To ensure that this remains the case in 2005, the "Nixon" closes the gap between the relatively light enduro forks of the "Minute" series and the coarse freeride forks of the "Sherman" platform. Whether you call it "Long Travel Enduro" like Manitou or "Freeride Light" is irrelevant.

"Nixon": Less than two kilos in weight, 15 centimetres of travel
At first glance, the "Nixon" is strongly reminiscent of its big sisters in the "Sherman" series. Accordingly, the parts are also available with dropouts for quick-release axles or for Hexlock thru axles. But the fork is much more than an optimized version of the "Sherman Firefly", Manitou's lightest freeride fork to date. With a target weight of 1.85 kilograms, only air can be used as a spring medium, and damping is of course provided by an SPV cartridge. Equipped in this way, the "Nixon" delivers a maximum of 15 centimetres of suspension travel, without any annoying bobbing on the climbs.

"Infinite Travel": Suspension travel as desired, at the push of a button
Manitou has developed the "IT" handlebar lever so that the height does not interfere on the climbs: "IT" stands for "Infinite Travel". In plain language, this means that the suspension travel of the "Nixons" can be adjusted as desired from the handlebars. Press the handlebar lever, compress the fork to the desired height by pressing on the handlebars and then release the lever again: the "Nixon" is ready for long climbs. To ensure that the suspension performance remains the same even with reduced suspension travel, the "Nixon" models have two air chambers. When retracted, the volume of the chamber responsible for the suspension is reduced and the air is fed into the reserve chamber accordingly. The spring characteristic therefore remains identical even with reduced suspension travel, so you can leave the shock pump at home in the workshop.

To get the full stroke back, all you need to do is press the lever again and actively relieve the front wheel: the "Nixon" rides out to its maximum height ? and is ready for the next, guaranteed downhill ride. With the "Infinite Travel" system, Manitou is taking a further step towards a variable suspension system that can be adapted to the respective requirements without tools and literally in the blink of an eye. The days when you had to turn an unergonomic adjustment wheel up to twenty times with clammy fingers to change the suspension travel from minimum to maximum seem to be a thing of the past.