Awesome video. I could have used it 4 years ago. Some of mine were also melted. I couldn't believe it, so weird. I rebuilt mine with new elastomers I think I bought on ebay from Suspension Fork Parts. They're still cutting new elastomers for these old forks, so awesome! I'm still rocking the Manitou 3 on my Performance TM-1000.
Love the old and new Manitou's. I'm getting up the courage to try to rebuild my old '99 SX to slap on an old bike. Nothing like 80mm of plush travel LOL
looking forward to putting a new set on my three....mine is in very good condition still have them all (bumpers)and no melted goo....but want to put the long travel kit on mine and go shred on my Mantis Pro floater... thanks for the vid and commentary !! \m/ \m/
Great video! Exactly what I need to know before I got too deep into the goo. Also thanks again for the extra responses to locate the parts to get my Manitou back up and running. Keep up the good work!
Hey Greg! Great videos! I’ve watched a couple while rebuilding some of my forks but when I got to my Manitou 3, I had a few surprises. First, I found coil springs (no elastomers whatsoever). Second, the non-drive side had a little hydraulic damper. They used a steel shaft that had rusted considerably and prevented the fork from compressing, but I plan on fabing a replacement. Wasn’t sure if you had seen one of these before.
Ooh, interesting! I wonder if they're made by a company called Fork Wings? I just bought a set for Judy's, send me some pictures and we can compare... greg.mackenzie@gmail.com
I have that same fork on an old vintage bike. Been debating rebuilding versus replacing it with a RockShox fork. Built the bike a Cannondale CAD3 design in 1996, it was my first custom built bike.
Great video! Just picked up a trek 7000zx and the seller gave me this fork for free. Gives me a good idea what I'm getting into rebuilding. Thank you! Subscribed
I have been searching the net for info on restoring old vintage forks. I am into the older mountain bikes but many of the 90s models come with shocks that have literally no travel. I am trying to find the info as to whether/how these forks can be resurrected and where to source the parts ( or substitutes). As I was mainly interested in rigid mountain bikes (80s), my knowledge of suspension forks is minimal. So any video that kind of explains these shocks and how to match certain frames with certain forks would also be of great value. Also would like to know which forks of the 90s were the best of that era and worth saving. Just discovered your channel and definitely like what I am seeing so far. Thanks
I opened my Manitou 3 up this morning- it’s air spring. Was that a conversion someone did in the past or were there any that cam new that way? Gonna be tricky to get it back together… 🤞🤞
Thanks for the video of remembering the early-ish days of suspension forks. Until the bombers came out, options for reliable were ummmm, limited. And I think the manitous were about the best, because of the simplicity. They were also favorable because for the given travel, they were shorter forks so we could retain our 71 or 72° head angles, and not push the BB too far above 12". Afterall, 93ish most of our frames were still based off rigid forks.
Hi Greg, another great vid! Love the nostalgia! I have an old specialised enduro SX 2004 with monocoque frame , Fox Vanilla coil shock and Marzocchi coil fork, can’t quite remember the model, but it’s a free ride or something with an ETA travel reduction/lockout. The shock and fork ride super smooth with coils, but I don’t think the dampers been serviced for 15 years😂 I keep thinking I should try to get them rebuilt and restored to their former smooth glory, but would probably cost more than the whole bike is worth now😂
I saw a great quote about luxury cars and how much they cost to maintain: "the value of this car may have gone down, but the cost of parts and labor for maintenance will always be the same or more" You can ignore them forever but eventually they'll just fail, and then the bike (if unrideable) has zero value!
Lol, too true! I had a mechanic who said the same, I was thinking about buying an older jaguar XK8 convertible for £15k or so, his advice was it’s still an £80k car if something goes wrong😂😂
@@ButterSuspension of course.....bummer.I'm finding it difficult to find retro parts for my retro bikes....99 Cannondale Cad 3 with headshok the M60 and this kit for my Manitou three with the long travel kit....I have the elastomers but I need the clips and seals and O rings....
