Submitted by
Guillaume
a Cross Country Rider
from Montréal Date Reviewed: July 13, 2006
Favorite Trail:
bromont
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$200.00
Purchased At:
a friend
Strengths:
It is a lightweight fork. Plushness is good and it can easily be tuned and the maintenance is not that bad. ridding it give me confidence and it makes my rides faster and gives a better handling
Weaknesses:
None since those three months
Similar Products Used:
SID 100, minute 2, Duke u-turn, Marin, RST, MAG 21 and other old stuff.
Bike Setup:
GT zaskar all XT and TI components.
Bottom Line:
I really like this fork and never faced any problem. I do not have any leakage (oil, air). Also, even if some say it is kinda long finding the right settings, it just shows how fine can the tuning be. I am also an heavy rider at 195 avg. I really like stiffness, but wanted to be able to use the neg air feature. I am a level two mechanics and I wanted to share with others my trick to set it right (if you like it stiff with long travel):
You take off all the neg air. After, you set the positive air pressure to the stiffness you like. When it's done, you raise the negative pressure until the travel is reduced. Then, you use your pump to realease the extra air until you get your full travel back. To get the best performance with it, I run at 57-62 and 100-120. I saw some people with 0 neg pressure, you can, but you are not using the features you paid for.
A really good fork, maybe the best in its category.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Marc
a Cross Country Rider
from Houston, TX, USA Date Reviewed: June 9, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Bluff Creek Ranch "Warda"
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$550.00
Purchased At:
Online
Strengths:
Savvy Marketing
Weaknesses:
Inability to perform intended function as advertised.
Bike Setup:
Hardtail
Bottom Line:
Left leg disasembled itself on the 5th ride. I had high expectations for this fork, and had talked it up to all my friends. This fork made me look like a punk. Damn thing gave me a lubricant facial to remember her by as well.
I want my f$#&'n money back.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Daniel Parker
a Cross Country Rider
from Waco Texas United States of America Date Reviewed: December 7, 2004
Favorite Trail:
speed run
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
Very sturdy and adjustable good for cross country racing and maraton racing.
Weaknesses:
Rebound and Compression adjustment have to use a special little tool.
Similar Products Used:
Rock Shox Race Titanuim
Bike Setup:
Bianchi Super Grizzly XTR all around wheels too.
Bottom Line:
Good cross country fork it's light and strong go for all users.Bomb proof hints the name "Bomber". Looking at replacing it for an 05 Marathon SL.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
William Patterson
a Cross Country Rider
from N.Ireland Date Reviewed: November 21, 2004
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Strengths:
Well manufactured with good design criteria and attention to detail. Extememly tuneable and stiff with impressive tracking abilities.
Weaknesses:
Bushes are excellent but require time to bed-in. The manual isn't sufficiently informative.
Similar Products Used:
Manitou. Rockshox. Fox. Pace. RST.
Bike Setup:
Specialized FSR M4 with full XT.
Bottom Line:
An impressive set of forks which perform exceptionally well. My forks have no leakage problems, are very smooth and responsive and track superbly. They are very reliable and consistent in performance and the ECC 5 allows me any amount of tuneable variations to meet every sort of terrain.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
JG
a Cross Country Rider
from Ohio U.S Date Reviewed: October 28, 2004
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Strengths:
Very well designed with strong but light construction and a plethora of available settings from fast rebound to lock out. Low level of air leakages, much better that the SIDs. Great tracking in a point and go way. Solid braking
Weaknesses:
Slow to break in and the manual sucks.
Bottom Line:
Top line forks for all the reasons I have given in the product strengths window. Cheaper than some home based (US) products and the forks rock.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Pete Ross
a Weekend Warrior
from Scotland Date Reviewed: September 28, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Glentress
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
Very well engineered to give sooth and consistent performance. A quite light suspension fork. Very good seals and very adjustable even with a lock down for climbing. A real quality product.
Weaknesses:
The saels are quite stiff at first and take a while to free. The instruction manual is helpfull but not enough. The positive pressure recommendations are far too high.
Similar Products Used:
Products by Manitou, Fox, Rockshox and RST.
Bike Setup:
Specialized FSR etc.
Bottom Line:
I feel that this Marathon is probably the best cross country fork and light free-ride fork on the market today. Excellent seals, or maybe I am incredibly lucky, but I hardly even think about topping up the air levels. Super ECC cartridge which gives the most amazing adjustability on the fly. Rigid and great tracking.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Damian
a Cross Country Rider
from Levittown NY Date Reviewed: September 24, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Stillwell/ Greenbelt
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$250.00
Purchased At:
ebay
Strengths:
I took this thing for its virgin ride today, man what a difference. It opened new lines on my regular trails that I would have never dreamed to attack with my old manitou. This fork will absorb anything you throw at it, just point the tire where you want to go and floor it.
Weaknesses:
nothing whatsoever, I would have paid double for it, I can't wait till it is fully broken in.
Similar Products Used:
Manitou sx, RockSucks Judy, and Sid.
Bike Setup:
Klein Attitude Comp XT everything, Avid BBs 203mm with Avid 7 series levers,and full metal jackets. Sun RhynoLites
Bottom Line:
No other choice when it comes to forks this baby is incredible
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jo Dowsin
a
from SoCal Date Reviewed: September 19, 2004
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
well put together set of forks, good seals, stiff and strong, very adjustable, can cope with almost anything.
Weaknesses:
Give it time to settle in. The seals have got a lot of friction at first and need time to loosen up. The instructions are non too good you need to put less pressure in the + & - than in the book.
Bottom Line:
These forks will deliver the goods once they have had time to loosen up. Just about the best pair of forks that I have ever ridden in 16 years of Mountain biking. Just great adjustability and the ECC 5 cartridge lets you take that even further. They give real confidence and I ride so much faster than I did with my SIDs. Tried Fox....very good ...very expensive. Could not see my way to paying Fox prices when I can get this kind of performance for a lot less and with top reliability.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dean Steffenburg
a Downhiller
from Munich Date Reviewed: August 30, 2004
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
Well made and good design with a very efficient set of positive and negative air chambers. Structural strength ensures no flexing on hard hits or under heavy braking. ECC control allows to tune the forks even more than adjusting the air pressures and can be adjusted on the cycle. Multiple rebound adjustments to lock out.
Weaknesses:
Time must be given for the forks to become smooth because of the strenght of the banjo seals. Marzocchi recommend using Silicone grease on the stanchions to help. Air pressure adjustments must be precise but the manual is no help with the negative doppio pressure settings.
Similar Products Used:
Manitou, Magura, Rockshox, Girvin and RST.
Bike Setup:
Cannondale Jekyll Shimano XT transmission and disc brakes.
Bottom Line:
A superior Fork that has been well engineered to provide an exceptional level of performance for hard crosscountry riding. Very adjustable and also very reliable and it will steer very well even thru hard and complex courses.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Wade McCormick
a Cross Country Rider
from San Marcos,CA, U.S.A. Date Reviewed: August 24, 2004
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$340.00
Purchased At:
Supergo
Strengths:
Price for last years model. No leakage I can tell. Quality travel. Beefy build.
Weaknesses:
Poor owners manual. Difficult to adjust. Ecc should automatically disengage when big hit encountered. Bit on the heavy side. Not flex free.
Similar Products Used:
Manitou Mars
Bike Setup:
2003 KHS Team ST. XTR, Eggbeaters, Crossmax, Easton M/Lite, Syncros post, Ritchy Pro stem, Flite SLR, Mosquito 2.35, very light bike (23.5 lbs.)
Bottom Line:
The Marzocchi SL is a good value, especially if you can get a prior year model, identical to current model. Once set up, adjustments stay true. Little or no leakage. Not a perfect fork, but go's straight allmost allways. Very cool looking. Im 220x6'4", It is the best XC fork I've used in 15 years as MTB rider.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ted
a Weekend Warrior
from SoCal Date Reviewed: August 18, 2004
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$400.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Stiff and Strong. Light for it's strength. Tracks great over pretty much anything. Real smooth. ECC cartridge is excellent.
Weaknesses:
A bit expensive, but cheaper than the Fox equivalent. Takes a while to get the seals to bed in. Takes time to get the right pressures dialed in for your riding style.
Bottom Line:
This is a great Fork. It has given me no trouble. It is super smooth once you get it run-in and it has the stiffness to track even the roughest downhill trails. The ECC cartridge is sooo usefull you can change the damping on the trail and also lock-out the fork totally. Great at climbing, great at descending. The fork keeps the pressure and I check it every month. It takes a bit of time to dial in the right levels for your riding style but once done this fork rocks!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Kervin
a Cross Country Rider
from Virginia Date Reviewed: August 11, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Big Levels, GWNF
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$200.00
Purchased At:
Ebay baby!
Strengths:
Smooth, responsive, very reliable, function.
