Ok, I have been riding riding SS for ages now and I am thinking that sometimes I would like the bit of comfort that a set of suspension forks affords you. Any way I keep being drawn to Manitou (not sure why). Way back when I had a set of SX Ti's or something like that, that were great forks and I had a set of the early Dorrados on my old Santa Cruz Super 8, they were reliable and pretty sweet compared to some of the forks that I have owned over the years. So are they any good now? I know that some are not fans, if not why?

Second question.
I am running a set of XT octolink cranks as SS they are still in great nick and are perfect for my riding, but I can't help thinking that I want a set of WI ENO cranks or a set of Middleburns with an Uno, or maybe even just a set of SLX.. Tell me what I should do. I don't have a great deal of cash free at the minute as I have a large car repair bill looming.

Manitou have had a few rough years and not really that great at the moment, what bike is it going on and how much travel are you looking for?
I would say Rock Shox are the way to go at the moment, running two different pairs and they have been faultless.
If you're crank works then leave it for the moment and upgrade to a middleburn and decent bottom bracket when you can.

Manitou have been patchy since about 2001/2.

They've always had decent forks in the line up every year, but the trick is to choose the right ones. Anything with TPC or TPC+ is going to be safe, if a little divey under heavy braking conditions. TPC is however, very good 'under fire' and doesn't really struggle in very choppy fast stuff like Rockshox Motion control can.

Evil genius seals are adequate – better than fox, not as good as rockshox and Marzocchi.

They're very easy to work on and are generally light for the travel. They can be a bit twangy as a result, if you're a heavy/aggressive rider.

You'll get good closeout deals and second hand prices too, since they're not the 'must have' brand.

Keep the XT.

I have 2005 Minute 3 forks still going well and I prefer them to my 2005 Fox Talas forks.

Have a set of '08 Manitou Minutes, love the feel of the damping on them. Agree with mudshark, prefer them to a friend's Talases I borrowed and my old pikes. Also silly light (3.3 lbs). However, at the weekend did discover a small crack at the bottom of the lowers 😥

what do you need to know?
🙂

My minutes are light, adjustable and have great damping (the best I've ridden).

They are also unfortunately and bit bendy and made of cheap crappy parts (lots of plastic bits that break etc).

So, you pays your money, you takes your choice as the saying goes.