Reviews »
First look at the 2006 Manitou Minute:04 fork
Update (22 May 2006): I’ve finished up my review of the Minute: 04 and posted it online for your reading pleasure.
Answer Products is the company responsible for the Manitou suspension lineup. After a strong start in the early nineties, Manitou forks sort of ‘floated’ on the periphery of mainstream consciousness and stayed there until a few years ago. At that time, the company moved back strongly into the mountain bike market and started pumping out some excellent rear shocks, making noticeable inroads into all segments of the market.
The success of the company’s recently-discontinued Sherman models, thanks in part to Answer’s pioneering use of the 1.5″ steer tube, has contributed directly to the demand for extremely stiff single crown forks with travel equal to that found on double crown forks. In fact, the Manitou Travis Single Intrinsic boasts a whopping 203mm (8″) of travel — all in a single crown package. At the other end of the spectrum lays the newly minted Manitou R7, a lightweight cross country designed to fly over race courses worldwide. Weighing in at just over 3lbs and featuring either 80mm or 100mm of travel, the R7 features Manitou’s Snap Valve SPV, the standard Reverse Arch, and a lightweight crown.
Smack in the middle of the lineup, between the freeride-focused Travis line and the xc-oriented R7, are three versions of the Manitou Minute models. Featuring travel that tops out at 130mm and weights that range from 4 to 4.4lbs, the Minute forks are meant to slide into the enduro / trail market, with the Nixon taking care of the all mountain / light freeride crowd.
Recently, I picked up a 2006 Manitou Minute: 04 for my Giant Trance. In addition to having a number of features I was keen on using, I wanted to see how the Minute: 04 measured up to trail riding, BC style. I’ve been running the Minute for a few weeks and thought that it was time to let you in on a few of my early notes about the fork.
Specs
The Manitou Minute: 04 weighs in at a claimed 4lbs, has variable travel (130mm max), and accepts standard 9mm quick release axles. While the Minute certainly is not a freeride fork, it is stiff and impressive considering its weight, something that is surely helped by its 32mm stanchions and RA Casting.
On the trail, the Minute: 04’s SPV Evolve damping is meant to keep you pedalling efficiently while offering small bump compliance and a smooth transition between the Minute’s pedalling ‘platform’ and its full range of travel. Rebound damping is controlled by an external dial and travel adjustments are taken care of by Manitou’s IT Adjust, an air spring travel adjust system that provides riders with a linear spring rate throughout the fork’s range of travel settings.
The good
Extremely adjustable. The new generation of air sprung forks by companies like Answer, Fox, Rock Shox, and Marzocchi are extremely adjustable, something that gives almost every rider the opportunity to find a setting that suits their riding style and the local terrain. The Minute: 04 is no exception to this trend and, once you’ve got the thing dialled in, you’ll be impressed at the way it handles in almost every situation.
Infinite Travel Adjust. Some people hate travel adjust systems but I don’t fall into that camp. One of the things that drew me to the Minute: 04 was the ability to raise and lower the front end of my bike, depending on the type of riding I was doing. The IT Adjust, controlled by a remote lever mounted on the handlebar of my bike, works flawlessly and requires very little effort from the rider.
Stiff and strong for a lightweight fork. The Minute: 04 is pretty stiff and strong for a 4lb. fork. While I wouldn’t recommend that anyone hucks large with it, it’s more than capable of taking most of the three or four foot hits that you’ll come across during your trail riding epics.
Looks great. The Minute: 04 has black castings, black stanchions, and a black crown. The labelling has been left unfinished and it contrasts really nicely with the black that is dominant on the rest of the fork.
The not-so-good
Extremely adjustable. The adjustability of the Minute allows plenty of people to use it but it is a little bit of a handful to get set up correctly. If you don’t have the experience (or patience) to get the fork set up properly, you probably won’t see all of the benefits that the Minute has to offer.
Limited rebound settings. I’ve never been a fan of Manitou’s rebound damping — I always feel as though it doesn’t work quite as well as some of its competitors — and I feel as though the Minute is very similar to its predecessors on this front.
I have the fork set at its fastest rebound rate and it’s still a little more sluggish than I’d like. Consequently, I find that the Minute: 04 packs up a bit — the rebound doesn’t return quickly enough and the fork doesn’t provide full travel — on technical descents.
Handlebar clutter. While I enjoy the IT Adjust system and don’t have a problem with its performance, I would have liked the option of running the fork with a crown-mounted system. My bike’s handlebars are cluttered enough, and I don’t have any of the plethora of gear out there that riders can mount on their bikes.
Compression setting. The compression setting on the Minute: 04 is a little less practical than some of Manitou’s competitors. Dialling the SPV chamber in and out controls the fork’s compression but this adjustment requires a 16mm socket, something most riders won’t want to haul along in their hydration packs during their 30 mile jaunt into the back country.
A little insensitive. The SPV Evolve damping works great but, so far, I’ve found that the Minute:04 doesn’t have the same small bump compliance as some of the other trail forks out there. While I’m certainly not shattered by this and I’m not the first one to raise the issue, it’s something that you should be aware of if you’re looking for a fork that delivers a super-plush ride, all of the time.
Summary
So far, the Manitou Minute: 04 has proven itself to be a trail-worthy fork that is more than comfortable in the woods of British Columbia. It’s extremely smooth while cycling through its travel, the SPV Evolve damping does its job, the low weight makes it suitable for all-day rides, and its adjustability makes it extremely versatile.
Most of my early criticisms revolve around adjustments on the fork, and time will tell if I can iron these wrinkles out of what is otherwise a solid workhorse of a product. Keep your eyes peeled for the full review of the Minute: 04, due out sometime over the next couple of months.
Note: See comments 2 and 3 below.
Manufacturer’s website: Answer Products
1. Posted by Ashwin | 4:53 am, 20 March 2006
I’m planning an article in a few weeks on how to maintain some 04 Manitou forks, and some little tweaks for tuning, such as “devolve”ing the SPV damper to get more small bump compliance.
I thought Manitou released a NO-tool SPV adjuster cap for the 06, but that might be on select models.
I love the Manitous for how easy they are to work on and tinker with (though probably voids warranty :) )