Weaknesses:
Color – White fork and Virginia clay are a bad combo
Similar Products Used:
First gen Trek crap, Manitou 1,2 &3, Rock shox mag 21 and Judy, Marzocchi XC51 and Atom 80, Manitou Black 100
Bike Setup:
Salsa hardtail, XT, Sram, Avid discs
Bottom Line:
This fork is great. I was looking for an “S” model, but I’m really happy that I got the SL. It seems to work well all the time. I’ve never used the lockout cause I climb in the saddle. The guy I got the fork from had “corrected” the owners manual and he weighs just a little less than me, so set-up was a breeze. Of all the fork companies I’ve gotten forks from, the Marzocchi’s always work best on the trail. Maybe it’s because they have a motorcycle back ground. I do think about getting one of those new FOX forks with “terra logic”, but I don’t think it will work better on the trail.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Bill Williams
a Cross Country Rider
from Bath U.K Date Reviewed: August 7, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Coed-y-Brenin
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$460.00
Purchased At:
cycle1st.com
Strengths:
Stiff, well made, tracks well, little deflection, little tip flutter under hard braking.
Weaknesses:
Takes quite a while for the seals to bed in.
Similar Products Used:
Fox, Manitou, Rockshox extensive list of models.
Bike Setup:
Specialized Enduro. Full XTR apart from Hope Hubs, Hope Discs on Mavic X717 disc rims and Easton finishing kit.
Bottom Line:
These have proved so far to be exceptional forks. They have not leaked air or oil and have surpassed my expectations for what is a high end fork. I suspect that the poor instruction manual has lead to a plethora of experimentation, which in itself is no bad thing except that it could cause greater pressures being installed in certain chambers than they may have been designed for. And of course there is no indication as to maximum pressures. Personally I have adjusted my pressures gradually and as I have said am very pleased with these forks. I have had no indication of any cracking at the dropouts nor have I experienced any such thing on the numerous Marzocchi forks which I have and do own. I am a little confused as to how this could occur on a 2003 fork which someone has had for over 3 years. And as to the competition I rather suspect that for me the closest contender is probably Fox. However The Marathon is as good as any Fox I have tried, it's lighter than most of the Fox range and is considerably less expensive. The cost of Fox forks in the U.K can only be described as startlingly expensive. I conclusion, my view is that the Marathon SL is recommendable.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tom Wiard
a Cross Country Rider
from Montrose co usa Date Reviewed: May 5, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Monarch crest
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$400.00
Purchased At:
Over the edge/Fruita co
Strengths:
predictable/weight/tunable/
Weaknesses:
owners manual
Similar Products Used:
98 judy xc/2002 duke 100
Bike Setup:
over the edge full suspension(made by Titus like a racer x set up for 100 mm travel 4-bar) xt/race face turbine LP cranks /king headset/thompson/eston/bontrager mustangs
Bottom Line:
I was worried by all of the comments below -but if you think about it there are two positive air chambers and so there is one on each leg and the outer schrader valve on the edge of each leg adjusts the positive chamber for that leg-there is one negative chamber that is adjusted by the one center schrader valve- the owners manual and the recomendations below seem to give a good start to adjusting. I weigh 165 and about 35 lbs in the positive chambers and 120 in the ngative seems to work. This fork rocks! consistancy and springy rebound make this fork superior to my duke for anything but smooth single track. The old fork seemed to not rebound well so there was a bottomless sinking feeling on big hits. This fork absorbs the shock but than rebounds in a predictable way.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
steven foley
a Weekend Warrior
from Tujunga, CA. USA Date Reviewed: April 17, 2004
When this fork is working properly it is awsome. This fork absorbs everything in its path and I do not feel a thing. It is very responsive on cornering as well.
Weaknesses:
I have had this fork for about 6 months and the oil seals blew twice and a seal in the negative chamber went bad causing the chamber to fill with oil.
Similar Products Used:
01 judy, 02 judy, 02 psylo, 03 black elite
Bike Setup:
weyless frame, full xt, thompson stem/seatpost, race face cranks
Bottom Line:
This fork is awsome. Even though I have had some problems with the fork ( I must have bought that one in a thousand fork with a few minor defects.) this is still the best fork I have ever riden. Marzocchi's customer service is second to none. They are taking great care of me and they are ironing out any further problems with the fork.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
DanK
a
from Emmaus PA Date Reviewed: April 14, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Anything with dirt
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$400.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Decent weight, great dampening, super adjustable, good spring feel
Weaknesses:
Slightly flexy compared to my old Black, Finicky to set up
This fork has re-defined trail fell for me. It has yet to kick me off a rock or root in an unexpected way. ECC useful on long grinder climbs, but I only use it for those. It took about 5-6 rides to figure out my ideal setup- 49psi positive, 110psi negative, rebound clicker set where top of the M points at the head tube. I have not experienced any excess leakage (check before each ride) but a pound or two every other ride or so. One workd, though, check your pressure after the fork has reached the temp you are riding in or it will be wayyy off....Winter riding was interesting until I worked that one out. Otherwise a great fork, tracks well, eats up bumps, and makes my arms feel less like I have been handling a jackhammer after a long descent. Good balance between weight, features, and stiffness.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
David
a Cross Country Rider
from Cumming (Atl), GA Date Reviewed: April 4, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Chicopee Woods (Gainesville, GA)
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$340.00
Purchased At:
Supergo
Strengths:
Super smooth. Dual Air. ECC cartridge to lower Ft End for climbs.
85mm version. Wonderful fork. I knew it would be better than the OEM RS Pilot that I removed, but riding it sure convinced me of the difference. (obviously an unfair comparison as the RS Pilot is much less expensive). Marz cust svc was very helpful in recommending correct pressures. Really soaks up tree roots, rocks, etc at speed without making you feel like you are riding on a pogo stick (as some others). ECC really works for steep switchback climbs (several on my trail) and is remakably easy to change on the fly. Don't know about others who say the '03 model ECC control knob is hard to use - mine is simple to operate. I'm 185 & set up at 40# positive / 100# neg. Can't say much about reliability just yet (only ridden once), but Marzocchi's reputation for reliabilty is very good and I'm expecting good results. Great price from Supergo (now out of stock). Very slight front to rear flex (more than my wife's Manitou Axel Super), but almost none noticed side to side or twisting. Rode 1st trail (7 miles)aggressively without bottoming out. Would highly recommend to any XC or AXC rider.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ian
a Cross Country Rider
from Yellowknife, NWT, Canada Date Reviewed: March 13, 2004
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$950.00
Purchased At:
Overlander Sports
Strengths:
Stiff stanchions, reliable air pressure retention (at least on mine so far), ECC with lockout, air pressure tunability. Far stiffer than SID, and from the # of SID reviews I've read, this fork seems to be much more durable, which would seem to meet its design goals as a marathon-oriented XC fork. A fork you can pretty much pressurize and forget (not neglecting regular maintenance and cleaning, of course).
Weaknesses:
Not cheap to buy, considering it may now be a bit technologically behind in terms of the current crop of stable-platform valved forks now on the market. The plastic "M" ECC control knob is a bit painful on the fingers to turn: a CNC-machined rounded metal knob would be much more elegant and less "biting" on the fingers. It would be nice to have the lockout feature available in the fork's extended position as well as the ECC-compressed mode. My sense is that Marzocchi's designs are not quite keeping up with the trend and technology in stable platform valving. For the money, I'd be very tempted to properly compare the 2004 Fox Float 100 RLC, the FOX Terralogic fork and Manitou's Minute 2 SPV fork, as well as the Manitou Skareb SPV fork before making a purchase.
Similar Products Used:
Nothing this lightweight before. 2002 Rockshox Psylo SL on my 2001 GT-iDrive 2.0, 2000 Marchocchi Z1 M80 on my Kona hardtail. Have briefly demo'ed Fox Float 100 RLC, which was impressive and beautifully made, with tons of on-the-go tunability, although it is a heavier fork.
Bike Setup:
Newly mounted on Santa Cruz Blur (with last generation XTR shifters and derailleurs, 2003 XTR crankset, Chris King headset and hubs, Mavic UST rims. Was mounted in 2003 on my 2000 Kona Pahoehoe hardtail with the same components as above, but XT/Mavic 317 wheelset instead. I run this fork fairly stiff in terms of air pressures (35 psi positive, 110 psi negative), and I weigh 185#.
Bottom Line:
I put a fair amount of road-riding mileage on this fork last year, a bit of trail-riding, as well as riding 3 local XC races. The fork (so far) never seems to lose pressure, it is stiff (which is great for my body weight), and it's very adjustable in terms of air pressure settings.
I rate the fork very high on its durability and stiffness, and for its light weight especially in relation to that durability and stiffness (which I think exceeds anything else in its class). The ECC feature is nice to have, and it works very well (as advertised). I'm going to take it in a couple of endurance races this coming summer, so these events will be a good test of the fork over some hard miles and technical terrain. So far, after a year of riding it, I'm giving it a 5 for overall rating because of its durability, reliability and functionality as advertised.
