Manitou Circus - New Dirt Jump fork!

Feb 2, 2010
by Jordan Holmes  
Do you remember in grade 1 when the Circus came to town and you attended it as a field trip? There was always some excitement until the clowns came up into the audience and you freaked out.

Well get your freak on kids, because here comes the Circus!Manitou is releasing a lineup of new Circus jump forks and the likes of Mike Montgomery, Dustin Greenall and the Meyer brothers (Nick and Ryan) will be trick’n the treats. I made that up, kids! All of these riders and a few others have been on the forks for a few months now.

photo

Circus Expert Spec:
Weight: 4.7lbs/2133grams
Travel: 80, 100mm & 130mm
Legs: 32mm Stanchions straight wall 7050 Aluminum
Spring: Firm (extra firm available in Aftermarket) w/Air preload
Damper: ABS+, lockout & rebound adjust
Hub/ Axle: 20mm Hex Lock
Features: Double bottom out bumpers, 4 decal sheets and clown nose
Cost:US MSRP $449


Circus Comp Spec:
Weight: 5.3lbs/2406grams
Travel: 80 & 100mm
Chassis: 32mm Stanchions straight wall 4130 Chrome Moly
Spring: Firm (extra firm available in Aftermarket) w/ mechanical preload
Damper: ABS+ , lockout & rebound adjust
Hub/ Axle: 20mm Hex Lock
Features: Double bottom out bumpers, 4 decal sheets and clown nose
Cost:US MSRP $399

Straight 1-1/8" steer, no taper, 6 inch post mounts.

More to come from the chief clown at Manitou.

Posted In:
Press Releases Forks Manitou


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181 Comments
  • 12 0
 who cares about the fork, i want that clown nose ^^
  • 6 0
 Stephanus, the new Manitou is a completely new company. They were bought by the Hayes Bicycle Group wayyy back in '06 when the old Manitou fell apart and went under. They knew the existing issues of the fork lines (Rear shocks were always good and still are) and they eliminated them. The whole fork line is new now, and that casting breakage issue has been eliminated. They have extensive fox-style testing equipment, a massive lab and some of the most dedicated young guys anywhere in the bike industry. You should check the new stuff out, it's a totally different game from Manitou now!
  • 7 1
 personally ive never been a fan of Manitou, sept for the gold label it was solid strong and light, all around perfect DJ fork, i think this is an amazing product its cheap (which we all know that is wat us kids want), looks very well designed and has a cool idea going with the sticker sheets so u can match the color to ur paint scheme on ur bike cycle. Personally id rather pay 400 for this and ride it, then go out and blow $831 on a fox DJ fork and have to get a 15mm hub and re-lace my wheel. Good job on this Manitou and i might look into buying this product soon, and also who wouldnt want a clown nose Wink
  • 1 2
 yeah, but you could just go with a marzocchi 4x for that same price, which are a fair amount lighter and way better, (aslo you can do foot jams). tup
  • 7 1
 I must say I am very impressed that manitou is making a comeback, I know alot of you guys are to young to remember the early 2000's but manitou was on top, if you were a PRO XC rider Or DH you had to have a manitou, look at the list of pros that ran them.. Tomac, Palmer... too many to remember. Why is it to this day TPC+ that came out in the late ninties is still one of the best performing dampning systems out there, have you ever serviced a manitou?? It has to be one of the simpliest and easiest forks out there.

Yeah they had some bad forks like the stance and SPV were not so great in forks.

