The ETA travel adjust feature lets you quickly change the fork from a full travel, bump-eating machine into a locked-out fork that can climb without bobbing.
Submitted by
perttime
a Weekend Warrior
from Finland Date Reviewed: January 4, 2009
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
LBS sale
Strengths:
strong
stiff
smooth
good looking
not too many knobs
Weaknesses:
don't really find the QR 20 Pro dropout mechanism useful
not real light
Similar Products Used:
Marz MX Comp Air
Manitou Breakout+
Bike Setup:
Tough hardtail (2soulscycles)
Bottom Line:
For me, bike geometry is everything and the Z1 FR ETA is just right for my bike and the rocky trails I ride. I am a heavier guy but, when I got on the bike to see what I need to do about sag, I found that it was good out of the box. Light guys and girls may need to convert one side of the fork to air only. The fork works without me fiddling with adjustments all the time.
Either the QR 20 dropout system is useless or I have not figured out how to use it properly. Securing the axle with bolts would be simpler.
It is a good solid fork and, at the price I paid, it was a steal.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Klaus
a
from Berlin Date Reviewed: June 7, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Sausteig
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Strengths:
very progressive, tight feeling best trail-style fork I know
Weaknesses:
none so far
Similar Products Used:
Fox RC36, Manitou Sherman (both sucked compared)
Bike Setup:
pimped Coiler DeeLux
Bottom Line:
tested several forks since the 04 Z1 was launched, but finally got back to my old Z1 again. Don't really do the hard FR stuff, though - I'm more into technical trails and some dirtjumping. Really tried hard to wreck my bike on rocky trails in the alps and karpartes - I failed but not did this fork. That's why I still use it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
ian
a Cross Country Rider
from staten island, ny Date Reviewed: May 16, 2006
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$500.00
Strengths:
stiffness, plush travel, customer service
Weaknesses:
limited to six inch rotors(anything larger will cause flex)
Similar Products Used:
manitou, sid, older bombers
Bike Setup:
05 5 spot, hadley hubs, race face, etc.
Bottom Line:
great fork for all mountain type of riding. built very stout to take abuse. more plush than air forks that i have tried. this fork is not for the weight weenies, but its reliability is more important to me anyway. the eta is a great feature to aid in steep climbs and is very simple to use, adding to the versatility of this fork.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jonathan Kelman
a
from Irvine, CA Date Reviewed: November 21, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Heartbreak Ridge
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$280.00
Purchased At:
ebay
Strengths:
totally bombproof and confidence inspiring, super, super plush HSCV, looks most excellent
Weaknesses:
Not light.
Similar Products Used:
2002 Fox Vanilla R, 2005 Marzocchi AM-1
Bike Setup:
Was used on my 2004 Santa Cruz Heckler, DHX coil rear
Bottom Line:
A great fork. Pretty heavy, but appropriately beefy, and so, so plush. Unfortunately it doesn't really work with the geometry of my 6 Pack, so it is now relegated to the role of spare fork since the Heckler has now moved on (not destroyed, just sold). My new AM-1 is also a nice fork, but definitely not as plush as my lovely 04 Z-1. Indeed, I believe the ultimate trail fork for me would be an AM-1 with HSCV internals.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Adam
a Weekend Warrior
from Buckley, WA, USA Date Reviewed: September 9, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Victor Falls
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
Stiff, Strong, Plush, Reliable
Weaknesses:
Some Adjustibility Issues
Bike Setup:
Mountain Cycle Fury, built heavy
Bottom Line:
This is a great fork. For trail rides this fork is really great and I can't think of a thing to nit pick about. It does everything really well. It works well for the modest freeriding I do, but I've had some issues with not getting a lot of rebound adjustment range. It would be nice to have hi and low speed compression adjustment too. The Z1's strength is it's strength...it takes drops all day like they are nothing, and it doesn't get twisted off track when you hit a stump or rock that you didn't plan on hitting! If you have to ask about the weight on this fork, it's not for you, yours will be next to the spandex and tampex.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Bryce
a Weekend Warrior
from Columbus, Ohio Date Reviewed: May 9, 2005
Favorite Trail:
None
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$376.00
Purchased At:
Cambria
Strengths:
Built well Performs great Definitely well worth the price.
Weaknesses:
None yet
Similar Products Used:
None
Bike Setup:
Jamis XLT 2.0 with XT Components, Hayes hyd brakes, Swinger 4 way coil. Marzocchi FR.