On a slight downside, I have the sense that Marzocchi's real market focus is geared more to the extreme freeride crowd (which arguably doesn't require anti-bob technology to the same degree as XC racers and "techie" trail riders want), and as such, they don't yet appear to be focussing as intensively on stable-platform valve technology as Fox and Manitou. The fork (not surprisingly)is therefore susceptible to bobbing under hard pedalling (especially out-of-saddle), although some more experimentation with air pressures and ECC settings might reduce this problem somewhat.
At any rate, in 2003, SPV technology was brand new, and perhaps Marzocchi got caught snoozing a bit along these lines, or chose not to go that route for whatever reason. I certainly wasn't aware of SPV technology a year ago when I shopped for this fork.
However, for anyone in 2004 looking for a high-end, XC fork at this price range for trail-riding, I would expect a fork with better pedalling-induced bob control than this fork's technology provides. In 2003, I would have given this fork a solid "4" for value. However, with the introduction of stable platform technology now, I'm giving the fork a 3 for value (when measured against the available 2004 forks). I've never tried the 2004 Manitou Skareb with SPV, but I would bet it would stack up very favourably against this fork in terms of weight, tunability and anti-bob technology. As for durability, I'll leave that to those who've ridden both forks to do the comparison. A comparison worth making, I would think.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Allen
a Cross Country Rider
from Portland, OR, USA Date Reviewed: February 23, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Ape Canyon
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$327.00
Purchased At:
Supergo
Strengths:
Price for Wieght, stiffness.
Weaknesses:
Service manual
Similar Products Used:
Manitou XVertR, Rockshoc 100
Bike Setup:
DBRX6, xtr, rhinolights, maguras
Bottom Line:
Seems getting this one set up is the whole issue. The comments about the schrader valves leaking is probably where most of the air leaks are coming from. If you are having that problem, pull the valves and replace them and use a bit of teflon grease on the oring and threads to prevent buggering. Also, the air chambers seem to have an upper pressure limit somewhere above 120lbs before being damaged, so don't go there. If you read the non english sections of the manual, it becomes more clear that the positive chambers are the two outer valves and the negative chamber is the inner one. I also suspect that the positive chambers will fail if accidentally over-pressurized, due to confusion as to which is which. Also, lack of adequate neg pressure seems to prevent the ECC from working. I'm 165 and have set up the shock at 30pos / 100neg, likely to add more negative on rides with more downhill.
Haven't nuked out how to change the oil yet but it is probably described well in Italian even though no procedure is written in English. Fortunately, the shock is what gets ridden, not the manual. If after all this the shock still proves as unreliable to me as it has to some, then I'm going for Fox F80X. The price is steep but I think it is the single best shock and shock manufacturer on the market. I decided to try this one, because if the air chambers can be kept within their design test pressure (no mention of this in the manual..) it probably gives me the same performance at half the cost of the Fox.
Ride Hard!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Carlos
a Cross Country Rider
from Phoenix, AZ, USA Date Reviewed: February 13, 2004
Favorite Trail:
All
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$400.00
Purchased At:
Supergo
Strengths:
Lightweigth. 105mm travel. Performs like an F100X.
Weaknesses:
A tiny bit noisier than F100X.
Similar Products Used:
2004 F100X, 2000 Fatty SL 70mm.
Bike Setup:
Cannondale F700 (w/Cane Creek XC Short Headset), V-Brakes.
Bottom Line:
This is a follow-up to my previous review. Once I figured out how to set up my pressures, this fork performed superbly. In fact, I think it is every bit as good as my $775 F100X. When compared to a Cannondale Headshock, there simply is an orders of magnitude improvement. This is a very good fork -- can't go wrong with this one. Use pressures recommended by others, and t rely on user's manual, then you'll be fine.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ron
a Weekend Warrior
from Laguna, CA USA Date Reviewed: December 22, 2003
Favorite Trail:
SAn Juan Trail
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$340.00
Purchased At:
supergo
Strengths:
Lightweight. This fork dropped a pound from my ride. The adjustability is both a strength and a weakness.
Weaknesses:
Getting the air pressures tuned to my liking took more time than I thought it would. I weigh 210. I run 40 psi positive and 100 psi negative. I do not like to monkey with my gear that much. I find that I do not use the ECC it lowers the bottom bracket too much. I also noticed that is some flex in dicier situations.
This is a solid 4" fork. It cannot be beat for the price. The Fox products were at least $200 more and a heavier. Do not pay more than $340. Spend the time getting your air pressure dialed in and it will be a great fork for you.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mark
a Cross Country Rider
from Highlands Ranch Date Reviewed: December 12, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Colorado Trail
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$500.00
Purchased At:
Local Bike Shop
Strengths:
Stable performance, good trail sensitivity, and the 85mm SL has great geometry for 5'7"-5'8" rider on Santa Cruz's Blur. The ECC cartridge makes steep climbs much easier.
Weaknesses:
Negative air valve is problematic, easily damaged from use and maintenance. Once damaged it begins to progressively leak air and oil. The threads on the plastic cap for the left leg wear prematurely. Grabbing the right cap to effect the ECC cartridge on climbs could be improved.
Similar Products Used:
Marzocchi Atom Bomb '99, Fox Float RLC 100
Bike Setup:
Santa Cruz Blur, XTR drive train, Race Face cranks and BB, Chris King hubs, Mavic 517 rims, Avid Arch brakes.
Bottom Line:
The biggest challenge is finding a competant technician to perform the maintenance on the shock. Inquire as to shop technician's experience on this specific shock.
My first maintenance to RnR the break-in oil went great. Rode about 1500-1600 trail miles over three and one half months. Shock performed flawlessly. Then I learned that that technician relocated out of state when the second maintenance was scheduled. The negative air valve was damaged and performance became prgressively compromised.
Ultimately I crashed late October which bent the crown. Yes, bent the crown. I ride at 150lbs. This should not have happened. Marzocchhi would only do a crash warranty on the fork at $275 for the '04 SL. So much for pride in workmanship, however, I'm also sure they are satiated with such warranty requests.
In the interim I mounted a Fox Float RLC 100mm. Great fork, but at my weight I had to lower the air in the left leg to mitigate the stiffness of the 32mm stanchions. The Fox Float was great on the downhill but I really had to get over the front on steep climbs. The air valve leaked a small amont of oil when removing the female valve fitting on the pump, but did not appear to affect performance. After about a month (about 250 miles), I decided the crown span created too much standover for me on the Blur.
So, instead of listing the '04 Marzocchi warranty replacement on Ebay, I have recently had it mounted. The crown span works much better in the geometry of the bike for my riding. Marzocchi improved the caps on the stanchions and the ECC cartridge is much more user friendly to effect. The next challenge is finding the right technican for maintenance.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tequila Joe
a Cross Country Rider
from Calgary Date Reviewed: December 8, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Any single track
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$350.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Plush, Very responsive to small bumps & can handle the bigger stuff too, Plush, Easy to access the ECC Control and it works well, Lockout, Plush, Tracks well, Very adjustable, Did I mention Plush?
Weaknesses:
The manual is very poorley written thus it took a bit of effort to figure out the settings that were right my riding style. Front wheel tucks a little bit under hard braking.
It took a few rides to figure out the ideal settings for my riding style. I'm 175 lbs and run 37 pos and 115 neg. for X-country. I run 43 pos & 135 neg for aggressive trails & 52 pos & 145 neg when I surpass the intent of this fork and abuse it by free riding it. At 52 psi, I do not bottom this fork from 4+ foot drops onto flat. Anything less than 50 psi, crunch!
ECC works well for me. I do not have to get off the bike to set the rebound. 5 simple clicks and your at full Lockout or open. It works really well in all settings with each one noticably different from the others. I've read that other riders reported that theirs do not work properly. I too thought this in the beggining until I figured it out. More neg air was the answer.
Some riders have reported leaking neg chambers. I loose about 1-2 psi/week. Marzocchi Service said that this is normal for an air fork and not to worry about it unless it loose all of the air in one ride. I suppose I'm lucky.
This is a very good fork once you have it dialed in to your riding style. It is plush, plush, plush for my XC riding and it has taken all the abuse I've thrown at it.
5 Value Chilis for the price I paid for a world class fork. 5 Overall Chilis because it has worked so well. I'd buy this fork again in a heart beat.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
greg keefer
a
from austin Date Reviewed: November 27, 2003
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$434.00
Purchased At:
aebike.com
Strengths:
solid contruction, finally aluminum top caps...,excellent tracking, still light enough for XC racing, everything is perfect, except for one thing.....
