# 1993 Manitou FS



## DoubleCentury (Nov 12, 2005)

Not too many of these frames around that haven't cracked already, and if it's not cracked then it probably wasn't ridden, like this one. I built this up with the original XTR group I got with a bike back in 1992/93, although a few components got replaced for this project. Of note is the 39 piece SRP Ti bolt kit that came with the original group, but otherwise it's a straight forward build. One thing I found is that the Avid Rollamajig is pretty much required to keep the long length of derailleur house in check during suspension action.


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## alohachiimoku (Apr 7, 2006)

What a beauty! Just like text book FS build up.


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## laffeaux (Jan 4, 2004)

Wow!! Excellent!

SSMike might want to use that as an ad for his shop.


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## ignazjr (Dec 29, 2003)

That is a freaking beautiful bike! thanks for putting up the pics.


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## rkj__ (Feb 29, 2004)

I never get tired of seeing those. Cool bike.


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## jeff (Jan 13, 2004)

Wow!!!!!


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## DoubleCentury (Nov 12, 2005)

Thanks folks.

I should also have mentioned that the SPD pedals were my first pair, purchased in 1990. Keeping with the theme, I retrofitted them with Ti spindles.


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## kb11 (Mar 29, 2004)

Very nice TD :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: Your builds never cease to amaze


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## J (Mar 25, 2004)

boner


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## hairstream (Apr 20, 2008)

Ooh. 

All looks NOS. 

I love it!


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## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

Hey now thats pretty. Just the right amount of blue.


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## Fillet-brazed (Jan 13, 2004)

Better go check that headtube 'cause I'm pretty sure I just heard something crack. 


Nice job.


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## chefmiguel (Dec 22, 2007)

Hey DC very nice! Although I'm not a fan of aluminium frames the ones from Manitou always caught my eye. Beautiful cnc work on those.


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## ameybrook (Sep 9, 2006)

Nice work as always DC. Super clean.


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## ~martini~ (Dec 20, 2003)

bike bump.

DC comes out with another winner.


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## stefan9113 (Aug 4, 2008)

*Super Manitou FS*

Hi,

this is a really fine bike. But see, here both of them are the DH Version, they have bigger frames, they don't crack 

















by Stefan


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## Fillet-brazed (Jan 13, 2004)

The red is really a refreshing change from every other blue/polished one I've seen. I think these are a great representation of the CNC era.


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## xjoex (Jan 4, 2006)

All 3 of these bikes are really great. Did these have the tower of power chain stay bridges? 

-Joe


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## nuck_chorris (Jun 6, 2008)

its so clean.......*drools*


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## fltplan (Dec 9, 2008)

Nice ad for Black Mountain Cycles. No really, awesome looking bikes!


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## DoubleCentury (Nov 12, 2005)

Two-and-a-half years after the build and I finally find the time to throw a leg over this bike and take it for a ride. Crazy, but life is busy.

Ride report:

*Stem is really long, but I got use to it for this short ride.

*Heels hit the rear suspension struts a lot, so I learn to keep my feet in-line and not float the cleats. A wider Cook Bros. crank would probably help here.

*The suspension bob of this active design is really not a factor with only 2 inches of rear travel.

*The bike handles well and the rudimentary suspension is surprisingly good on this smooth trail. From the ride it becomes clear why this was a pretty revolutionary bike at that time.

So, I was pleasantly surprised.


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## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

Props for riding it! 

Now you'll have to clean the hell out of it (and check for cracks).


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## adroit 96' (Sep 16, 2011)

always wanted one of those!!!!


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## mik_git (Feb 4, 2004)

ha, mine came with a 150mm (or longer, it was way long) atac stem, zero rise, got a short high rise atac for it, made it much better... must say on single track it handled amazingly, but I found it had terrible bob, but its now so full of cracks its just hangs on the wall...


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## DoubleCentury (Nov 12, 2005)

Back of the headtube now has a crack in it.

More props Rumpfy?

I think the proper procedure for storing these bikes is to press out the headset between rides.


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## ameybrook (Sep 9, 2006)




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## girlonbike (Apr 24, 2008)

DoubleCentury said:


> Back of the headtube now has a crack in it.
> 
> More props Rumpfy?
> 
> I think the proper procedure for storing these bikes is to press out the headset between rides.


No, the proper procedure is to not get one at all or....I hate to say it....wall hanger it. 

I'm very sorry you didn't get more rides in with your frame.

Wow, that sucks big time. :eekster:


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## tductape (Mar 31, 2008)

What a bummer. 
Sorry...


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## mtnwing (Jan 13, 2004)

Sad. 

Did manitou warranty these with anything better back in the day? I remember Cannondale was good about replacements in the similar era for many years.

I have an NOS just like this in the box, and this thread convinces me it will stay in the box .... 

I have a Mg Tomac from a few years later that looks very similar BUT is very rideable. I abuse it regularly with no cracks other than mine.


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## pinguwin (Aug 20, 2004)

So how much time on the bike did you get before it cracked?


