling. It even adds more user-adjustable travel for the top Pro level. And while not all snow riding demands suspension, damped front travel will expand your technical fat bike riding from choppy winter trails to summer beach riding, and plenty of trails in between…
Manitou Mastodon lightweight fat bike suspension fork
The new Manitou Mastodon does everything the previous generation of the dedicated fat bike suspension fork did from -40° up to more humanly-manageable temperatures, just better. And now with an option for more travel too. Remember, you don’t need snow to have fun on a fat bike. We’ve been putting a Mastodon to beach cruising and dune duties this summer.
Plus, for many people, it now comes at a cheaper price, as well. Manitou say they pride themselves on delivering Mastodon lightweight fat bike suspension forks built to take your adventure further. And while on the outside the new Manitou Mastodon looks almost exactly like the old fork, there’s plenty of updates tucked inside.
What’s new?
The first big deal is lighter weight. Manitou says the new lowers casting saves 106g for the new Pro or 120g for the new Comp (compared to their respective outgoing models). But both are stiffer too, thanks to extending the ribs from the Reverse Arch further down the legs of the lowers. The Pro-level Mastodon even gets 2cm of extra travel, now up to 160mm max, while the Comp still tops out at 140mm.
Another big shift is a new 44mm offset vs. the old 51mm. Manitou says they made the shift to better “match modern geometry, transferring more weight onto the front wheel, and improving overall handling as a result.”
The forks also drop the Standard vs. Extended designation, moving to an axle-to-crown length 6mm shorter than the previous Extended forks. But even with that, they retain the same max 26×5″ or 27.5×4.5″ tire clearance as the longer forks to fit every tire on the fatbike market.
And lastly, new cable routing around the front of the fork cleans up how the front brake line rounds the fork, especially important when you get into those longer travel settings.
Tech Details – Pro vs. Comp
The key differences between the Pro vs. Comp levels of Mastodons are hidden inside. But you can spot the Pro at a glance with its shiny silver crown vs. the all-black Comp fork. The Pro fork is 50g lighter with butted 7000-series alloy for the 34mm stanchions, vs. straight gauge 6000-series alloy for the Comp. The Pro also has a deeper hollow bore to the forged aluminum crown. Both do share the same Reverse Arch cast alloy lowers, though.
On the other hand inside, the Pro fork gets a premium Dorado Air spring and the Comp an Expert Air spring, both with internal Incremental Volume Adjust (IVA) to tune progression rate. Both can also be internally adjusted in 10mm travel increments. That means bike shops have fewer SKUs to keep in stock, but also that you can always add more or less travel down the road to refine your fatbike setup. The Mastodon Pro can now range from 80-160mm of travel, while the Comp can be set between 80-140mm.
The damper adjustment knobs are also a bit different. Both levels of forks get external rebound and compression damping, but the Pro fork gets a simplified “more intuitive” top-tier VTT-6P damper while the Comp is a more basic ABS+ setup.
Manitou Mastodon – Pricing & Options
The revamped lighter Manitou Mastodon fat bike fork is available in two models, both in black. The top Manitou Mastodon Pro sells for the same $950 / 1140€ as the previous generation. The Manitou Mastodon Comp is lighter, stiffer & more adjustable. And at $650 / 780€, it’s actually quite a bit more affordable than before – saving 75 bucks.
Both levels of forks come pre-set in either 100mm or 120mm travel, but are internally adjustable with relatively simple, but special tools.
Get yours now from Manitou dealer shops, for sand to snow & ice, and anything in between.
