The Manitou Mezzer Professional is a 37mm stanchion enduro mountain motorbike fork that stands proud from the gang with a opposite arch design. At $1,099 USD, it is a bit more inexpensive than its competition from Fox (Manufacturing facility 38) and Rockshox (Zeb Final). At its present sale worth of $659.99 USD, it’s hugely extra inexpensive. Taking into consideration that along its fairly gentle chassis, and the raft of damping changes on be offering, we deem it very a lot worthy of attention.
Stepping in to check the Mezzer Professional is a visitor reviewer, Rob Hinds. He was once more than pleased to place it thru its paces whilst I (Jessie-Might) was once out of motion because of harm.
Sooner than we get into the nitty gritty of it, it’s pertinent to introduce our tester…
- Title: Rob Hinds
- Weight: 85 kg
- Using Taste: Competitive, Ingenious
- Selection of years driving: 25
- Motorcycle: 2019 Marin Alpine Path
Manitou Mezzer PRO Fork | An Evaluation
The Manitou Mezzer Professional fork is a 37mm stanchion affair, with a fairly unusual opposite arch design that makes it one thing of a head-turner. Our 160mm commute 29″ take a look at fork weighed in at 2.2 kg with an uncut steerer. Whilst that’s now not as gentle as Manitou declare (2,032 grams), it’s lighter than an identical Fox 38 Manufacturing facility fork, or certainly the Rockshox Zeb Final – its major competition.
It is going one higher than the abovementioned with its highly-adjustable air spring, too. The Dorado Air – at the start evolved for the USD DH fork – gives Countless Charge Adjustment (IRT), in which you haven’t one however two sure air springs which might be independently adjustable. That permits the rider to dial-in mid-stroke strengthen and end-stroke ramp with decreased compromise.
The principle chamber is pressurized by means of a valve at the underside of the fork leg, whilst the secondary IRT chamber is pressurized by means of a valve on best. The latter should be pressurized ahead of the previous.
All over compression, the primary chamber drive will increase. When its exceeds that of the secondary chamber, the piston is displaced to compress the secondary chamber. On this manner, the fork’s mid-stroke strengthen and end-stroke ramp may also be tuned relatively independently of each other.
At the damper facet, there’s unbiased adjustment of high- and low-speed compression, in addition to rebound. A secondary attraction of the Mezzer Professional is that you’ll be able to alter its commute duration aftermarket with out the want to acquire a brand new air spring. Shuttle lengths of 140-180mm are to be had over 10mm increments, requiring commute lowering spacers supplied by means of Manitou, and a choice of equipment which might be regularly present in any bicycle workshop.
Tough Get started
The primary Manitou Mezzer Professional assigned to me for evaluate evolved bushing play after simply 9 hours trip time. This factor was once raised with Manitou, who abruptly despatched out a alternative fork. Certainly, high quality keep watch over seems to be in step with a lot of the bicycle trade, however our factor was once resolved with minimum faff.
“Bushing fitment is one thing we’re at all times striving to reinforce our production procedure to seek out the most productive mixture of low friction and sturdiness. If a rider has a topic that is one thing this is coated below our guaranty, which is two years from the date of acquire for the unique proprietor. Such as you skilled someone having a possible factor can post a guaranty declare on our site to have their product evaluated for a guaranty alternative”.
Phil Ott, Manitou Product Supervisor
Take Two
By contrast to that irritating preliminary enjoy, my impressions of the alternative fork are wholly sure. Its efficiency is little short of terrific, even outwith the context of its unbeatable price.
“Wow. This fork is plush”. Such had been my ideas on my first actual trip of the Mezzer Professional (each the primary fork, and the alternative).
With Manitou’s signature opposite arch and 37mm stanchions this stealthy fork isn’t petrified of bombing. It’s sufficiently stiff, handing over exact steerage without a discernible flex or bushing binding even below heavy loading. Credit score there to be in part apportioned to Manitou’s Hex Lock thru-axle designed to make stronger torsional stiffness.
Manitou’s spring drive suggestions had been in the right kind ball-park, and I didn’t really feel the want to go away from the ones settings in any main manner. I saved the ratio between the principle and secondary chamber constant, however higher the drive of each relatively to seek out the most productive total strengthen. The ground-out resistance was once very good, with so little harshness to talk of that I infrequently spotted bottoming-out. In this level, the Mezzer Professional is smoother and extra managed than its competition.
Trip Comments
I went out of my strategy to set this fork up for failure, however each time it simply took the hit without a drama, additional cementing in my thoughts that the Mezzer Professional is a in point of fact succesful enduro mountain motorbike fork. It’s as delicate as some other fork i’ve ridden, without a discernible breakaway resistance.
At the damper facet, I ran the exterior adjustment dials fairly open. Its base environment is reasonably closely damped, one thing I could be excited by if I had been a lighter rider requiring decreased drive.
On steeper, slower pace trails that includes sluggish pace drops into giant compressions. I did really feel the fork was once sitting a bit low in its commute. In the ones situations, I most probably would have benefited from operating a bit extra compression damping, or perhaps a little extra drive within the spring’s major chamber. On the other hand, with those self same settings, the fork was once merely very good on sooner drift trails, extra comparable to what you could to find in a motorbike park.
In different places, my enjoy with the damper changes proved their effectiveness. They’re simply operable at the path, and haven’t any quirks or drawbacks to talk of.
Parting Ideas
Regardless that it’s laborious to justify as an improve as such, the Manitou Mezzer Professional is for sure worthy for attention to exchange a Fox 36 or Fox 38 (Manufacturing facility) or certainly a Rockshox Zeb or Lyrik (Final).
Outwith the context of any QC problems which, in our enjoy had been handled abruptly thru Manitou’s guaranty procedure, the Manitou Mezzer Professional is highest described as a fork for existence. It hopefully stands its flooring on efficiency, it’s user-serviceable and rebuildable, and commute may also be adjusted will have to you want to switch from motorbike to motorbike. From 140-180mm, its versatility makes it suitable for the rest from a Norco Optic all over to one thing like a Kavenz VHP16.
A smartly maintained Manitou Mezzer Professional may feasibly live longer than many frames and wheels.
Execs
- Manitou’s IRT approach air spring may also be tuned for mid-stroke and bottom-out strengthen
- Very easy
- Extremely delicate
- Actual steerage
- Huge vary of efficient damping changes presented
Cons
- First fork gained evolved bushing play early on
- Useless and extremely versatile fender