Submitted by
Wild Bill
a Cross Country Rider
from Ridgecrest, Calif
Date Reviewed: October 10, 2008
Strengths: Hey, this fork is awesome,at 4.3 ILb it works on verything, I jumped off of, and the ETA works great, for riding up hills, when you have to lean over the handle bars'
Weaknesses: Have'nt found one yet,but a little sag
Bottom Line:
If you can find one of these forks, buy it,I was lucky, Mine is brand new, after 5 years, jest sitting in a bike shop, still in the box, and never used, or cut. I'll buy more from Marzocch, as soon as wear these out,
Submitted by
George Taylor
a Cross Country Rider
from Saltash, Cornwall, England
Date Reviewed: September 6, 2006
Strengths: Incredable long life(3 years of continued abuse), without being serviced(although they desperately need it!). Not to heavy and can handle light freeride. On top of that they are still like butter.
Weaknesses: They slowly lose air pressure over time, possibly due to damage on one stanction and having not been serviced.
Bottom Line:
These forks are amazing, all the good things that people say about marzocchi's reliabilty is true. I've used them for light freeride, dirt jumping and even xc racing throughout their life and they still work. They are worth every penny you pay for them.
Bike Setup: maxlight kinesis with easton tubing, lx/xt groupset(hollowtech 2 xt chainset)717 rims, hope xc hubs, easton bars+seatpost, hope mono mini brakes f+r
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Submitted by
Brett Brett
a Downhiller
from s
Date Reviewed: August 9, 2005
Strengths: good fork for the money
can handle large drops and jumps
stiff, low flex fork
Weaknesses: within a month of buying the fork i crashed and the ETA knob broke off when the bars twisted. i still havent fixed it yet and i dont plan to because its expensive but the fork still works great
Bottom Line:
If you want a good all around fork then get this
it has enough travel that i can jump and do drops with it but it is light too
it is good when i go dirtjumping and ride downhill at mt washington it can also handle street riding like stair drops and stuff. it is a good fork for the money but grind down the ETA knob before it snaps off or ull be sorry. but it dont matter to me cause i never use the stupid ETA anyway.
this is a good fork for the money so get it if u like riding
One thing I noticed from the reviews here is that the fork sells much cheaper in US and UK. I paid for it about 500$ at my local shop last year and the price has not gone down until now. It applies to almost all top-grade bike components, which makes buying on ebay the only sensible way to go. Sick country. The guy in the shop, a racer himself, is a finished mechanic, quite skilled at this stuff. He noticed that in that fork you can swap ETA from the left to right leg if you happen to have any air leak. There is no clear reason why it works but the forks seems to accept either setup perfectly, if not better after the swap. Pump it up to the maximum indicated in the manual if you are about 200lbs. In road bike components Campagnolo set the standard which almost kills the competition; it seems that Marzocchi followed suit in mtb.
Submitted by
joshster
a Weekend Warrior
from N. California
Date Reviewed: October 21, 2004
Strengths: laterally stiff, bulletproof, ETA, bombproof, predictable action, weight, simplicity
Weaknesses: lack of small bump sensitivity, not quite as smooth as an oil/coil fork
Bottom Line:
This fork is the best fork that I've used. The ETA works like a dream, accentuating the riding position to offset uphill climbs, locking in instead of locking out. The Vanilla has much better small bump sensitivity & is overall more plush, but the marzocchi does enough of a job with the medium & large bumps (where the suspension really matters) to make for it. If I could combine the feel of the vanilla with Marzocchi's ETA, I'd be in Heaven.
Similar Products Used: EXR Air, fox vanilla, judy, short-future shock
Bike Setup: kokopelli
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Submitted by
martin
a Weekend Warrior
from vancouver, b.c., canada
Date Reviewed: July 4, 2004
Strengths: Stiff, plush, easily adjustable (except for internal rebound).
Weaknesses: ETA lever, tire clearance
Bottom Line:
Here's my follow-up review after thrashing this fork for a year (with virtually no maintenance). Fork has been performing great - took it through local trails, some urban 3-4 ft flat landings, Whistler bike park abuse (at least 15 full days of up-and-down riding with jumps/drops there(3-4 ft jumps and drops, and I am 200 lbs with gear). Only thing I've had to do is occasionaly check the air pressure and keep the stanchions clean. Air pressure has held the set level for a year now. This fork has delivered way more than what Marz claims it's designed for. I only wish it had greater tire clearance (can't fit anything larger than a 2.7" Mobster), but this is an aggro XC/All mountain fork, not a FR/DH anyway. Great fork, more than enough for the majority of riders out there and you can't beat the price, especially now - getting 120mm of travel on 2004 models.