Bottom Line:
This shock is beefy. Soaked up everything the trail had to offer. Saved my arms and hands from punishment. I have only tested my bike once on the trail and was so impressed at how well it soaked up the bumps and how I felt after riding. I could have ridden a lot longer. I would recommend it. I plan on riding more than the weekend now that Im not so sore from riding with a hardtail.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
M B
a Weekend Warrior
from AUSTIN Date Reviewed: March 29, 2005
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$275.00
Purchased At:
mtbr classifieds
Strengths:
WAY STIFF, SUPER SMOOTH TRAVEL
Weaknesses:
Heavy ?. You get what you pay for.
Similar Products Used:
Fox RL 125
Bike Setup:
Titus quasi moto
Bottom Line:
Had to do some tuning to get it to my liking. I'm 145 lbs and prefer a soft squishy suspension for the low speed rocky trails in Austin. Too plush ?. No such thing in my book (I don't like platform shocks either). I removed one of the springs and put my softer fox spring on one side. Now I can get 1" of sag like I prefer. Did some testing and added 10 cc of oil to each side to prevent bottoming. Now I have the super plush beginning stroke with a nice ramp up at the end for the drops. I don't use any air preload with this setup.I can feel two things. The added weight and the extra stiffness over my fox. I really like the fox, but no 20mm thru axle. This thing steers STRAIGHT through the rocky sections. No deflection here. That's what you get with the extra weight. Great for those low speed scary rock sections.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
"trailnut"
a Cross Country Rider
from berkeley, ca, usa Date Reviewed: February 9, 2005
looks (black on black with grey lettering), plush, dual coils, stiff, metal ETA lever, ETA function, QR, Marzocchi reliability. has 20mm axle version.
Weaknesses:
my old fender didn't fit: the $30 Marzocchi fender's real lame, too long on frontside, too short on backside. $$.
Similar Products Used:
2003 M. Mx Comp ETA 105mm (4.4#), 1998 M. Atom Bomb 70mm (4#), 1998 Rock Shocks Indy S 50mm (3.3#).
Bike Setup:
Kona Lavadome butted crmo steel hardtail (4.5#) with 200mm Hope Mono M4 disk brake, IRC 2.1" ClawComp Lite. Bike's overall weight is 27.5#.
Bottom Line:
Do i notice the extra weight of the '04 Z1's 5.7# over my old fork's 4.4#, '03 MX Comp Eta 105mm? Nope, not at all.
Do i notice the extra travel of my Z1's 130mm vs. the MX's 105mm? Not really (when the MX's air coil's properly pumped with air)
Do I notice the extra stiffness of my heavier Z1? Yes, I think so.
Will this Z1 make me faster? Not likely, since xc race or ride times depends more on fast climbing where weight can be a mojor factor. I'm not descending any faster on my easy local hills on fireroad trails and short single tracks.
Will this Z1 add more fun to cycling? Yes. Perception is reality...since I'm aware that I should be able to better handle technical descends, I'll be more aggresive (well, I hope so).
Was it worth it? Yes, I'm in hardtail heaven, set up with a 200mm Mono M4 brake and a knobby IRS tire. I didn't need it, but I'm happy to have it.
The two "benchmark" forks are the Z1 or the Sid [granted that a '05 3.1#(?)Marathon Race ought to be "better" than a 2.8# Sid].
2004 Z1 130mm ETA rocks! Get 'em while you can.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Patrick
a Downhiller
from Lawrence, Kansas Date Reviewed: February 4, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Portal
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
mtbr.com
Strengths:
As stiff as you want it to be. The ETA and air assist give you ultimate control over what you want your fork to do.
Weaknesses:
A little heavy, but not that bad at all
Similar Products Used:
Psylo SL, Vanilla R
Bike Setup:
Ellsworth Joker XC, Helix Expert, XT, Hayes HFX 9
Bottom Line:
Fantabulous fork for moderate to large drop-offs that and followed by a serious incline.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Stinky Wiz
a
from Santa Barbara Date Reviewed: October 30, 2004
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
Durable, no service needed, does it all.
Weaknesses:
no compression adjustment
Bike Setup:
03 Heckler & 04 Coiler Deelux
Bottom Line:
I just ordered my second one to go on my Heckler that is being reconstructed; had the first one on that bike for 90% of the time, then swapped to Coiler DL when it went out of commission.
I loved it in my original post, I still do. Super reliable. Plush as you like or hard, like rock. Everything from deathmarch climbs to bombing the parks with tons of so-cal singletrack in between.
Different feeling bikes, requiring different settings on fork, but good performance on each.
