It could be fairly heat proper now for many of our readers, however winter will likely be again quickly sufficient and Manitou may have you prepared with a brand new and improved Mastodon fats bike suspension fork. The brand new fork is stiffer. It’s additionally lighter in any respect spec ranges, with refined offset to optimize trendy dealing with. It even provides extra user-adjustable journey for the highest Professional degree. And whereas not all snow driving calls for suspension, damped entrance journey will broaden your technical fats bike driving from uneven winter trails to summer season seashore driving, and loads of trails in between…
Manitou Mastodon light-weight fats bike suspension fork
The brand new Manitou Mastodon does every little thing the earlier technology of the devoted fats bike suspension fork did from -40° as much as extra humanly-manageable temperatures, simply higher. And now with an possibility for extra journey too. Keep in mind, you don’t want snow to have enjoyable on a fats bike. We’ve been placing a Mastodon to seashore cruising and dune duties this summer season.
Plus, for many individuals, it now comes at a less expensive worth, as effectively. Manitou say they pleasure themselves on delivering Mastodon light-weight fats bike suspension forks constructed to take your journey additional. And whereas on the skin the brand new Manitou Mastodon seems to be nearly precisely just like the outdated fork, there’s loads of updates tucked inside.
What’s new?
The primary large deal is lighter weight. Manitou says the brand new lowers casting saves 106g for the brand new Professional or 120g for the brand new Comp (in comparison with their respective outgoing fashions). However each are stiffer too, due to extending the ribs from the Reverse Arch additional down the legs of the lowers. The Professional-level Mastodon even will get 2cm of additional journey, now as much as 160mm max, whereas the Comp nonetheless tops out at 140mm.
One other large shift is a brand new 44mm offset vs. the outdated 51mm. Manitou says they made the shift to higher “match trendy geometry, transferring extra weight onto the entrance wheel, and bettering general dealing with consequently.”
The forks additionally drop the Normal vs. Prolonged designation, shifting to an axle-to-crown size 6mm shorter than the earlier Prolonged forks. However even with that, they keep the identical max 26×5″ or 27.5×4.5″ tire clearance because the longer forks to suit each tire on the fatbike market.
And lastly, new cable routing across the entrance of the fork cleans up how the entrance brake line rounds the fork, particularly vital while you get into these longer journey settings.
Tech Particulars – Professional vs. Comp
The important thing variations between the Professional vs. Comp ranges of Mastodons are hidden inside. However you may spot the Professional at a look with its shiny silver crown vs. the all-black Comp fork. The Professional fork is 50g lighter with butted 7000-series alloy for the 34mm stanchions, vs. straight gauge 6000-series alloy for the Comp. The Professional additionally has a deeper hole bore to the cast aluminum crown. Each do share the identical Reverse Arch forged alloy lowers, although.
However inside, the Professional fork will get a premium Dorado Air spring and the Comp an Skilled Air spring, each with inner Incremental Quantity Alter (IVA) to tune development charge. Each can be internally adjusted in 10mm journey increments. Meaning bike outlets have fewer SKUs to maintain in inventory, but in addition which you can all the time add roughly journey down the highway to refine your fatbike setup. The Mastodon Professional can now vary from 80-160mm of journey, whereas the Comp may be set between 80-140mm.
The damper adjustment knobs are additionally a bit totally different. Each ranges of forks get exterior rebound and compression damping, however the Professional fork will get a simplified “extra intuitive” top-tier VTT-6P damper whereas the Comp is a extra fundamental ABS+ setup.
Manitou Mastodon – Pricing & Choices
The revamped lighter Manitou Mastodon fats bike fork is on the market in two fashions, each in black. The highest Manitou Mastodon Professional sells for a similar $950 / 1140€ because the earlier technology. The Manitou Mastodon Comp is lighter, stiffer & extra adjustable. And at $650 / 780€, it’s truly fairly a bit extra reasonably priced than earlier than – saving 75 bucks.
Each ranges of forks come pre-set in both 100mm or 120mm journey, however are internally adjustable with comparatively easy, however particular instruments.
Get yours now from Manitou seller outlets, for sand to snow & ice, and something in between.