Bike Setup: Me - on top, bike on the bottom (preferably).
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Submitted by
Primo
a Weekend Warrior
from Torino
Date Reviewed: June 29, 2004
Strengths: Very good performance and strongly built. Almost no flexing and no flutter when hard braking with discs. Not expensive. Very very good ETA so the climbs are easier. Check for correct oil level in forks to make sure of full travel.
Weaknesses: Rebound control only gives a little change from end to end and there could be more controls but the standard fork is so good but check the oil level from factory as it is sometimes too high and will not give full travel.
Bottom Line:
For the price it is just not possible to buy a fork that is anything as good as this. For twice the price it is VERY hard to buy a fork as good as this. So strogly built and you can ride so hard with no worry. The ETA is so good for the climb like a short travel racing fork and then switch off and the fork is 105mm of hammering fork. It turns perfectly. Very good!
Similar Products Used: Marzocchi Z1, Z2, Flylite, Z5, Manitou sx-r, Mars comp, Skareb, Spider, Rochshox everything (not stiff), Girvin, Pace RC36, 38, Ballistic 600, 800, Fox float R, talas.
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Submitted by
Dean
a Cross Country Rider
from Slovenia
Date Reviewed: June 27, 2004
Strengths: Stiff, great price, plush...
Weaknesses: NONE
Bottom Line:
At first there was some stiction and oil leak so I have to admit that I was a little bit worried, but...without any intervention all problems have just gone after 20-30 hours of riding. Since than (and now is more than 1 year) I had no problem what so ever. Fork is very plush and it absorbs allmost everything. The bigest difference after dumping my last fork (Judy SL-plush, light, but lot of flex) is how my bike now handles. It feels like it is on rails. ETA is nice but somehow I have not found realy any need for it. On very steep climbs I just stay glued on the saddle and there is very little boob. This fork have absolutely made me a better descender because now I have found that I ride downhill quite faster and still feel confident (I am not a downhill fan!!). Since now I have found no need for any maintenance and there is no oil or air leak and no loss of performance. CONCLUSION: I am XC/trail rider (not racer) and I ride about 4000 km per year. I think that the most important thing in mountain biking is to find what kind of bike is right for you and than to ride it. I have found that combination of hardtail and Marzocchi MX Comp ETA seems to be just right for me (and I have tried also full suspension bikes). That fork is great so I can only recommend it.
Similar Products Used: Rock Shox Jet, Rock Shox Jet T2, Rock Shox Judy XC, Rock Shox Judy SL...
Bike Setup: 2002 Giant ATX 880
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Submitted by
Sam Mitchell
a Weekend Warrior
from UK
Date Reviewed: June 25, 2004
Strengths: Very smooth stroke, which gets better when worn in. ETA system is fantastic for uphill climbs and works perfectly - And the fact that you get people staring at the front of your bike :)
Weaknesses: When I got them they went through their travel very fast (yes, all 120mm and more) so I used heavier oil and pumped them up a bit, and now they're fine(which is strange, as reading reviews on here people have the opposite problem; I must be too fat:)
Bottom Line:
This is indeed a VERY good fork for it's price (I have the 120mm 04 version) I would strongly recommend buying them. I tested the amount of travel I got, and for some reason it was 122mm, and the stantions are about 125mm, this did worry me slightly, but it was easily fixed. When they're in 30mm mode, they are just like bouncing on a very hard spring, but it soaks some bumps up, and is good for going up hill with. If you ride hard XC, then these are the forks for you.
Similar Products Used: SR Suntour (?) RS Sid, zocchi Z5, Z3, Dropoff 04.
Bike Setup: dmr ts, hope c2s f&r, single speed, halo combat rims
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Submitted by
Matt Los
a Weekend Warrior
from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Date Reviewed: May 24, 2004
Strengths: Fork is plush and is very hard to bottom out. Looks great. Light. Soaks up everything you give it. Great for almost any style of riding.
Weaknesses: Soaks up too much sometimes and causes me to do endo's but that is because I need to get used to it. Can't seem to find out how you get full travel.
Bottom Line:
the fork performs better than you would think it would for what you payed for it. great for almost anything. so for the price you pay for it, it delivers great performance. But if you are a downhill racer, don't buy this fork.