Weaknesses:
when you have the ECC fully locked out, the left brake rubs against the rim, drop outs are clean, measured the stanchions they are equal, played with the pressure per Marzocchi's tech support-which is what hacked me most. When asking the technician about this, the first thing out of his mouth was, oh, are you running vbrakes, and I respond with, well yes I am, why wouldn't I be..Yeah we are having a problem with that on the vbrakes. No fix for it. I know it's not 2004 yet, but if you release a product it should be tested on both options for braking. Some people still do run vbrakes, b/c they are lighter, easier to work on, and personally I like the way they feel better than discs. It's just lame that one of the main reasons for buying the fork,ECC, doesn't function properly. Just a heads up. Oh, by the way, the fix was to try putting extra air pressure in the opposite air chamber. Have not been able to resolve the issue yet. I have really only used the fork for about 2 months, but.....
aegis proaxe, hugi/mavic wheels with stans, 02 xtr with 960 cranks and rear derail.....
Bottom Line:
great fork with a serious bug that needs a fix
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Carlos
a Cross Country Rider
from Glendale, AZ, USA Date Reviewed: November 2, 2003
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$400.00
Purchased At:
Supergo
Strengths:
Was on Sale.
Weaknesses:
Several defects.
Similar Products Used:
Cannondale Head Shock
Bike Setup:
Intense Tracer, XTR, King, ceramic rims.
Bottom Line:
The User's Manual: Abissmal. The pressure recommendations are way too high. Marzocchi recommends prying dust caps for cleaning -- forgot to tell you they are not removable and will rupture easily. Got "left" and "right" mixed up throughout.
The negative pressure eventually equals positive -- so there must be an internal leak. Annoying squeeky noise from un-lubricated stanchion tubes rubbing the dust seal.
When I setup everything right, it works fine -- but must refill before each ride. My Head Shock was so much more low maintenance.
Perhaps my '03 Marathon SL was built on a hangover Monday morning, or perhaps the engineer's Design Document is no better than their User's Manual.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Radical
a
from Houston Tx, USA Date Reviewed: October 31, 2003
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$360.00
Strengths:
Light, sturdy, really plush, Nice paint, decals are staying on, has lockout
Weaknesses:
kind of a bugger to tune at first but then its pie Price is high-but you get what you buy
Similar Products Used:
Rockshox Judy
Bike Setup:
Trek Fuel 80 with mods
Bottom Line:
4chilis for the price being a bit high
I've ridden it for about 1000 miles on and off road/ rain/mud/ grit/grime/sunny days. Used for 3 months, no problems yet. One of the best forks built, Marzocchi - need I say more
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jaap de Hoog
a Cross Country Rider
from Apeldoorn Date Reviewed: October 27, 2003
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$600.00
Purchased At:
Stappenbelt
Strengths:
Great fork. Make me forget my Noleen parallel fork. I use a hard set-up. The fork is almost as stiff as my Noleen so cornering is fine.
Weaknesses:
Took me some time to find the right setup.
Similar Products Used:
Noleen Expert.
Bike Setup:
Giant NRS. XT/Mavic Cross-ride/ Easton.
Bottom Line:
I have been using a Noleen fork so I was a bit reluctant on using a telescopic fork. Took me some trouble to find the right set-up (190 lbs). Works ok for me, even in the French Alps on long descents.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tom
a Cross Country Rider
from Glenmoore, PA Date Reviewed: October 6, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Everything
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$335.00
Purchased At:
Supergo
Strengths:
This is a follow up to my earlier negative review on leaks. Tracks great, inspires confidence downhill. Really USABLE damping adjustment. A near perfect match for 5th Element rear.
Weaknesses:
Quality control at the factory- bad valves. Some complain about the weight, but its not an issue with me. Better to take a pound off the rider.
Similar Products Used:
SID Race
Bike Setup:
Intense Spider, XTR Crank/Der, Avid, Thompson stem/post, Easton carbon bar
Bottom Line:
Anyone experiencing leakage should try replacing all 3 Schraeder valves. Tightening them first made no difference. I had two with buggered up O-rings. My negative air leak stopped completely. Oil leakage from the right leg also stopped. To the bloke who thinks problem Marathon SLs are all owned by "complaining wankers," Wank you for letting us know there are some good ones out there without problems. I'm so bummed I have to ride my bike now instead of "buying crap" for it and "complaining." What a Knockwurst.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jason Starck
a Cross Country Rider
from Arlington, VA Date Reviewed: October 5, 2003
Favorite Trail:
All of them
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Tracking, Weight, travel (83/85 mm)
Weaknesses:
Cost, set-up / break-in
Similar Products Used:
Rock Shox
Bike Setup:
Trek 6700, with only the stem, shifter, and levers stock. Mix of XTR and WCS
Bottom Line:
This is a great fork. I love it! I am running 28/85 psi (I weigh 150) and it is plush. I have yet only bottomed it once (I think, I am not sure) off about a 4 foot drop. I say I think, because if I did it wasn't bad. As far as the negative posts here, I just feel that the people that would pay this much for a fork are (usually) the type of Wankers that like to complain about everything, and spend more time buying crap for their bike and not enough time riding it. So while there are legitimate worries about the fork and leaking air valves. I feel that this fork (with 2 pos air springs Vs. 1 on all other air forks that I know if) Is a bit more complex, but it works great, but as far as duribility, by far better than anything else out there (I am tired of trashing the crappie R.S. bushings). It tracks great and I find I no longer try to pick an easer line on a descent. I can just bomb down and not worry about it. great fork!!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Eddy
a Racer
from Oregon Date Reviewed: October 3, 2003
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$299.00
Purchased At:
Universalcycles.com
Strengths:
Strong and stiff. Superior tracking. Great feel. Low maintenance.
Similar Products Used:
SID, Mars, Judy, Z2
Bike Setup:
Yeti ARC, XTR-XT mix.
Bottom Line:
This is this best fork I have ever used. I perfer the feel of fully active suspension versus the new technology of semi-lockout. This fork makes my old sid feel like something that was always on the edge of snapping in two. I ride downhills with more confidence now. The front tracking is the way it should be, point and shoot, run over everything! The triple performance advantage is worth the extra half pound. Getting a fork that leaks is just bad luck, don't let other's reviews sway you from trying this awesome fork!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Aaron
a Racer
from Syracuse, NY Date Reviewed: October 1, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Porcupine Rim Moab
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$400.00
Strengths:
Plush, worry free, stiff, easy to use once pressure is dialed, tracts straight, ok weight.
Weaknesses:
As you all have noticed, marzocchi messed the air pressure guide, ok weight (for racing a bit portly, it's worth the performance though)
Similar Products Used:
x-fly, sid race (flexy), white bros, judy sl, tried almost all others.
Bike Setup:
SC Blur, full 03 XTR, custom hugi 240 wheels, stans notubes, easton carbon, etc.
Bottom Line:
Due to my 185# weight, I needed a stiffer fork even though I race. Once I got my pressures right (35pos, 100neg for trail riding, +4psi for racing)I haven't had a problem with the fork. I just get out and ride. I love the 'zokes plushness, relatively light weight (weight weenies will want lighter, unless you're heavier like me!), and durability. Get one, set up the pressure, ride, and forget about it!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mark
a Cross Country Rider
from Silverdale WA Date Reviewed: September 27, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Green Mt Washington
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
Easy adjustment and lockout on right fork. Fork does not bottom or top out easily when pressures are set for weight of rider and conditions
Weaknesses:
Air cap on right fork will be easily lost and should be lanyarded to cap.
Similar Products Used:
Cannondale Lefty
Bike Setup:
Blur (large) 5th Element rear
Bottom Line:
2003 model of Bomber Marathon SL I haven't experienced the reported oil leakage or air leakage with my fork. I found this forum very useful for setting up initial pressures on fork and have settled with 35 pos and 95 negative for my 165 pounds. This fork seems very sensitive to minor variances in positive pressures. Pressures under 30 seem to cause too much sag, pressure over 40 seem stiff. I normally dial my adjustment one click from locked for climbing and 2 clicks from locked for most other riding. The dampening just feels smoother.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Randy
a Racer
from Fountain Hills, AZ Date Reviewed: September 21, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Mt. Elden, Flagstaff
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$385.00
Purchased At:
jensonbike.com
Strengths:
Fairly easy to use, just one knob. Silver color goes well with my blue Sugar.
Weaknesses:
This fork spends as much time in the shop as it does on my bike. Once it had to go all the way back to the factory. Oil gushes out of my pump when adjusting air pressure. Does not hold air pressure, even when I get it back from the shop. Has never truly worked well. Negative air chamber has been replaced at about the 6 month mark. This fork is a steaming pile of S**T! Owners manual is almost unintelligible. It offered no advise on what air pressure to put in the negative chamber, and their guidelines on the positive chambers led me to set them up too high. Their online customer support is non-existent.
