Manitou Mattoc Pro fork

It might be easy to let the Manitou Mattoc Pro fly under the radar with all the hype surrounding some of the front suspension we’ve tested in this issue. Once you get the Mattoc Pro on the trail though, it quickly becomes clear that this is one fork that shouldn’t be overlooked.

One of the standout features is the external Hydraulic Bottom Out adjustment. The ability to control the ramp-up in the last part of the stroke gives the fork a bottomless feel without having to crank up the high-speed compression. Many forks offer ramp up control, but it requires internal adjustments. Being able to adjust this externally made set up a breeze, and it helped strike the perfect balance between a soft and supple initial and mid-stroke with a big-boy-sized ramp-up to keep me in control.

If you do love to tinker internally, fear not, all of the travel adjustments–from 170 millimeters down to 140 millimeters–are handled internally in 10-millimeter increments via travel-reducing chips. This can help get you dialed in on a 26- or 27.5-inch bike, but the Mattoc is not yet available for 29ers.

For a fork that comes in on the lower end of the price spectrum, the Mattoc Pro delivers top-end performance that’s able to rival many of its more pricey competitors

PRICE 850$

KONA SHRED

With a reputation for no-nonsense ruggedness and a background in the always progressive and punishing riding of Canada, Kona have been building hardcore hardtails for longer than almost anyone else. The Shred is the most expensive bike on test but it’s a proper trail tank.

READ MORE >>

Nukeproof Vector AM Comp Cro-Mo saddle

The Vector AM is pretty race focused, with minimal padding. There’s a deep (if narrow) pressurerelief channel to keep the blood flowing where it’s meant to. Used with bib shorts, we found it pretty comfortable for shorter rides and suffered no pain or discomfort in the central region. On steep climbs the slightly downturned nose provides a reasonable forward perch, while the svelte profile and smooth edges make it particularly unobtrusive when moving about on the descents. It’s quite stiff though, and can feel harsh on long rides or bumpy ground. We definitely wouldn’t want to spend much time on it without a chamois. It’s heavier than we’d expect for such a lightly padded perch too. There’s a lighter Pro version with titanium rails for $105, but at 241g it’s only 10g lighter. Weight 251g Price $67

READ MORE >>

GT Zaskar Evolution

While some bike models last just a couple of years, others change with the times to stay at the top of riders’ wishlists. In the second part of this series looking at the evolution of bikes that enjoy enduring popularity with UK riders, we turn to the GT Zaskar – a bike that was at the forefront of our sport for a long time and still has plenty of appeal today.

READ MORE >>

Cannondale Trail SL 29 SS

The fat aluminium tubes are a constrast to the skinny items seen elsewhere in the test, but this rigid Cannondale uses them to create one of the most old-school - and lightest - rides here.

READ MORE >>

Merida Big Seven 100

We've rolled up to our local woods, with a meandering blue trail, some natural wooded tracks and a bit of fire road chucked into the mix to see how the Big Seven 100 tackles trails that entry-level riders are likely to cut their teeth on.

READ MORE >>

All Arround MTB

Search This Blog