One thing though, the ETA didn't feel all that good on the Heckler as it caused the rear suspension to stiffen up significantly; it was a bit of a revelation when I threw it on the Coiler. The other side of that was that it didn't need the ETA on the Heckler design, which climbs better with it off.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Aki Rask
a
from Finland Date Reviewed: September 20, 2004
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Keeps the tire hooked to ground!
Weaknesses:
Could be lighter...
Similar Products Used:
Manitou Minute 3.00, RS Psylo, Fox RLC
Bike Setup:
04 Heckler with 5th, Saint disc, Raceface, Thomson etc.
Bottom Line:
I used Minute 3.00 for 11 months in my Heckler. It felt good, and I thought that all the forks are just about the same; they go down and they come up. But once I got my hands on this...oh-my-god. It might be heavy and missing SPV and similar systems, but when it comes to keeping your wheel on the ground, nothing else even comes close to Z1, hands down. And oh yes, it gave my Heckler way better steering angle, Minute is built like a XC fork.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Fig
a Cross Country Rider
from Wales Date Reviewed: September 12, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Anywhere with mountains
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
On first impressions and first ride - it looks great, is mega chunky, and already feels good even though its not bedded in.
Weaknesses:
Weight but i dont care and neither should you!
Similar Products Used:
01 Marzocchi Z1 (served me very well), Manitou mars (bit crap), Early RSTs (decent) and some rusty steel things (ancient).
Bike Setup:
04 Santa Cruz Heckler with 5th element coil, hope mono m4s, xt bits etc
Bottom Line:
After my experience with my first marzocchi that worked faultlessly for 3 years without ever needing a service i just had to get another zocchi for my new bike! After only a few days with the new Z1s it all looks good so far! It seems like the perfect fork for my aggressive riding style with its burly construction and the ETA is well handy for the long road climb to my riding spot. Oh and its image definitely helps with trail kudos! Only 4 flamers for now as i havent put it through its paces on a proper test yet - but i sure cant wait to!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
eric
a Weekend Warrior
from bellingham, WA Date Reviewed: July 14, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Mt Galbaith
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$350.00
Purchased At:
"Crash replacement"
Strengths:
The ETA works incredible well at lowering the front end 1.5-2" and helps with hill climbs. The HSVC dampening can take the fork from no rebound dapening to slow as mole asses in a montana winter. QR20 always a plus for control.
Weaknesses:
Having to buy atleast in my case an adapter to add air to the fork to stiffen it up a little, low on iol from the factory like all Marzocchis.
Similar Products Used:
00 QR20 Z3, 01 qr Z3, 02 DJ1, 04 super T
Bike Setup:
02 Kona Bear, Romic rear shock, Mavic 521's, 04 Z1 freeride ETA, SRAM 7 shifters and derailuer, FSA cockpit, CK headset, Thompson post...
Bottom Line:
I love this fork, its by far the plushest Marz I've ridden thus far aside from my 04 Super. The fork looks slick, the rebound is easily adjustible but I have a few actually 2 reseravtions about this fork. 1. Low on oil therfore it doesnt feel as progressive as the Marz's I've spent time tuning 2. I cant find a friggen adapter to add air pressure to the fork. Tru it is a coil/oil but it lacks th spring preload adjusters and relies on increasing or decreasing air pressure in the legs to stiffen the ride. All in al I know after I add a little oil and air this fork is gonna rock, it s already amazing on Hard Core XC trails but isnt quite ready for the high speed and or 3-6 foot log drops I've been doing. I've made it a point to wheely-drop most of the big stuff but occasionally I puss out and botom out hard. Love this fork, get it setup right and you'll have no complaints if you only need 5"
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Graham
a Downhiller
from Santa Cruz, CA, USA Date Reviewed: July 14, 2004
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
ABS
Strengths:
ETA feature is more useful than other travel adjustments. The 04 adjuster knobs are easier to use. The fork does an excellent job at reacting to a broad range of impacts without cavitation or doing anything funny, and is difficult to bottom out.
Weaknesses:
The almost complete lack of compression damping is a problem, and I will switch forks as soon as Fox makes a thru axle because of it. The damping is not as good as older Marzocchis I have owned, and the overall quality level is low and not what I expeced based on those previous forks. The quick release is in fact very slow and somewhat fragile. I would prefer a normal thru axle. The bushing play is a little excessive for how long I have owned the fork. The "black box" nature of the damping cartridge makes it so I cannot effectively tune my fork. If I had a shim stack to play with, I could make this fork do exactly what I want.
Similar Products Used:
Fox V125RLC, Manitou Sherman Firefly
Bike Setup:
Turner 5 Spot build heavy and sweet.
