Submitted by
guyplaysbass
a Weekend Warrior
from Portland, OR
Date Reviewed: December 13, 2008
Strengths: stiff, plush, reliable.
Weaknesses: some owners who couldn't set it up?
Bottom Line:
This is a final review. After almost 4 years I'm retiring this fork! I recently made the switch to a 20mm axle as my riding preferences have exceeded QR for the most part. This has been one of the best mtb purchases I ever made and I would strongly suggest people to disregard the negative reviews on this fork. Obviously, they were written by individuals that didn't understand how to properly set up this fork. Read my reviews and countless posts as to how to achieve optimal performance from this system.
Submitted by
pete
a Cross Country Rider
from bend, or
Date Reviewed: July 23, 2007
Strengths: Super plush damping, ecc handy on super steep climbs, doppio is fun when you know how it really works.
Weaknesses: No compression!!
Bottom Line:
If people took the time( hmmmmm..........took the time) to set up their forks properly then they would not have as many issues with their damping units. Once you really take time to set this fork up and understand the doppio it is so much fun to play with. I weigh around 230 and I am 6ft 6" so I am hard on stuff but this fork has surprised me of late. It is now 2007 in late July and I have used this fork on several bikes and I have it set up on low psi (11 psi) per leg. From what I have garnered from Marzocchi when run this low it is awesome for XC/Trail since it soaks up everything. Increase the psi up to 20 lbs per leg and one can transform it into a dual slalom/4X rig and no bottom out feature. It really takes a pounding and I notice little flex unless........................you are riding really hard such as in a race. Other wise this fork can be tuned for all sorts of riding if you know how to set it up. I say Fabien Barel at Sea Otter ride this fork on the downhill and he was moving.................. He had the 150mm doppio and he is considerably lighter than I but in no way do I ride like this speed demon. This fork comes alive on hard tails but with full suspensions it does lack the compression so it dives too much and one cannot stiffen up the fork. Marzocchi really offers good support so go to their tech site and find out for your self. Too many lazy impatient people out there so take the time.
Similar Products Used: Mx comp w/eta 105mm, Pike Race uturn 140, Mx Pro 120 w/eta, Drop off 150mm w/eta.
Bike Setup: Marzocchi Z1 FR SL 130mm(air pressure 11 psi per leg)(neg-120 psi). Mountain Cycle Rumble (04), single speed conversion kit, king headset, thomson front and rear, single track wheelset, schwalbe racing ralph tires 2.25, avid mech 6" brakes, wtb pure v race saddle, answer riser bar, odi grips......................
Strengths: Plush and very active. Great fork when set up correctly.
Weaknesses: Setup is a pain. Factory weight oil is not meant for lightweight riders. Dry wipers led to very bad stiction.
Bottom Line:
I was ready to throw this fork away. I thought I had wasted $550. As a relatively lightweight rider (135lbs), this is a horrible fork from the factory. Also, BeyondBikes did not tell me the clunking was from the rebound set wrong. They said it was normal, which now I realized they were full of it. The fork initally had massive amounts of stiction and no small bump sensitivity, no matter what I had the air pressures set at. I eventually gave it one last try and took the fork apart, drained the factory 7.5weight oil and refilled with 5 weight oil and regreased the wipers with Super Slick Grease. It became everything I had hoped it would be when I first bought the fork. Absolutely no stiction and very good small bump sensitivity and very very plush. This fork is a very good fork. It just is not very good right out of the box and requires a lot of set up. Not a fork for newbies. I give a 4 for value because I paid so much. I know later in 2006 they were selling in the 300's.
Strengths: BUTTER SMOOTH PERFORMANCE (When setup correctly). Light weight fork, with rebound, lock out and adjustable travel.
Weaknesses: Infinite ways to setup so the fork settings have to be adjusted and tweeked until the desired feel is obtained. Not for the out-of-the-box and go rider or manual reader.
Bottom Line:
The bottom line to this fork is patience. Do not use the air pressures from the manual. I like a butter smooth squishy feel when it's in the downhill mode and an in between feel when in the AL mode. I put 30 psi in the positive chamber, 70psi in the negative, and 10 in the par. Play with the tst air pressure but the amount is very low. A little bit of air pressure really affects the tst setting quite a bit. Just remember very low air pressures in all the chambers. I practically ride over curbs and piles of roots and feel nothing. I have been very pleased and wish to buy another one just to keep instock so when the time comes to replace this one I have another one ready to go. Those people that wrote a negative review should have just bought a FOX for their out of the box and ready to go junk!
Bike Setup: Cannondale Jekyll. Only the best crosscountry/all mountain ride ever made.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
glen hepting
a Weekend Warrior
from small town bc canada
Date Reviewed: January 31, 2007
Strengths: lite
Weaknesses: this thing has so many adjustments you can get lost in them. the manual is a joke. played with it for seems like forever then took it to my mech. he messed with it for a hour and we never really got to work all that well. i have owned lots of mar forks and never have i used such a piece of crap like this. stick with a spring not air.
Bottom Line:
i'm not saying marz does not have a good product but this thing is not helping there resales. i went to manitou flick. little heavier but worked right out of the box with min. adjustments.
