I just ordered the Mastodon for my Crestone, with it arriving next week. I was unsure of the pros/cons. Thanks for the great review, and confirming I made a good choice.
Love that you give FatBikes such spotlight. I could not ride my fatbike ( mukluk ) without a suspension fork. Imo it’s an absolute must ! Plus I also have FS Farley ex 8 - even more fun.
@@shamrock4840 I have 6 fat bikes right now (one of which is my wife’s). I have a 7th on hand from Borealis right now (a Crestone). Right now that is my go-to. Of the fatbikes I own, right now my Borealis Flume is what I am riding most.
Great video . I was impressed with the review of the quality of fat bikes and mountain bikes you have experienced . This is a nice looking bike and looks powerful in performance. You do great work 👏
I have ridden a Surly Pugsley in the past and currently own a full-squish Framed Montana Carbon. I've ridden both bikes on the same trail in snow and summer dirt. For me, the full squish makes for a more fun, more secure, less teeth-rattling ride on dirt trails. The suspension just eats up loose rocks/marbles up to even baseball size rocks; just point downhill and let loose! In the winter, on washboard snow surfaces that have been groomed, the suspension smooths out the ride going downhill at speed. Just my personal preference/experience. Any fattie is better than none! :) Looking forward to the Keystone review!
Good insights for sure! There really aren't many FS fat bikes left. The ICAN is about the only one that comes to mind still available. I always thought the Salsa Bucksaw was cool, but it didn't last long and was pricey. I am looking forward to trying the suspension in the snow, and yes the Keystone review is coming soon! Thanks for watching!
I do really like fat bike suspension for 2 reasons: #1 Wandering aimlessly around the woods (trail scouting) and hitting logs/monster trucking is much easier with front suspension #2 Cornering in the winter there are some situations where the Mastodon saved me. Sometimes with the falls/rises on a higher speed groomer trail, a rigid fork would G-out or unweight (leading to washing out), whereas the suspension fork tends to track the ground better, and keep your front tire on the ground. I have a favorite trail that I tried with both Mastodon and rigid and that’s what I found at least. On the downside, I found that in REAL cold (-10 to -20F), my fork sucked down, almost like air blew past the seals or something. It was easily remedied in the garage with my shock pump, but I had to ride out with 0 travel and what I thought was a damaged fork. It was totally fine but I’m not sure if it would happen again or not. Anyway, aside from those things, I do really like it for general trail riding in the summer, despite the additional weight, it really adds to the hardtail experience when trails get a little more rough. Manitou are also great to deal with and are happy to help any way they can.
I tried the WREN in the snow. For lower Michigan snow riding the carbon fork is the way to go. Again in lower MI (No mountains / Just hills) on dirt I find the Rock Shox Bluto works best for me mainly for it being a lighter. suspension fork..
Thanks for the feedback. I would also like to try the Wren at some point too. My instincts tell me I will prefer the rigid fat bike fork in my back country snow conditions, but I will need to try the suspension for myself to know for sure (in the snow).
I got the the comp from manitou website and i like it , i could’ve bought the pro but i also got a pair of surly edna and didn’t want to go over budget
@@shhadoww7 It’s tough to say. While I suspect the bike industry is past the worst of their over stock issue that led to these major sales, it doesn’t mean they still won’t have to price competitively to try to turn over their products. It’s a really good fork though so worth considering even you you find it on a lesser sale
Yeah those look bonkers, not sure how compatibility will play out for those and other bikes. I know there is a company in Thailand (I think) making these fat bikes called Mammoth, and they have 135mm wide wheels.
I just received same fork today for my Bigfoot 2 and went for the the ext 120 mm version not realizing the front end would be raised . Also i see that Norco offers a spec model with said fork in 100mm version and it looks the same as the rigid. I've read and have heard talk that you can adjust this with spacers but I don't think that only adjust the travel not the overall height of the fork I'm kind of confused and wonder if I should send it back for the hundred millimeter version as I don't like how high the front will be with the extra 120 mm rise from the fork
Yeah the 120mm will definitely raise the front end and slacken it out a bit. I didn’t see anything on the Norco site that indicated it would void warranty or anything, but did notice they use the 100mm version. Before you install and start riding you might wanna try to get the 100mm as a replacement. It’s tough to say for sure.
