Manitou Mattoc Pro - Light Weights and Low Prices

These are popping up for sub-£200 at the moment which makes them a tempting alternative to your Rockshox Pike or Fox 36 forks for little more than what their competitors would cost for a simple service.

Ridden for six months on a mixture of cross country to heavy enduro, the Mattocs have been brilliant. Yes, the reverse brace and matte black / red graphics aren't for everyone; but most forks get treated to a decal kit anyway!

The criticisms, to get them out of the way, are relatively straightforward. Having three adjusters on the same stanchion, although mechanically prudent, isn't the most user-friendly interface - especially when the adjusters in question are rather small and very smooth, so not exactly compatible with mud and gloves! While we're on the dials, the overhanging nature of the largest red adjuster meant that the very first crash on these forks took a hefty chunk out of the soft alloy and made a mess of the otherwise snazzy red anodizing. It's hardly something to write home about, crashing your bike and being upset that it shows, but competitors like Rockshox and Fox have this adjuster much more recessed into the crown to reduce the chance of damage. If you like your bikes silent, these might not be the fork for you as there is noticeable noise as fluids work their way around the circuits - but as someone who's had pikes with a creaky CSU in previously, this is no deal breaker!

However, these are details which are hardly worth discounting such a massive potential cost saving. Where it really counts, on the trail itself, how do they fare? The answer isn't straight forward. They're one of the lightest 160mm forks out there at under 1.9kgs, and their 34mm stanchions put them more on par with a Fox 34 than the 160-180mm Fox 36 option. Honestly, when you're really pushing this does show; but when you're not smashing them down the toughest terrain, you're not hefting around unnecessary 36mm stanchions either. As a 110kg rider when kitted up, these forks were really quite impressive with a massive amount of mud clearance too. Another great little detail is the hexlock axle which not only feels safe as houses, but seems to add much more rigidity than a QR alternative - but you do need to keep a 6mm allen key on you at all times (and yes, I found out the hard way!)

Without wading into the technical side which is available in numerous other reviews, they're infinitely adjustable and have a brilliant feel. When it comes to the trail side of things, they are absolutely seamless in keeping the front end planted on any climb, soaking up any terrain on the descents, but still supportive enough to pop off lips and take the bigger hits. In short, it's a fork of few compromises as it remains composed in every aspect, never throwing up any harsh or unpredictable feedback.

If there's a fork to throw off Manitou's 'budget build' reputation, it's this. But what else would you expect from a fork which shares so much of its engineering with the Dorado? It's not your everyday set-and-forget suspension this... it offers absolutely sublime trail riding if you're willing to put the time in; you will get it set just-so, and it will inevitably show massive results when you do. Much like the Rocky Mountain Altitude I paired it with, it's not for smashing big mountain terrain (although it'll have a damn good go if you do). It's at home on a refined, lightweight build where speed and control are key but, when that 160mm of travel is occasionally needed, it can sweep in seamlessly and get it done. Understated brand, underappreciated performance, and certainly an under-priced fork.

Back to Back to Back: Enve DH Carbon vs Pro Tharsis DI2 Carbon vs Spank Spike Vibrocore Handlebars.

1 – Visuals: The first impression you, or anyone else, will get of the bars and the most subjective part of this review. The Enve DH bars have that classic matte-and-white understated styling that just goes with everything and brings a superbike feel to any build. The Pro bars have a murdered-out all black look which looks at home on any bike but doesn’t scream style. The Spank, the only alloy bar on test, comes in a variety of colours so can highlight any custom build or retain a subtle OEM colour-coded look.

2 – Price: The sticking point for most of us mere mortals who pay to ride, rather than the other way round! 
At £90 the Spank bars come in at the lowest price, followed by the Pro Tharsis at £120 and the Enve in excess of £160.

3 – Feel: How does it all translate on the trail? 

