Mg Marathon monolite one piece arch & sliders Marzocchi was there when Marathon racing was born. Endurance races and 24-hour events are increasingly popular, and components that address the unique needs of long distance riding are in high demand. Marathon racers want forks that are durable. They want smooth operation, mile after mile. These cutting edge designs satisfy those needs. These forks are experienced to the core, and they’ll see the sport of marathon racing into its old age.
Submitted by
Con Rinsrein
a Weekend Warrior
from upper state N.Y
Date Reviewed: June 9, 2007
Strengths: Stiff and strong with great steering capability. Point and Go forks. Very plush and top quality design and build. Extremely reliable and very low maintenance requirements!
Weaknesses: Manual is hard to follow. Get someone who knows these forks to set them up for you.
Bottom Line:
Even after over 3 years of hard use this is one amazing fork. I know that they are the flagship XC fork and they were expensive but you really get what you pay for!...thought I would upgrade the fork when I changed to a new frame but these Marzocchi's are so darned good that I just cannot find anything that can better them and now on my Giant they are superb, creating a real flying machine.
Similar Products Used: All the top makes have run by me.
Bike Setup: Giant Trance Frame custon built up.
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Submitted by
Ben Nugent
a Cross Country Rider
from U.K
Date Reviewed: July 9, 2006
Strengths: Great forks.....reliable and so adjustable. They needed to ware in at first but they have been super reliable ever since. Track great, brake great, exceptional seals and bushes and open bath oil lubrication and they do not lose air!
Weaknesses: None.
Bottom Line:
Great forks....they do everything I want without any fuss for all the reasons I have outlined above.
Similar Products Used: I've switched from Fox....like other guys here because the Marzocchi forks are better, more reliable, cheaper to buy and cheaper to service.
Bike Setup: Thses forks are now sitting on a new Giant Trance 3
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Submitted by
Dan Dare
a Weekend Warrior
from Chester U.K
Date Reviewed: May 13, 2006
Strengths: Stiff, smooth, reliable, very adjustable, excellent seals and bushings, steers well, needs no maintenance.
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
Simply top forks. I have not had them serviced in nearly 3 years because they perform flawlessly. These are very adjustable whether you are on or off the bike and the steering and braking is handled withh no fuss at all. The escence of a good fork is that it performs well years after you bought it, not just how it works in the shop. Can't believe that these are better than my Fox forks which I paid nearly £200 more for! I'm sticking with Marzocchi from now on as I am well pleased.
Submitted by
Ben Garsfield
a Cross Country Rider
from Scotland
Date Reviewed: April 14, 2006
Strengths: Strong and lite, tracks well, very adjustable and dependable, very good seals and bushes, very plush, hard to top out, oil bath.
Weaknesses: Bad instructions. I got the set up information by going to: http://www.cycle1st.co.uk/marzocchi1.htm
Bottom Line:
Excellent forks and still going strong. I had them serviced for the first time last week and the guys in the shop said that the stanchions were like brand new!! They have proved to be completely reliable with great control.The set up instructions in the manual are pretty poor and it took me a while to work out what to do but the best information on them came from going to this site: http://www.cycle1st.co.uk/marzocchi1.htm After that the performance has been fantastic.
Similar Products Used: Manitou Skareb, Rockshox SID, Fox,
Bike Setup: 2002 Marin Mount Vision much updated.
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Submitted by
McGill
a Cross Country Rider
from Wyoming U.S
Date Reviewed: February 28, 2006
Strengths: Smooth and reliable. Plenty of adjustments to get the whole thing right for you. The seals keeps the air and the oil in and the debris out. Good tracker and holds up well on hard front braking.
Weaknesses: Like others have said maybe the manual could have given more information.
Bottom Line:
These forks do what they say they do. Good reliable and low maintenance, they have not yet let me down in getting on for 3 years of hard riding. The seals or bushes are first class. Light enough and low flex plus a good tracker. I paid less for these Italian made forks than for the equivalent U.S made Fox forks, and nobody is going to tell me that these aren't every bit as good.... for less money!
Submitted by
Sean Leroy
a Weekend Warrior
from Utah. U.S.A
Date Reviewed: February 20, 2006
Strengths: Very reliable and plush fork that gives a gamet of adjustments. Strong and tracks well. Good under hard braking....doesn't squirm. Great seals/bushes. Better than the Fox and cheaper.
Weaknesses: The Instruction Manual.
