Manitou Dorado: Preview of a Review!
Judging by the amount of readers views and comments on our Interbike coverage on the new Dorado it is safe to say that you guys want to see more of it. Reading those comments made it abundantly clear that there are a lot of opinions about the new DH fork from Manitou, ranging from the good, to the bad, to the just plain mistaken. Everyone seems to be able to tell how it's going to perform just by looking at some pictures! Don't get me wrong, I'm guilty as well. The new Dorado looks every bit the part of a super fork, and it is easy to believe once you've simply held it, let alone actually ridden it in anger. Soon enough we'll know more about how the Dorado performs under duress, but for now we are going to tease you with even more pictures and some initial impressions. This is not a test, just a preview.
![photo]()
Manitou Dorado
First, let's get an important fact straight. The new Dorado is an entirely new fork, loosely based on the original TPC+ Dorado, but a completely and wholly new beast altogether. Think of it as a distant cousin of the earlier model, albeit a somewhat hot cousin that you are attracted to. It is an inverted design, which is clear to see, and putting the front wheel between your legs and twisting is not in any way a measure of how torsionally stiff it will be on the trail, so let's just forget that thought altogether. Moving on....
![photo]()
2009 Manitou Dorado installed on our Rocky Mountain Flatline Pro test bike
What's on the outside?
Out of the box and into my hands my first thought was not how light it is (although it is relatively light), or even how quickly I could manage to get it on my current test bike, but instead how nicely it was finished. The made in the U.S.A. fork is just beautiful. As you would expect, the carbon legs are stunning with the cosmetic weave easy to see. My heart always beats a few beats faster when I am holding anything made of the black wonder material. Carbon has its detractors, but it is hard to argue that it doesn't look stunning. The upper tubes bulge slightly at the lower crown and continue down at the same diameter. The upper and lower crowns each clamp onto anodized gold aluminum sleeves that have been bonded to the carbon tubes, increasing clamp diameter and protecting the carbon at the same time.
![photo]()
Aluminum sleeves give the crowns a strong place to clamp while protecting the carbon
Upper and lower fork crown detail
The crowns look up the task, the lower crown itself is massive. Tolerances seem to be just right, as in you don't need a hammer to get your top crown on and in position. The top crown fits an integrated stem and uses the same standard that you will find on Boxxers or Fox 40s. All crown pinch bolts are drilled A270 rust resistant bolts, details. There is a smart hose guide on the lower crown which uses a single 2.5 mm allen bolt, nice to see they didn't decided to use anything smaller like some other rather cheesy hose guides. The aluminum steerer tube is butted as well.
![photo]()
36 mm stanchion tubes
The decals themselves are a step above what we usually see in the bicycle industry. The thick vinyl graphics don't look like they will be separating themselves from the legs anytime soon, which is nice because I think they look pretty damn sharp. It is great to see the MRD (Manitou Racing Development) logo make a return to the range, signifying that this fork sits at the top of the fork hierarchy.
![photo]()
Manitou Racing Development
The stanchions are 36 mm across and are protected via sturdy plastic guards. The original Dorado leg guards were quite brittle, having a tendency to crack before bending. These are thick and flexible so they should last much longer. They also have aluminum sleeves in each bolt hole to prevent cracking due to over tightening or an accident. Three 2.5 mm bolts hold each guard in its place and the left has a built in hose guide.
![photo]()
The HexLock axle
HexLock axle and steel pinch bolt inserts
The Dorado accepts standard 20 mm x 110 mm thru-axle hubs and uses Manitou's 6 sided HexLock axle system. Two pinch bolts per side hold the axle in place, and they thread into replaceable steel inserts that prevent any permanent damage from over tightening. The fork uses a modular brake adapter and comes with both 8" post mount and I.S. mount.
![photo]()
Modular brake mount
8" post mount adapter and 8" I.S. adapter
![photo]()
Made in the USA, possibly by the same group of people who made the Mars Rover? Nah, but it may as well have been!
Frame bumper, clean and simple hose guide
What's on the inside?
Ha! I've only had it for a single day, what makes you think I took it apart already? I wanted to, but I didn't. The Dorado is an open-bath cartridge-style fork, as opposed to a sealed cartridge system. This means that the damping oil is shared between the cartridge that sits inside the right leg and the space above the cartridge. Damping oil lubricates the bushings and fills the large-volume hydraulic bottom-out ciucuit at the top of the cartridge. There’s no bleeding necessary prior to installing the cartridge, which keeps things simple for oil changes.