@@ElevationEveryWeekend yeah i seen that the bigfoot spec with mastidon was 100 mm that's why i was thinking of swapping if anyone returns the call where i purchased it . Thanks for the insight
I have never used a suspension fork on a fatbike but i am temporarily running a direct drive electric front wheel with a moonlander fork. I also have a bbshd middrive being overhauled. 120mm so good for most applications. I have 52v 30 amp hour battery But i really use the wheel to assist me to simulate tailwind or overcome headwinds. Im using it extensively as transportation in a small coastal central Florida town . Lots of rural roads but some more congested areas . I like how i can ride far from traffic and stay in grass in meadian ect . But i must keep my air pressure higher as it makes pedaling so much easier the problem is with higher pressure makes for insane rough ride in grass Compared to off road pressure. I am definitely looking to upgrade to a suspension fork so i can keep higher pressure to maintain running jumbo jim 4.8 Saving crap loads on gas lifted grandcherokee with big tires drinks gas. Also thinking....someone please make a hub mounted lithium Bluetooth air compressor that just runs a hose from hub compressor to valve stem for central inflation system
Yes my most recent rides have been 29+ with the Mastodon, and it is fantastic. I will have a couple videos soon (including legit tech trail ride) covering this aspect.
@@ElevationEveryWeekend the wobble I was experiencing was from a heavy battery on a rear rack on my bike and the fat tires at low pressure. Mostly from my rear rack battery.
Here is the sale link:
hayesbicycle.com/collections/forks/products/my21mastodonpro_z
I just ordered the Mastodon for my Crestone, with it arriving next week. I was unsure of the pros/cons. Thanks for the great review, and confirming I made a good choice.
It is a great combo! Thanks for watching, and enjoy!
Love that you give FatBikes such spotlight.
I could not ride my fatbike ( mukluk ) without a suspension fork. Imo it’s an absolute must ! Plus I also have FS Farley ex 8 - even more fun.
They deserve some spotlight! Thanks for watching!!
@@ElevationEveryWeekend how many FB’s do you own ? What’s your Goto ?
@@shamrock4840 I have 6 fat bikes right now (one of which is my wife’s). I have a 7th on hand from Borealis right now (a Crestone). Right now that is my go-to. Of the fatbikes I own, right now my Borealis Flume is what I am riding most.
@@ElevationEveryWeekend 6 wow awesome - lm looking into a Wyatt fatbike bc I’m 6 5 - the xl has a 535 reach.
Great video . I was impressed with the review of the quality of fat bikes and mountain bikes you have experienced . This is a nice looking bike and looks powerful in performance. You do great work 👏
Thanks!!!
I have ridden a Surly Pugsley in the past and currently own a full-squish Framed Montana Carbon. I've ridden both bikes on the same trail in snow and summer dirt. For me, the full squish makes for a more fun, more secure, less teeth-rattling ride on dirt trails. The suspension just eats up loose rocks/marbles up to even baseball size rocks; just point downhill and let loose! In the winter, on washboard snow surfaces that have been groomed, the suspension smooths out the ride going downhill at speed. Just my personal preference/experience. Any fattie is better than none! :) Looking forward to the Keystone review!
Good insights for sure! There really aren't many FS fat bikes left. The ICAN is about the only one that comes to mind still available. I always thought the Salsa Bucksaw was cool, but it didn't last long and was pricey. I am looking forward to trying the suspension in the snow, and yes the Keystone review is coming soon! Thanks for watching!
I hope to have a lauf fork on my newly purchased fat tire bike here in the very near future. Exciting! 😱
@@ellerybice3787 I would like to try one of those
I do really like fat bike suspension for 2 reasons: #1 Wandering aimlessly around the woods (trail scouting) and hitting logs/monster trucking is much easier with front suspension #2 Cornering in the winter there are some situations where the Mastodon saved me. Sometimes with the falls/rises on a higher speed groomer trail, a rigid fork would G-out or unweight (leading to washing out), whereas the suspension fork tends to track the ground better, and keep your front tire on the ground. I have a favorite trail that I tried with both Mastodon and rigid and that’s what I found at least. On the downside, I found that in REAL cold (-10 to -20F), my fork sucked down, almost like air blew past the seals or something. It was easily remedied in the garage with my shock pump, but I had to ride out with 0 travel and what I thought was a damaged fork. It was totally fine but I’m not sure if it would happen again or not.
Anyway, aside from those things, I do really like it for general trail riding in the summer, despite the additional weight, it really adds to the hardtail experience when trails get a little more rough. Manitou are also great to deal with and are happy to help any way they can.
Yeah I would definitely consider using one of these again!
