I'm going to have to replace my fork soon; hopefully after my next pay check, but I might wait until it warms up a little.

I'm looking at a few around $250 or so..

Manitou Stance Static, $250 at pricepoint, including an FSA headset
Manitou Black Elite, $250 at Cambria Bike
Marzocchi Dirt Jumper III, $200 at Cambria Bike
Marzhocci Dirt Jumper I, $300 at Cambria Bike (a bit more than I wanted to spend, but is it worth it?)

I've heard things about most of them; this is what I can think of about them:
The DJ3 is bad for trail riding, since it's only of any use for one hit and takes a while to recover (whatever the right word would be)
The DJ1 is a bit better (but is it any faster?)
The Black Elite - not really sure about it...
The Stance Static - I've heard some good things, and it's on the P1, so it should be decent, right?


Yes, I did use the search function... I stated above that I read about these forks, this is more of a direct comparison between the 4 that I was looking at.

i got the Manitou Black Platinum from nashbar for $300, and i love it

doesn't really help you but, i like manitou

my friend got the marzocchi EXRs and theyre a prety sweet fork, i think he picked them up for sumthing around 300$(CAN)

EXR's aren't on par with anything he is looking at. They are the lowest end fork Marz makes and are typically OEM. He is looking at 250 american not cdn. Exr's are like 180 or something cheap like that

Ok skip the rest. Dj's are the best in that price range for what you want. The difference is not ACTUAL Performance. Its convenience and the release used for the wheel. Dj3 uses a standard QR. I notice the different but not everyone does. They both use Dual ssv damping which means they suck for trails to some degree. They both have steel steer tubes and stanchions but the dj1 is 're-enforced'...The big difference and why there is a diff in price. Everything in the dj3 is internal. You can't (or it is annoying) to modify rebound, which with poor damping can make a world of difference. The dj1 has external rebound.

Thats the gist. They are virtually identical in how they actuall ride, but the dj1 is stiffer laterally and allows for more control of the ride itself.

You might want this to wipe that Manipoo off yourself.

I hate Manipoo's. They're the flexiest forks I've ever ridden this side of a SR Suntour

Hey! I like my old SR Suntour!

I knew you'd comment on MattP's reply Raiyn

When have ever known me to be silent about a Manipoo?

Ive heard very good things about the static, but the Black series is supposedly pretty crap, if your doing drops and jumps more than trails, the DJ1 would be best. But i would go with the static, either that or an MX Comp

It's for my primary bike, so I will be doing some trail riding, as well as road riding, trials/fooling around, jumps/drops, etc.

Obviously I won't be doing big enough stuff to tax the DJ1 or 3, so I don't know...

In any case, thanks for the suggestions.

Ok...lemme lay it out bro

Since its going to be on a do it all bike, I would really have to go with the Black. I owned one for over a year, and weigh a buck seventy and didnt notice and severe flex. Depending on how hard you ride, and how much you weigh, that may differ.....but its not severe. Reasons on choosing that....

The Elite has a chromo steerer, and should be stiffer than the other black models, while also weighing a bit more because I dont think its air.

The Black is the lightest fork out of those youve picked, especially compared to the 7lb DJs

I had one, and used it for jumps and drops...held up fine for over a year

It has TPC damping not that FF damping that is similar to that of the DJ's SSV

theres a few more I thought of, but I forgot as I was searching for which one was the black elite

If you are going to be doing a lot of road riding, I suggest you up the ante $50, and fork out a bit of cash for the Super so that you can have the joy of lockout.

Now that you have kind of layed out the type of riding. djrider has the right path for you

can someone explain to me how exactly a lockout on a front fork works?? ive been looking at sites for fork manfacturers and stuff, can really see wat it does to stiffen the fork...