![photo]()
Manitou Dorado TPC+ damping cartridge
Besides a forgettable foray into some platform based designs, Manitou has long used their TPC+ shim based damping system. There have been, and still are, some funny designs out there, but one thing is proven: steel shims have always been used on the highest performing suspension out there. From Bubba's Supercross bike, to Rossi's MotoGP rocket ship, the answer has always been shims and oil. TPC+ is an acronym for Twin Piston Chamber, and is exactly that. The 'Chamber' refers to the damper body itself, while 'Twin Piston' is in reference to both the compression and rebound pistons. The '+' at the end denotes a third floating piston that creates a position sensitive damping system. All that is held within the cartridge or 'chamber'.
![photo]()
This TPC+ assembly is out of a Manitou Travis, but it gives you an idea as to what is going on. The new Dorado uses a similar system, but not an exact copy
As the fork cycles through the first of its travel or on more low speed hits the third piston is free to float up or down. On harder/faster impacts or deeper into the travel the piston will rise up, closing an oil path and forcing the oil through more shims thus creating more damping force. What all that jumble means for the rider is a fork that is both sensitive to smaller bumps but still manages to keep from bottoming its travel needlessly hard. Hidden deep inside is also a hydraulic bottom and top out circuits that smooth out the transitions at both ends of travel. For now you'll have to use your imagination, but we'll have pictures of the internals come the full review!
How many knobs are there to turn and what do they do?
There are four main adjustments you can make on the Dorado to adapt the fork's performance to your needs. The Dorado is an air sprung fork, so the first order of duty would be to find the correct spring rate for your weight and riding style. Fatties and hacks need more air, obviously, but less than you may think. The massive size of the air chamber means that the pressure range should be somewhere between 50 psi and 90 psi, with a max of 110 psi. The negative air chamber is self adjusting and sits at the bottom of the fork, always pump at the top and bleed air off at the bottom when adjusting the pressure.
![photo]()
Under this aluminum cap sits the air filler valve
Air is put in at the top of the fork, and removed at the bottom. The directions are pretty clear!
![photo]()
Both air caps thread in and have sealing o-rings
Rebound (LSR) is dialed in via the anodized blue aluminum knob atop the right leg. There is only 2 1/4 (19 clicks) turns to make but it affects a wide range of damping. Each click at the dial is very well defined and loud, no making mistakes here. It is also clearly marked as to which direction does what.
![photo]()
Aluminum rebound knob
Both low speed compression (LSC) and high speed compression (HSC) adjustments are made at the bottom of the right leg by the way of concentric dials, both aluminum. The outer anodized black dial is your HSC adjuster. It has 2.5 (21 clicks) turns of adjustment and again, each click is very well defined. The inner red dial is your LSC adjuster and has 2.5 turns (21 clicks) or adjustment.
![photo]()
LSC and HSC are located at the bottom of the right leg, they are clearly marked
The black aluminum outer dial is your HSC, the inner red aluminum dial is your LSC
Watch the HD video and listen to Denny Yunk in 'Vegas explaining the new Manitou Dorado
Overview
Manitou Dorado Key Features
-Dual layer carbon outer legs
-36mm hard anodized stanchions
-Internally adjustable travel between 180mm and 203mm
-Self regulating positive and negative air springs
-Advanced TPC+ damping
-Hydraulic Bottom out and top out
-20mm HexLock Thru-axle
-International Standard integrated stem mounting
-6.4 lbs (2902g) claimed - 6.7 lbs w/ uncut steerer on my scale
External Adjustments
-Self regulating positive and negative air spring
-Rebound adj. (blue knob, top left)
-Low-speed damping (red knob, bottom left)
-High-speed damping (black dial, bottom left)
![photo]()
So there it is, a preview of the '09 Manitou Dorado. Overall I am impressed with what I have seen. The finish is amazing, the damping has been proven in past forks and I have high expectations for it in the new Dorado, and the weight is competitive with the competition. Throw in a low axle to crown height and adjustable travel (internally) and things are looking promising. Two questions remain: performance and reliability. The two are intertwined and only time will tell us what the outcome will be. Lucky for me I hope to be putting loads of time in on the new Dorado.
![photo]()
All findings will be reported back so stay tuned!
