# Manitou FS bike



## First Flight (Jan 25, 2004)

Took us three of these to get one that isn't cracked!!

<img src=https://www.firstflightbikes.com/_borders/ManitouFS.jpg>

<img src=https://www.firstflightbikes.com/_borders/ManitouFSPeace.jpg>

<img src=https://www.firstflightbikes.com/_borders/ManitouFSYoke.jpg>

More details @ https://www.firstflightbikes.com/1994_Manitou_FS.htm


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## bushpig (Nov 26, 2005)

Nice build. Don't stare at the bike too hard lest you crack this one too! A shop near me has an NOS Manitou FS frame.


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## First Flight (Jan 25, 2004)

I kept waiting for the CRACK as I rode it around town to take pictures. That would have really sucked.


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## laffeaux (Jan 4, 2004)

Nice bike!!

Keep Wes away from it and it should be fine.


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## Williwoods (May 3, 2004)

I know where you can get the real stem and a matching blue chris king as well in 1 1/4" lemme know stem is brand spanking new.


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## retrobikeguy (Oct 27, 2005)

Thats sweet :thumbsup: , mine cracked on the headtube last month so pretty miffed at moment :madman:










Still, nice to see some still surviving.

_PS. when you putting some decent pics of your kestrel MXZ up  , I have been waiting ages to see that one on firstflight_


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## DeeEight (Jan 13, 2004)

Mine cracked in the headtube a couple years ago, but supposedly there's an LBS in quebec that's a haven for NOS stuff from the 90s that has one on the floor. One of my on/off riding partners in the neighbourhood has the same version frame (95 FS-DH) and his too has cracks in the headtube.


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## Octane (Mar 16, 2004)

Absolutely beautiful bike! I've been looking for one in good condition like that for a long time now. 

Bushpig - how much for the NOS one at your local shop?

-B


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## bushpig (Nov 26, 2005)

Its a big one - around 21". You can give them a call at 212 724 2350. It is unclear whether or not they will sell it. I think they got used to it hanging over the till.


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## alohachiimoku (Apr 7, 2006)

Mine cracked aswell, but since I had re-heat treated(7005 T6), havent had any ploblem.


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## royta (Jan 17, 2006)

My neighbor has a Manitou FS bike. He doesn't ride it. What should I tell him about it? He's not much of a bike guy.


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## alohachiimoku (Apr 7, 2006)

royta said:


> My neighbor has a Manitou FS bike. He doesn't ride it. What should I tell him about it? He's not much of a bike guy.


Tell him polished it, once a day.:thumbsup:


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## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

royta said:


> My neighbor has a Manitou FS bike. He doesn't ride it. What should I tell him about it? He's not much of a bike guy.


Tell him that it's most likely dented and cracked as it seems to be the case with 99% of the Manitou frames out there.


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## yangpei (Apr 18, 2004)

*Front der for Manitou System DH*

I recently picked up a Manitou System DH frame. Unfortunately, I came across this thread after buying the frame and didn't know about the cracking headtubes. Anyways, the frame currently is fine. My question was regarding the front derailleur. The seat-tube is oversize (I think 1 1/2 inch or 38.1 mm). Where do you get a front derailleur that fits it? Thanks.


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## laffeaux (Jan 4, 2004)

The derailler that came with these frames was modified to fit. A band was used to secure it. It looks a lot like a radiator hose clamp.

Finding one might be tough. You may be able to make your own.


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## DeeEight (Jan 13, 2004)

Actually Manitou originally used the Shimano EC-clamp front derailleurs (band style, they were fairly common in the early 90s, alpinestars used them too with a fixed braze-on mount on their frames) which were an early idea on the one fits all derailleur, because the clamp bands came in different sizes. They also did a run of modified XTR front derailleurs with a special 1.5" clamp using the basic 34.9mm size, with its swinging clamp replaced and the forged part of the clamp "reshaped" somewhat to fit the 1.5" seattubes.


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## Octane (Mar 16, 2004)

yangpei said:


> I recently picked up a Manitou System DH frame.


 Damn, you're a lucky guy to find one in such good condition. Wanna sell it? Know where I could find one? :thumbsup:

Nice score!