Bottom Line:
I bought this fork knowing that I would not get a lot of compression damping. I was still disappointed at the amount of brake dive and relative lack of control.
This might sound like sacriledge, but this fork is too plush. Forks are like mattresses, there is such a thing as too soft, and they should give but do so firmly. I am not talking spring rate, although this air assist crap is for the birds, but I am talking about compression damping performance. I like a fork that reacts to all sizes of bumps. It needs to take big hits well, but if you give up small bump sensitivity (see: SPV) then you lose traction in high speed turns. That would be unacceptable. But a fork also needs to have a purposeful, controlled feel to it. I want a tiny little moto fork for my bicycle. Manitou hit it with the Dorado, but I don't ride a DH bike, and regular Manitous might as well be made by a different company. Fox is close, but their damping performance degrades under successive full travel hits. I will wait and see what Fox brings me for 2005, and then I'm getting a better fork.
The apparent lack of quality compared with older Marzocchis that I still own is disconcerting.
Three chilis for a good fork with usable strengths, but I am not happy with the product.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Basil
a Cross Country Rider
from Marin, CA Date Reviewed: February 28, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Boggs Mountain
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$549.00
Purchased At:
Bike Shop
Strengths:
Able to suck up the small bumps and do the big stuff too. Three inch tree stumps are not worth the effort of unweighting your front wheel on this fork. Another big plus is it's weight because it goes to making it very stiff which is a good thing on rutty, bumpy downhills.
The ETA adjustment is super, twist the dial on the top of the fork and the front of your bike drops down an inch and a half or two for those steep uphills, not to mention eliminating the bobbing on thoses short steep out of the saddle climbs.
Weaknesses:
Fork is too tall for Crosscountry frames. This is just nitpicking, but I had to write something.
Similar Products Used:
Manitou SX 99 with beefed up spring kit.
Bike Setup:
2004 Marin Mountain Attack with Avid 8 inch disc brakes (ball bearing, manual)
Bottom Line:
I weigh 220 lbs and there isn't a cross country fork that performs well for my weight. So I moved to from a Marin Mt. Vision that was okay to a Marin Mountain Attack frame with the Marzocchi Bomber Z1 fork. This fork is a cross country fork for me. Finally I can ride uphill and down without have my front end wobble like a drunk walking home after the bars are closed.
I've heard people say plush and now I wonder how many of them just like the word or have ridden a fork that performs like this one does. This fork, SUCKS, it sucks up everything, little bumps big bumps and it loves to eat up downhill rutty, bumpy trails as fast as it can.
This is one 5 flaming chile fork.
One word of advice for the big guys, get the fork with the QR 20 axle which makes it stiffer.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
hora mchoracek
a Weekend Warrior
from London, UK Date Reviewed: January 14, 2004
Favorite Trail:
The pub
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
PLEASE NOTE the photo (current) is of the 150 coils not the 130 coils..ok, No flex, looks that inspire confidence in the product. I've only used it for 2 rides so not bedded-in
Weaknesses:
Anyone who says weight is a XC-junkie
Similar Products Used:
Err everything
Bike Setup:
Ellsworth/Chris King/Raceface/Hayes
Bottom Line:
I'm too bad a rider to ride Xc forks, i.e I am not a smooth or good rider so land and ride badly. All the XC forks Minutes etc are not suitable for me even though I'd love them for their well-thought out design detailing.
I chose the Z1's as I hold plushness and no-flex above everything else. The weight is no where near an issue , seriously.
The Stickers are the only thing I could fault but who cares? Do you look at your forks when you are having the ride of your life?
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
scott silvers
a Cross Country Rider
from plymouth, Michigan Date Reviewed: January 3, 2004
Favorite Trail:
potowatomi
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$475.00
Purchased At:
123bikes
Strengths:
burly construction, you can just tell it ain't no toy.
Weaknesses:
none
Similar Products Used:
marz z-2, and assorted crappier forks
Bike Setup:
Turner 5-Spot, built for fun, not xc geek speed.
Bottom Line:
When I got my new bike out of the box, the first thing I noticed was this fork - wow, this thing is big. This fork is really amazing in both construction and ride quality.