Head on over HERE to see the entire Manitou Dorado photo album!
Mike "Kakah" Levy
First, let's get an important fact straight. The new Dorado is an entirely new fork, loosely based on the original TPC+ Dorado, but a completely and wholly new beast altogether. Think of it as a distant cousin of the earlier model, albeit a somewhat hot cousin that you are attracted to. It is an inverted design, which is clear to see, and putting the front wheel between your legs and twisting is not in any way a measure of how torsionally stiff it will be on the trail, so let's just forget that thought altogether. Moving on....
What's on the outside?
Out of the box and into my hands my first thought was not how light it is (although it is relatively light), or even how quickly I could manage to get it on my current test bike, but instead how nicely it was finished. The made in the U.S.A. fork is just beautiful. As you would expect, the carbon legs are stunning with the cosmetic weave easy to see. My heart always beats a few beats faster when I am holding anything made of the black wonder material. Carbon has its detractors, but it is hard to argue that it doesn't look stunning. The upper tubes bulge slightly at the lower crown and continue down at the same diameter. The upper and lower crowns each clamp onto anodized gold aluminum sleeves that have been bonded to the carbon tubes, increasing clamp diameter and protecting the carbon at the same time.
 |  |  |
The crowns look up the task, the lower crown itself is massive. Tolerances seem to be just right, as in you don't need a hammer to get your top crown on and in position. The top crown fits an integrated stem and uses the same standard that you will find on Boxxers or Fox 40s. All crown pinch bolts are drilled A270 rust resistant bolts, details. There is a smart hose guide on the lower crown which uses a single 2.5 mm allen bolt, nice to see they didn't decided to use anything smaller like some other rather cheesy hose guides. The aluminum steerer tube is butted as well.
The decals themselves are a step above what we usually see in the bicycle industry. The thick vinyl graphics don't look like they will be separating themselves from the legs anytime soon, which is nice because I think they look pretty damn sharp. It is great to see the MRD (Manitou Racing Development) logo make a return to the range, signifying that this fork sits at the top of the fork hierarchy.
 |  |  |
The stanchions are 36 mm across and are protected via sturdy plastic guards. The original Dorado leg guards were quite brittle, having a tendency to crack before bending. These are thick and flexible so they should last much longer. They also have aluminum sleeves in each bolt hole to prevent cracking due to over tightening or an accident. Three 2.5 mm bolts hold each guard in its place and the left has a built in hose guide.
 |  |  |
The Dorado accepts standard 20 mm x 110 mm thru-axle hubs and uses Manitou's 6 sided HexLock axle system. Two pinch bolts per side hold the axle in place, and they thread into replaceable steel inserts that prevent any permanent damage from over tightening. The fork uses a modular brake adapter and comes with both 8" post mount and I.S. mount.
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
What's on the inside?
Ha! I've only had it for a single day, what makes you think I took it apart already? I wanted to, but I didn't. The Dorado is an open-bath cartridge-style fork, as opposed to a sealed cartridge system. This means that the damping oil is shared between the cartridge that sits inside the right leg and the space above the cartridge. Damping oil lubricates the bushings and fills the large-volume hydraulic bottom-out ciucuit at the top of the cartridge. There’s no bleeding necessary prior to installing the cartridge, which keeps things simple for oil changes.
Besides a forgettable foray into some platform based designs, Manitou has long used their TPC+ shim based damping system. There have been, and still are, some funny designs out there, but one thing is proven: steel shims have always been used on the highest performing suspension out there. From Bubba's Supercross bike, to Rossi's MotoGP rocket ship, the answer has always been shims and oil. TPC+ is an acronym for Twin Piston Chamber, and is exactly that. The 'Chamber' refers to the damper body itself, while 'Twin Piston' is in reference to both the compression and rebound pistons. The '+' at the end denotes a third floating piston that creates a position sensitive damping system. All that is held within the cartridge or 'chamber'.
From left to right: Rebound piston, floating compression piston, fixed compression piston
As the fork cycles through the first of its travel or on more low speed hits the third piston is free to float up or down. On harder/faster impacts or deeper into the travel the piston will rise up, closing an oil path and forcing the oil through more shims thus creating more damping force. What all that jumble means for the rider is a fork that is both sensitive to smaller bumps but still manages to keep from bottoming its travel needlessly hard. Hidden deep inside is also a hydraulic bottom and top out circuits that smooth out the transitions at both ends of travel. For now you'll have to use your imagination, but we'll have pictures of the internals come the full review!