That was a great video good info
Thanks for watching!
Yes, Colorado, the modern day frontier state.
Gosh, I would love to try this on my fat bike 🧐. Thanks for your thoughts on it 👌
It has been really impressive this far! Thanks for watching!!
I need a new video of all the surlys!❤
I definitely have some ideas for them still!
I tried the WREN in the snow. For lower Michigan snow riding the carbon fork is the way to go. Again in lower MI (No mountains / Just hills) on dirt I find the Rock Shox Bluto works best for me mainly for it being a lighter. suspension fork..
Thanks for the feedback. I would also like to try the Wren at some point too. My instincts tell me I will prefer the rigid fat bike fork in my back country snow conditions, but I will need to try the suspension for myself to know for sure (in the snow).
@@ElevationEveryWeekend I have a WREN just sitting around that I got last year. You are more than welcome to use it.
Just tell me where to ship.
I got the the comp from manitou website and i like it , i could’ve bought the pro but i also got a pair of surly edna and didn’t want to go over budget
I’d expect the comp to be really good too! Probably more of just a weight difference.
Great video maybe I will build a Flume build with this fork since it would be my dedicated trail fatty.
Agreed, it would be a great fit on the Flume. Maybe I will try it on mine as well!
Are we likely to see a sale like this again? I was considering getting one
@@shhadoww7 It’s tough to say. While I suspect the bike industry is past the worst of their over stock issue that led to these major sales, it doesn’t mean they still won’t have to price competitively to try to turn over their products. It’s a really good fork though so worth considering even you you find it on a lesser sale
You live in Minnesota do you not?
@@ellerybice3787 Colorado
I hope the the next fatbike can take the new DR rims from Nextie. Maybe even a 27.5 version?
Yeah those look bonkers, not sure how compatibility will play out for those and other bikes. I know there is a company in Thailand (I think) making these fat bikes called Mammoth, and they have 135mm wide wheels.
I just received same fork today for my Bigfoot 2 and went for the the ext 120 mm version not realizing the front end would be raised . Also i see that Norco offers a spec model with said fork in 100mm version and it looks the same as the rigid. I've read and have heard talk that you can adjust this with spacers but I don't think that only adjust the travel not the overall height of the fork I'm kind of confused and wonder if I should send it back for the hundred millimeter version as I don't like how high the front will be with the extra 120 mm rise from the fork
Yeah the 120mm will definitely raise the front end and slacken it out a bit. I didn’t see anything on the Norco site that indicated it would void warranty or anything, but did notice they use the 100mm version. Before you install and start riding you might wanna try to get the 100mm as a replacement. It’s tough to say for sure.
@@ElevationEveryWeekend yeah i seen that the bigfoot spec with mastidon was 100 mm that's why i was thinking of swapping if anyone returns the call where i purchased it . Thanks for the insight
I have never used a suspension fork on a fatbike but i am temporarily running a direct drive electric front wheel with a moonlander fork.
I also have a bbshd middrive being overhauled. 120mm so good for most applications.
I have 52v 30 amp hour battery
But i really use the wheel to assist me to simulate tailwind or overcome headwinds. Im using it extensively as transportation in a small coastal central Florida town .
Lots of rural roads but some more congested areas . I like how i can ride far from traffic and stay in grass in meadian ect . But i must keep my air pressure higher as it makes pedaling so much easier the problem is with higher pressure makes for insane rough ride in grass
Compared to off road pressure.
I am definitely looking to upgrade to a suspension fork so i can keep higher pressure to maintain running jumbo jim 4.8
Saving crap loads on gas lifted grandcherokee with big tires drinks gas.
Also thinking....someone please make a hub mounted lithium Bluetooth air compressor that just runs a hose from hub compressor to valve stem for central inflation system
Wondering if you’ve had a chance to try out the 29+ yet? Looking to order this setup, and was curious if a 29er would work with the Manitou. Thanks!
Yes my most recent rides have been 29+ with the Mastodon, and it is fantastic. I will have a couple videos soon (including legit tech trail ride) covering this aspect.
Just pulled the trigger! Thanks and looking forward to the 29 video!
@@rossdemant7832 awesome, enjoy!
What tire pressure did you run with the fork?
Not sure off the top of my head where it ended up, I added pressure to get the sag dialed in though.
@@ElevationEveryWeekend the wobble I was experiencing was from a heavy battery on a rear rack on my bike and the fat tires at low pressure. Mostly from my rear rack battery.