So the trashed fork you show at the beginning, could that still be used as a rigid fork? I bought a '95 Diamondback Vertex with a Manitou 4 and the fork is frozen. No travel at all. The dust boots or whatever are fully compressed. The bike rides fine, I don't think it was ever ridden hard off road, still has reflectors etc. I don't need a suspension fork but I also don't need my teeth all over the ground, reason I ask.
Technically, yes. Even with dead elastomers, the fork should still hold together just fine, but the head angle will be steeper and the bottom bracket will be lower so the bike might not handle as designed. You could also just rebuild the fork, assuming it comes apart without much difficulty.
@@ButterSuspension D'OH! Yes of course because, travel. Alright then, going to try the rebuild, thanks. Update: Springs inside! One 5" steel spring with melted red elastomer globbed to the bottom in each fork.
Hello ,thank you for the video ! I have the same fork; it is in pretty good shape but unfortunately it is stuck... Cannot find new elastomers anywhere in Europe...the original ones seem in good condition thought . Do you have any idea ? That fork was on a sunn 5000 that I particularly love. t would be so nice to have it back working on that bike.
Suspensionforkparts.net is where I get them but I'm sure there's an option in Europe. Also, if the elastomers are original, I can almost guarantee they should be replaced...they really don't last for decades!
@@ButterSuspension thanks a lot ! I’ll try to find that on the bay. However I found springs that are made for those forks but I really doubt their efficiency
Hey Greg! Loving the vintage rebuilds! I have a 1998 Marzocchi Bomber that I'm hoping to fix up, but it's missing the old QR20 axle. Any tips on where to source one without having to sell a kidney? I live in Canada if that makes a difference.
If I remember correctly, there were two types of QR20 axle; one is basically part of the hub and one was a slide through option...your best bet is probably to buy a complete fork or look for hubs with axles on eBay. Send me an email through my website and I can double check my "inventory".
I had a 94 Answer FS. It used these fork mounted in reverse to suspend the rear swing-arm. We would remove elstomers from the compression stack and re-arrange them beneath the recoil or bottom stack, ta-da! another 20mm of travel woo hoo! Ghetto I know, I was however desperate for more travel front and rear.
I randomly got a few sets from a shop that was clearing out old stock. Not sure if anyone is making them aftermarket, but you may want to contact Specialty Retro Products and ask them. Seals and bushings would probably be pretty popular.
Hola, soy español . Lo siento pero no se inglés.espero que usted me sepa entender. En primer lugar le diré que el video me a parecido fantástico y luego preguntarle donde puedo conseguir el juego completo de elastómeros y juntas. Estoy desesperado porque no consigo encontrar nada. Le estaría muy agradecido si me ayudase. Gracias
I'm sure you could find springs to fit, but this model has no damping other than the natural "slowness" of the elastomers to rebound. If you did swap to coil, you would basically have a pogo stick.
I have a manitou 1 that id really like to rebuild but one elastomer is pretty gooed up at the bottom of one of the legs. Could u give some pointers on how to clean them up? Im willing to do the work but not sure how to go about it. Great vid
Is this going to be installed on a Manitou FS bike by chance? I remember seeing one of those in 92/93 at a bike shop and thought that was the bees knees.
As a fellow high mileage rider it is fun to see the older stuff I coveted getting new life. Question, what is the bottle you were dispensing the prolink from? The bottle it comes in is terrible.
I know! Mostly it's because the lower legs on most forks are cast magnesium, so they can't be anodized like these. But yeah, the old school stuff definitely had flair.
@@ButterSuspension not just the anodizing, the sharper edges that are not smoothen out like on newer forks. And thats what i like, the marzocchi z1 from 97 also looking soo sexy
How ridiculous is saying throw history away because you are just to lazy to do a rebuild on an highly collectible set of forks! Yes you are probably joking about throwing them away but it just makes you look stupid and lazy. Just look at the price of "old school bmx" parts to see what I mean. No wonder you only get 24 comments over a long time? Manitou 3 are really common and Manitou 1 are a lot rarer.