How many knobs are there to turn and what do they do?
There are four main adjustments you can make on the Dorado to adapt the fork's performance to your needs. The Dorado is an air sprung fork, so the first order of duty would be to find the correct spring rate for your weight and riding style. Fatties and hacks need more air, obviously, but less than you may think. The massive size of the air chamber means that the pressure range should be somewhere between 50 psi and 90 psi, with a max of 110 psi. The negative air chamber is self adjusting and sits at the bottom of the fork, always pump at the top and bleed air off at the bottom when adjusting the pressure.
 |  |
Rebound (LSR) is dialed in via the anodized blue aluminum knob atop the right leg. There is only 2 1/4 (19 clicks) turns to make but it affects a wide range of damping. Each click at the dial is very well defined and loud, no making mistakes here. It is also clearly marked as to which direction does what.
Both low speed compression (LSC) and high speed compression (HSC) adjustments are made at the bottom of the right leg by the way of concentric dials, both aluminum. The outer anodized black dial is your HSC adjuster. It has 2.5 (21 clicks) turns of adjustment and again, each click is very well defined. The inner red dial is your LSC adjuster and has 2.5 turns (21 clicks) or adjustment.
 |  |
Overview
Manitou Dorado Key Features
-Dual layer carbon outer legs
-36mm hard anodized stanchions
-Internally adjustable travel between 180mm and 203mm
-Self regulating positive and negative air springs
-Advanced TPC+ damping
-Hydraulic Bottom out and top out
-20mm HexLock Thru-axle
-International Standard integrated stem mounting
-6.4 lbs (2902g) claimed - 6.7 lbs w/ uncut steerer on my scale
External Adjustments
-Self regulating positive and negative air spring
-Rebound adj. (blue knob, top left)
-Low-speed damping (red knob, bottom left)
-High-speed damping (black dial, bottom left)
So there it is, a preview of the '09 Manitou Dorado. Overall I am impressed with what I have seen. The finish is amazing, the damping has been proven in past forks and I have high expectations for it in the new Dorado, and the weight is competitive with the competition. Throw in a low axle to crown height and adjustable travel (internally) and things are looking promising. Two questions remain: performance and reliability. The two are intertwined and only time will tell us what the outcome will be. Lucky for me I hope to be putting loads of time in on the new Dorado.
All findings will be reported back so stay tuned!
Head on over HERE to see the entire Manitou Dorado photo album!
Mike "Kakah" Levy
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But damn they do look the mutts nuts
I always found it interesting that all MX forks are inverted but no MTB forks are. It has been proven on MX bikes that an inverted fork is stiffer where you want the stiffness to be. But in that application weight is not as much of a factor. In the end it is still way to expensive for me to put on a bike that I will beat up anyways. I already found it hard enough to justify the price of my Totem...that lasted 3 months before spewing the oil all over the leg...
That is definately the one glaring difference between mx and mtb. Mx stuff is tried and true and just works....
"performance is just gonna be the same as anything else out there"...how can you say that? Theres nothing else recently made out there with the same damping system. Performance will not be the same as all the other forks. It will do the same thing (absorb bumps, keep wheels in contact with the ground), but it will do it differently.
please explain...i'm a mechanical engineering major, and would be interested to see how you justify this "proven" statement
very untrue. inertia, couples, moments, and reactant forces are very much the same for the two. it is true to say that just because it works on a mx, doesnt mean it will work for dh. but saying they're like cats and dogs is simply ignorant. open up an mx rear shock and compare it to a dh.....nearly identical, just scaled down. why do you think cane creek is now made by ohlins?
DH stuff is derived from mx. Simple. From frame designs to shock tech. Who do you think designs most of the mainstream shocks on the market. MX companies. Fox, Curnett, Risse, etc. In fact, companies like curnett make some of the best suspension products on the planet, and they are an mx / car racing suspension company. Same with fox.
put him on an orange.. 'its the best bike!..steve peat rides one' so everyone goes and buys them ,now he's on santacruz, everyone rides them, same goes for sam hill and iron horse and soon specialized.. and boxxers, if peaty and hill get dorados you'll all be on them(those that can afford them), its all marketing,sponsorship and hype, the truth is if you put these riders on choppers they'd still be fast as f***k, and we'd all be buying choppers.