But manitou has learned and gone back to their roots, increased quality and are building solid reliable, incredibly tunable, and servicable suspension, just too bad no one thinks of the days of the X-Vert carbon!!
  • 9 1
 Does it come with the clown nose?
  • 5 0
 As it states yes, it comes with 4 sticker sheets and the clown nose.
  • 1 0
 hahalol
  • 1 2
 Ever see Mr Woodcock? Wait, thats a rhetorical question!
  • 1 0
 Definitely getting one now! A CLOWN NOSE!
  • 5 0
 This makes me so happy, i was so mad when they didnt continue the gold label series.. now theres a reason to like mantiou again.
  • 8 2
 Sorry kids, we've decided to save the money on the paint job and you give you some stickers instead.
  • 7 1
 I actually kinda like that idea...you can customize it how you want or leave it blank.
  • 5 0
 pretty much all forks just have a decal kit on them anyways. company logo isnt painted on
  • 1 1
 I know, it just seems like if they are going cut corners on something simple like decals, then what else are they cutting corners on? I'm sure these are great forks. I mean Manitou can't afford for these forks to be anything but spectacular, or they'll get hit with another wave of Manitou hate.
  • 2 0
 Would you rather they cut corners on the strength of the fork, or on the design and stickers which majority of people end up taking off anyways.
  • 3 0
 wow something new out of manitou! looks pretty sick, but i will have to see how it goes for the first season. anyone remember the manitou stance where every single one broke during the first year of production due to a push rod being drilled incorrectly? haha. i am sure it will be sick though.
  • 2 0
 All that low end Manitou stuff (Stance, Splice, etc..)was made by RST, all the new Manitou stuff is made in a Manitou owned factory. Quality Control is much better now that Manitou actually controls the quality.
  • 2 0
 yeah but remember that awesome sherman you had reece ahaha. I've loved all the manitou forks i've had.
  • 1 0
 that's true, when i had that 7 inch sherman flick and i lowered it to 3 inches and it broke. but i thought i was the coolest kid on the block for sure with sherman. they need to bring sherman back haha.
  • 2 0
 This definitely looks like a much less expensive option than my curent DJ fork for my new bike. Maybe my new bike wont have a shimmed 36 float and run one of these. The price is definitely right. Manitou seems to really want to correct their less than good name from a few years ago from the whole TPC debaucle. This is definitely a step in the right direction
  • 4 0
 best thing about this fork is that it should make the other fork companies lower their prices. it's good to see some more competition.
  • 1 0
 I have had them for about a month or so now and I love them. I have them at Favorit my local bike shop and anyone can go there and try them out on the pump track if your around Cranbrook anytime soon. I am very impressed with this fork and they have stepped up there game a lot and I am excited to put them to the real test, Watch for videos and updates soon
  • 3 0
 those forks look soo sick i cant wait to try them cuz im sure thell be soo superbly amazing im actually getting like super stoked for these forks!!!
  • 1 0
 Look pretty sick too me, everyone I know has been having bad luck with forks this year.
My buddy cracked the lowers on his 10' DJ1's and another guy I ride with blew up his Argyle 409's in 6 hours of riding them and I bought some a set of those Atomlab Pimp 60 just to try on my 24" to see it would feel compared to the rigid, in the first 8 hours of riding those forks (Atomlab's) the steer tube ripped right out of the lowers destroying frame as well.

So I think I'm gunna give these a try, cause I don't feel like spending $800 for the 831's.
  • 1 0
 Right bit delayed however I have sucked it up, gone against the stream and brought a pair! they will arrive on Monday (tomorrow) and I will obviously be fitting them straight away. I must say though that the line up seems pretty s**t hot this year, Hayes brought them out, paid off all the debt, got back to the drawing board and sorted themselves out...Why re-invent the wheel so to speak!

They come with a 2 year warranty (same as all the RS forks), they weigh like 4oz more than the new Argyle RCT (costs £560!!) and that comes with a mag. axle...sooo there is the weight difference!!! They are distributed by Hotlines still here in the UK...working in a bike shop who deals with them all the time I know the guys in the office quite well...obviously they want to sell you stuff but they are straight talking and even they are impressed this year, the team riders I know are impressed and I really think these could be the next big DJ fork...waiting to be proved wrong Wink haha!