Awesome video. I could have used it 4 years ago. Some of mine were also melted. I couldn't believe it, so weird. I rebuilt mine with new elastomers I think I bought on ebay from Suspension Fork Parts. They're still cutting new elastomers for these old forks, so awesome! I'm still rocking the Manitou 3 on my Performance TM-1000.
I had a 1995 Answer and it was so perfect. No travel but what travel it had was slick and smooth. BEst fork ever.
Love the old and new Manitou's. I'm getting up the courage to try to rebuild my old '99 SX to slap on an old bike. Nothing like 80mm of plush travel LOL
looking forward to putting a new set on my three....mine is in very good condition still have them all (bumpers)and no melted goo....but want to put the long travel kit on mine and go shred on my Mantis Pro floater... thanks for the vid and commentary !! \m/ \m/
not the stiffest fork, but til this day the most beautiful fork ever made, in my eyes. CNC-beauty. 🤩
Manufacturing bigger diameter, tubes.Titanium spring,oil damper and from modern raw material.stanchion tube diameter 32mm..This good solution
Great video! Exactly what I need to know before I got too deep into the goo. Also thanks again for the extra responses to locate the parts to get my Manitou back up and running. Keep up the good work!
Nice video 🤙🏼 I purchased a Manitou 2
Hey Greg! Great videos! I’ve watched a couple while rebuilding some of my forks but when I got to my Manitou 3, I had a few surprises. First, I found coil springs (no elastomers whatsoever). Second, the non-drive side had a little hydraulic damper. They used a steel shaft that had rusted considerably and prevented the fork from compressing, but I plan on fabing a replacement. Wasn’t sure if you had seen one of these before.
Ooh, interesting! I wonder if they're made by a company called Fork Wings? I just bought a set for Judy's, send me some pictures and we can compare...
greg.mackenzie@gmail.com
Thx man. I just got my parts and wasn't sure the bottom bushing for my old Balance.
I have that same fork on an old vintage bike. Been debating rebuilding versus replacing it with a RockShox fork. Built the bike a Cannondale CAD3 design in 1996, it was my first custom built bike.
If it's in good shape overall it's an easy rebuild!
Great video! Just picked up a trek 7000zx and the seller gave me this fork for free. Gives me a good idea what I'm getting into rebuilding. Thank you! Subscribed
I have been searching the net for info on restoring old vintage forks. I am into the older mountain bikes but many of the 90s models come with shocks that have literally no travel. I am trying to find the info as to whether/how these forks can be resurrected and where to source the parts ( or substitutes). As I was mainly interested in rigid mountain bikes (80s), my knowledge of suspension forks is minimal. So any video that kind of explains these shocks and how to match certain frames with certain forks would also be of great value. Also would like to know which forks of the 90s were the best of that era and worth saving. Just discovered your channel and definitely like what I am seeing so far. Thanks
helpful video. Thanks!
You're welcome, thanks for watching!
I opened my Manitou 3 up this morning- it’s air spring. Was that a conversion someone did in the past or were there any that cam new that way? Gonna be tricky to get it back together… 🤞🤞
Hmmm, maybe send me pictures via email? greg@buttersuspension.com
There was an Englund Air kit made for those...
Thanks for the video of remembering the early-ish days of suspension forks.
Until the bombers came out, options for reliable were ummmm, limited. And I think the manitous were about the best, because of the simplicity. They were also favorable because for the given travel, they were shorter forks so we could retain our 71 or 72° head angles, and not push the BB too far above 12". Afterall, 93ish most of our frames were still based off rigid forks.
Great video but noticed you didn’t film how to get those c clips out!! Help I’m stuck! 😮
Which ones, just above the main seals? Are yours rusty?
I have the Marzocchi Bomber Z3. Would you be able to rebuild mine? If yes, how can I contact you.
You bet. Send me an email. greg@buttersuspension.com
Hello! great job, i have the same one, where can i find the gasket kit you used? thank you!!
