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Dorado Review.

yuroshek

Turbo Monkey
Jun 26, 2007
2,438
0
Arizona!
Sweet, like stated above its a 1 year old article on the "old version" of the dorado. The new 2010 Alum. Dorado has lots of new internal upgrades over the "old version" which was pretty much still in prototype stage. So basically that article is useless.
 

wood booger

Monkey
Jul 16, 2008
668
72
the land of cheap beer
Sweet, like stated above its a 1 year old article on the "old version" of the dorado. The new 2010 Alum. Dorado has lots of new internal upgrades over the "old version" which was pretty much still in prototype stage. So basically that article is useless.
The only thing more useless is a fork that says Manitou on it.
 

norbar

KESSLER PROBLEM. Just cause
Jun 7, 2007
11,346
1,587
Warsaw :/
Sweet, like stated above its a 1 year old article on the "old version" of the dorado. The new 2010 Alum. Dorado has lots of new internal upgrades over the "old version" which was pretty much still in prototype stage. So basically that article is useless.
So manitou sold a prototype fork? That isnt really nice of them ;)
 

bullcrew

3 Dude Approved
still a pretty bad @$$ fork and as much as Im not a manitou man more a Rockshox/Avalanche man I think if this thing gets the bugs worked out is going to be a really SICK of the shelf fork... Pretty excited to see 2010 reviews and and definently look forward to seeing them out there in the circut and lift lines...
Bout time Manitou starts reinventing themselves! :thumb:

Good luck manitou...

I can say this as Im more than happy with my Avy and no chance of swaying from it but as a mtbr its good to see a product trying to get it right and in the scene still....
 
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ianjenn

Turbo Monkey
Sep 12, 2006
2,998
702
SLO
still a pretty bad @$$ fork and as much as Im not a manitou man more a Rockshox/Avalanche man I think if this thing gets the bugs worked out is going to be a really SICK of the shelf fork... Pretty excited to see 2010 reviews and and definently look forward to seeing them out there in the circut and lift lines...
Bout time Manitou starts reinventing themselves! :thumb:

Good luck manitou...

I can say this as Im more than happy with my Avy and no chance of swaying from it but as a mtbr its good to see a product trying to get it right and in the scene still....
Have two rides on the 2010 Pro it feels killer!
 

bullcrew

3 Dude Approved
Have two rides on the 2010 Pro it feels killer!
Good to hear! I always liked the looks of those if I could slap a Avy cart in there it would be literally a light DHF. :D Sorry had to pop that out there!!

OK all BS aside I like the looks of that fork and I REALLY hope they get it ironed out long term its too good looking of a fork to not try and iron out...
 

yuroshek

Turbo Monkey
Jun 26, 2007
2,438
0
Arizona!
So manitou sold a prototype fork? That isnt really nice of them ;)
They only made 40 of the carbon ones, if you have one consider yourself lucky. They only made 40 for their sponsored teams and riders to use in 2009. Like every other company out there they have what is called "samples" and those samples go out to magazines and what not for test rides and write ups. So since this is an old article, they have old Dorado which didnt have the new updated internals in it.
 

yuroshek

Turbo Monkey
Jun 26, 2007
2,438
0
Arizona!
But still, $1750.. c'mon.
how much does a Fox 40 go for? 1600. what about their super high end fox 40 that they only made 100 of? how much was that???

the top of the line boxer is 1700.

manitou is right there in the ball park kid. pull your head outta your butt i know your smarter then this joey!
 

FOXROX

Turbo Monkey
Jun 23, 2007
2,120
0
hambur,nj
i have been on my dorado since may. i freaking love it. i have not one complaint on it. i love it.

edit: im also on the pro
 
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cogs

Monkey
Feb 13, 2005
140
0
I have been on my Dorado Pro for a while now and I love it!