I have used various RockShox products over the years, and friends have always raved about Marzocchi. So I bought a Marathon. I have regretted it ever since. Last time (3 days ago) I had it in the shop, there was another on the work bench tagged to go back to the factory. This apparently is standard operating procedure for Marzocchi Marathon Air Fork owners. I understand the Marathon Coil is a good fork. For you light bike/racer types...SAVE YOURSELF THE AGGRAVAATION... buy a different fork!! I would give this fork a zero chilis for value if I could.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tom
a Cross Country Rider
from Glenmoore, PA, USA Date Reviewed: September 12, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Everything that kicks my ancient ass
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$330.00
Purchased At:
Supergo
Strengths:
Much better control, ride and stiffness than my SID Race.
Weaknesses:
Leak right out of the box. I'm experiencing a positive air leak on the right leg with oil coming up through the top valve. Also, the negative air loses 30-40 psi on a 4 hour ride. Is this the same leakage others have posted about, or are we expected to pump these up daily. Has anyone tried tightening the recessed schrader valves to remedy?
Similar Products Used:
SID Race
Bike Setup:
Trek Pro 9.9 hardtail carbon, XTR all around, Race Face stem, Easton carbon flat bar and post.
Bottom Line:
Obviously I need to spend a little more time evaluating what appears to be an immediate problem with this fork. But, I'm hoping to get some advice from other riders on whether my symptoms indiate a fork that has to be returned to the manufacturer. I'd rather not have to purchase a bushing rebuild kit for my old SID and put that back on, but maybe it's either that or be without a ride for weeks. Quality control on the Marzocchi air chambers seems to be quite poor. 3 flamers each, so as not to overly bias the rankings, given my short experience with the fork.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
anrew gilles
a Weekend Warrior
from austin Date Reviewed: August 18, 2003
Favorite Trail:
xxx
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$485.00
Purchased At:
123bikes
Strengths:
perfect, plush, reliable
Weaknesses:
none
Similar Products Used:
sid, duke, judy
Bike Setup:
santacruz blur full xtr
Bottom Line:
perfect if you adjust it right 175# 35psi/105psi
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Fox Customer
a Cross Country Rider
from Boise, ID Date Reviewed: August 9, 2003
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$500.00
Weaknesses:
incredibly high failure rate for the negative air chamber
Bottom Line:
Absolutely amazing that people are still reporting defective negative chambers on these forks. My local shop won't sell them any more after having nearly every one of them returned. Too bad Marzocchi can't show the same sort of initiative. If you can't get it to work right, don't sell it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ace Brown
a Cross Country Rider
from Paducah, KY Date Reviewed: July 8, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Tomorrow's
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$499.00
Purchased At:
Wood-N-Wave
Strengths:
Reliability (yes!), plush, good tracking, works as expected.
Weaknesses:
Takes patience to set up and break-in but worth it.
Similar Products Used:
Many years with a Marz Z-2 and some Rock Shox forks.
Bike Setup:
SC Blur, all XT, Avid discs, Mavic SL, WTB 2.4/2.24.
Bottom Line:
This is a follow to my earlier post in which I stupidly listed some wrong air pressures. I weigh around 185# and have finally settled on 35 positive and 100 negative though I would probably adjust these up/down for certain conditions. Pressures listed in this forum range from 20/50 for a 150# rider to 34/150 for a 170# rider so it is obvious that a lot of the variation is rider preference. The ECC is great! I like the option of locking the fork in the nose down attitude which is great for smooth climbs and on the road. Also find that the ECC in postion 4 stops nearly all bob and works great with the Blur suspension.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Guy
a Cross Country Rider
from Bristol, England Date Reviewed: July 4, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Castleton Circuit, Derbyshire
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$550.00
Purchased At:
local store
Strengths:
steering, plush when bedded in and air balanced right, copes well with bigger hits
Weaknesses:
bedding in time, getting air pressures right
Similar Products Used:
Pace, Fox, RS SIDs
Bike Setup:
2002 Mt Vision, hope minis etc
Bottom Line:
This is a great fork once you have got the air pressures right and bedded the seals in.
I've ridden about 200 hard XC miles on it now and for the last 100 its been great. The first 100 were spent with stiff seals and pressures up too high, making the ride feel harsh. Basically the pressures suggested in the manual are way off - I'm 160lbs, ride hard XC/real world trails with rocks and lots of roots and I'm using 25 +ve and 80- ve pressures. This gives me a supple feel, as good as a Fox, with 20mm of sag. Once bedded in and balanced for air the only major difference I've found between this fork and the Fox's I've ridden is the squelchy sound from the oil bath and the COST! Honestly, when the Marathon rides this well I see absolutely no need to fork out another £150 for a Fox.
Personally I've had no reliability problems but if I did the local shop would fix them or send them back for fixing and they assure me that this is a) very rare and b) turn around [in the UK] is very quick. So far no seals have blown and the ECC works fine - I tend to ride with the ECC one or two clicks in depending on the ride surface. Not had cause to use the lockdown much but it works if I want it.
The fork is longish and has slackened the front of my bike a bit, but the fork is much better than my last one (a SID) at soaking up abuse with the extra stiffness and 25mm travel (I'm getting 103mm out of it) and so I'm happy with the overall set up. Steering is great - there are a lot of very twisty rooty tracks around Bristol and this fork is ideal for them.
Overall I'm giving it 5 steaming turds for value as its so much better priced than a Fox. Performance wise I'd give it 4 as although its working at a 5 now I can't say its been "outstanding" due to the start-up issues; it should work better out of the box or at least after 50 miles or so. However I can only see the perfomance improving with time from what is an already excellent level.
One line summary - be patient and you'll find that this is a very good fork indeed.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ace Brown
a Cross Country Rider
from Paducah, KY Date Reviewed: June 13, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Next One
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$499.00
Purchased At:
Wood-N-Wave
Strengths:
Works just as Marz said it would. ECC works fine. I like the sound the fork makes while rebounding, it has "attitude" and inspires confidence
Weaknesses:
Wish the lockout gave about 1" of travel. Sharp edges on "M" lockout knob can bite.
Similar Products Used:
Many, the SL replaced a very reliable Z-2.
Bike Setup:
On 99 GT XCR-1000 (all XT) until my Blur finally gets here. Well matched with GT's 4.5" of travel.
Bottom Line:
I have had no problems and really like this fork. I did have trouble setting pressures for my weight (185#) ending up with 60 pos/ 15 neg. This is off from what most have posted but I found with significant neg pressure fork would not move. The ECC works as promised and there is definite difference in dampening at each setting. I have found the lockout setting great for climbing but wish it still had about 1" of travel for rough climbs. I have found that position 4 stops most bobbing while climbing and use it on rough climbs, using lockout setting 5 only on grunt climbs or smooth roads (try to avoid them). I do find there is an odd feeling that something is slowing me down while climbing in locked out setting. I figure this comes from the nose down attitude of the bike - the hill does not feel as steep as it actually is.
Overall I am extremely satisfied with this fork and if it proves to be as reliable as my Z-2 Bomber that I have had since 1999 (just changed the oil each year and had seals replaced at Marz once), I could not have made a better choice.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Steve
a Cross Country Rider
from Upstate NY Date Reviewed: June 7, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Its all good
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$500.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Plush Super adjustable ECC works great Cool looks
Weaknesses:
Not confidence inspiring on the sketchy stuff
Similar Products Used:
Various Manitou and RS
Bike Setup:
2002 Turner XCE w/ a trailbike setup
Bottom Line:
Overall, I really like this fork. It took me a little while to set up and break in but I feel like it has helped to improve my riding ability. I find myself aiming for big rocks and stuff to launch off of. The ECC works great and offers a good degree of rebound damping as I find that the full-out setting is too bouncy for trailriding. As other reviewers have noted, the recommended air pressure settings seem to be too high. I weigh 175 and have it set at 30/95. I'm still experimenting a little bit but this seems to be a pretty good all around setting.
My only complaint is that there seems to be some fore/aft movement when I jam on the front brake or on rough DH sections. There's no weird noises or anything but it's a little disconcerting. I guess for the price, they could have thrown in a shock pump.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mike
a Racer
from California Date Reviewed: June 1, 2003
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Smooth, very responsive, very reliable.
Weaknesses:
A little on the heavy side but worth every ounce.
Similar Products Used:
sid, Z1
Bottom Line:
This is a great fork. Very plush (once it breaks in), active on the bumps, feels great all around. I've put about 500 miles on the fork, and have had no problems with it. At first I was running the recomended pressure Marzocchi posts, but they are a little off. I started at 40 pos, then 35, then 30, now I'm at 25-27. It seems to be the best all around setting for me. With the neg pressure, Marzocchi recomends 3x the pos, but I'd drop that about 5-10 psi once your there. If you run the 3x you'll notice the fork will drop into it's travel quicker on the downhill. A lot of this depends on your set up though. If your riding a flat bar, and a stem that puts your weight right over the fork, you might want to up your preload (pos pressure) to support your weight. If you ride a riser and tend to ride further behind, then you might want to soften it up.