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## DoubleCentury (Nov 12, 2005)

One two-hour ride on smooth trails as shown in post #21.


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## Fillet-brazed (Jan 13, 2004)

Nothing a hose clamp couldn't fix. 

Bummer. Easton Pro Gram. Yetis and Manitous both suffer pretty consistent crackage. Turns out John Parker might have had some prescience in reprimanding FTW for making a bike out of this stuff!


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## Boy named SSue (Jan 7, 2004)

mtnwing said:


> Sad.
> 
> Did manitou warranty these with anything better back in the day? I remember Cannondale was good about replacements in the similar era for many years.
> 
> ...


I'm almost in the same boat. The one I have has only a 100 or so miles and was saved from more by the kooka cranks failing.


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## adroit 96' (Sep 16, 2011)

Boy named SSue said:


> I'm almost in the same boat. The one I have has only a 100 or so miles and was saved from more by the kooka cranks failing.


Man oh man I saw plenty of Kooka cranks fail back then :eekster:

When I part timed at a dealership in 97' they had one hardtail from Doug in stock, wish I woulda gotten it!!!


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## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

DoubleCentury said:


> Back of the headtube now has a crack in it.
> More props Rumpfy?
> I think the proper procedure for storing these bikes is to press out the headset between rides.


Holy wow. Sorry it happened, but still props for riding it!

There is zero difference between a cracked and uncracked wall hanger though. Unless resale was the end goal....


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## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

DoubleCentury said:


> One two-hour ride on smooth trails as shown in post #21.


You forgot to mention the 30 min huck session after.


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## colker1 (Jan 6, 2004)

Rumpfy said:


> Holy wow. Sorry it happened, but still props for riding it!
> 
> There is zero difference between a cracked and uncracked wall hanger though. Unless resale was the end goal....


if you hang those manitous, the wall will probably crack.


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## EBasil (Jan 30, 2004)

So bummed to read that your head tube cracked! 

My '94 HT cracked at the lower front and Manitou warranteed it with a '95 frame. That frame was ridden constantly from 95 to 2009, with a 100mm Black on the front of it since '03 and as a singlespeed since '04. It's uncracked and rideable, but has finally been mostly supplanted by a 69er SS. So, not to rub salt, but "They don't all crack". I'm well over 240lb on the bike. Okay, the pre-95's with the beautiful dropouts and thinner pipes pretty much all did.


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## uphiller (Jan 13, 2004)

Condolences. Damn.
The boring stuff almost always works better- M900, Sugino, Nitto, XC Pro. It looked boring and held together, as much as some of us (myself included) lambasted it.


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## ANTBRAX (Aug 28, 2011)

I coveted one of those from the day it hit the market...sorry for your loss.


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## DoubleCentury (Nov 12, 2005)

Thanks all. I hadn't intended on keeping this bike long-term, but I had hoped that I would have more time to try it out.


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## pinguwin (Aug 20, 2004)

Two hours. Wow. :nonod:


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## kona nut (Oct 5, 2011)

Wow stunning bikes, just got myself one of these frames, any tips on how to use it best without cracking it???

I normally ride Konas and this is my first different brand in a very long time.


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## mik_git (Feb 4, 2004)

I think the hanging on the wall may do it (without a headset)... thats where mine is...


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## kona nut (Oct 5, 2011)

:sad::sad:

Mine has a few small dents on the toptube but hidden from decals and cables on the top. no cracks on headset or bb area. 

It has had a repair on the rear chainstay, but that been done long time ago and seems fine.

But if i want to replace rear end of the bike where am i best getting it from?? i bike with a cracked front i suppose??


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## KDXdog (Mar 15, 2007)

Can't that crack be repaired?


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## pinguwin (Aug 20, 2004)

You might be able to repair the crack. I'm not sure of the type of aluminum used, so you might have to heat treat and that is expensive and ruins the decals. 

However given their reputation of cracking and the fact that it cracked after two hours of moderate riding, how much are you willing to spend on repairs? Are you going to budget $10 for every hour of riding or what? I think the repairs would just keep piling on and if a frame is that fragile, it's just out and out dangerous.


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## hedgeboar (Jun 28, 2011)

Drill a small hole (~1mm) at the tip of the crack and see how it goes. That'll help stop/slow crack propogation. 

For a long term repair (preferably with an uncracked frame...), it would be interesting to shrink-fit a steel ring around the top to induce a compressive stress in the aluminium.


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## mechagouki (Nov 30, 2007)

Ar the cup reducers in the picture a stock part of those frames, or something you added?


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## DoubleCentury (Nov 12, 2005)

mechagouki said:


> Ar the cup reducers in the picture a stock part of those frames, or something you added?


Stock reducers that do nothing to make the headtube any stronger. It's simply too thin.



hedgeboar said:


> Drill a small hole (~1mm) at the tip of the crack and see how it goes. That'll help stop/slow crack propogation.


