Mountain Biking - Manitou forks on Trek 6500...

are they any good? There is Manitou Axel Comp, and Manitou Axel Elite. Both with 80mm and lockout. I couldn't find any reviews on Mtbr.com for them though!

Anyone ridden one? How do they compare the the Rock Shock J series?

:)

theyre terrible. the only good thing is the lockout. i was able to bottom mine out just by standing up. the judys are much better

Yeh i didn't think they were the best. Why Manitou? Arh.I agree, J2 would have SEEMED better in my opion. Then again the bike has XT rear deraillure and Deore Hydro's...

On that topic, I'm considering a Manitou Axel super, or Rockshox Judy J2 or J4. Anyone else tried these? I think the J series is new for 2006, just want to make sure they're worth my money. :D

My wife's 6500wsd has the Axel Elite 80, and it works well for her. Then again, she's only 130 lbs, and she doesn't do any 6 ft drops, so it's not getting much abuse. Not sure if that helps...

Elite should have the rebound adjuster, which is important if you are serious about riding. J1 has no damping, J2 has no rebound adj. Also J2 is about 400g heavier than Axel. I'd take the Elite.

Elite fork comes with the LX rear deraillure on the 6500, Comp fork comes with XT derailleur (i think!). They're the same price...which one would be the better one to go for in your opinion?

I would go with the one that comes with the Elite. You can always up the rear D. to something even better later on. BTW XT D. are only 35$ or so at jensonusa.

I'd much rather get something that has the LO option with a slightly... heavier derailleur which is close to what the LX is compared to the XT.

My bike came with a manitou axle elite 100 mm. I am not impressed at all with it. I have actually been looking for a replacement for it.

Ditto. My rockhopper came with one. I'll probably replace it sometime this summer when I get the extra money.

Hardly anybody can feel the difference in performance between LX and XT derailleurs. It's a different story with forks.

I would go with the one that comes with the Elite. You can always up the rear D. to something even better later on. BTW XT D. are only 35$ or so at jensonusa.

I'd much rather get something that has the LO option with a slightly... heavier derailleur which is close to what the LX is compared to the XT.

You're head is on backwards, XT is higher up the totem pole than LX is.

You're head is on backwards, XT is higher up the totem pole than LX is.

=P Well I look at it this way. If he's not going to up his fork anytime soon, might as well settle with a slightl lower class rear derailleur. I mean using the LX compared to an XT isn't exactly a bad thing.

i just picked up my 05 6500 last month. I have not had a chance to ride it too much. I bought the bike and had them swap out the fork at the same time. I ended up with a RockShox Pilot SL. Not sure how much better the Pilot actually is over the Manitou, but it sure feels better... I will hopefully have a better idea once the snow melts..

Frame comes first, fork follows, then brakes and rear deraillure. Fork is a higher priority then rear deriallure, its more $$ so that would be the key feature. Basically I have the choice of:

6500 with XT rear deraillure, Deore hydro's and Axel Fork.
XTC3 with LX rear deraillure, Hayes HFX9 and Rock Shox Tora 318 Air

XTc3 is $50 more. Thats the best option at the moment I think, however i like the Trek's rear deraillure and brakes, however i'm not very much fussed between the LX and the XT however XT would be heaps better to have.

If I can get the fork changed on the Trek, i will consider, but it will work out more $$ probalby since the Axels retail at a lot less then the Tora's!

if you prefer the fit of the 6500, and can spring a little more cash, then try the 6700. it has the tora and a notably better spec sheet.

The thing I love about the Trek 6500 is the frame. The blue frame, it looks a hell of a lot more better then the XTC 3 IMO, however looks can only take you so far. 6700 is a bit out of my price range unfortuently! I'll be test riding the 6500 and the Fuel 70 (just for the heck of it) this saturday. I'll have to pop down to the shop that stocks the XTC3 and test ride it this week two.
The 6500 looks great except for the Fork and the seat!

On that topic, I'm considering a Manitou Axel super, or Rockshox Judy J2 or J4. Anyone else tried these? I think the J series is new for 2006, just want to make sure they're worth my money. :D

I've got a J3 on my Trek 4300. I think it is fine, but i am no expert.