These arrived at DirtHQ ealrier in the week, here’s what Dirt tester Steve Jones thought:
“Well its friday and its last minute, Billy should have written this exclusive last week, but here we go…..6.65 lbs, upside down, aluminium, 200mm, and a good price the Dorado has finally put the boot in.
We were impressed with the carbon Manitou but because of the price and maintenance due to air transfer we kept our distance. They really have closed all the doors with this fork, only the Boxxer World Cup comes in lighter – 6 ounces – and fifty quid cheaper.
But then you have with the Manitou something quite special and also pretty straight-forward to set up. Out of the box the Dorado is ahead of the game, it feels incredibly smooth, the finish impeccable.
The new Dorado puts in a strong claim to be one of the best downhill forks of the year. Stay tuned for a full review in Dirt #99.”
Manitou 2010 Dorado Pro
The Dorado Pro has 7050 Alloy legs and utilizes the exact same internals as the much hyped MRD Dorado Carbon. The fork continues its World Cup race pedigree but it’s not just a DH race fork anymore. It’s a very capable park, free-ride and big mountain fork. Along with proven TPC+ damping the fork has plush top-out coupled with a hydraulic bottoming ramp-up that makes the fork feel bottomless.
The air spring keeps your wheel tracking through the choppiest of terrain, but doesn’t flinch when you throw something big in its path.
Updates for 2010, includes an improved two-chamber large-volume low-pressure air spring which simplifies set-up and optimizes fork performance. The air spring pressure is increased and decreased using a single valve at the top of the fork, no more valve down by brake rotor. The pressure in the two chambers auto-equalizes when a shock pump is connected. Just add and/or bleed off air from the top. Also, all mount hardware has a better grade bolt with a deeper broach (tool interface) and the brake cable guide path has been improved.
The fork comes in both 26 and 29inch version weighing 6.55lbs/2971grams and it is handmade in our Wisconsin facility.
