The Travis Triple is Manitou's top-line suspension fork, but does its impressive shelf value stand up on the trail? The titanium springs are certainly a steal at this price and the 180mm stroke is smooth and eager to eat up every ripple right out of the box.
Unfortunately, we just couldn't get it to stop diving and stay tall under braking. There was never any really noticeable difference in damping control however much we twisted Manitou's Intrinsic adjusters either. Obviously, swapping to a heavier spring weight will reduce dive, but then you'll lose small bump sensitivity, and even with light and smooth riders it still ducked and dived very easily. Despite its titanium springs and relatively skinny 34mm legs, it's not exactly light either.
On the bright side, the Travis Triple holds a line OK and they've ditched the dreadful self-loosening double quickrelease clamps featured on the 2006 model and used a more secure bolted axle bottom end instead. Short steerer, integrated stem and 203mm travel versions are also available, as is a single-crown option.