The Pro bars are exactly as you’d expect: light and incredibly stiff. The bonus of it being one of the few bars with recesses for DI2 cables is commendable, but even on a trail bike their rigidity was to the point of discomfort; for smashing out timed runs their trail feedback was excellent, but they were hardly a comfortable companion for long days in the saddle.

Enve are one of those brands where the reputation invariably precedes all else and that rep is, well... enviable. There’s a subtlety to these where they feed back exactly what’s going on downstairs without the irritating ‘buzz’ in a lot of other handlebars which invariably saps energy from your arms, loosens your grip and is all-round unpleasant.

The real surprise of the test, however, was the Spank offering. I’m always wary of a gimmick, as all bikers need to be with the new standards inundating the market, but it was genuinely excellent. Granted, it pays a weight penalty compared to the skinnier carbon counterparts on test, but circa 100g for the incredible feel these bars provide is a trade I’ll snatch with both hands. The aforementioned irritating chatter is refined by the clever foam insert within the bars and fed back as a much more manageable rumble. These bars don’t detach you from the trail, but rather report it back in comfortable doses in a manner only the very best suspension setups usually can. It’s no silver bullet but, paired with the same well-set suspension and grips tested with all of these bars, made a noticeable difference both on long rocky descents and general trail feel; it’s akin to replacing a dodgy front-end bearing you never knew you had.

The Rankings:

No prizes for guessing the Spank Spike Vibrocore comes out on top. Like when dropper posts first came into play, there’s a feel to this bar that we’ll happily pay the weight penalty and wonder how we ever coped before. The vast choice of colours and low price are an added bonus to make this bar a no-brainer for my next build.

Enve DH comes a second when all three factors come into account. However, they remain the undisputed kings of performance and would still be the bar I reach for if I was counting grams and milliseconds on a world cup build. Weekend warriors and penny-pinchers need not apply!

The Pro Tharsis should feel no shame in being bested by the two other bars on test. If the engineers called me a fat, lazy hypocrite who needed to work on his fitness rather than blame a set of carbon handlebars I’d have to agree. However, for a pricey bar it lacks the ‘bling’ factor of Enve or the performance-enhancing feel from the Spank bars. It’s a tidy bar, make no mistake, with the built in DI2 option keeping any cockpit clean. On a personal level, the trail feedback and high price would make it a no from me as an upgrade, but they probably wouldn’t be the first component to change if they came with a factory build. 

Cane Creek Inline Coil

Cane Creek Inline… three words to send a shiver down your spine.

At least, they were, before the coil offering emerged. Where its predecessor offered sublime damping but a maintenance schedule which would make world cup mechanics wince, this coil counterpart promises all of the performance without the faff.

First up, it weighs in 250-300g above an air counterpart with wiggle room depending on dimensions and spring weight; the ‘lightweight’ in-house Cane Creek offering is surprisingly good at under half the price of a Fox SLS spring. Talking of price… a brand new shock under £350 is great value and certainly provides better performance than a comparable air shock.

But the main thing; how does it ride?

Pretty damn well.

Paired with an Intense Carbine 29er it handled the descents with ease. It’s common knowledge that coil provides a more consistent feel than air due to a spring providing a completely linear relationship between force and travel. The Inline coil never feels outgunned, providing more of a grippy feel that tracks the ground than being ‘poppy’ like a comparative air shock. Personally, I went from a Vorsprung tuned Monarch and the Inline genuinely felt like an upgrade in most departments; it’s heavier and perhaps doesn’t feedback the tiny nuances in surfaces as well as the (frankly, sublime) Vorsprung Monarch. However, the confidence-inducing consistency of the Inline had me pushing harder and harder to find the limits of the bike’s capabilities without a fear of suddenly blowing through the travel on one misjudged landing or poor decision. Likewise, the ‘trail’ capabilities of the inline are brilliant as it tracks the surface and provides seemingly endless grip as your rear tyre is magnetised to the floor. Some articles I’ve read raise fears about the lack of additional chambers like on the CCDB coil which prevent overheating. As a 110kg rider who likes to think that they push their kit pretty hard, I never felt a thing. I daresay on the windiest of alpine descents you might feel some difference, but unless your riding back-to-back Megavalanches most weekends you’ll have no complaints from the Inline on UK trails.

