2017 Pinkbike Awards: Value Product of the Year Winner
Why it's the winner:
We ranked the X-Fusion Manic right up there with Huck Norris and Bontrager's Line Pro 30 wheels. All of them represent solid values in a world of pricey parts (here's the original article), but the Manic dishes out the best bang for your buck of the three nominees.
Very good dropper posts typically range in price between $300 and $450. For instance, Fox's non Kashima-coated Performance Transfer and remote will run you $329, while a RockShox Reverb Stealth goes for $399 (USD). At $199, X-Fusion's Manic is nothing shy of a steal. The Manic offers infinite travel adjust and is available in a 150-millimeter drop. If you're a veritable walking skyscraper of a human being, you might need a post with something closer to 170-millimeters of drop height, but 150 millimeters fits the bill for most of us.
Moreover, the Manic proved remarkably smooth and consistent over the course of a season of testing. The slightest pressure on the remote trigger yielded silky smooth saddle drops every single time. The Manic may be a budget post, but it sure doesn't feel like one. Nor did the post develop excess play or slop over the months. The Manic's only real Achilles heel is its weight: all 667 grams of it (post and remote combined). That's about 70 to 100 grams heavier than the norm for a top-tier post. Then again, if adding 100 grams of weight to your bike saves you $100 to $250, that might be a trade off you're willing to make.
Easy to install, simple to service (should the need arise) and just flat-out functional, the Manic takes the prize this year.
From the review:
 | X-Fusion has a winner with the Manic.... No, it's not the lightest option out there, but at $199 USD and a reliable design, the Manic is easy to recommend. |
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Having said that, I lately bought a brand-x headset as the only thing CRC had to fit the cheapest dirt frame they carried. But the difference between me and “too-expensive, won’t get ripped off crowd” is that I am not proud of it.
BTW I have Manic waiting to be mounted into the bike.
But at the same time it was a social experiment. I was hoping for at least one keyboard justice warrior to show up and support me in my doubts, since so many were vocal about clubbing seals with carbon sticks.
So to make it complex, I wanted people whom I despise to support my actual point of view in order to despise them even more.
I hope it makes no fkng sense to anyone.
If they will have something cheaper in the future I won't buy it there.
There are way cheaper discounter here and they are f*cking fast. Buy it today get it tomorrow like Amazon prime..
Glad to see X-Fusion putting the pressure on the other players in the dropper game to refine their products and drop their prices.
But but, how come there is no Carbon Wheelset of The Year Award? You have reviewed like 10 carbon wheelsets and maybe a few posts and none of those earns any awards? Strange. Dentists feel sorry
I gave up waiting and bought a brand-x. I have only had it for a month now, but I really like it.
I'm about to buy 2 of these, and I still think that $300 is fair for the product, but 199/300 isn't even close to the USD/CAD exchange rate.
Why does the US get a way better deal?
tell us about that tape on the saddle, please