Bottom Line:
Great forks, after getting on for 3 years I have had no problems. Very adjustable on and off of the bike. The air seals work. Personally I have not had a hint of a leak from the positive or negative chambers but I know some of the early 2002 and 2003 ones had some issues. These have made my riding a pleasure. Before this...after transporting my bike to a meeting for 6 hours only to find that my Fox Forks has spilled most of their oil all over the back, I chose to look for Forks more reliable and less costly. These are it. Excellent!
Submitted by
Ray
a Cross Country Rider
from Sydney, Australia
Date Reviewed: January 29, 2006
Strengths: Tracks well, doesn't lose air, works well when it's working
Weaknesses: Left hand cartridge. After 12 months the negative chamber filled with oil. Replaced under warranty (after 2 month's wait!!) the new negative chamber also lasted about 12 months, but with lots less use as I had had a knee injury for 4 months. This time the Australian distributor said they would 'fix' it. It lasted 100km before it went again.
Australian distributor's level of service is pretty weak, also.
Bottom Line:
I'm a 75kg wimp. The best way to take a jump is to keep both wheels firmly on the ground. No way have I abused this fork, but it keeps breaking. Even that would be bearable if it could get fixed properly and quickly.
Strengths: Really solid design and construction. Super reliable seals and bushes. Stiff and very smooth action. Adjustable even on the bike with the ECC 5 system. Needs very little maintenance and so dependable. No leaks of air or oil.
Weaknesses: It took time to get the forks bedded in and if you replace the seals/bushings at a service interval you need to let them bed in too. This is no real problem. The manual is kind of vague though.
Bottom Line:
A really good set of reliable and consistently top performing forks. I worked my way up thru the ranks to what I thought were the best...Fox. A few seals blown and oil leaks later I decided to try these Marzocchi forks and they cost me less! Well impressed...great performance ....fit and forget. That's what I like dependable rugged low maintenance units.
Similar Products Used: Fox Float 100 RLC & F100 X, Manitou Axel, Skareb, Mars Comp, Pace RC 40, Rockshox Duke SL & SID other Marzocchi like Z2 BAM and MX Pro ETA.
Bike Setup: Specialized FSR with SRAM, Easton, WTB perch, 959 pedals, Mavic 717 on Hope hubs and M4 discs with WTB Weirwolf 2.3 and Motoraptor 2.24.
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Submitted by
Andy Smith
a Weekend Warrior
from U.K
Date Reviewed: December 23, 2005
Strengths: So reliable with no air leaks. Very smooth performance with no harsh bottom out. Good tracking ...steers very well on rough ground. Good steady brake performance with little end flutter, seals are the usual excellent Marzocchi quality. Tabs are so good that I didn't have to face them to fot Hope Discs.
Weaknesses: The manual is not too clear and the seals need time to wear in.
Bottom Line:
Great forks, just the best I have used. They are reliable, smooth, stiff, rugged, hard wearing and inspire confidence.
Strengths: Beautifully made and finished. Stiff and solid without being unrealistically light. Very smooth. Excellent 5 way rebound control. Lockout that is easy to apply. Great tracking with very little deflection on hard hits. Amazingly good seals for an air fork.
Weaknesses: Take a while to bed in and until they do it can be misleading as to their true worth.
Bottom Line:
THIS IS AN UPDATE TO MY PREVIOUS REVIEW. After nearly 3 years of really hard riding, this Fork is still the best heavy duty cross country fork that I have ever used. Totally reliable, keeps the air pressure....amazing. Marzocchi know how to design and manufacture Forks!!
Similar Products Used: Manitou SL Skareb, Mars Comp, Black, Rockshox everything, Ballistic 600, 800, RST 381, 481, MozoPro, Marzocchi Z1, Z2, Z3, MX Comp, MX Comp ETA, MX Pro, FOX F100X, Float 100RLC, TALAS, and Vanilla.
Bike Setup: Marin Mount Vision, XT drivetrain, Hope Minis on X717 rims, XLR bits, Shimano 959 pedals, Continental Vertical Pro tyres, Maxis lite tubes.
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Submitted by
Aidy Sainter
a Weekend Warrior
from Utah U.S
Date Reviewed: October 30, 2005
Strengths: Very well made. Very good bushes and seals with perfect air pressure retention. Very good tracking with little twist. Excellent adjustability off or on the bike. Low maintenance requirement with open bath system.
Weaknesses: Poor instructions from the accompanying manual. Long bedding-in period ( But I would not trust a Fork that didn't )
Bottom Line:
A set of Forks that was designed perfectly right from the start! Not often, in the MTB world, is there a product that delivers like it says it will but these Forks excell right from the the moment that they are bedded in. Provided that the owner has the experience to tune these Forks correctly with positive and negative air you got a piece of top equipment.