Warren
what about the red m6 it was on!
fail
I switch from my 888's to shivers when ever the weather gets worse. The flex was extremely noticeable at first but after I adjusted my riding, the flex is a +. Unlike 888's and boxxers (why does everyone and them mom mention boxxers. Boxxers are race only forks. They aren't even close to the same level as the dorado. Comparing them to the new 888's or 40's would be far better of a comparison) the flex is a good thing. If someone isn't used to it, or doesn't like how they flex, just make, or get made a stainless axle for them. Ya will stiffen them up beyond how 40's feel.
Rewster, the flex is controlled by the axle in the forks for USD forks. The stiffer the axle the less side to side flex. Front to back flex is next to none because the suspension compresses instead of bending backwards being our forks are not 90 degrees and raked out instead. So in other words there is only side to side flex and no front to back flex like dr sanchez mentioned. It's nothing to do with bushings. In fact bushings have nothing to do with these forks flexing in the first place... its the axle and the travel. Simple concept.
The cadilac has 550 horsepower the corvette zr1 has 638, it doesn't take a genius to figure out wich one's faster. And where do you get lighter, faster and better handling from? It's the same chassis with a caddy body with an overstuffed interior.
As for cletus44, your stats are a tad wrong. Look again. One I test drive had the same 600+ powerplant as the vette I tested prior to it. Called "options".
I dpn't wanna clutter the comments, but... the pertinent point was that faulty/untested products aren't tolerated in the mx industry, riders simply wouldn't stand for it, the same is the case in bmx as the sport has properly established itself, mtb however is full of companies 'trying it on' with poorly designed 'test' products; that's what I'm getting at!"
My point exactly
"you can't compare mx to dh mtb. Just like you can't compare bmx to dh mtb. They are all totally different elements with one small thing in common...2 wheels"
very untrue. inertia, couples, moments, and reactant forces are very much the same for the two. it is true to say that just because it works on a mx, doesnt mean it will work for dh. but saying they're like cats and dogs is simply ignorant. open up an mx rear shock and compare it to a dh.....nearly identical, just scaled down. why do you think cane creek is now made by ohlins? "
Another very valid point
look around you man... offshore manufacturing is not only cheaper, but higher quality... this year, toyota DESTROYED GM... and GM is like 8 auto companies combined... they get paid less because the cost of living is far less... not to mention they do business smarter...
my advice is even if you can afford US product, still get an education... "
Toyota is a Japanese company yes, and their cars are designed in Japan, BUT they are assembled here.
ummm, the original dorado's were the same price and they sold thousands of copies of it. Sooooooo there is a market. Not everyone are poor college students or highschoolers around here jett. We have a lot of adults that can afford whatever they want to"
Are you even old enough to goto College?
The point is I dont give a sh*t how good they are, they are not twice as good as anything else on the market right now...
it looks amazing, and im sure it will perform..... but no fork is worth that much cash imo
Remember the first big DH Mr T from Marz?
Thay had similiar solution , which provided a "snake drive system to that fork, which makes no sense of the fork as a triple crown design.
And the price? You see what you pay for.
Also the graphics don't look very good. They should simplify that design. Less colors, text etc..
Considering it's intended usage, I don't think it will be the first choice of riders.
All though the weight is more than than a boxxer for instance.
And why use modular brake mount... not like you want to ride a fork like that with a 6" disc.
haha, that's like saying that it's good to have play in a rear pivot because it aids in active turning....redunculous. torsional flex? ....armchair engineer alert!
Having the front wheel between your legs and twisting proves nothing in my mind, it's not a force that you encounter on the trail. First, how often are you riding hard enough to discern your fork flexing, all while the fork is in a fully extended position?? The deeper you are into your travel the stiffer the fork becomes.
Also, the tire contact patch is rather small and not big enough to provide the traction to simulate having the wheel between your legs. I just don't think it really works like that.
Of course I am no engineer or anything, just talking from experiences from riding many inverted forks. Its all opinion after all....
"I ride shivers now, and have rode dorados many times, and that is just an excuse for not being a good enough rider."
I best tell my sponcors that Im not a good enough rider and cancel the worlds than.
Im sure that Zumbi, mavic, Fox shox, Rock Star, 4Mountains, Funn, Maxxis and Hope will understand when I tell them that I have been put in my place that Im not a good enough rider anymore!