Easy to tune and maintain. No issues at all.
 

norbar

KESSLER PROBLEM. Just cause
Jun 7, 2007
11,346
1,587
Warsaw :/
They only made 40 of the carbon ones, if you have one consider yourself lucky. They only made 40 for their sponsored teams and riders to use in 2009. Like every other company out there they have what is called "samples" and those samples go out to magazines and what not for test rides and write ups. So since this is an old article, they have old Dorado which didnt have the new updated internals in it.
So they were not sold to the public? If yes than why give a proto product for testing? Its not the best thing to do marketing wise because you may end up with reviews like this. Especialy when the reviewer doesnt know the fork he has is a prototype.


As for the price comparison between the fox,dorado and rs - you can have rs and fox for much cheaper than msrp easily. When I see dorados for that price than they are the same price ;)
 

Kanye West

220# bag of hacktastic
Aug 31, 2006
3,740
470
Good to hear! I always liked the looks of those if I could slap a Avy cart in there it would be literally a light DHF.
That sounds like a serious downgrade to the Dorado damper.

The damping abilities of it are far beyond that of anything else offered off-the-shelf for MTB's today, including the Avalanche stuff. Far far more robust.
 

TheTruth

Turbo Monkey
Jun 15, 2009
3,893
1
I'm waving. Can you see me now?
how much does a Fox 40 go for? 1600. what about their super high end fox 40 that they only made 100 of? how much was that???

the top of the line boxer is 1700.

manitou is right there in the ball park kid. pull your head outta your butt i know your smarter then this joey!
Well, this thread went DH after I ****ed up the date of the review. So now I just gotta play it off. :p
 

marshalolson

Turbo Monkey
May 25, 2006
1,770
519
why give a proto product for testing?
really dude?

basically EVERY test that is printed before the official release is on a prototype. like all the 2011 fox stuff that came out in the spring, the carbon v10s, new hayes brakes, new shimano 10spd etc etc etc etc etc

sounds like manitou took the review to heart and adjusted stuff accordingly, which is awsome, but is NOT what manitou would have done a few years ago.
 

norbar

KESSLER PROBLEM. Just cause
Jun 7, 2007
11,346
1,587
Warsaw :/
really dude?

basically EVERY test that is printed before the official release is on a prototype. like all the 2011 fox stuff that came out in the spring, the carbon v10s, new hayes brakes, new shimano 10spd etc etc etc etc etc

sounds like manitou took the review to heart and adjusted stuff accordingly, which is awsome, but is NOT what manitou would have done a few years ago.
I dont really see much tests/reviews before the official release. Also - they could have stated it was a proto like in the dirt review of the legend. Im not bashing the product, I just think its not really that profesional so stop the hate. Whats the point of giving something up for review when its not the final product and may be of lower quality. They like bad press and dont really plan on selling dorados?
 

ianjenn

Turbo Monkey
Sep 12, 2006
2,998
702
SLO
Just getting this out there. First of all I buy all the stuff I test. It isn't cheap but it allows me to voice opinions without worry of offending a manufacturer. So We have a few runs on the new Dorado and it feels killer. I have been around the MTB scene since 1986 or so and have had a wide variety of forks. Find the list below....
1. 99 Boxxer
2. 2000 X Vert
3. 2001 Monster T
4. 2003 Dorado
5. 2003 Boxxer (MOJO)
6. 2002 Stratos Superstar
7. Travis 180mm
9. 2010 Boxxer WC (test bike)
10. 2010 Dorado Pro

Basically the top 3 forks are Monster, 2010 WC, and looks like the Dorado Pro. The reason well the Monster is bullet proof period, also stiff no flex at all and back then i was 230lbs and having a fork 3LBS heavier than current numbers didn't matter too much. The WC Boxxer suprised me and felt good on the trail. The Dorado is feeling pretty good so far and I will speak more on it soon once more hours have been put onto it.
 
