Manitou Mara Pro Rear Shock [Rider Review]

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Looking for suspension that isn't mainstream but still has world class performance and charges the Enduro tracks? The Manitou Mara shock may just be your best friend! One of our customers has been trying out the shock. See what they think!

Overview

Manitou is one of the lesser-known brands in the suspension market but is always very highly regarded by the owners of these products as well as the suspension experts and engineers over at the MTBR forums. After much research, I decided the get the Manitou Mezzer Pro fork and it turned out to easily be the best fork I’ve ever ridden both in terms of small bump and support and composure through roughness and I’ve tried Fox Grip 2, Rockshox Charger 2.1 and DVO Onyx. Although the stock shimming on the Mezzer Pro fork is probably best suited to aggressive riders over 180lb and average riders over 200lb, I was particularly impressed by how you could add compression without increasing bone-rattling spikiness as you would on other brands which force you to run the compression under-damped with too much air, which is quite a waste because what really differentiates a high-end fork from less expensive forks is primarily the quality of the damper.

Being so impressed by their fork, I decided to try out Manitou’s flagship enduro class air shock, the Mara Pro. I have tried the DVO Topaz, Fox DPX2 and Rockshox Super Deluxe and Monarch shocks as points of comparison although I haven’t tried the Float X2. Of course, as with the Mezzer Pro, I did my research before deciding to pull the trigger. Per my research, the stock valving on their shock suits a wider range of rider weights than their fork, but like their fork and unlike other brands, their damping works very nicely and adds compression damping without the spiking that I think most people would associate with turning those dials.

A new technology that Manitou introduced and patented into the Mara Pro shock is the flexible IFP (inside the piggyback reservoir). When oil pressure increases on compression, on most shocks the IFP would have to break away from the friction to get moving which will cause some minute lag and delay when going through small high-frequency bumps. With the flexible IFP in the Mara Pro, the IFP will flex before giving away giving a smoother transition when changing directions on the stroke and on break-away. This is something that is clearly felt on trail as this shock is by far the smoothest shock I’ve ever ridden.

Overall, like the Mezzer Pro fork, the Mara Pro shock is the smoothest air shock I’ve ever ridden both in terms of small bump compliance and in composure on rougher high-speed sections.

I’ve never ridden a coil shock, but on every other air shock I’ve tried, I’ve always considered getting a coil shock for bike parks. That consideration is gone with this air shock which weighs only slightly more than the light-weight Topaz and DPX2 and much less than the beefy X2. However, everything isn’t all peaches and roses. Like with the damping on the Mezzer Pro being best suited for heavier riders, the Mara Pro’s air spring design suits riders in the average weight range (though I suspect this would be a pretty wide range) and suits a bike with a suitably progressive rear linkage as the shock itself is relatively linear even with all the spacers installed (the shock comes with 3 positive spacers installed, although you can add 2 more using the Rockshox red rubber band looking spacers).

One concern that I had during my research on the Mara Pro shock is that the negative chamber, which acts as a counter-pressure against the main air pressure to get the fork moving easier (i.e. reduce break-away force) and give better small bump sensitivity, is static. Most shocks use an indent that equalized the positive and negative pressures when cycling the suspension, but the negative pressure on the Mara Pro will always be whatever the room air pressure was when the can was screwed on. What this means is that if you’re extremely light, there might be too much negative pressure which requires you to counteract it with more positive air pressure than you want (which gives more mid and end stroke support) and if you’re very heavy, you may have to run less pressure (which gives less mid and end stroke support). Being heavier, I decided to follow some advice on the MTBR forums and when doing service on this shock (which you should do on every new suspension product of any brand as factories often apply too much or too little grease/lube), I installed the can while holding it inside my freezer with the air blowing into it. When the shock is operating in a warmer environment the cold air trapped in the negative chamber expands, thereby giving more negative air pressure. This allowed me to run a suitable amount of positive air to give me more mid and end stroke support while keeping my sag and small bump sensitivity where I want it. If you are somewhere around an average rider’s weight and I’m assuming this is a wide range, I’m assuming this isn’t something you’d have to worry about, but just be aware that changing air pressure has much more of an effect on sag than with other shocks which can be a good thing if you prefer to run more or less sag than where most people run it.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, the Mara Pro shock is a top-tier shock with excellent damping and smooth action and like Manitou’s Mezzer Pro fork, it is the best suspension I’ve ever ridden. However, it did take some tinkering to get it the way I want it and that is something to take into consideration if you’re not mechanically inclined or someone who doesn’t know how you want a suspension to feel.