Im going to throw my bike away and go and cry.
Thanks for putting my mind at rest.
As a side note, the price mentioned in the video (or wherever) is the MSRP I believe. The fork will probably not sell for that much in stores, as with most products compared to their MSRP. And my second note, to jonnydh, I understand how you feel, but as I have now shown you misunderstood me. That comment about my parents holds no water, because I built one of my bikes (DNA) by myself and bought the V10 complete. When I turned 14, my parents, who are poor, told me I had to get a job because they can't and don't want to buy my expensive bike stuff for me. I have been working since 2 months after my birthday to pay for this stuff.
You say kinks need to be worked out? Did you fail to read that this isn't even a review. So how are you already knowing these forks have issues? That was my point... people are bashing on something that hasn't really been ridden by many, hasn't been tested by many sites, and has almost no reviews to date. So in the end, its nothing about opinion, its everything about just waiting for the test results before you bash them. That is generally called slander...
And how is it inevitable that the fork will have issues? And NO this one is not the first. Its still somewhat based on their tpc dampening... an old and proven design. This is not microsoft... these are forks. There shouldnt be many issues off the start with any system because they put R&D into it, test the hell out of it, refine it, test it more, then release it. Last I've seen pro riders normally get the forks seasons before they come out. What us metal workers and engineers call "prototypes".
If there are two downfalls to mtb its matnitou and shimano ( not to be confused with saint).
Higher price does not always dictate higher quality. Its insane at how overly priced the mtb industry is.
As of right now I have no idea how it is going to stack up against the other top end forks, but lets assume for a minute that it actually IS that much better. For comparisons sake take the CCDB for example. It retails for a few hundred more than a a run of the mill DHX, but it is THAT much better. As I said above, if the CCDB added 5 lbs of random weight to my bike and cost $1000 more, I would still try my best to get one. If the Dorado is in the same category as the CCDB and only a few hundred more than a 40 RC2 it may be more of a player than you think. There sure are a load of 40's out there, right!
Now we just need to find out if its any good....
Back to the point though: it is not $1000 more than a 40, but should be somewhere around $2-300 extra.
Just wait before people start saying what fork is better and for why. Until then you guys are just all guessing.
I felt like including douche bags for additional "fun" vocabulary hoping to provoke someone's response to it. Merely for my own entertainment since people get so defensive around here
you do realize that boxxers are now 35 or 36mm... not really fair to call them spaghetti legs when you're talking about a 4mm difference...
i find the boxxer WC's internals are far more reliable, not to mention a much higher level of tunability, on account of it being airsprung and the external floodgate adjustment...
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Well...
the 2010 boxxers are quite nice, but for someone that doesn't race a higher level of tunability is something BAD, because u will or can make a MESS tuning the fork and put some combinations that can "DESTROY" the linearity, stability and plataform of the fork and u can BRAKE them...
so "SOMETIMES MORE DOESN'T SEEN TO BE THE BEST" (or something like this)
300mm is almost 12 inches, dude....use those brains homie!
Stupid canadian knowing more about american stuff than the americans. Go enjoy your pretty canadian bike as I'm sure most of the american riders around can give a shit less about how pretty something is besides a lady. Remember, you don't need to make up for an ugly lady by getting a pretty bike... just get a decent lady to begin with.
You also have to realize, that with the larger uppers, you can fit a bigger cartridge in there, adding further rideability, adjustability, and over all ride in general.
Not everything is about weight. If it was, how come I'm faster on my shivers than my 888's? I'm talking much faster. They feel, work, and ride way different. Inverted forks are dope. Most people that have owned a shiver or similar will say the same thing. Heck my wb DH-3's felt flippen buttery as hell.
I am a weight dork on my personal bikes, not going to even pretend not to be, but there are times when it just doesn't matter. For example, if a CaneCreek Double Barrel added 5 lbs of random weight to my bike I would still run it, it's just that great and is such an advantage. Geometry and suspension, don't compromise for weight!
WB DH-3's, mmmmmm! I miss mine!
'not every thing is about weight' then why have they made it out of carbon fibre?
The carbon material choice could be for a few reasons. One may be stiffness, as in the ability to build in stiffness where it is wanted and be forgiving where it may not be needed. They clearly are not the absolute lightest DH fork out there (not even close), but they are lighter than some.