The ECC works great, don't listen to some folks below. I think there are some biases among certain forks, or employers. The ECC works great on the uphill and downhill. I've definately picked up some speed on the uphill when the fork is compressed and locked out. The rest of your settings are great for uphill climbs where you still need some suspension, but limited bob. I actually use all of the settings, depending on the situation. The first two open settings I use most for downhill, faster rebound, and the second offering some rebound damping.
I read below that some folks are not happy with their plastic caps. The plasic caps are fine. They're light, inexpensive, and you have no worries of corrosion. Some metals do corrode or chemically bond when exposed to the elements.
Oh yea.... I weigh 145, and have not changed my oil weight or levels. This is my honest to god opinion, if your not happy with it, then please just go buy another fork.
Thanks
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mike
a Racer
from California Date Reviewed: June 1, 2003
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Smooth, very responsive, very reliable.
Weaknesses:
A little on the heavy side but worth every ounce.
Similar Products Used:
sid, Z1
Bottom Line:
This is a great fork. Very plush (once it breaks in), active on the bumps, feels great all around. I've put about 500 miles on the fork, and have had no problems with it. At first I was running the recomended pressure Marzocchi posts, but they are a little off. I started at 40 pos, then 35, then 30, now I'm at 25-27. It seems to be the best all around setting for me. With the neg pressure, Marzocchi recomends 3x the pos, but I'd drop that about 5-10 psi once your there. If you run the 3x you'll notice the fork will drop into it's travel quicker on the downhill. A lot of this depends on your set up though. If your riding a flat bar, and a stem that puts your weight right over the fork, you might want to up your preload (pos pressure) to support your weight. If you ride a riser and tend to ride further behind, then you might want to soften it up.
The ECC works great, don't listen to some folks below. I think there are some biases among certain forks, or employers. The ECC works great on the uphill and downhill. I've definately picked up some speed on the uphill when the fork is compressed and locked out. The rest of your settings are great for uphill climbs where you still need some suspension, but limited bob. I actually use all of the settings, depending on the situation. The first two open settings I use most for downhill, faster rebound, and the second offering some rebound damping.
I read below that some folks are not happy with their plastic caps. The plasic caps are fine. They're light, inexpensive, and you have no worries of corrosion. Some metals do corrode or chemically bond when exposed to the elements.
Oh yea.... I weigh 145, and have not changed my oil weight or levels. This is my honest to god opinion, if your not happy with it, then please just go buy another fork.
Thanks
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
The President
a Weekend Warrior
from Singletrack USA Date Reviewed: May 27, 2003
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$600.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Plenty
Weaknesses:
Some
Similar Products Used:
Most
Bike Setup:
XC
Bottom Line:
An honest review and a thorough review are on completely different planets, but should be COMBINED in a review. It has nothing to do with politics, ego or brand loyalty. If you review a product give it a chance and then a thorough AND honest review. To give a product an overall 1 chili rating based on only one of many factors in an overall review isn't fair to the product or those of us who come here loooking for reliable info from real users....think about it. Don't post a review here until AFTER you have owned and used the product for a fair amount of time...duh.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jeff
a Racer
from Raleigh Date Reviewed: May 25, 2003
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$550.00
Purchased At:
shop
Strengths:
All the politics aside (see Product Weaknesses), the SL has performed wonderfully since I have received it back from HQ. The negative air chamber does not seem to leak now; I never had a problem with the positives. After breaking in, the initial stiction is now buttery and the extra inch of travel I received (coming from a SID) is very nice on more technical trails in VA and WV. Unlike others, I have no problem noticing a difference in rebound using the ECC. If you aren't discerning any dampening changes, you might want to call the tech dept and try another weight of oil, provided that you have dialed in the air pressure. I weigh about 160-165 on average and currently run 25-27 pounds of positve pressure and ~75 pounds of negative air. I was taking a beating running the recommended pressures on some ridge trails and extended (very) rocky downhill runs. In addition, using a zip tie on the stantion tube, I noticed that I was getting just under 3 inches of travel. I kept dropping air pressure and riding the same trails until I figured out what was good for my weight and riding style. The break in period seems to be about 10 to 12 hours. Hopefully, it will continue to perform with excellence...The 24 Hours of Snowshoe is coming!
Weaknesses:
In my initial review (in April), I gave a low rating...and for good reason; it was faulty out of the box and I was without a bike for two weeks. Admittedly, I had high expectations for Marzocchi's top of the line air shock. Immediately, I was slammed for giving my honest opinion even though I promised a follow up after getting it repaired. I certainly agree with Porkee in that there are many who take a personal offense to a bad rating. It's just an opinion and that's what makes the United States so great, we have the right to speak our opinion. If someone has great results with a product, rate your opinion high; if you have bad luck, rate it low. No need to slam one another. An honest rating with validated reasons should be what we all strive for in order to give a heads up to our fellow bikers.
Similar Products Used:
SID, Duke Race.
Bike Setup:
Ellsworth Truth, Cane Creek WAM Discs, Race Face, XTR drivetrain, Hope Minis, etc.
Bottom Line:
I really like this fork now that the negative leak has been remedied. It is a little on the heavy side, but nothing else out there can compete with the overall package.
I would like to have seen the valves changed to an 'extruded' style Schraeder instead of having to use the supplied adapter. That will probably involve a design change as there wouldn't be enough room for both the positive and neg up top.
Only other wish would be to see aluminum dust caps instead of plastic...no big deal though.
The only reason I do not rate this fork with 5 chilis is due to the initial leak. I would highly recommend this fork.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Steve
a Cross Country Rider
from Ontario Canada Date Reviewed: May 22, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Kelso
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$550.00
Strengths:
Tracking, stiffness, plushness
Weaknesses:
a little heavy, hard to get pressure right for body weight.
Similar Products Used:
sid, marzocchi superfly
Bottom Line:
I like this fork. Feels good on the decents, the ecc lockout is great for climbing, I have not had any problems.
There are some great tips from other riders listed below.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Porgy orgy
a Downhiller
from Rock and Rollsville Date Reviewed: May 21, 2003
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Bottom Line:
Porgy, you are right about about the ECC control. Is there a difference between all five settings? There definitely is. Does this fork need damping control? Maybe, maybe not. It's open bath design gives all the damping needed. This is a sweet fork. Let it break in.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
K
a Racer
from Oakland Date Reviewed: May 19, 2003
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
This is a great fork. Everybody seems to have something to say, but you need to learn what your fork is all about. Characteristics, how to dial it, and how ride it. Once dialed it's plush, and very responsive. It does great with washboard sections, great on the fly damping features.
Give it time... dial your fork, and you will be happy. It has lots of adjustability for fine tuning. All forks have their own characteristics. You will not be disapointed.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Scott
a Cross Country Rider
from Tucson AZ Date Reviewed: May 11, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Starr Pass
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$430.00
Purchased At:
Arizona Bicycle Experts (aka) ABE
Strengths:
Easy to set up. ECC5 accessable during movement. Tracks on all surfaces very well. Locked position achieved progressively as you begin a climb not all at once.
Weaknesses:
Haven't found any yet.
Similar Products Used:
Manitou and rock shox.
Bike Setup:
2003 Santacruz Superlight. xt/xtr with 03'fox ava rear shock. These two shocks work very well together.
Bottom Line:
This fork rocks.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Walter
a Cross Country Rider
from US Date Reviewed: May 8, 2003
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Weaknesses:
You can't adjust compression and rebound damping.
Bottom Line:
I look at all these reviews, and no one mentions their weight and what pressure settings they use. This makes a huge difference in how a fork handles. Any comments about plushness, stiffness, bobbing, etc. are pointless if the reader doesn't know how you've set the fork up with respect to your weight. If you have 20 lbs less pressure than recommended for your weight, the fork will work much differently than if you have 20 pounds more pressure. I weigh 170lbs, and I set the chambers at 150/34. The fork sucked up bumps nicely, kept the tire on the ground well, and didn't bob much when climbing out of the saddle. However, the negative air chamber failed on 2 of them in 3 months of riding, and you can't dial-in the settings while you ride (no clickers, except for the ECC which is either full off or on despite having 5 settings), and for $550 that doesn't work out to a very good deal.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jim
a Cross Country Rider
from Olympia Date Reviewed: May 8, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Captiol Forest
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$600.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Stout and reliable, delivers exactly what it promises to. Good support from Marzocchi.
Weaknesses:
Um I don't think it has one, compared to everything else in its class. Maybe weight, but it would lose it's stout riding characteristics if it were lighter, we're talking about 8oz though, give me a break weight weenies.
Similar Products Used:
Sid-SL, Girvin (the best steering XC travel fork ever), Mag-21 old school
Bike Setup:
NRS1, upgrades for rowdy XC riding
Bottom Line:
This is my second review, I rated it a 4 before because it wasn't as plush as I'd hoped. 800 miles later it is as smooth as.....well lets just say it is quite smooth and plush now, with big gains in it's small bump plushness. A little birdy sent me an email last month recomending I change the fork oil now that it has completely broken in, since the oil can become contaminated due to the internals breaking in. I'll be doing this soon, and it is supposed butter it up even more with fresh clean oil.
