Mountain Bike Reviews Forum banner

New fork for the Altitude: thoughts anybody?

5K views 28 replies 8 participants last post by  GRPABT1 
#1 ·
Has anybody out here ridden an Altitude with a Manitou Mattoc or Marzocchi 350 (N)CR?

My XC bike will be sprouting 27.5" wheels soon, and I'll move my Altitude's F34 to the little bike (after a travel reduction), leaving me in search of a new 160 mm model. A Fox F36 would be the 'easy' choice, but I could probably get the Mattoc or 350 at a significantly better price (and have a fork I can easily work on at home).

I'd be interested in anybody's experiences with the two aforementioned models, especially how it combines with the Altitude's rear suspension performance.

Thanks & happy trails!
e
 
#21 ·
Question: I'm still in love with my 2013 Element 950 RSL. How stupid would it be for me to upgrade the rear shock and forks with new Fox stuff? I realize that the above link is more for AM/enduro stuff but, I would assume there will be something for the XC crowd. My big worry is that I lay out that dough and RM decides to redesign the line in the next few years and I'm left trying to get that money back. Thoughts?
 
#3 ·
They sure do! I wonder what the cost will be, though, hence my interest in alternatives. Current street price for a 2015 36 RC2 is about 1450 $CAD, and we're looking at a possible 15% price hike with the sh!tty €:$ exchange rate. My T-bolt frame - if it arrives - is already getting hit by this :'(
 
#4 ·
Every ride makes me love the new T-Bolt more and more, even though it is almost 3 pounds heavier than the Element 70 MSL build I have, it feels super nimble on tight trails, it's a breeze to pup the front wheel up on to objects on the trail and it climbs so well (with no worry about pedal strikes), it is making the same magnitude of difference in confidence that the Element 70 MSL made over the ETSX.
 
#5 ·
Great to hear. I'd orginally asked for a BC Edition (nothing much BC around here except tons of slippery rocks and roots ;-)) but it's sold out in these parts. Apparently there's one MSL frameset coming this direction and it should have my name on it! Will just move some parts over from my Element, and hopefully sell that bike locally.

The other option would be leaving my Float 34 in the Altitude (and get a LSC+HSC aftermarket cartridge for it) and then putting some 130 mm fork in the Thunderbolt. Another F34, or a Pike maybe? I looked at the BOS Dizzy but this is one of those 'no local support' options ;)
 
#7 ·
Oh, since we're still mainly on the drawing board anyway....

Do you know what the shock length is on your Thunderbolt? I thought of switching my Float X to the Thunderbolt as well, and putting an X2 in the Altitude (because moar shimz and stuff like that).
 
#8 ·
I don't know that the Thunderbolt would need the Float X adjustability for the small bump compliance, that could become a bit of a pain the way the DHX air was on the Slayer SXC 70, an RP23 was a better shock to use with that suspension design. I think the same thing may happen with the Thunderbolt/Instinct mid-travel Smooth Link.
 
#9 ·
Ah, but the regular Float X is still a CTD shock - just with a bigger oil volume and shimstack. Here's a shot of Hester's bike with a Float X in:

Wheel Tire Bicycle tire Bicycle wheel rim Bicycle wheel


The X2 is a whole different beast - I agree that might actually be a bit too much complexity. It really depends on how much low-speed compression can be added (for steep climbs) before that starts hurting downhill performance. Could be that the switch on the Float X is still a better option then.
 
#11 ·
Just read that. Hopefully the MTB division is unaffected, but still a sad thing either way.

Mattoc or F36 it is then. I actually thought dropping the Mattoc down to 130 and putting it in the Thunderbolt might be an option as well... time to have a look at the MTBR m
 
#12 ·
I asked Dre about this. He's testing out the Float X because he's using the Thunderbolt as an XC/Enduro bike. I tried out the Float X on my son's Rally and it's nice and plush - provides more cooling on long descents. But... it's a pain if you run a water bottle cage and adds a tiny bit of weight. I'm now building a new Altitude and was back and forth about shock choice. In the end, I'm going to run the stock Float CTD for awhile and then maybe try out the the X2 when it becomes available. For fork, I'm trying out the Pike for something different. My son has the new 36 and it's a winner.
 
#13 ·
Thanks, that's interesting info! Please keep us posted on the X2 if you have the time!