Similar Products Used: how about a stick with a tennis ball on the end of it.
Bike Setup: sanata cruz heckler
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Richard Toften
a Weekend Warrior
from Norway
Date Reviewed: December 13, 2006
Strengths: Great tunability, relatively light
Weaknesses: Useless manual
Bottom Line:
I write this review coming from the same situation as many other reviewers below; this fork is tricky to tune, espacially if you start out with the manual! I started out with the recommended settings, and kept lowering them, without getting the feel I was hoping for. Fortunately a friend of mine is the official Marzocchi Service Mechanic for Norway, and he gave me the following tip: Go even lower on the mains, higher on the neg and PAR! 7 bar (100 psi) in the PAR, 7 in the negative, and check this - 0.5 bar (7 psi) in the main chambers! I tried it, and it worked, but I'm 180 pounds and freeride, so the forks were a bit on the soft side. I then adjusted this to 6 bar (87 psi)in the PAR, 6 in the negative (the order is very important, or you'll get more sag) and 1 bar (14 psi) in each leg. PERFECT! If anything, try it, it sure works for me, the forks are butter smooth without bottoming out. Happy trails!
Similar Products Used: From '92 Rock Shox with 2" of travel to Marzocchi Shiver
Bike Setup: Commencal Supreme 6.10, SRAM, Race Face, Formula 7", Fox RP3, Mavic CrossMax SL, Maxxis Minion
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Robert "Apple" Lizares
a Cross Country Rider
from Bacolod City, Philippines
Date Reviewed: October 5, 2006
Strengths: Controlled dumping, smooth and quick. Who says its hard to tune? Read the manual people!
Weaknesses: None so far
Bottom Line:
If your planning to purchase a 6 inch fork, this one is the lightest and the cheapest in the market. Setting it up is simple. If your runing 6inches of rear wheel travel, then don't inflate air in the negative chamber. Because doing so reduces the travel. Thats why...."read your manual boys and girls" If you plan to reduce travel, then buy a shorter travel fork that matches your rear travel.
Similar Products Used: Fox Vanila 125RLC, Fox Talas 125RLC, Fox Float 130RLC
Bike Setup: My fork is now in my 2005 Enduro150 S-works.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Mike
a Cross Country Rider
from Upstate NY USA
Date Reviewed: September 26, 2006
Strengths: Stiff, Seemed durable
Weaknesses: Lots of problems for a new fork
Bottom Line:
I chose to spend my hard earned cash on the All Mountian SL('05,purchased in early '06) based on having good luck with the durability of 2 Marathons and Marzocchi's long history of good stuff. After the first ride it immediately started bleeding off pressure in the left leg (NEG AIR) with some weeping apparent at the bottom of the leg.I thought maybe break in would cure it. As soon as the main seals broke in it developed a bad knock in the right leg. Pressures? No. Damping? No. I pulled the fork, flexed the lowers and discovered there was SEVERE slop in what seems the lower bushings. AT +/-SIXTY BREAK IN MILES??????? You could literally hear the slop in the bushings standing ten feet away in a busy bike shop! I didn't dare tear it down to inspect the issue for fear of voiding warranty policies,etc. Hopefully, Marzocchi will turn this around in a timely manner. I will let you know. P.S. I am 42, not an abuser and have a good mechanical background. I'd hate to see what happens when you really ride it hard. I will post a reply on Marzocchi's warranty performance. Hopefully they will boost rating with good turn around. MAYBE they need to police thier Taiwan subcontractors better!
Weaknesses: I wish this fork had ETA, but that is the All Mountain I. Adjustment is confusing at first.
Bottom Line:
I really like this fork. It's been great. This fork is extremely adjustable. Beyond what is specified in the manual, once you get the concept of what air chamber does what. Once broken in, and figured out, it's an awesome fork.
This is a 6mos update. I have been riding this fork as hard as I can and it has stood up to the test. After it is fully broken in it's very plush. I have found the settings that work for me, and it has been set it and forget it. I check the air psi every now and then and it has never lost any. A previous review outlined EXACTLY how to set it up, THAT WAY WORKS.
Marzocchi has a great fork here and if you can still find them online they are a great deal for the $$$.
Submitted by
Ratt
a Cross Country Rider
from SoCal
Date Reviewed: July 14, 2006
Strengths: Long travel, good fore aft stiffness, better color that the AM1, cheap at blow out prices, tuneability, plush
Weaknesses: too much tuneability, a bit heavy for an air fork, tall a-c, super low psi shock pump not included, a bit of lateral flex, no travel reduction on the fly.
Bottom Line:
I am surprized this fork doesn't get more bad reviews because its hard to setup and does not come with the correct pump to do so. There are 4 air chambers on this fork, 1 psi can make a noticeable difference in 3 of the chambers and the fork does not come with a shock pump and you pretty much need 2, a high pressure one for the negative spring and a low pressure one for the rest. I am still figuring out this fork, right now have 2 pressure set ups, one for everyday local trail riding and a techy rocky small drop trail setup. Hoping to find the "one" setup.