A message to all of the trigger happy product reviewers out here, be patient. Before your roast a product give it some time, rate the product based on multiple criteria, performance, service and support, durabiltity etc etc. Use your voting power responsibility. This board is one of the most useful tools around for finding out the facts.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Claus
a Cross Country Rider
from Bonn Date Reviewed: May 8, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Those, riding them comes close to good sex
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$540.00
Purchased At:
H&S Bike Discount
Strengths:
Solidity and stiffness result in an excellent tracking when doing harsh manoeuvres. Smooth reaction on large bumps.
Weaknesses:
Practically no reaction on small bumps: sensibility could be better. ECC5 locks out in position 2, not 1. Plastic knob for ECC seems to be no good idea.
Similar Products Used:
Marzocchi Bomber Z1, Rock Shocks SID SL
Bike Setup:
Race style, XT/XTR based hardtail
Bottom Line:
This could be a great fork if there weren't those problems mentioned above. 500kms, break-in should be done by now and still sensibility didn't improve. Adding pressure to the negative air chamber helps but results in a loss of travel when breaking or going downhill steeply. I would not recommand this fork to people with an uphill-mania. The ECC5 gives be some trouble, too: ECC looks out one position to early. This might be a problem of using a cheep plastic knob to twist the aluminium ECC-axle. The form-fitted connection between them seems to result in a little too much play. Must see how to get it fixed.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Kevin
a
from PA, USA Date Reviewed: May 7, 2003
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
Holmes Cycling
Strengths:
Good quality, rigid
Weaknesses:
none found yet
Similar Products Used:
SID Team w/remote lockout
Bike Setup:
Giant NRS1
Bottom Line:
My bike originally came with a SID Team fork. That fork never worked and constantly leaked air. Giant and rockshox refused to give me a money credit it despite the fact that it broke upon its first use. Lucky for me, the awsome guys at Holmes were nice enough to put the Marathon fork on my bike for free in order to replace the defective SID. I simply do not understand why anyone would pay more money for the SID team when this fork has it beat in quality and features.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
RideALot
a
from California Date Reviewed: May 6, 2003
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$550.00
Purchased At:
Retailer
Weaknesses:
Reliability
Similar Products Used:
Rock Shox and Manitou
Bottom Line:
These are advertised as being a reliable, tough fork for 24hr races and such. However, the first one I got was bad out of the box (wouldn't hold air pressure). I was without a ride for 2 weeks while they "fixed" it. Now 2 months later, oil sprays out of the center valve every time I check it, and that has apparently reduced the oil level too much, as I now have only about 75% of the original travel. No info at all in the Marzocchi manual about how to check the oil level or add. Also, no US phone number to call and ask.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Andrew
a Cross Country Rider
from Herbligen Date Reviewed: April 30, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Maennlichen
Duration Product Used:
Tested or demo'ed only
Similar Products Used:
Fox, Rock Shox, Manitou etc.
Bike Setup:
XC
Bottom Line:
first of all, sorry about my bad english, i post this only to say, that poeple like jeff are never pleased! we expirienced this every day with ouer product(naxo.ch) i have riden every brand of forks excluded marzocchi and belive me, nothing is perfect. Now i gonna try marzocchi!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
MARK
a Cross Country Rider
from HOUSTON, TEXAS Date Reviewed: April 25, 2003
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
123BIKES.COM
Strengths:
firm, fluid travel with no problems.
Weaknesses:
none yet.
Similar Products Used:
low end manitou and rockshox
Bike Setup:
2003 racer-x
Bottom Line:
ive only ridden a few other full suspension bikes, so im not really very qualified to give a review of forks. however i can say that these forks feel great. they have a very fluid, but firm feel. i havent noticed any problem with them yet.
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Submitted by
winston
a
from ny Date Reviewed: April 22, 2003
Duration Product Used:
Tested or demo'ed only
Bottom Line:
If there's a moderator, please delete this post along with jeff's second post.
people- don't dilute the stats. (hopefully this will balance jeff's double single chile rating)
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
The President
a Weekend Warrior
from Singletrack, USA Date Reviewed: April 21, 2003
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$600.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
SOLID
Weaknesses:
Nothing is perfect.
Similar Products Used:
SID SL, etc etc
Bike Setup:
XC
Bottom Line:
This is a bad ass fork. I've ridden it for 600+ muddy singeltrack miles now. Don't let the little man Jeff below throw off the curve here. This is a great fork, Marzocchi's service is good, (have a little patience young Jefferry), their forks are very durable (look at all of the Marzocchi reviews on this board). I think Jeff should go back to Rock Shox, personally. I posted this review only to balance out the unjustifiably poor and inaccurate review below. I have been more than pleased with my Marathon SL, and anyone who know anything about the current forks on the market should know Marzocchi should be the last to get roasted by some impatient dweeb with too much money and not enough sense.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jeff
a Cross Country Rider
from Raleigh, NC Date Reviewed: April 21, 2003
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$550.00
Strengths:
Couldn't tell you.
Weaknesses:
I rode the fork twice; both times with a leaking negative air chamber (out of the box). I called Marzocchi USA, told them the problem and was informed that if I 2nd Day shipped it to them, they would fix it upon arrival and ship it to me 2nd day so my down time would be minimized. I called to get a tracking number on the fourth business day after shipping and was told that they wouldn't even be able to get to my shock for another week! Wrong answer. I proceeded to plead my case and they agreed to take care of the problem that day...which they did (I hope). They sent me the tracking number via email...they sent it back to me UPS GROUND! Bad customer service here guys! I have previously owned two SIDs, never having a problem with an air chamber or oil leak ever. I buy a new Marzocchi because I hear all the great things about them and I get blindsided with a faulty air chamber out of the box and a two week hiatus from riding due to their customer service. I'll stick with Rock Shox, thank you all the same. I have yet to receive the shock and will follow up to let everyone know if they actually resolved the problem.
Similar Products Used:
SIDs...never had a problem.
Bottom Line:
I keep reading about leaking air chambers with this fork, especially the negative chamber. Caveat emptor!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
ROD
a Cross Country Rider
from SAN LORENZO Date Reviewed: March 27, 2003
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$500.00
Purchased At:
MOVIN ON CYCLERY
Strengths:
ITS A MARZOCCHI, DAMPING IS ADJUSTED EASY, FAIRLY LIGHT, VERY STIFF, GOOD STEARING CONTROL, LOCK OUT
Weaknesses:
ON MINE, IT LEAKED AIR AND OIL INTO THE NEGATIVE CHAMBER. SENT IT BACK, THEY RETURNED IT A COUPLE OF WEEKS LATER WITH A NEW NEGATIVE CHAMBER
Similar Products Used:
X-FLY 2001
Bike Setup:
ELLSWORTH TRUTH 01, XTR, RACEFACE NEXT, 517'S WITH KINGS, PAUL BRAKES, EASTON CARBON POST & BAR, TRIPLE TI EGG BEATERS
Bottom Line:
I'M SURE THIS IS MARZOCCHI'S FINEST X-COUNTRY FORK, BUT WHAT I'M THINKING IS, MAYBE THERES TO MANY BELLS AND WHISTLES ON THIS BABY. MAYBE THE X-FLY IS THE WAY TO GO. EITHER WAY STICK WITH THE BEST-------MARZOCCHI
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Steve
a Cross Country Rider
from Sun Valley CA USA Date Reviewed: March 26, 2003
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$450.00
Strengths:
Plush as my Marzocchi 2002 Z-1 with soft coil springs. Well almost. The Z-1 has 5"travel. But very close.
Weaknesses:
Pumping it.
Similar Products Used:
Marzocchi Z-1 since the begining. New one every couple of years.
Bike Setup:
Blur. For my weight 150 lbs. this was my setup 20/50psi.
Bottom Line:
This is my first air fork and I was really surprised on how great it worked. Would buy one again.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Nordin
a Cross Country Rider
from Netherlands Date Reviewed: March 9, 2003
If you're sick of flexing SID's and leaking airchambers, buy this fork. I replaced my Sid with this one, and my brakes stopped rubbing my rims when turning. Now i'm driving with discs i'm even more satisfied with this fork, because i've heard bad stories of Sid's with discs. From now on it's only Zocchi for me!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ron Robinson
a Cross Country Rider
from Portland, OR, US Date Reviewed: February 23, 2003
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
oneota river cycles
Strengths:
The marzocchi name in itself sold me the product. I have only ridden marzocchi products, since my friend was riding a brand new SID race and almost killed himself. (long story, but he hit a small washout and the fork shot him up like he was on a pogo-stick) This was patly his fault but I was with him when he was adjusting the fork and it was a pain. I feel like marzocchi has done a good job with this fork. easy to adjust, very comfortable, This is the plushest fork that I have ridden. I really love the ECC 5 control, it has been very helpful in different terrain and it cornering.