Suspensionforkparts.net
Hi Greg, another great vid! Love the nostalgia! I have an old specialised enduro SX 2004 with monocoque frame , Fox Vanilla coil shock and Marzocchi coil fork, can’t quite remember the model, but it’s a free ride or something with an ETA travel reduction/lockout. The shock and fork ride super smooth with coils, but I don’t think the dampers been serviced for 15 years😂 I keep thinking I should try to get them rebuilt and restored to their former smooth glory, but would probably cost more than the whole bike is worth now😂
I saw a great quote about luxury cars and how much they cost to maintain: "the value of this car may have gone down, but the cost of parts and labor for maintenance will always be the same or more" You can ignore them forever but eventually they'll just fail, and then the bike (if unrideable) has zero value!
Lol, too true! I had a mechanic who said the same, I was thinking about buying an older jaguar XK8 convertible for £15k or so, his advice was it’s still an £80k car if something goes wrong😂😂
Where did you get the seals and spacers etc...kit?
I've got a few vintage NOS kits from shops that stopped working on suspension.
@@ButterSuspension of course.....bummer.I'm finding it difficult to find retro parts for my retro bikes....99 Cannondale Cad 3 with headshok the M60 and this kit for my Manitou three with the long travel kit....I have the elastomers but I need the clips and seals and O rings....
Great video! I am considering restoring my 80’s Yeti FRO team bike. How common are forks like these with a threaded 1” steerer tube?
No idea on numbers but this vintage was likely a bunch in all three sizes, 1", 1.125" and 1.25".
@@ButterSuspension Great! Thanks for the reply.
So the trashed fork you show at the beginning, could that still be used as a rigid fork? I bought a '95 Diamondback Vertex with a Manitou 4 and the fork is frozen. No travel at all. The dust boots or whatever are fully compressed. The bike rides fine, I don't think it was ever ridden hard off road, still has reflectors etc. I don't need a suspension fork but I also don't need my teeth all over the ground, reason I ask.
Technically, yes. Even with dead elastomers, the fork should still hold together just fine, but the head angle will be steeper and the bottom bracket will be lower so the bike might not handle as designed. You could also just rebuild the fork, assuming it comes apart without much difficulty.
@@ButterSuspension D'OH! Yes of course because, travel. Alright then, going to try the rebuild, thanks. Update: Springs inside! One 5" steel spring with melted red elastomer globbed to the bottom in each fork.
got a manitou 4 that is nowhere this pristine, is it the same inside?
I don't have them in front of me but I'm pretty sure they're the basically the same.
Hello ,thank you for the video !
I have the same fork; it is in pretty good shape but unfortunately it is stuck... Cannot find new elastomers anywhere in Europe...the original ones seem in good condition thought . Do you have any idea ? That fork was on a sunn 5000 that I particularly love. t would be so nice to have it back working on that bike.
Suspensionforkparts.net is where I get them but I'm sure there's an option in Europe. Also, if the elastomers are original, I can almost guarantee they should be replaced...they really don't last for decades!
@@ButterSuspension thanks a lot ! I’ll try to find that on the bay. However I found springs that are made for those forks but I really doubt their efficiency
In Hungary manufacturing and selling manitou elastomers in Shimano dealer,Paul lange hungary Ltd Budapest.
Hey Greg! Loving the vintage rebuilds! I have a 1998 Marzocchi Bomber that I'm hoping to fix up, but it's missing the old QR20 axle. Any tips on where to source one without having to sell a kidney? I live in Canada if that makes a difference.
If I remember correctly, there were two types of QR20 axle; one is basically part of the hub and one was a slide through option...your best bet is probably to buy a complete fork or look for hubs with axles on eBay. Send me an email through my website and I can double check my "inventory".
i have one or 3 in my tool box..............i think greg has my email, so email him
greg, i asked you about fixing the air spring of my magura fork
I had a 94 Answer FS. It used these fork mounted in reverse to suspend the rear swing-arm. We would remove elstomers from the compression stack and re-arrange them beneath the recoil or bottom stack, ta-da! another 20mm of travel woo hoo! Ghetto I know, I was however desperate for more travel front and rear.