I found out my '14 F34 cannot be reduced down to 130 mm without some funky reworking of the air spring internals at our local Fox service center (they said they'd try but gave no guarantees). Since the fork is generally fine I think I'll end up getting a Fast CO3 or Avalanche cartrdige for it and leave it in the Altitude.

Meanwhile I've got a Mattoc on order for the Thunderbolt, and I'll probably set it to 130 mm to mimic the Thunderbolt BC's geo. I assume more would void my warranty anyway ;) With the Float X we'll see what this season brings. MSRP here is not much more than for the Float X and I love its consistency on the longer alpine stuff I end up riding/racing!
 
#18 ·
What's THE best fork option available in that size?
I originally posted the OP because I was interested in the Marzocchi 350 NCR and Manitou Mattoc as alternatives for a Fox F36 RC2. I endend up ordering the F36 but then cancelling it again when I found out my F34 couldn't be dropped to 120-130 mm for putting it in my trail bike.

Anyway, my take on this:

  • Fox F36 RC2 is the 'safest' bet: top stiffness wise, all the tuning options you can think of + good support network. Comes at a significant price, though.
  • PS Pike: cheaper and proven, but I've seen performance of friend's Pikes end up a bit mixed. Some need a bit of TLC but quality wise a good option.
  • BOS Deville: racer's fork. BOS seems to think you need to use more compression damping (hence reviews that say it's overdamped). Probably best damping in the business and very long use intervals, but comes with a weight penalty. Service can be iffy depending on where you live.
  • Marzocchi 350: good initial reviews but nothing long term...
  • Manitou Mattoc: positive initial reviews, lots of tuning potential, easily user serviced, but again: little long term

A teammate of mine is super happy with his X-Fusion, I think it was a Sweep, but it was tuned at a shop right after he bought it.
 
#20 ·
Yep, should have mentioned. There's quite a few nice 160 forks out there these days. The initial reviews were pretty good as well, and it has some nifty features. Sadly not much distribution going on here. Truth be told, not much distribution going on for anything here (except öhlins :p) so I just send stuff back to home to the Netherlands or the French service center I see at races.
 
#22 ·
A new 32 mm fork (have a check to see if the internals on those get upgraded in '16 or not) and Float DPS shock will still be a lot cheaper than a complete bike, but what is the current state of your Element and how much do you think will need replacing by next season due to wear & tear? If you expect to be binning half the parts anyway you might better hold out for a totally new bike.
 
#23 ·
The dual piston shock might be quite nice for the Element as it has such a short travel shock to start with, so having more adjustable progression might be able to give you some small bump compliance without blowing through the travel when the going gets rough.

For the most part, if the Element is hanging together and you're liking the ride, as long as you can get the new suspension bits tuned to the bike instead of a generic tune, then it would likely be a good move to do that upgrade.
 
#24 ·
Bit of a thread revival. I've just about had enough of my 160mm RCT3 pike having to go back for warranty every couple of months. It's a great fork when it's working but if the CSU isn't creaking bad it's the compression adjuster that stuffs up. Now there are many good options for forks but the problem being I need clearance for a 2.8 Nobby Nic tyre. As far as I can tell this eliminates the DVO diamond and BOS deville. That leaves pretty much the Fox 36, trusting SRAM again with a Lyrik or going a 29er fork like the Ohlins. Other than your personal recommendation the questions I'm asking is how tall do you think I could go on an Altitude? I see the EWS riders are running 170mm forks now, anyone done this? I like nice high bars and run a lot of rise and spaced up stem so I could always run less spacers for a similar feel, but what about the head angle and bottom bracket height? I run my Altitude in the slackest setting so it's already low and slack, less pedal strikes would be nice but it still has to climb. Same goes for a 29er fork like the Ohlins I guess. I know very little about the MRP stage, anyone used that?
 
#25 ·
20mm of A2C height difference is right around 1 degree of head angle change and 10mm of BB height. If you're already running it in the slackest Ride9 configuration you won't be able to make up for the slacker angle and higher BB using the Ride9. The slackest HA in 66.6d with the factory fork on the Altitude and 66.2d in the Rally Edition.
 
#27 · (Edited)
Sounds similar to the Pike. Someone on the + section has confirmed a 2.8 Nobby Nic fits in the standard DVO Diamond 27.5 fork so that is back on the cards and honestly my favourite choice so far. Geometry should be pretty much the same and it's apparently an awesome fork, albeit with a little weight penalty.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top