Similar Products Used:
SID race, marzocchi Z3 atom
Bike Setup:
Santa cruz superlight, race face cranks, XT front and rear derailuers, Avid mechanical disc brakes, Velocity Deep v rims with SRAM 9.0 Hubs
Bottom Line:
I think that the fork is priced very reasonably compared to the competions forks. Like I said before I will only ride marzocchi, but that is me. I think the fork is the best cross country fork on the market!!!!! I think anyone into riding will really enjoy this fork, but if money is an issue than check out the marathon S.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tsheer
a Cross Country Rider
from SoCal Date Reviewed: February 17, 2003
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$550.00
Purchased At:
SuperGo
Weaknesses:
V-brake studs, quality
Similar Products Used:
RockShox Judy, Manitou Mars
Bottom Line:
The V-brake studs have only 1 spring hole, and they rotate when you bolt on the calipers, so it's hard to get them set right.
My biggest complaint is that the negative chamber failed to hold air from the beginning. When I took it back to the shop, they said Marzocchi requires them to repair it or send it to the factory. They can't give me a new one. I don't like that policy. I believe I should get a working fork for my money. If it breaks later, then that's a warranty repair issue, but I'm not responsible for Marzocchi's outgoing testing and quality control.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Leonidas
a Cross Country Rider
from Athens, Greece Date Reviewed: February 5, 2003
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$500.00
Purchased At:
speedgoat
Strengths:
Sexy looks, very stiff.
Weaknesses:
A bit on the heavy side (1705grms uncut) but then again Marzochi has convinced the MB world that this is a prerequisite if you are looking for a robust, stiff, "install and forget" fork.
Similar Products Used:
manitou sxti, atom98 80, sid00 xc, atom race02 80, duke race02, psylo race02 (owned all)
Bike Setup:
sc superlight + goodies
Bottom Line:
Precise performance is the word. Marzochi always makes me feel a better rider, even when I am climbing it is very stiff and requires less energy for corrections. Faster going downhill as a result of the precise, no flex wheel tracking (typical marzochi), I do not have to guess where my wheel will point out after the next hard hit. Low speed performance to early to comment (still break in) but I have no worries. I can relay with confidence on my front end now (and I am not a lightweight person at 190+). Positive, negative air, no problem, if you are used to air forks/shocks. The advise from the guys below are very useful however each should try its own set up. Any high pressure pump would do (a little guessing might required) Another excellent all round/trail fork from Marzochi
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Requat Stefan
a Racer
from Vienna Austria Date Reviewed: January 20, 2003
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$500.00
Strengths:
Very strong and safe Ride
Weaknesses:
Hassle with the small parts for the airfilling
Similar Products Used:
Suntur SR, SID
Bike Setup:
Hardtail
Bottom Line:
I use this Fork (105mm) for upgrading my old hartail MTB, I used it for one Race and many Rides through the Contry in Austria. The Benefit of this Fork is its absolute stable and easy direktable ride, it works nearly like the fork of an much heavier Motorbike, I can run with full speed over ribs in the trail, there is no nothing feeling off weakness or an unsave moment - i am very impressed. The only thing i dont like is the filling mechanism for the airchambers much to small an very unconvienient to reach.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jim
a Cross Country Rider
from Olympia Date Reviewed: January 13, 2003
So far so good, I have about 200+ rough single track miles on it now. I got one of the first 03's in September / October to replace a SID SL. The SID was having some stiction problems from the start and was flexy resulting in poor steering/tracking (I weigh 190lb). To the SID's credit it is plush, super easy to set up with the manual and very light, but not reliable/durable enough and too flexy. Now about the Marzocchi. First of all the positive chamber suggested air pressures are too high, and the Marzocchi tech guys confirmed this when I called them about the poor ride quality and lack of travel at their suggested settings. So I have it set up now at 37 positive, 110 negative and 3 clicks out on the rebound/lockout control. Marzocchi suggests 3 X positive in the negative chamber and this seems to offer the best ride, to me. I have run from 27-43 positive and find that 32-37 is the best positive presssure to me. At much lower pressure the small bump plushness increases, but then it rides to low in it's travel on the descents, so the compromise of this fork seems to be it's plushness. I have not checked my oil height, but I am getting all of the travel out of it. Mid to big hits it does great and it is a very stout resulting in excellent steering and tracking. It isn't as plush as a SID, but it may still be breaking in. I would recomend this fork to all cross country riders and most racers who desire more travel, reliability and better steering. If I were very serious about racing and spent all of my time making laps on non-technical world cup race courses I would ride a SID. But I am a "real world" cross country rider/racer who spends his time on smooth to rough/technical single track and I value steering precision, bump absorbtion and reliability, so the Marathon SL gets my vote!
I give it 4 stars, it would be 5 if it were plusher and included thier pump.
If you review this fork here please offer your weight and prefferd air pressure/oil heighy/rebound settings.
I'd be glad to answer any questions: proski75@hotmail.com.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Scott Russell
a Cross Country Rider
from Pelham, AL Date Reviewed: January 10, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Oak Mt.
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$549.00
Purchased At:
Bike Link
Strengths:
Very Stiff, Build Quality, adustability, Looks.
Weaknesses:
A bit heavy, Factory set up. Would be nice to have a remote lock out.
Similar Products Used:
R/S Duke XC, Jett RS.
Bike Setup:
'03 Specialized Epic, Full XTR Drive & Brakes, Thomson Post & Stem, Easton Monkey Lite XC Carbon Bars, Selle Italia Flite Gel saddle, Crossmax XL's.
Bottom Line:
Once you are able to dial this fork in it rocks! I had some trouble at first, I contacted Marzocch's tech support via e-mail and they were able to get me in the right direction. I was very close to getting the SID Team but I weigh 185 and they had a little to much flex for the riding that I do. Overall I love this fork,the adjustable lockout is great,it looks great& rides even better.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ping
a Cross Country Rider
from Hong Kong Date Reviewed: January 8, 2003
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$475.00
Purchased At:
Bicycle World HK
Strengths:
Smooth and Stiff, Bombproof, Quality of Travel.
Weaknesses:
Nit picking ....Weight!... 3.7lb (Same as Fox) Price ... Setup from factory.
Similar Products Used:
RS Sid SL, Judy XC
Bike Setup:
SC Superlight, Full XTR, Crossmax UST's, Hope Discs etc etc
Bottom Line:
I've only been using this fork for a few weeks, so I cannot comment on Long Term Reliability. These are my initial impressions and I will post up a follow up in a few months. All comparisons are based upon riding as 2001 Sid SL previously (which will probably be thrown in the trashcan after riding this baby!).
Coming from the SID, the difference is night and day in terms of stiffness and control. To put it simply, the Marathon has increased the technical ability of the bike by 20%. This is partly due to increased travel (105mm) and the rigidity of the fork. The increased travel (over 80mm) hasn't affected the handling of the bike as much as I'd expected ... steering is still very sharp and responsive and pulling the front up takes no more effort than before (despite the increased weight). Damping is also excellent.
Setup takes a while and I'm still not managing to get full travel on my setup ... (approx 93mm only). This is probably due to the same issues as last years models on the oil levels in the fork from the factory. Will adjust levels once I get this serviced. Also I'm left to guess the positive pressure as I cannot find a low pressure shock pump anywhere... you'll have to guess... At 160lb I'm running about 30/85.... which feels great on the trail (reasonably plush but still racy) ... anymore neg pressure seems to make the fork dive into it's travel too much when braking downhill.
Riding in HK consists of lots of tight technical singletrack with some (hairy) rock strewn decents. Monster stair drops are also a feature of the terrain. The Marathon will suck descents and rockgardens with ease... less of the "hold on and pray" that you'd experience with a SID. I will be prepared to put more of my weight on this fork on the downhills knowing it will stay on track and suck up anything in it's path ... confidence which translates into speed.
ECC5 is excellent as you can lock the fork at almost the bottom of it's travel which gives you a great climbing position and a more streamlined position when riding on the road. 5 settings is plenty for rebound control, I tend to run it on the middle setting.
Small bump sensisitivity is not on par with the SID as yet, however, I hope this will improve as the fork breaks in. In fact it feels dead rigid when you are setting it up in the workshop but becomes very supple when you hit the trail. Big hit potential is there in abundance... the fork has bailed me out of many situations already.
The fork also happens to be an extremely good looking piece of kit (if you care). The durability of the "pearl" finish seems to mark up easily though, the disc brake cables had already starting eating into it after the first ride. It is also significantly heavier than the SID, however you'll barely notice whilst riding ... unless you are racing on a regular basis... I'd say that it is a justified compromise for the performance benefits ... definitely a Brilliant Trail Fork and but would make Good Race fork when the going gets rough.
Performance 5 flamings (for performance thus far and potential to improve further)
Value is 4 since at US475 it is still significantly more expensive than the RS equivalents in HK.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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