I thought about doing something like that one the bike this goes to, but top out control is pretty important, even on super low travel like this one.
Where can I get replacement seals? Thanks if you know.
I randomly got a few sets from a shop that was clearing out old stock. Not sure if anyone is making them aftermarket, but you may want to contact Specialty Retro Products and ask them. Seals and bushings would probably be pretty popular.
not sure if they are still open but the website is still up >>> www.suspensionforkparts.net/eshop/answer-manitou.html?page=all
Nice, didn't know they had those seals! I've only purchased elastomers from them.
Hola, soy español . Lo siento pero no se inglés.espero que usted me sepa entender. En primer lugar le diré que el video me a parecido fantástico y luego preguntarle donde puedo conseguir el juego completo de elastómeros y juntas. Estoy desesperado porque no consigo encontrar nada. Le estaría muy agradecido si me ayudase. Gracias
¡Hola, gracias por mirar!
Obtengo mis elastómeros de suspensionforkparts.net
También deberían tener sellos para este tenedor.
@@ButterSuspension Muchas gracias por su atención. Un saludo.
De nada!
I wonder why the elastomers come as a stack, not just a single long rubber cylinder. The function would be the same, one might think.
You could stack different stiffnesses to "tune" the spring rate. But some forks did come with one long elastomer.
Hi!Where buy New dustwiper(seemering)&top and lower bushing,steelcircle set for inner legs?
I found some dust wipers online but they were 3D printed and they didn't work out. The rest I have are new old stock, not sure where to find those.
@@ButterSuspension Thanks the answer!!!
Is there a way to make it a coil fork?
I'm sure you could find springs to fit, but this model has no damping other than the natural "slowness" of the elastomers to rebound. If you did swap to coil, you would basically have a pogo stick.
awesome vid.
I have a manitou 1 that id really like to rebuild but one elastomer is pretty gooed up at the bottom of one of the legs. Could u give some pointers on how to clean them up? Im willing to do the work but not sure how to go about it. Great vid
The last one I did I used a heat gun. It turns them into liquid. Took a long time, but got most of it out!
@@ButterSuspension awsome i will give it a try.
Is this going to be installed on a Manitou FS bike by chance? I remember seeing one of those in 92/93 at a bike shop and thought that was the bees knees.
Stay tuned!
I will take all your old forks!
Lol, don't worry, it's not actually garbage! Shoulda done an outtake at the end, it's still part of my collection.
my bf knows very little about bikes but says you seem very nice
🤣
Need Moar. Perhaps branch into carving little sculptures out of the old elastomers. Make an Etsy page.
If this UA-cam thing doesn't work out...
As a fellow high mileage rider it is fun to see the older stuff I coveted getting new life.
Question, what is the bottle you were dispensing the prolink from? The bottle it comes in is terrible.
They're called accordion bottles, I get them from the local hardware store. And yes, the stock bottle might as well not have a lid 🤣
Seek !
And destroy!
Damn, why forks arent looking this fancy anymore :(
I know! Mostly it's because the lower legs on most forks are cast magnesium, so they can't be anodized like these. But yeah, the old school stuff definitely had flair.
@@ButterSuspension not just the anodizing, the sharper edges that are not smoothen out like on newer forks. And thats what i like, the marzocchi z1 from 97 also looking soo sexy
How ridiculous is saying throw history away because you are just to lazy to do a rebuild on an highly collectible set of forks!
Yes you are probably joking about throwing them away but it just makes you look stupid and lazy.
Just look at the price of "old school bmx" parts to see what I mean.
No wonder you only get 24 comments over a long time?
Manitou 3 are really common and Manitou 1 are a lot rarer.
Almost as ridiculous as believing someone with a collection as big as mine would throw ANYTHING away... Sorry the sarcasm didn't register. 🙄