I did have to figure out the air preload situation. Prior to messing w/ the air preload, I took my bike to this jump that I like to use as a baseline for tuning. My fork was bottoming harshly - metal on metal. I turned the damper all the way in, and that helped a bit, but still bottomed noisily. I finally broke out the manual and pumped in the required air pressure. The manual tells you to pump it up to "x" psi for your body weight. But, unless you are constantly jumping off loading docks, their recommendations are way too much - the fork hardly moves under normal trailriding conditions. I settled on 4-6 psi for general riding [I weigh about 190] - it only bottoms hard occasionally [which is what you want anyway]. The fork will actually suck up all trail ripples and bumps, and still be ready for the occasional huck or big drop. Finally - a Marzocchi fork you dont have to buy heavy springs for!!!!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Stinky Wiz
a Weekend Warrior
from Santa Barbara, Ca, Date Reviewed: December 27, 2003
Favorite Trail:
One of the many Backbones
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$515.00
Purchased At:
Velopro
Strengths:
Stiff, bottomless, rake & trail perfect, rebound adj has good range, no need for aftermarket springs, eta works as advertised, burly looking & colors matches bike.
Weaknesses:
little weight but the geometry actually propped me up & put me in a better riding position so I'm a bit faster (unexpeted bounus).
Similar Products Used:
Psylo xc, '98 z-1(still on ht), '96 judy xc (w/springs), manitou mach (re-parted hair with spring & cap), zoke xc500 (bent & blown back in the day)
Bike Setup:
03 Heckler, avid mechs, xt, fox coil & now this lovely z1
Bottom Line:
04 Z1 FR ETA w/regular qr (there are so many variations of this fork)
240lbs w/gear puts stress on fork & frame, I destroy parts & this one should take awhile. This fork makes my frame look undersized! I've been out on my favorite very technical singletrack twice now experimenting with preload & damping adjustments as well as the eta & the results so far are outstanding.
I had a psylo w/ultra stiff spring but it was really flexy, primitively damped, blew its wad in two months & just sucked; my old 98 z1 was & is better.
I didn't have to pay $$ for a heavy duty spring for this one, just a pump. Thats the air preload that is at unbelieveably low max pressure of 15psi (or 1bar)! I think that will allow the seals to last (I usually steer clear of air forks). The spring feels like a spring & the air preload feels just like regular preload.
The eta is great but you gotta use it right. It really helps for the supersteeps & switchbacks going up. I leave it off except for that. Its nice that it truly is a feature you can flick on or off at a moments notice while in motion.
My frame loves the geometry figures & it pushed me back so I have perfect front/rear balance now. The front is planted but you can hoist it with just a tad extra hp. Our trails are climb & descend affiars & I actually have been climbing & descending much faster.
It's very stiff, even without the qr20. I am used to some twising under hard braking but there is none, & they don't deflect off anything. Point & shoot.
My bike feels bottomless & perfectly balanced front to rear (I think that a good fork makes the rear behave better). I have tried several damping & preload settings but that is a personal choice & it works well regardless.
I think you could get performance that is very close with one of the cheaper models but I'm glad I made a point of getting this one, it's worth the clams.
I probably will submit another report in the summer (after we've visited the lifts)
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Morgan
a Downhiller
from Denver, colorado USA Date Reviewed: December 2, 2003
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$415.00
Purchased At:
Universalcycles.com
Strengths:
Super stiff QR20 makes much more ridgid the air assists makes fork very tunable ETA really is amazing Looks awsom in all black
Weaknesses:
price would have been one, but i got a special deal from universalcycles...possably weight compared to my old psylo, but the psylo sucks and everyone knows that!
Similar Products Used:
Psylo, shiver
Bike Setup:
2002 orange patriot, 5th element, d321's
Bottom Line:
this fork is amazing so far. i bottomed it with no air in the fork, but added 6 pounds and it doesn't bottom now. The ETA works better than the lockout on my psylo because it puts the fork lower. The dampining works better than most forks, and the QR20 makes a world of difference. For 415, their is now way you can find a better fork!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jamie
a Weekend Warrior
from Leeds (UK) Date Reviewed: December 2, 2003
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$500.00
Purchased At:
Stif
Strengths:
Smooth suspension, looks great (all black, even the sliders), ETA means you can lock out the fork on uphill climbs simply by flicking a switch.
Weaknesses:
Havent really found any yet except for thhe price
Bike Setup:
02 Kona Scab with stock componenets except for the z1 dropoff and hope mini disc brake up front
Bottom Line:
This fork is excellent, it suits my style of riding perfectly and it makes an excellent freeride fork due to the lockout. I really recommend this to anyone whos lookig for a good long travel suspension fork with really smooth action. Its strong enough to take any abuse you throw at it and yet you can lock it up and ride all the way back to the top of the trail to throw more abuse at it, what more could you ask for? Its a great fork, my only objection is the price it is a bit expensive but its well worth it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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