Manitou R7 Expert Suspension Fork

Ideal for the demands of cross-country (XC) racing, the Manitou R7 Expert Suspension Fork combines a lightweight 32mm chassis with the renowned 3-position dual-piston VTT damper.

This versatile mountain bike (MTB) fork features a hard-wearing straight wall aluminium leg construction, which allows it to handle all of the intensity that’s associated with training and competing. Coming equipped with an Expert Air spring, VTT compression damping and In-leg adjustable TPC rebound damping, this model allows riders to dial in their ideal riding preferences to match their style or the terrain conditions. Its adjustable air, rebound and three-position compression (Open, Trail and Lock), means that you’ll enjoy a more rider-tuned feel with increased performance and reliability, as you tackle every off-road challenge that comes your way.

Expert Air Spring

This trail-ready model features the Manitou Expert Air spring system, which contains a unique balancing valve that equalises the positive and negative air chambers during the air fill process. This gives the spring rate a consistent feel without any flat or dead spots in the stroke, along with giving riders of different weights the same initial stroke feel.

Variable Terrain Tune – 3-Position Compression Adjust

When developing the VTT Pro damper, Manitou set out with a goal to maintain a rock-solid lockout without compromising the open and mid settings. The downside to many dampers with firm lockout modes is that in any other position than lock-out you will reach some critical shaft velocity that chokes off the low-speed flow path. When this happens the damper peaks at nearly the same lock-out force as the locked-out position. This translates to harsh force in the hands and possibly lack of control. The goal with VTT is to eliminate that high-speed spike while maintaining the lock-out force demanded by most XC users. This allows the fork to have a less progressive high-speed response while maintaining some low-speed support. This is achieved through independent shim stacks (one for Lockout, one for the other two positions). By controlling the shim stack through which the oil flow is diverted we can manipulate the characteristic of the damper to be Lock-out, Digressive, or progressive to meet the demands of the rider and terrain.

Chassis

When developing the chassis of this Manitou fork, the goal was to find the perfect balance of weight, stiffness, and reliability. Thanks to its Reverse Arch, Manitou is able to position the arch further away from the axle. The lower tyre clearance behind the fork relative to the centre of the axle allows for a shorter arch which yields 13% increased stiffness compared to a forward arch fork of the equivalent weight. Because of this, Manitou is able to use 32mm stanchions to save weight, while keeping stiffness closer to that of a larger stanchion fork with a forward-facing arch.

Item Top Features Continued:

Max Tyre Size: 68mm 77mm (27.5″+), 68mm (29″)

Offset: 37mm (27.5″); 44mm (27.5+/29″)

Ride Height: 471-511mm (27.5″); 485-525mm (27.5+/29″)

E-Pac: No

Manufacturer’s Part Numbers:

191-36972-A001 Black 27.5″ x 100mm 37mm 
191-36972-A002 Black 27.5″ x 120mm 37mm 
191-36976-A001 Black 27.5+/29″ x 100mm 44mm 
191-36976-A002 Black 27.5+/29″ x 120mm 44mm 

Topfunktioner:

• Material: Leg: 6000-Series Straight Wall Aluminium; Crown: Forged Aluminum, Hollow Bore Gloss
• Axle: 15mm x 110mm Hexlock
• Use: MTB, XC
• Steerer Diameter: 1.5″ tapered; Leg Diameter: 32mm
• Spring: Expert Air
• Compression Damping: VTT
• Rebound Damping: In-leg adjustable TPC
• Adjustments: Air, Rebound, 3-position Compression (Open, Trail, Lock)
• Brake Post Mount: 160mm (203mm Max)
• Weight: 1789g (27.5″); 1812g (27.5+/29″)