I suspect that cracks will continue to form at other points around the headtube. Outside bands would certainly help, but they wouldn't be particularly tall.


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## nutallabrot (Jul 12, 2005)

Sorry to hear that. :sad:

Some frames crack almost immediately, others don't. I have a NOS Manitou HT frame which cracked just sitting in the box. On the other hand, the FS I ride regularly does not have any problems at all - at least so far.


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## PurpleOtter (Oct 3, 2011)

Holy Flashback Batman!

I used to race on one of these....never had a problem with cracks though.


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## mik_git (Feb 4, 2004)

its not a use problem, just a time problem


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## PurpleOtter (Oct 3, 2011)

mik_git said:


> its not a use problem, just a time problem


If I remember correctly, I only raced it for two seasons and then quit the "scene". Believe it or not I ended up just giving it away when I had to move from the East coast to the Pacific Northwest. It was definitely an attention getter, nothing else looked like it. Remember how the old Manitou forks would size up if you got the internals wet and it was cold enough to freeze?!


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## KDXdog (Mar 15, 2007)

PurpleOtter said:


> If I remember correctly, I only raced it for two seasons and then quit the "scene". Believe it or not I ended up just giving it away when I had to move from the East coast to the Pacific Northwest. It was definitely an attention getter, nothing else looked like it. Remember how the old Manitou forks would size up if you got the internals wet and it was cold enough to freeze?!


Actually, I never had trouble with Manitou forks in the New England winter. I did used to swap out the elastomers for the green ones when it got cold! I felt they worked better than rockshox in the winter.


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## crconsulting (Apr 11, 2004)

Bummer : (

yep, 
as we talked about before, got to reduce the press fit on those. Mfg. tolerances gone wild.
When I checked the press fit between my old frame and headset. They were way too tight, at least for those frames), on the order of .002 or greater.










of course, not all frames are created equally


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## mm78 (Aug 5, 2012)

I got four manitous here..
A 1993 fs uncracked and had plenty of use,headset taken down like crc said...
A 1996 fs uncracked team build,headset shims to inch and eigth also taken down and then bonded in..
A 1997 team build dh with manitou king triple forks,also headset taken down a bit,uncracked too,all get ridden !


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## crconsulting (Apr 11, 2004)

mechagouki said:


> Ar the cup reducers in the picture a stock part of those frames, or something you added?


Which picture are you talking about? (the ones in the picture I posted were 1-1/4's turned in a lathe)
You wont need a reducer if you turn the cups down to a proper press fit for your frame. You don't need much press to keep those cups in there. As mm78 mentioned You can always loctite them in with bearing mount to be sure.


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## mm78 (Aug 5, 2012)

crc,did you step your headtube down to inch and eigth then,i have on a couple ?


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## crconsulting (Apr 11, 2004)

No, just take material off the cups to reduce the press fit.

Both methods would achieve the same results though.
Probably easier to find 1-1/8" headsets these days too....


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## mm78 (Aug 5, 2012)

I done two of mine like that,and two with shims taken down as well,just the anodising off is enough....as in the pic of your c king,got a c king devolution coming and will do the same to that,i have had 11 manitous and only one cracked (my ht),and it was cracked when i bought it,low temp welded it and use it as a road hack now.
Pic of my 1994 fs


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## ti_pin_man (Apr 27, 2004)

Hi guys, I'm due arrival of an allegedly uncracked manitou FS soon. Knowing their reputation I investigated repair options and thought so e of you might like to know whys I found out. The best lead I found was that frank the welder himself repairs cracked alloy frames. He makes the repair and then sends batches of the repaired frames to be heat treated. If they're painted then chances are the repair will need to be repainted or the whole bike repainted. Either way it's hopeful he can get these back up and running for you. He quoted me 500 dollars for a 6000 series repair and heat treat. Not cheap but I know many of you are just like me and covert these old frames. This at least gives you an option if you want. Personally I'd trust frank more than many others considering his years of experience. 

Another frame I have is going to him. Strip paint, full repair and check and repair any other cracks, then it goes to his paint shop.


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## Salva623 (Sep 26, 2016)

frank the welder is mos def the man.


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## chele623 (Jun 11, 2021)

ti_pin_man said:


> Hi guys, I'm due arrival of an allegedly uncracked manitou FS soon. Knowing their reputation I investigated repair options and thought so e of you might like to know whys I found out. The best lead I found was that frank the welder himself repairs cracked alloy frames. He makes the repair and then sends batches of the repaired frames to be heat treated. If they're painted then chances are the repair will need to be repainted or the whole bike repainted. Either way it's hopeful he can get these back up and running for you. He quoted me 500 dollars for a 6000 series repair and heat treat. Not cheap but I know many of you are just like me and covert these old frames. This at least gives you an option if you want. Personally I'd trust frank more than many others considering his years of experience.
> 
> Another frame I have is going to him. Strip paint, full repair and check and repair any other cracks, then it goes to his paint shop.


very true- he fixed my damaged manitou system dh- looks new again.


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