Submitted by
Dave Freeman
a Cross Country Rider
from B.C Canada
Date Reviewed: October 12, 2005
Strengths: Really smooth and totally reliable. Keeps it's air, very adjustable. Good tracking and great under braking. Bushes and seals are first class.
Weaknesses: Manual is vague.
Bottom Line:
I always go back to Marzocchi as the stuff is just so good. Here is just another example...first class forks. Really smooth and totally reliable. Keeps it's air, very adjustable. Good tracking and great under braking. Bushes and seals are first class. Needs little maintenance and gives so much confidence.
Similar Products Used: Lots by Manitou, Rockshox, Fox and Marzocchi.
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Submitted by
Colin
a Weekend Warrior
from B.C. Canada
Date Reviewed: September 29, 2005
Strengths: Strong / stiff / fairly light / great trake r/ great under braking / no lateral flex / very smooth / very adjustable / excellent bushes / excellent air retention.
Weaknesses: Product manual could be more informative and less generalised. Have to concentrate to get the + and - Air pressures right.
Bottom Line:
This is a term-of-reference set of Forks against which all other Marathon forks should be judged. They excell at their job. One of the best components that I have ever bought. After more than 2 years of hard riding they perform like they are new.
Strengths: response, stiffness, adjustments, lockout (I love the fact that it locks down and not up), very nice grey metallic paint job, cool stickers
Weaknesses: slighly heavier than I would prefer but not a big deal
Bottom Line:
This is a keeper. I bought the '05 Marathon SL thinking it would be an improved version of the '04. Not true! The '05 was about 1" taller than the '04, even with it lowered to the 105mm setting. And the '05 locks out in the up position. This combination caused my front wheel to lose contact with the ground going up hill. It killed my forward momentum. The '04 locks down, but I haven't even used it. It has lowered my front end enough that I don't lose contact with the ground without locking it down. And I have much better control overall on all sections of trails. The fork is buttery smooth. It's a bit tight right now but I know that once the seals set in it's going to be phenomenal. The 5 position ECC knob for adjusting damping response to suit the trail conditions is sweet. This fork totally rocks.
Similar Products Used: '04 Fox RL 100, '04 Marzocchi MX Comp ETA, '05 Marzocchi Marathon SL
Bike Setup: '04 Turner Burner
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Submitted by
Rene Hoepelman
a Cross Country Rider
from Long Beach, CA
Date Reviewed: August 7, 2005
Strengths: reliable, no leaks, price, looks, excellent customer service
Weaknesses: none
Bottom Line:
Early 2005 I was in the market for new forks. I have two MTB's. So I started my research. Manatou and Rock Shox was out of the question. I was going to follow the crowd and go with FOX until I found a great deal on ebay to buy two 2004 marathon SL's from the same seller for $600. What a deal I get two Marzocchi forks for the price of one FOX. I checked back with MTBR, and reviews for the 2004 marathon SL's were excellent. So I bought both pairs for $300 a piece plus $15 shipping for both. I could not be happier with my choice, even 6 months later.
When I recieved the forks one of them leaked oil all over the inside of the box. I had my LBS install the good fork on my Klein. I called Marzocchi, with no questions asked they gave me an RA # and I shipped them the leaky fork. I live in Long Beach. One of the Marzocchi head quarters is here in Los Angeles so I pretty much get free overnight shipping.
I had a fork back within the week. The original was gun metal grey and they replaced with a black one. I really liked the gun metal grey color but what can you do. I believe they just gave me a new fork alltogether.
I am 6ft 185lbs. On my hard tail I have the fork set super plush to make up for lack of rear suspension, and on my Fuel 100 I ride much stiffer. I have no problem with either set up. They both work perfectly for what they are supposed to do. Im confident they will get me through the next 24 hour race just as well as they get me though the trails on the weekends. Im so glad to have went with Marzocchi.
You have to set them plush for the first month or two depending on how much you ride. Once they losen up and you have them dialed in you never have to mess with them again. They hold air perfectly. Dont lose the adapter that comes with the Fork its proprietary, not that you will need it for too long.
Anyway Im sure the Fox makes great forks. I bet all the high end forks on the market today are great but I went with Marzocchi and am very very very happy.
5 chilis for the actual fork itself and 5 more chilis for Marzocchi customer service They kicked ass!!