I am coming off a 115mm air fork and even though there is a bit of stiction in this fork it feels plush as hell to me, but like I said this is my first 6" travel fork. Pumping up the PAR a bit makes this fork feel bottomless, sacrificing some small bump sensitivity. The TST works ok, well enough that i am not searching for the compression knob.
I think this fork has a lot of stiffness fore and aft but in the turns i can sense some lateral flex probably due to the quick release setup.
This fork is a bit heavy, i didn't weight it but i think its 4.5+ lbs, an '07 140mm float 32 is way lighter and so are Revelations but neither can touch this fork on price.
Strengths: adjustability, travel, weight, stiffness and looks
Weaknesses: not intended for sizable jumps.
Bottom Line:
This fork is for riders who can tune their own bikes. If you cant handle concepts like negative travel and multi stage air springs seek professional help. I feel the positive pressure setting guidelines in the manual are a little too high. Start with those settings and decrease pressure and chart the results. I love the tst dial and find the recomended pressure to be good. the pedaling platform is excellent in the mid tst setting. I weigh 245 lbs. and have had no air leakage problems. This fork is very stiff for trail riding and holds the ground well in downhill turns.
Bike Setup: khs fr2000-xt-raceface cranks-hayes-thomson post+stem-pro taper bar-
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Guy
a Cross Country Rider
from Portland, OR
Date Reviewed: June 30, 2006
Strengths: Stiff build, plush, highly adjustable, reliable, and an all-around great performer.
Weaknesses: Some of the previous reviewers?
Bottom Line:
This is a follow up to my previous review. I've been on this fork for about a year now and have ridden it in a variety of conditions. It has performed flawlessly in every respect and only recently did I notice a drop in the performance (primarily in small bump sensitivity) which prompted some service from a local shop (oil change/TST service). It is now performing even better then before and I couldn't be happier. Props to the guys at Fat Tire Farm in PDX!!!
I can't help but wonder what prompts people to write such negative stuff when the problems they often describe are linked to user error or lack of knowledge as to how a product is designed to work. A little research on this site will often produce a sollution to most "problems". Before purchasing this fork I read a lot, asked a lot of questions, and went out and tried other products as well. I feel I made a very informed decision with this purchase and have been extremely pleased with it. I will also post a few things I learned about setting this thing up (copied from a post of mine)-
Base all of your air/sag adjustments around the "DH" setting on the TST and use the following formula as a start: Pos-Pos = Same, Neg = 3xPos.
I'm about 185lbs (195-200 w/gear) and run 35psi in each positive air chamber. The negative is about 130psi (for a slight travel reduction... plus I like the slightly higher negative pressure for increased small bump sensitivity). PAR is approx 5psi. My rebound is about 5-6 clicks in from full open. This set-up yeilds a very compliant, linear feel on the fork with excellent tracking characteristics. My favorite TST setting is "AM-" (one click above "DH").
To adjust your rebound (after setting up the air chambers)-
Speed it up all the way (all the way "fast") and turn it in one click. Do a "Pogo-stick" type hop, lifting the fork up. If you still hear/feel the "ping" (aka; top-out) then turn it in one more click. Repeat until the sound is no longer heard (shouldn't be more then about 5-6 clicks unless you're running a whole lot of pos pressure).
Hope this helps out a little!
Here's the actual thread-
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=191025
I hope this shines a little light into what seems to be a major issue with a lot of folks who purchased this fork. The 2005 All Mountain SL is an excellent product. If you read most of the reviews here I think you'll agree.
Submitted by
Mike Lonie
a Downhiller
from Bedford, NH, USA
Date Reviewed: June 27, 2006
Strengths: Extremely adjustable, Plenty of travel, nice looking, and just AMAZING!!! If you like to XC and still want to do a little DH/FR this fork can handle for sure.
Weaknesses: None there is nothing that is a weakness with this fork. Who ever says this for is bad is most likely a Moron.
Bottom Line:
Anyone who is looking for a rugged fork this is it. The fork is amazing for XC and DH. Its able to soak up the little stuff and take the big stuff with no problem. All in all i would say this is one of the sickest forks out there.
Favorite Trail: Mt Killington, Highland Mountain Bike Park
Duration Product Used: 3 months
Price Paid:
$350.00
Purchased At: Performance Bike
Similar Products Used: exr, marathon, shiver, and JR.T
Bike Setup: Haro Extreme 2
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
TJ Z
a Cross Country Rider
from New York New York
Date Reviewed: June 18, 2006
Strengths: Stiff as you need. Looks great. Quality build: knobs and stuff.
Weaknesses: Weight for the CC rider is a bit high.
Bottom Line:
I like this fork. I have no problems with air or oil leakage. Bottom line is the fork is well made. I would buy it again. Weight is exactly 4.5 pounds with 2" of steerer removed. The TST control works great with a super plush setting that meets my needs for rocky-rooty fast terrain so long as the air pressure is adjusted properly in negative and positive chambers. I set the fork up right the first time and have NOT touched it since for topping off. Buy this fork!
Well, its worked for me anyway...
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