-B


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## alohachiimoku (Apr 7, 2006)

yangpei said:


> I recently picked up a Manitou System DH frame. Unfortunately, I came across this thread after buying the frame and didn't know about the cracking headtubes. Anyways, the frame currently is fine. My question was regarding the front derailleur. The seat-tube is oversize (I think 1 1/2 inch or 38.1 mm). Where do you get a front derailleur that fits it? Thanks.


Also seat clamp is MANITOU specific, do you have it?


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## Lutarious (Feb 8, 2005)

*The answer to the cracking problem....*

I have this one. The Frame is Titanium. A little too small for me. I think its about a 17" frame. All XT 8 Speed with upgraded forks front and back. Also has a WI Titanium BB and SRP bolts. Nice bike actually.


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## crconsulting (Apr 11, 2004)

Nice build! Classic from the "CNC" era of mountain biking. Lots of unemployed so cal aerospace machinists churning out MTB eye candy.

I could swear my first one cracked just hanging on the wall  

After several years, I finally found a bike shop in the mid west that had a NOS HT on display. Couldn't believe they still had one. Kind of makes you wonder what else is out there waiting to be found.....


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## yangpei (Apr 18, 2004)

*Seatpost clamp*



alohachiimoku said:


> Also seat clamp is MANITOU specific, do you have it?


I picked up a seatpost clamp 38.1 (1 1/2 ") Salsa-type clamp from Cambria Bikes. It isn't the original one that came with the bike, but it fits and holds the seatpost securely. Thanks.


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## colker1 (Jan 6, 2004)

hey jeff.. nice pics. the flash on those silver tubes and parts made everything look very nice.
and that is the tallest fattest headtube i have ever seen on a mtb.


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## farley325 (Apr 2, 2004)

yangpei said:


> I recently picked up a Manitou System DH frame. Unfortunately, I came across this thread after buying the frame and didn't know about the cracking headtubes. Anyways, the frame currently is fine. My question was regarding the front derailleur. The seat-tube is oversize (I think 1 1/2 inch or 38.1 mm). Where do you get a front derailleur that fits it? Thanks.


There's a pricey one on eBay Germany currently
http://cgi.ebay.de/Manitou-HT-FS-XT...ryZ77612QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


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## yangpei (Apr 18, 2004)

*Manitou DH almost done*

It took a while collecting parts, but now it's almost done.


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## alohachiimoku (Apr 7, 2006)

yangpei said:


> It took a while collecting parts, but now it's almost done.


Very cool. I like blue and red anno parts.:thumbsup:

Do you know rear travel?


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## DeeEight (Jan 13, 2004)

Ah the Kooka cranks Nashbar cleared out about 7 years ago for $39.99/set. I bought four sets myself.

As to rear travel of the DH frame, it was a whopping 3.25".


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## neveride (Feb 7, 2004)

I don't care what anyone says, the Manitou FS is still one of my all time favorite looking bikes, and still the bike I owned and miss the most. I guess I was lucky that mine never broke.

I'd love to have a modernized version, disk compatible, non breaking (so slightly beefed up tubes), dampened shocks, but still with the forks in the back.:thumbsup:


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## Boy named SSue (Jan 7, 2004)

Lutarious said:


> I have this one. The Frame is Titanium. A little too small for me. I think its about a 17" frame. All XT 8 Speed with upgraded forks front and back. Also has a WI Titanium BB and SRP bolts. Nice bike actually.


Is that the one that was at veloswap a few weeks ago? It looked just as nice in person.


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## laffeaux (Jan 4, 2004)

neveride said:


> I don't care what anyone says, the Manitou FS is still one of my all time favorite looking bikes, and still the bike I owned and miss the most. I guess I was lucky that mine never broke.
> 
> I'd love to have a modernized version, disk compatible, non breaking (so slightly beefed up tubes), dampened shocks, but still with the forks in the back.:thumbsup:


For such a simple design, they ride pretty well too. Although there's plenty of movement in the rear shock during climbs, as the rider, I've not noticed it making the ride in more difficult or using extra energy. Decent climber and great downhiller...


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## yangpei (Apr 18, 2004)

*Kooka cranks*



DeeEight said:


> Ah the Kooka cranks Nashbar cleared out about 7 years ago for $39.99/set. I bought four sets myself.
> 
> As to rear travel of the DH frame, it was a whopping 3.25".