Submitted by
Chris
a Weekend Warrior
from Scotland
Date Reviewed: May 5, 2004
Strengths: Solidly built and tracks great. No flexing and goes where you point it. Loads of travel and brilliant ETA. And so cheap for this staggering quality!!
Weaknesses: Just check that the oil level is right or you don't get the full travel.
Bottom Line:
What a fork & what a price. If you want to pay twice the price you don't get a fork to match. This is a real top quality and top performing fork. And the price gets you to think that it can't be that good but it is. How they sell it so cheap gets me. It tracks as well as the very best you can buy. The travel is smooth and gradual. The ETA control is the best I have ever used...you turn it as you ride, one 45 degree turn & you have a travel reduction to about 30mm. Amazing. Turn it back & it's 105mm. It's that simple and that effective. I've had mine 2 years almost. I haven't had to even change the oil yet...no leaks and it still performs great.
Similar Products Used: Rockshox everything. Manitou everything. Pace RC38. Ballistic 600s & 800s. Fox 100r & Talas R.
Bike Setup: Specialized Enduro/Hope hubs/discs/317s/Xt & Easton kit.
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Submitted by
Tanto Muchos
a Weekend Warrior
from Gtr Cornard
Date Reviewed: April 26, 2004
Strengths: Rigid well constructed & strong with good travel & superb ETA control.
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
An incredible value for money Fork. It re-defines what value for money means. I have it on my Mountain Cycle, but my Specialized has the Fox Float F80X fork, which feels just slightly smoother that the Marzocchi. Difficult to describe without riding the two, but the Fox is just slightly smoother. But the Fox price is not just a bit smoother, it's very much more expensive than the Marzocchi & that price difference does not give it much of an edge on this superb Marzocchi MX. I compare the two because I think they are quite similar in build. I can only imagine that Fox's production costs must be much higher than Marzocchi. Anyway the Marzocchi is an excellent Fork, it tracks great, no independant leg movement. No tip flutter under hard braking. No plunging through it's entire travel at the sign of a rock....a-la-Manitou. And the price is incredible. It's just totally recommendable!
Similar Products Used: Rock Shox, Manitou, Pace, Fox.
Bike Setup: Mountain Cycle Moho SLiX, Full Shimano XT, Hope Mini Discs on Hope Hubs & Mavic 317s.
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Submitted by
Collin
a Cross Country Rider
from Minneapolis, MN, USA
Date Reviewed: April 7, 2004
Strengths: Strong, Smooth and Sexy
Weaknesses: Weight...pretty standard for forks these days though!
Bottom Line:
A great fork all around. I use this for XC and aggressive single-track and it performs perfect for both. Never bottomed the thing (I weigh 200lbs mind you). It keeps my front wheel glued to the trail like it should. So damn strong, it will outlast my entire bike (besides my Raceface taperlock BB). I've ridden a few Fox forks and I think those are WAY overhyped. A $800 Fox fork didn't feel any better than my $300 MXcomp. Can't beat the value of this fork!
Similar Products Used: '01 Judy SL (Great fork btw)
Bike Setup: XTC NRS - XT, Mavics, Truvativ, etc.
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Submitted by
Pete
a Cross Country Rider
from Ashland, OR, USA
Date Reviewed: April 5, 2004
Strengths: Does not bottom out no matter how hard I hit the trail and I am a 235 pound 6ft 6in rider
Weaknesses: Constant knocking sound? In manual it states that this sound may be due to oil flow?
Bottom Line:
This fork is the best bang for the bucks and I have ridden other forks such as Rock Shox Psylo SL (lowsy), Manitou Black Elited(bottoms out)Rock Shox Judy TT and C ( both are awful forks) The Marzocchi MX Comp w/ETA and 105mm of travel is so easy to adjust when climbing it rocks. This is a great product from the Italian company. Thanks
Similar Products Used: Rock Shox Judy C........just doesn't cut it.
Bike Setup: 2001 GT Aggressor 1.0 hardtail with sram 9.0sl transmission and Raceface Prodigy DH crankset/sunrhino lite wheels etc
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Submitted by
Mike P
a Cross Country Rider
from Bath
Date Reviewed: March 12, 2004
Strengths: Strong, great ETA, stiff, good travel, plush, excellent tracking.
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
I couldn't justify spending more because these forks are superb. I can't flex them and the travel once bedded-in is great. Also the ETA transforms long erduous climbs. A top fork!