There are quite a few comments online suggesting that even the "standard" Mastodon has quite a bit of clearance. Here's a photo of my Mastodon Pro Standard 120mm travel fork with a Surly Bud on a 65mm wheel (and if I'm not mistaken, the Bud is a little taller/closer to the arch than if it were mounted on a wider rim, as is commonly the case). I don't think your Minions are bigger than a Bud, so you should be fine with a "standard" Mastodon. You'd only need an "extended" if you plan to someday run a Vee Snowshoe 2XL or perhaps the new Terrene Johnny5. I bought the 120mm travel Mastodon because that's what my Fatback Skookum frame is spec'd for:I'm planning to buy a Mastodon fork for my fatty, but I don't know which one to buy. I have a 2016 Specialized Fatboy Comp Carbon, and I plan to run it with 4.8" Minions, so I would need the extended one. Do I want 100mm or 120mm? Obviously more is better, but is 120 gonna mess up the geometry too much? @jimvreeland
There are quite a few comments online suggesting that even the "standard" Mastodon has quite a bit of clearance.
Hmm, interesting. I think my rims are 90mm, so I figured the 4.8's would be too wide for the fork. If it fits but is close, won't snow/mud clearance be a problem?
Once you put suspension on your bike it will no longer ride through snow anyway.
Riding bikes on snow is dumb.
Jim: With 4.8 Minions on 90mm-wide rims you should have a bit more clearance than what you see in my photo (which I feel is more than adequate). If you're not comfortable with that much clearance for snow/mud, then go with the "extended" model. It'll add 20mm to your axle-to-crown distance or roughly make the front end 1 degree more slack than a "standard" model.Hmm, interesting. I think my rims are 90mm, so I figured the 4.8's would be too wide for the fork. If it fits but is close, won't snow/mud clearance be a problem?
I'm just trying to save you that same fate, unless you think those two huge tires that I mentioned in my last post are in your future.
I'm thinking that most fatbikes are currently spec'd for 100mm travel suspension forks (not sure if that includes your '16 carbon Fatboy, but Jim V seems to be leaning that way). My Fatback Skookum is more the exception, where they designed it to match up well with the 120mm Mastodon ("standard"). Is there a Customer Service number at Specialized that could give you their view of which travel length would work best?Much appreciated. Minions 4 Lyfe, so no worries there. So maybe I should get the standard 120mm and get the best of both worlds.
I'm thinking that most fatbikes are currently spec'd for 100mm travel suspension forks (not sure if that includes your '16 carbon Fatboy, but Jim V seems to be leaning that way). My Fatback Skookum is more the exception, where they designed it to match up well with the 120mm Mastodon ("standard"). Is there a Customer Service number at Specialized that could give you their view of which travel length would work best?
I don't think you'll be disappointed -- the Mastodon is a real nice fork.In that case I'll do what Jim says. 100mm standard, walk bike in the snow.
Just ordered the Mastodon Pro standard 100mm. $589.99 and free shipping yo. Also ordered a dropper post because I can't go back to not having one. I've been so sketched out riding the fatty without one the past few days.
i have the same feeling on mine, but then with a rigid fatbike i havent spent much time into looking for one to fit, plus i need an externally routed post for that bike :/ meh its feeling like its a snow only bike so whats the big deal?
Jim, are you running the 4.8 Minion on a 90mm rim as you had planned? Does the Standard version of the Mastodon seem to have enough clearance for you to feel confident that you won't strike the tire? I know that I feel good about the clearance on my Mastodon Standard with a Bud on a 65mm rim, and I think I even threw a Bud/90mm rim on the fork, fully deflated it, and it still seemed fine. Manitou's recommendations are much more conservative...@jimvreeland put my Mastodon on the bike for me yesterday, and I just got back from riding. Here is my review: This fork is awesome, go buy one.
Jim, are you running the 4.8 Minion on a 90mm rim as you had planned?