I didn't know that Nashbar had cleared these out! DOH. You should sell yours if you haven't already. I bought them from some guy that had several and they were selling between $200-280 / crankset.


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## DeeEight (Jan 13, 2004)

I sold two pairs of them about a year after I bought mine... at $200 a crack... and the other two are on bikes (alpinestars Ti mega and Amp B-3).


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## misctwo (Oct 24, 2004)

that bike NEEDS the Manitou Stem!!!!!


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## alohachiimoku (Apr 7, 2006)

misctwo said:


> that bike NEEDS the Manitou Stem!!!!!


or even ANSWER A-TAC is cool, too. Only thing hard to find a shorter one.


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## misctwo (Oct 24, 2004)

alohachiimoku said:


> or even ANSWER A-TAC is cool, too. Only thing hard to find a shorter one.


agreed...i don't ever remember seeing a Manitou stem shorter than 100mm; but def. ditch the kore...


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## DeeEight (Jan 13, 2004)

Irony, a supposedly NOS Manitou EFC sold on ebay canada about 3 days ago.


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## UMMADUMMA (Oct 11, 2006)

*Who Need's Efc's? ?*

i will post some pic's 2moro!!!

DRDWNHLL will prescribe what you need!!!!


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## shmrcksean (Jun 15, 2004)

*Yangpie...I've got a fork for that bike*

I bought this off of Ebay a couple of years ago just because I thought it looked cool. I have been told by Manitou in an email that it was a prototype for the Dorado that was raced by one of the Manitou factory riders. I have since found out it is a King DH circa 1997.

I've been wanting to put it on my 1993 Mountain Cycles San Andreas but when I saw your DH FS Manitou it made me think about it sitting in the back of my garage.


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## DeeEight (Jan 13, 2004)

Ah the rare 4" travel Manitou dual-crown with the old 12mm Manitou thru-axle. Whilst Manitou was not 
the first company to use a dedicated hub/fork/axle combination (that honour belongs to Mountain Cycles
with their Suspenders forks), they were the first to use motorcycle-style bolt on dropouts and an oversized 
axle thru-axle with the 12mm Manitou EFC-DH forks in 1995.


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## DeeEight (Jan 13, 2004)

As far as frame repairs go, any custom builder who Tig welds should be able to fix it, the problem is that its inevitable it'll eventually crack again, the headtubes in particular were just tooo thin. Probably be a good idea to have a set of aluminium headtube reducer shims welded into place in the headtube at the same time.


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## neveride (Feb 7, 2004)

DeeEight said:


> Probably be a good idea to have a set of aluminium headtube reducer shims welded into place in the headtube at the same time.


Thats interesting. The day I got my frame back in '94, I put head tube reducers in it to use with a 1 1/8 threadless steerer (they were originally 1 1/4 and the forks came threaded). I rode my frame every day for 4 years, sold it to a friend who rode it for 2 years, and then he sold it. No idea if its still going now, but it was in '02.

I wonder if the reducers were why the frame never broke on me.....interesting to ponder.


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## DeeEight (Jan 13, 2004)

I had reducers in mine, it cracked just the same.


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## Medwheeljo (Oct 2, 2004)

Oh my god, I didn't realize there was anyone else even on this island. I just stumbled into this thread while looking for a Manitou 3 front end with an 1 1/4 steer tube. I've had my 94 FS for 10 + years and have recently been riding it as my office bike during lunch. Dumb guy like I am, I took it home to work on it and sinned the unforgiveable sin. Pulled into the garage with it on top of the car and busted the steer tube right off the crown. Anyway self flagellation really sucks and it's time to move on. With all of these cracked frames I'm reading about I'm wondering if someone could help me find an original Manitou 3. I just can't (won't) bring myself to put something new on it. For what it's worth, my rear end cracked around the drop out a few years ago, which was replaced, but also the machined crown for the rear forks has a crack aslo. Wow it's great to know you're out there.


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## x2BoxerDogs (Mar 21, 2018)

*re-heat treatment*



alohachiimoku said:


> Mine cracked aswell, but since I had re-heat treated(7005 T6), havent had any ploblem.


Hi, Can you give me a link the process you used ? Thanks


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