I will sort a review after giving them some abuse!
  • 2 1
 and i just bought some 2010 DJ1's... hot damn. The crown looks a bit weak on these though and i think manitou should have kept it simple without the adjustable damper and air preload; that's why the gold labels and shermans were so good (durable, stiff, light, felt nice, simple). To me adjustability/complexity in a dj/street fork is a thorn in its side (costs more, usually less durable, usually heavier). But that's just me and maybe it'll be durable enough to not have to worry about.
  • 1 0
 Does any1 even know where to get Manitou anymore? Their distributor in Canada is a water sports company. The only thing they sell that isnt for water sports is Manitou. Ive had to deal with them to get parts and they sent the wrong part 4 times...
  • 1 0
 Select shops will start stocking forks again if they keep up the good work. Trident in North Vancouver do WTB Formula, FUNN, Banshee and a few other brands. The water sports division is separate.
  • 1 0
 Yeah, Trident carries, WTB, Answer Products, FUNN, Gamut Guides,Formula Brakes and Banshee Bikes, as well as Manitou of course. I'm not going to comment on the 4 times thing, so many things could have gone wrong there on both ends of that transaction.
  • 1 0
 Never had good experiences with Trident working with warrenty crap on my old gold labels.
  • 1 0
 congratulations manitou, you finally made a decent looking 20mm DJ fork for under $400! i personally used to hate manitou (i had a splice and a dorado and had tons of problems), but after testing some of their stuff at crankworx (the new dorado, some XC forks) i have to say theyre greatly improving. i hope they are getting their act together, since i will gladly buy a decent DJ fork for under $400 instead of an argyle or something. ill wait for everyone to buy them, and then wait until the next year when all of the problems are solved.
  • 1 0
 Sweet ,it'll go with my clownshoe pedals.
  • 1 0
 haha nice, that would be pretty sweet. or just wear clownshoes
  • 1 0
 ive never really liked manitou, but hell i mean this thing looks pretty sick! i have a feeling this fork will replace the argyle (not completely for the diehards) and you will see more and more of these at the local dj/street spots. good job manitou, way to comeback with a quality looking product! i may replace my current fork with this badass in the summer if i can find the cash
  • 6 2
 sweet man they look real nice Big Grin Big Grin Big Grin i want some!!!
  • 1 0
 Yep, that's actual weight! I honestly think it feels much lighter on the bike... I've been riding them for the last 3 months and they have been amazing! Stay tunned for more details, footage, and a review within the month.
  • 4 1
 A sick, seemingly well built, 20mm fork, complete with customizable graphics and a bitchin' clown nose?

Sign. Me. Up.
  • 1 1
 okay so the fork is light, affordable, has a great axle, and good internals but in general some manitou lowers are brutal. i have had the reverse lowers break too many times on such light terms to ever buy a manitou dirt jump fork again. in my opinion i'd say don't buy it. but if you like the looks, price, and the easiness to footjam then go for it.
  • 8 4
 Gonna be hard for the footjams...
  • 6 7
 Ughh didnt think you did many footjams while dirtjumping?? lol
  • 3 0
 a DJ fork is perfectly fine for street, there are no real street specific suspension forks
  • 1 1
 there called ridgid
  • 3 0
 notice how i said "no street specific SUSPENSION forks"
  • 2 0
 Manitou's reversed arch is great for footjams. Just try it out.
  • 1 0
 you dont have to stick your foot as far in
  • 3 0
 nice to see Manitou back in the game again

