As a long-time Marzocchi Bomber fan, I’m anxious to see the new forks from Manitou, the Sherman line with the OnePointFive steerer. Though much debated, the benefits of a larger steerer tube are obvious, yet painful at the same time. Nobody wants an out-dated frame or feel they must upgrade their most expensive piece of bike equipment–their frame!
Hopefully both 1.5 and 1 1/8 inch steerers can co-exist… at least for a time! Dual-crown forks truly don’t need a larger steerer, but then again, why not?
Some frame manufacturers are already embracing the new 1.5 steerer: Intense, Ellsworth, Cannondale and Turner to name a few. This thing just might catch on.
The prospect of having a single-crown fork boasting over 6″ of travel simply wasn’t possible or even wanted before the advent of 1.5. Having ridden both a Marzocchi Z1 (130mm travel) and a Marzocchi Super T Pro (170mm travel) at length, I say, why not have a single-crown fork that splits the difference between the DH dual-crown world and the long travel Z1 single-crown?
Enter the new Manitou Sherman Breakout boasting everything any freerider could ever dream of: Adjustable travel between 132mm and 152mm, 20mm thru-axle and open bath construction. The new Breakout could prove to be the ultimate fork of choice for the all-around freeride bike.