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dhr-racer

Monkey
Jan 24, 2007
410
0
A, A
those older monsters were pretty great. i bought a 99 a few yeas ago when i was cash strapped. popped new seals in and clean its anodized CNC'ed internals and it was good to go for a season of abuse. sold it to a friend in need when i got my boxxer and its still being ripped. not many people can say that about 10+ year old forks, mine was 9.3 lbs full of open oil bath goodness
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,031
5,921
borcester rhymes
Talk to me when it gets a 12 on the awesome chart.
"Ours goes up to 11!" :rofl:

I appreciate taking a scientific approach to testing, but that's just ridiculous and entirely qualitative. I'd love to take some runs on a durdado, all I hear is good and I love the USD design. I don't have much bad to say about my 10 boxxer aside from a bit of stickiness and I'm not thrilled with the small bump compliance.
 

marshalolson

Turbo Monkey
May 25, 2006
1,770
519
so stop the hate
no hate, sorry if it came across that way, but the word "prototype" in this context means that is a pre-production model. the final production run is not finalized, so there is still flexibility to adjust the production cycle based on reviews. so again, in this context, 40 forks were made. they sent them around and got as many riders as possible to race them. the feedback was submitted to manitou and final revisions were made to the product (ie dampening was re-valved, ditched the carbon legs, etc). the buzz around the re-release of the dorado was achieved through marketing, and the fixed all complaints, so now the fork is getting beyond stellar reviews across the board, and you are starting to see tons of them at races. in colorado i am seeing almost as many dorados as 40's. which would have been crazy talk 2 years ago. i would argue that this one online review has more than been trumped by the exceptionally positive feedback on the production version.

finally, basically any review of any product you see anywhere on something that is a few months before it will be available in stores is a review on a "prototype" as defined above.
 
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ZoRo

Turbo Monkey
Sep 28, 2004
1,224
11
MTL
Just getting this out there. First of all I buy all the stuff I test. It isn't cheap but it allows me to voice opinions without worry of offending a manufacturer. So We have a few runs on the new Dorado and it feels killer. I have been around the MTB scene since 1986 or so and have had a wide variety of forks. Find the list below....
1. 99 Boxxer
2. 2000 X Vert
3. 2001 Monster T
4. 2003 Dorado
5. 2003 Boxxer (MOJO)
6. 2002 Stratos Superstar
7. Travis 180mm
9. 2010 Boxxer WC (test bike)
10. 2010 Dorado Pro

Basically the top 3 forks are Monster, 2010 WC, and looks like the Dorado Pro. The reason well the Monster is bullet proof period, also stiff no flex at all and back then i was 230lbs and having a fork 3LBS heavier than current numbers didn't matter too much. The WC Boxxer suprised me and felt good on the trail. The Dorado is feeling pretty good so far and I will speak more on it soon once more hours have been put onto it.
Just to say that I had a Monster T for one summer in Whistler in 2003 and the thing was nuclear bomb proof. All my friends were constantly fiddling with their boxxers, manitou, marzo, etc... Mine: no flex, no leaks, no nothing. And that's riding the park 6 times a week (as for the GT DhI it was attached to, well it's another story!!!). Have yet to test a fork that reliable. Was pretty hefty though, but back then, nobody even went near a bike scale with a DH bike! Also had a XVert back in the days. That thing ate rebound cartridge for breakfast!

I have a good friend working for Manitou and they are really working their *sses off to redeem customer confidence and regain loyalty in the market. With all the effort they are putting into it, the Dorado should prove to be a good fork and a contender in the Boxxer vs Fox usual debate
 
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FOXROX

Turbo Monkey
Jun 23, 2007
2,120
0
hambur,nj
I have a good friend working for Manitou and they are really working their *sses off to redeem customer confidence and regain loyalty in the market. With all the effort they are putting into it, the Dorado should prove to be a good fork and a contender in the Boxxer vs Fox usual debate

IMO there hard work is paying off BIG time. I can personally say that i will be supporting manitou for many years to come.
 