will we be seeing some longer travel single crown forks again soon?????
  • 3 0
 at last!! been waiting for thier new dj fork for ages, i miss the old gold lable
  • 3 0
 Looks real cool, the gold labels were sweet and at that cheap price the Circus will dominate I reckon!
  • 3 0
 is the clown nose removeable? cuz honestly thats the only thing about this fork thats not doing it for me.
  • 1 0
 im sure it is, and if it isnt just cut it off lol
  • 5 1
 2 of these babies or 1 831 with it's dumb 15mm axle? Easy choice for me!
  • 1 0
 hm i think ima jump on the band wagon as manitou's have always caught my eye in a good way, could care a less about the arch as im not street/park, so.... think my local shop will order it for me?
  • 2 1
 manitou still running there crapy snapy 20mm bolt thru eh when will they change that crap design Frown how many hard use forks with broken lowers do we need i wont be buying these.
i will be buying fox float 36 though
  • 3 0
 I think they are making up for the highly priced dorado with a more inexpensive dj fork.
  • 2 0
 I think this fork looks amazing, I love white, and the tiny bit of color makes it oh so nice. Will probably pick one up in the near future.
  • 2 0
 looks lush!!! might invest in some beauties. My mate resently snapped his Argyle 409 steerer tube ........ so most fork have their downsides
  • 3 0
 Is the stupid clown nose removeable without a hammer?
  • 1 0
 i emailed manitou wth the same question and they told me it just comes with the fork and isnt actually attached to it.
  • 1 0
 ok, thanks.
  • 4 1
 WOW PEOPLE!!! Did you really have to contact Manitou to figure out that the clown nose was not permenantly attached to the STEER TUBE of the fork, that would make it impossible to install the fork on a bike. Again WOW!!!
  • 2 0
 Wow! atomlabpimp, you fail miserably Facepalm
  • 1 0
 Shame the travel is fixed and can't be adjusted between 80mm and 130mm but nontheless I find my self strangely impressed at first glance!
  • 2 0
 i really want a pair of these now,but id never be able to trust that crown :/
  • 1 0
 lalalala
  • 4 1
 looks like its going to be a solid fork !
  • 2 0
 probably has been mentioned but reading hurts my eyes. are these available to the public right now?
  • 3 1
 I might get rid of my argyle and pick these up...but, only if they have a killer warranty... Do they?
  • 1 0
 one year warranty after purchase.
  • 1 0
 Does that include uppers and lowers? What about bent/broken steer tubes and stanchions? Does racing or jumping void the warranty? Sorry, I would totally look it up, but I can't find info anywhere.
  • 1 0
 uhmm im not sure i just emailed manitou on their website and i asked what kind of warranty they offered with the fork and they said a one year warranty from the purchase date.
  • 1 0
 Okay, I called them. The entire fork is covered, unlike some companies that don't cover uppers. Also reiterated by Manitou's warranty rep. was the phrase, "within reason".
  • 3 0
 A Manitou with a clown nose. Everyone knew this was coming!
  • 1 0
 That price is hard to beat for a good solid jump fork. I suppose we'll just have to wait and see how it performs as more riders get them and try them out.
  • 2 2
 Looks goon on the picture ...can't wait to have it in the bikeshop and to dismantle it to see what kind of technologies are they using Big Grin I just love being a bike mechanic!!! uuuuuuuuuuuaaaaah bikes bikes bikes!!!!!! Big Grin
  • 1 0
 Thank you Manitou! I ride my Gold Label for two years without any problems. Its perfect fork, so maybe my next fork will be Circus? Im going to find my clown nose!
  • 1 1
 looks like a minute, which is the difference?? anyway I love the minute ( i have a minute tpc120) but I want one of these circus so bad
  • 1 0
 manitous can look sweet on paper all they want but until the reliability is sorted I'm not going anywhere near them.
  • 1 1
 I had to look at this a few times to really make an assessment.. looks pretty good to me and I am no dj'er but it looks like it would perform well.
  • 3 1
 I hate the arch, it makes foot jams weird.
  • 2 0
 id definatly buy my self one of these if i had the mula.
