The Manitou Minute continues to be flogged and now it is time for a Mid-Term update on the performance of this 120mm through axle fork. To check out the previous updates, click here and here. Also, our European correspondent, “c_g” has a quick release version of this fork which he is also going to be testing. You can see his initial post here.

tiretestmay 003

More Of The Same: I wish I had something to add to my “First Impressions” post about the Manitou’s ride quality and performance. The thing is, everything I said then applies now. Oh yeah, the fork is broken in now, and yes, it is a bit more apt to react to the smaller trail chatter than when new. However; it still is just chugging along, gobbling up hits and steering with the sort of precision we all have come to expect with through axle front wheel systems. So, instead of writing more of the same, I will just hit on a couple of highlights on the Minute.

Absolute Plus damper: Well, if you were put off by the previous Minute’s propensity to not work so well and “clunk”, you should know that this version of the Minute is night and day different from that old fork. The Absolute Plus damper works perfectly fine and I have had no complaints on its performance so far. The previous damper adjustments were limited and I found that there was little difference between locked out and anything to three clicks from wide open. That’s not so with the Absolute Plus. The difference between each position is noticeable and even between each click of the lever all the way to full lock out. I found my “happy place” at three clicks from wide open. All selections are quite usable though, and Manitou has really improved this feature.

Smooth!: I still am impressed with the smoothness of the Minute fork. It has something a bit hard to describe in the initial stroke that feels “freer”, if you will, than a Reba. Definitely more supple in the beginning of the stroke than any of the Fox forks I have here. From the mid-stroke on, the Minute feels very much on par with a Reba with a deeper feel than a Fox has. I have been able to get the full amount of travel on almost every trail ride, so the fork is working as it should and is easily tuned.

Chassis Rigidity: With a through axle up front, it is very easy to tell if the wheel you are running is flexy, because the fork isn’t budging much, if at all. The Manitou is a tad stiffer than the Reba, and is definitely on par with the Fox 15QR 120mm fork being ridden here now. I suspect that a tapered steer tube set up with a matching hydro-formed aluminum frame would up the ante a bit more, but I have nothing to complain about here in the stiffness category.

Okay, other than that, it has been super smooth sailing with the Manitou Minute 120mm Hex axle fork so far. I’ll be putting in more time on it in the coming weeks and will report back with a final review then.

Note:This product was purchased to review on Twenty Nine Inches. I am not being paid or bribed for this review. I will give my honest opinion or thoughts through out.