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Manitou Mastodon Comp Suspension Fork [Rider Review]

Our "Rider Review" article series features the honest reviews from verified purchasers of Worldwide Cyclery. They contain the photos, thoughts, feedback & overall review you are looking for.

When riding in the winter, normal fork seals and oil harden and or thicken. Which turns into a harsher ride. Manitou Mastodon is made with the cold temps in mind with offering seals and oil specifically made for colder temps. Our friend Scott, just picked the Mastodon for his fat bike. See what they think about it!

Overview

I had been riding with a Rockshox Bluto RCT3 120mm fork on my fat bike for the past four years, and overall that fork worked OK. However, I was running into issues every season with losing pressure during cold rides less than 30 deg F. I tried two different rebuilds of the fork, one with a standard kit and one with seals and fluids designed for lower temp riding. Even after the shock rebuilds I still had issues losing air pressure. I also was experiencing inconsistent fork performance, where damping across temperature ranges just felt different, and the progression ramp up would vary noticeably. After I read up about the fork on a few MTB forums I discovered I wasn't the only one with this issue, and turns out fork flex and seal issues were common sources of frustration.

So this past fall I decided to spend another $600 and upgraded to the Manitou Mastodon 100mm fork and it was a significant difference in ride quality right off the bat. I have now been riding this fork since Nov'2020,

and have ridden in near-zero weather and up to around 50 deg F, and the fork has performed great and been very consistent!

The pressure and damping of the fork were easy to set up per the guide and works well with three tokens in it for my 200+ lb body weight. This provides a perfect progressive ramp-up, and I have yet to bottom it out. I did go from 120 mm travel to 100 mm when going from the Bluto to the Mastodon and feel 100 mm travel is just right for a fat bike tire. I always thought 120mm of travel plus the fat tire was just too much travel.

I primarily ride the single track in the snow on my fat bike but also do take it to rocky and root-covered single track, mountainous terrain in the fall and spring when the trails aren't ideal and fat bike traction is nice to have. Aside from just how well the shock functions in terms of the progressive ramp and dampening, I also was "shocked" to feel a big difference in the front end stiffness. I didn't realize how much fork flex was in the Bluto and have since noticed a much more responsive front-end feel. I had the advantage of comparing forks on the same bike frame and same wheels/tires, and it really made the bike feel more nimble and poppy....for a fat bike no less! I rode for four seasons on the Bluto, so I had a good feel for how one performed and felt versus the other.

About the only negative, I can think of is the fork is slightly heavier than the Bluto, but ... if we are all being honest here... it is nothing that cutting a post-ride beer or two out would not resolve! More importantly, it is absolutely not noticeable when riding, the fork feels good!