norbar

KESSLER PROBLEM. Just cause
Jun 7, 2007
11,346
1,587
Warsaw :/
no hate, sorry if it came across that way, but the word "prototype" in this context means that is a pre-production model. the final production run is not finalized, so there is still flexibility to adjust the production cycle based on reviews. so again, in this context, 40 forks were made. they sent them around and got as many riders as possible to race them. the feedback was submitted to manitou and final revisions were made to the product (ie dampening was re-valved, ditched the carbon legs, etc). the buzz around the re-release of the dorado was achieved through marketing, and the fixed all complaints, so now the fork is getting beyond stellar reviews across the board, and you are starting to see tons of them at races. in colorado i am seeing almost as many dorados as 40's. which would have been crazy talk 2 years ago. i would argue that this one online review has more than been trumped by the exceptionally positive feedback on the production version.

finally, basically any review of any product you see anywhere on something that is a few months before it will be available in stores is a review on a "prototype" as defined above.
I understand and I was really tempted to get a dorado myself if not only for the price (you can get a used boxxer wc 2010 in mint shape for half the price of what the dorado goes for). As for the pre production tests - most of the ones Ive seen stated it was preproduction - reading this one I was under the impression it was a production version, available to the public. I only wanted to point out that when you give someone a proto to review its better to make sure he mentiones that as it may end up as some bad PR and thats the last thing manitou needs right now.
 

dropmachine

Turbo Monkey
Sep 7, 2001
2,922
10
Your face.
Couple points to add here, just to stir **** up. :D

Reviews by websites are tricky. There are definitely some sites that absolutely swallow when it comes to reviews and keeping companies happy. Big sites at that. Its sad, but easily recognizable if you know how to read this stuff. Simply put, some sites depend on review stuff, and some are just shameless and want it, so they will write tons of good stuff regardless of the truth. I won't point out examples, but man could I. :)

Reviews are tricky to say the least. A lot of it is personal preference, especially with suspension. What works for some might not work for others. Some things are definite (drivetrains for example), some things are serioulsy vague and tricky (tires and shocks.)

I really do hope Manitou gets back into the fray in a big way. Competition is the best thing for the consumer, and manitou knows this. The stuff coming out of the Hayes camp has been much, much better in recent years, so fingers crossed.

That said, the suspension world is about to heat up. X-Fusion is making some good progress, and I just got in a Suntour fork that has been brilliant. Yeah, I said Suntour. And it costs $600 at full retail.

Will the Dorado make a dent? Yeah, I think so. Pricing is consistant with the rest of the market. Resale price is still high because its rare, simple as that.

good luck Manitou, lets see what you can do. :)
 

ZoRo

Turbo Monkey
Sep 28, 2004
1,224
11
MTL
and I just got in a Suntour fork that has been brilliant. Yeah, I said Suntour. And it costs $600 at full retail.

I think Rinderknecht won the last 4x WC on a Suntour fork. I know that 100mm forks are less of a factor than a full on DH fork, but still, they must be doing something right!
 

dropmachine

Turbo Monkey
Sep 7, 2001
2,922
10
Your face.
The one I have is a 6" fork, a Durolux. Its not the lightest thing out there, but it feels great, looks to be solid quality (alloy adjusters, super slick legs, nice castings etc) and more importantly is changing my perception on what a $600 fork should do. :)
 

William42

fork ways
Jul 31, 2007
3,908
634
I think Rinderknecht won the last 4x WC on a Suntour fork. I know that 100mm forks are less of a factor than a full on DH fork, but still, they must be doing something right!
nah, you need to spend 831 dollars on a repackaged float!
 

ZoRo

Turbo Monkey
Sep 28, 2004
1,224
11
MTL
nah, you need to spend 831 dollars on a repackaged float!
Hey, didn't you get it, it has a "special" crown and secret 4x valving... That's worth it alone!!:eek: Nice fork for sure, but price totally blown out of proportion
 

Kanye West

220# bag of hacktastic
Aug 31, 2006
3,740
470
I'll be writing up an un-biased review after I've put some serious hours on mine.