I have to buy a new fork, but the shop is giving me 20 % discount on a new, and cheaper fork. Manitou has not been involved.

According to the shop "Manitou couldn't take all riding conditions everywhere" into consideration, so my suggestion that designing a fork that is useless in winter is a bizarre thing to do fell flat. The shop apparently warns people against using these bikes in winter, so they're covered.

Agh. Makes we want to go all technophobic. Just make something that WORKS, dammit, don't mess around building something 40 grams lighter that can only be used half the year, if you don't sweat, in the high frigging desert.

Sorry. It just pisses me off when my everyday, ordinary, sensible use of a bike for transportation is somehow seen as a very strange and "special" thing to do.

Lesson learned: do not use magnesium ANYTHING on a salted road!