  • 2 0
 I like it, I may have to pick one up if I get a new P1 this summer.
  • 4 2
 those look terrible man...and whats with the lame a s s decals?
  • 1 0
 if they are as reliable as the gold labels were internally, and have a MUCH STRONGER CROWN, then sweet.
  • 2 0
 i bet the price in the uk will still be like 300-400£
  • 2 2
 nice to see em bringing out a new jump fork my gold lable is still running sick
  • 2 2
 hmmm i realy hope manitou have made something good here. because frankly no one wants manitous of past....
  • 1 0
 Does anyone knows when this fork is in the store
  • 1 0
 Cant wait for these, something a bit different, When do they hit the UK?
  • 1 0
 Now available online from CRC.
  • 1 0
 it got a red nose how fucking sick is that
  • 2 1
 i want one now! gonna buy it when it arrives to CRC
  • 1 0
 SAME
although typically the price in GBP will be about 400£ anyway...
  • 1 0
 start saving you money right now thenWink
  • 8 8
 one problem. its a manitou. i guess time will tell. I hope thats actual weight as well. and not dry weight......
  • 4 2
 Manitou made the Sherman Jumper which IMO was the best DJ fork I've ever had.
  • 8 4
 this is not a sherman jumper, or a gold label. it's a brand new fork with a brand new platform from a company with a terrible track record. i'm pretty much just stating the obvious. negative prop me all you want!
  • 6 3
 calm down dude! Manitou doesn't have the best track record with some of their stuff, true. but they have made some really good products in their time as well. No sense judging a book by it's cover. If the reviews of it come back negative, then bash away all you want, but at least give it a fair chance Wink
  • 2 1
 no ones upset.... I will just wait and see what happens before spending the money.
  • 1 0
 I wonder if there using the same lowers they used on the old forks, i snapped 4 gold lables in 10 months.
  • 2 0
 Looks hell good
  • 1 1
 Heck yeah!
Oh WAIT.
Does Manitou still suck as much as they did?
If so, oops...
If not, alright then!!! GET SOME!!!
  • 1 0
 Comic style sticker packs is a really original idea for a fork company...
  • 2 0
 I WANT
  • 1 0
 how does this compare to the argyle 409's
  • 1 0
 Crown looks ugly. But w.e
  • 2 1
 Dope
  • 2 1
 look good Smile
  • 2 2
 Next fork on my wish-list!
  • 2 1
 haha me to if i was building a dj bike
  • 1 1
 loking nice, look forward to this comes in store
  • 4 3
 NICE!
  • 7 38
flag AC-92 (Feb 2, 2010 at 16:01) (Below Threshold)
 im no fork expert but is that crown strong enough?
i just had the crown on my 4x's crack on me
any recomendations for new forks?
light dj/street ones
  • 11 2
 Do you want strong or light?
  • 49 2
 This fork also comes with a small red airbag attached to the steerer tube to reduce force of impact in a crash.
  • 6 1
 lol ^
  • 3 0
 lol
  • 4 2
 Cool, cheap and light. Is it strong though??? You can only have 3.
  • 1 1
 i know what im getting for my next bike!
  • 5 1
 about time manitou comes out with a newer dirt jump fork. i bet this one is no different than the gold labels. sorry
  • 5 0
 mooseduck13 - you can't crash with this fork it has ABS+ installed... perhaps soon they will get some ze German engineer from das Volksvagen that will install traction control too...
  • 8 1
 Mnitou has not come out with anything new in a log time, all they do is changing stickers. These forks have the lowers from the Minute forks, the crown from some other one (can not be bothered to find out from which).
Sorry Manitou, you have to try harder and introduce a new, stronger chassis and decent 20mm QR system.
Waste of your money guys, get the Argyles or Marzo DJ - they rule!
  • 2 1
 I guess it is still the price that is attractive. Pretty strange to pay more than 300$ for a new DJ fork, I mean how complicated can it be? Still 350 for this manitou is more reasonable than the latest FOX absurd for 850...
  • 4 3
 well these are dirt street forks what you shown, its not to hard to break whatever fork while trying 360s 180s etc. I never believe pics of broken stuff, people usualy post stuff they think is cr*p but they rarely post pics of good forks being broken.

