2009 Dorado At Interbike
The Carbon DH Fork is Back
Words by Cam McRae. Photos by David Ferguson.
We got up early to get out to the Dirt Demo. It's something we've been trying to do for a few years and now but it finally paid off. We ate breakfast in a little greasy spoon in Boulder City, where the demo is held, and arrived at the event site shortly after nine AM. By 9:30 Fergs and I both had spanking new Intense frames underneath us with even newer Manitou Dorados up front. It was one of those moments when I thought to myself - I couldn't pick a more exotic combination. Okay - maybe one of the Honda gearbox bikes, if they haven't been crushed yet, would be a step up but beyond that not much could touch an Intense M6 with Manitou's new top weapon up front. Fergs was on the same fork with a Socom trailing and we were both happier than pigs in shit. 
Dave has spent more time on the Dorado than anyone and he was keen to educate us on the product. An interesting quirk to the fork is that air goes in from the top of the non-drive side stanchion but it must come out from the bottom valve.
I've ridden the Bootleg Canyon shuttle many times but I've never ridden it when it wasn't as full as an the morning train into Bombay. Today we were two of eight keen riders bouncing around like thirteen year-olds on espresso. Lately I've been riding skinnier tires on lighter frames so to be on the M6 with big effing boots was a treat. We were on new tire called 'Telonix' and they were even big for their advertised 2.6" width. 
A 2009 Intense M6 with a 2009 Manitou Dorado up front. The M6 shares the same VPP technology you'll find on the Santa Cruz V10 but the M6 felt much more lively and responsive to me.
Once we pointed it down it was nothing but smiles. The pricy and exotic 2009 Manitou Dorado is a 6.4 lb air fork that has its work cut out for it. On the ride up we heard comments like "I wouldn't trust that..." and that was just the beginning. After Manitou's implosion and subsequent purchase by the Hayes Group things haven't exactly been rocketing along. The return of the Dorado is a sign wheels are back on, although the recent departure of twelve key Manitou employees made a few former Manitou staff members question the wisdom of the current management team.
I'm amazed by the number of riders who come to the Dirt Demo but don't ride. The trails are fun and challenging with something for pretty much everyone - and there's no better opportunity to get on bikes we don't see much on the Shore.
Back to the product. The new Dorado has some features in common with the last generation of Dorado that made it into the public's hands in significant numbers: an inverted design, carbon legs, integrated stanchion protection and the absence of an arch to connect the two legs. Manitou is calling it "a no-holds bared downhill weapon of unprecedented performance." I had a Dorado back in 2004 and once I got everything sorted it was an amazing piece of suspension technology. The absence of unspring weight, thanks to the inverted design, made it incredibly responsive and while it seemed a little sluggish on the shop floor, the speed sensitive valving made it come alive on the trail. It wasn't a low maintenance unit but when well cared for it delivered the goods.
Fergs pinch-flatted on Girl Scout and I patched things up for him (cause he's a sissy).
The new fork, while similar to the naked eye is a departure in a few significant wasy. To begin with it's sprung on air rather than coil - bringing the weight down to an impressive 2902 grams. Manitou has always been masterful at damping technology and this fork continues that tradition with TPC + compression damping, an open-bath, double tube rebound damper and hydraulic bottom-out and top-out circuits. There is a lot going on in there to be sure.
A 2009 Intense Socom. It lacked the stability of the M6 but some tweaking of the rear shock could have cleared that up. We didn't have much time for fine tuning I'm afraid.
Before we get carried away let's not forget that Fergs and I rode these forks today. They aren't some sort of pie in the sky prototype any longer - this is a fork that we should soon see on the trails. We only did one run on these bikes but it was enough time to get some initial impressions. To begin with I don't think I would have known this was an air sprung shock without someone telling me so. While relatively linear, the smoothness and ramp up are very similar to what a coil might serve up. I didn't play with air pressure (the 75 lbs of pressure seemed about right to me) or the high or low compression damping adjustments, or rebound damping - but it was clear to me from the first force applied to the rear wheel that this is a capable fork. It rode nice and high but responded quickly and smoothly to impacts. There seemed to be more torsional flex than I'm used to - I've been riding a Fox 40 for a dual crown fork lately - but it was consistent and predictable and not noodly in any way. It handled large and small impacts equally well and went where it was pointed. I can't tell you if it'll be durable, easy to maintain or whether it will perform consistently. I can tell you that things look promising at this point.
You couldn't keep Fergs off the trails at Bootleg Canyon. Here he is on an Intense Socom with the new Dorado up front. Photo ~ Cam McRae
The Intense M6 was a beast that loved to go fast. The only downside to this exotic beast was it's tendency to bottom out into the tire with an annoying schralp. I hate that to the point that I won't own a bike that will do that. The WTB saddle was shredded as a result.
Of course we've got more from today but it's time to get a few hours of sleep before we do it all again - bright and early - tomorrow. If you've got anything to say or if you want to send us in search of a certain product chime into our Interbike thread here.
