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Reviews
2009 Manitou Dorado
Author: Chris Armstrong | Created: 2009-10-08 06:46:47 | Location: Whistler, BC
At Crankworx this summer I got my hands on one of the new Manitou Dorado forks to try out for a couple of weeks. After three weeks of riding all my favourite trails in the bike park.
In case you have been under a rock for the last two years the Dorado's are the flagship fork in the Manitou line. The first think that you notice about them is that they have inverted stanchions, i.e. the tops are fixed and the lowers slide up into them, opposite to all other forks on the market.
Inverted forks have different characteristics than traditional forks. Fork flex is greatest at the triple clamps on all forks; by having larger diameter tubes to clamp it decreases the flex in the fork. Also since the cartridge is above the legs it decreases the un-sprung weight. Stanchion size is 36mm, with thick plastic lower leg protectors keeping the muck off of the important parts.
The internals of the Dorado are based around the TPC+ damper. It has rebound & high/low speed compression and a twin chamber air spring. Pressure is added to the cartridge via the valve on the stop of the fork leg, and bled from the bottom of the leg.
2009 Manitou Dorado lowers. |
Setting up the Dorado's can take a little longer than usual due to all the options available to you. First step is setting up the air pressure for your weight. Next up was setting up the TPC+ and the low/high speed settings.
It took about ½ dozen runs to get dialed in. With a fork that is very adjustable like the Dorado, it requires small changes done incrementally each run to get closer and closer to your finished settings. If you make too many changes at once you will make the fork (or shock for that matter) turn into a pile of crap, quickly.
First lap was with the baseline settings, right in the middle so I could get a feel for the fork. I found the Dorado was diving a bit in the corners so I added in some pressure to the fork and turned the TPC up a notch. So on and so forth, until I arrived at the sweet spot.
And how sweet it was.
The Dorado rode like no other fork that I have tried. It had some similarities with the Travis fork that I have had for the last couple of years, but can be like comparing a Ford Mustang to a Shelby Cobra. Might come from the same place, but there are some major differences. The Dorado's carry the MRD badge and that is reserved only for the best of the best, and I know why. Buttery smooth over braking bumps that can rattle your fillings loose, stable in deep high-speed corners and plushness on the largest of jumps reminiscent of trophy truck suspension. After pushing the fork to 203mm point on more than one occasion, I noticed that it didn't have a harsh end to the travel, it just seemed to finish up without any complains.
It just shrugged off everything that I threw at it. But not like an over confident jock, more like the Fonz. Cool, Calm & confidant, it handled every trail that I pointed it down with ease and I dare say almost without breaking a sweat. From high speed 3400' vertical drop thigh burners, tight technically sections with more roots than dirt and fast jump trails like Crab Apple Hits/A-line it just kept asking for more.
So I went back up the lift, again and again. And you know what happened? I got tired before it did. After four solid weeks in the bike park the Dorado's were riding the same as the first lap that I took them on.
Quality & reliability? Check.
Adjustable & tweakable? Check.
Affordable? Unfortunately not.
As these are the MRD version nothing has been spared in the production of them. Hence the price tag that is slightly more than my first and second cars put together. Luckily next year an aluminum version will be available that will bring the price down inline with Fox 40's or Rock Shox Boxxer World Cup versions, and won't sacrifice on the internals, just the upper leg materials.
2009 Manitou Dorado uppers. |
Opinion: If money is falling out of your pockets and you want the best forks that you can buy get the Manitou Dorado's. if you want to spend a bit less wait for the 2010 aluminum versions.
Plus:
Strong, reliable, plush, light.
Minus:
$$$$$$$.
Website: http://www.manitoumtb.com
Price: $2700 USD.
Rating: 5/5
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