I had a Nixon and it took pretty much big beating on DH hardtailing, jumping stuff for Dh fullies, bottoming down the fork quite a lot. Well after a year it lost like 1cm of travel but still, can't complain on durability. It is the manitou's low speed compression that sux (maybe because it does not exist) so you could not bottom it from 1m to flat but U could have done it in the berm or under braking on steeps.

My friend who is one of the best polish DH hardtailers had a manitou stance for a very long time and he did not break it, and trust me he rips big time beating many many fullies on races. Off course they can't even stand next to Argyle or MZ Djumper but... the price is good, and still they are better than RSTs Suntours and other cheap stuff.

And one thing you can't take from them is post mount and their hex lock, i wish i had it on my Lyrik instead of this ridiculous Maxle.
  • 4 0
 C'mon, Maxle is fantastic! 4 tiny hex bolts to take the wheel off is bad man, very bad Smile
  • 2 0
 True, the Fox forks are expensive. But, you get what you pay for, and in my experience, Fox is worth every penny. Manitou has used pretty questionable designs and components in the past and the 3 Manitou products which I've owned (all of them "top shelf") were pieces of crap that needed replacement within 6 months of purchase - maintenance aside.
  • 1 3
 ok so basicaly manitou are a bad idea
whats a good strong fork for dirt/street then?
  • 1 4
 1. Maxle is far from being fantastic IMAO, you need to grease it well otherwise you are going to rip out the thread, that means while changing your wheel in dust and dirt you will get yourself all in grease and then in cr*p lying around. Once you rip out the thread what is easy to do, you have to buy a new one for 50£ or so. I prefer clean and a bit more time taking 4 4mm bolts and one 6mm...

2. Fox is uber quality but it is not necessarily needed or even good for the DJ fork. I dont think there is any discipline of cycling where the forks get broken more often. Pretty strange to me to spend 850$ for this kind of a fork.
  • 3 1
 yea - get an argyle instead!
  • 2 0
 i respectfully disgree with all that dissing. no the design isnt new, but i garentee the internals are different. this kinda like the whole kona thing, they made some bad quality things that broke and then fixed the problem but people still call it crap. and for the whole fox thing, if youve rode the 831 you would never want to ride any dj or argyle ever again, the fork is insane
  • 2 0
 i agree ziegele. I personally have never liked manitou's forks and def prefer what fox has to offer. It will be interesting tho to see what this fork does.
  • 1 0
 Í haven't ridden FOX 831 at all, I can only believe that it is the best DJ fork on the planet, and I do believe it is. It is just the price vs. DJ/street riding specifics causing high probability of breakage that concerns me...
  • 4 0
 argyles are garbage. you can't trust anything these days. i bent my steerer and my buddy bent his STANTIONS! last summer. only fork ive had that has lasted has been my manitou travis 180
  • 2 0
 totaly agree that sentence says it all: YOU CAN'T TRUST ANYTHING THESE DAYS. It's best to hold on to the stuff you were certain its good,
Marzocchi:
DJ & Shiver 2003, Z1s 66s and 888s from 2005&2006,

Manitou Shermans 2004, first Sherman Jumper (2005 was it?)
Dorados 2003,

Rockshox Psylo 2003, all REBAs, Boxxer 07-09.

couple more only
  • 1 0
 I totally agree with AC-92, At first glance, I instatntly thought, That crown is so thin it looks like it'd snap on the first landing! No way in hell would I trust my safety to that thing(MARZOCCHI FOR ME THANKYOU!)
  • 1 0
 k, im stoked.
  • 1 0
 sweet!Me want
  • 1 0
 looks nice
  • 1 0
 looks so greattt
  • 1 2
 aww there like manitous their gay
  • 1 1
 Awesome!
  • 1 1
 looks quality...
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