The really outstanding feature of this shock though, is when you point the bike uphill. No leaning, no standing, just sitting comfortably is required as the top of the trail pulls into view much quicker than usual. When the lever is flicked across even the most descent-hungry, high-travel monster becomes a dutiful cross country steed to help shuttle you on to the next fun bit. Weirdly enough, when a shock tracks the ground as well as this, the uphills become a big part of the fun because usual frustrations like pedal-bob or skipping strokes and bouncing over obstacles become a distant memory. The inline holds its composure so well it almost feels like cheating… although those seconds can be quickly lost if one forgets to switch the lever back for a descent. But a seasoned biker wouldn’t be daft enough to do that would they?

We’d better move hastily on to a verdict!

It’s not an air shock, and it doesn’t try to be: it’s undeniably heavier and does require £50-odd on a new spring each time you lose or gain a significant amount of weight.

But that argument has circulated since air and coil shocks have been in production. The real benefit is in the feel: if you like your climbs and aren’t fazed by a bit of extra weight it’s sublime. Despite what people might tell you about its air-sprung predecessor, it is incredibly consistent as it devours descents and hurtles up the climbs. It came to a straight choice: Vorsprung Monarch or Cane Creek Inline. I chose the Inline. In my experience, that’s the highest praise there is; I could’ve written that at the beginning and saved you five minutes!

Shimano XT Di2 11-Speed Drivetrain RRP £1599.99 (With Brakes)

The future is here! Digitally tuneable shifting customisable to individual preference that avoids issues of conventional cable-gearing.

However, the infamous Jurassic Park quote “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should” could be applied just as easily to Shimano’s tech team. Not because of rampaging dinosaurs (although this will take a healthy bite out of your bank account) but because it simply seems like unnecessary faff; without name-dropping, I’ve ridden 1-by-9, 10, 11 and 12 speed drivetrains and never have I wished that I could tune my shifter to how I ride. Similarly, conventional cable shifting has never seemed an issue; yes, a cable can stretch or get caught, but the Di2 system still has wires which risk damage. However, it’s come on a bike I bought so I don’t have to shoulder the hefty initial price tag, reviewing it from a fairly ambivalent standpoint.

Does it shift seamlessly? Absolutely. The lever has the reassuring feel of a conventional cable system, and the bleep when you max out at either end of the range is a bonus – I suspect top flight riders (or decent mathematicians) among us don’t need a buzzer to let them know, but I found it really handy. The LCD readout is cool, in a retro 1980s-watch kind of way, and I see massive potential for where this could be going with tracking systems etc running off of a single battery. Similarly, the battery is brilliant – tucked away in the steerer and holding charge for a loooong time - I can’t envisage a scenario where it will run out. Tuning-wise I largely left it alone, although there are android and phone apps for the tech-savvy among us to fettle away with it. This, I sense, is the real selling point for the Di2. For those of us chasing that extra decimal point (and most people in between) the concept of a gearing system tuneable to you is attractive, providing a trailside talking point and potential racing edge. However, despite being quite easily dismountable (the wires are simply pushed into the main unit) I suspect many owners will ‘set and forget’ rendering it, like most top-end shocks, a fairly futile purchase when subjected to this method of use.

I’m not one to mince words when it comes to whether something is worth its price tag, and in my opinion the XT Di2 system is competitive, but I wont be rushing out to equip it on any new bike. It’s a trailside talking point, but I didn’t feel that I was gaining anything over a traditional system. Is it effective? Absolutely. Equipped as standard on a new build, I wouldn’t hesitate, and I can’t imagine the XTR feeling significantly better in any other category except weight, which is high praise! However, were I running a traditional (fully functioning) system in any of the now numerous one-by options… I’d think twice.