Scott Big Jon Fat tire upgrade: Manitou Mastodon

I had been toying with the idea of buying a hardtail bike to ride the Fullerton Loop and listed my Scott Big Jon Fat tire bike up for sale. After a few lowball offers, I started researching adding a front suspension fork for the Scott Big Jon. I found a brand new Manitou Mastodon Comp EXT for $350 so I jumped on that sale right away.

Now, swapping forks is not a difficult task -unless the old crown race refuses to budge. I tried the razor blade method, screwdriver and even bought a special tool. No dice. Defeated, I took the fork to my local bike shop so they can remove the crown race but even they couldn’t do it!

Luckily the shop had a bottom headset cup, a sealed bearing and a new race that could sell me and I was able to install the Manitou Mastodon on the bike.

I took the Scott Big Jon on a ride that unfortunately was cut short by the rain. First impressions are mixed: The steering felt heavier and “notchy” but I was able to let it rip on the downhill. Stay tuned for a proper review of the fork.