Submitted by
mike
a Cross Country Rider
from london, ontario, canada
Date Reviewed: April 15, 2008
Strengths: while i used it it worked amazing took a 10 set no problem sturdy brake brackets for both v and disk brakes cheap fork
Weaknesses: nothing i can prove
Bottom Line:
this is a nice fork for the beggining rider i only demoed this fork at boler because marzocchi came by and let everyone try their forks they ran it very well with a survey first to see what fork was right for me they then installed it on MY bike and let me ride it as hard as i wanted for the day because i wasnt going to be held accountable for any damage i got one of the best rides ive ever taken this fork handled the jumps and drops np which surprised me judging by the look of the fork. the only concern i have with this fork was that it would take some major tuning in the winter as it is a totally pneumatic fork (it is totally based on air resistance)in cold weather air contracts then if left in the fork when the summer comes around the fork may explode?? i may be insane but even while i was riding it felt as though in the middle of the day when it was the warmest they got softer and when the night rolled around they were stiffening up sorry for the lengthy review but it was one thing that really bothered me
Similar Products Used: RST gilla T7 (nowhere near as good)
Bike Setup: hardrock 07
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Jacob
a Cross Country Rider
from Berkely, CA
Date Reviewed: June 9, 2007
Strengths: Not a fussy peice of equipment. Doesn't require the care than a more sophisticated fork does. It's better than a rigid fork, which is rare at this price.
Weaknesses: The stiction, inconsistancy of the damping, and noise care all low-rent.
Bottom Line:
Mine is the EXR Pro Coil. It's two tubes, each with a plunger and a spring in it. This is not a proper catridge damper-equiped fork like you would find at the 300 dollar price or on a motorcycle.
However it is made with quality materials and it's a good design. It absorbs different sizes and frequencies of bumps and returns the wheel to it's origional position with reasonable control. That's what a suspension fork is supposed to do and this one does it way, way better than most of the cheap forks out there.
I could spend 200 bucks and get a good deal on a nicer, more complicated fork, but I haven't done that. I could swap out to any number of nice ridgid forks, but I have done neither so far, so I guess I must like this fork.
3 Chilis overall for quality, materials, design and structural stiffness. Mediocre damping performance. Ease to maintatin.
4 for value for cheap purchase price and low cost to maintain.
Similar Products Used: Other cheap forks with elastomer and coil damping. Most of these were definitly not better than rigid forks.
Bike Setup: Aggressive/Heavy build cross country hardtail. Does everything. Does not get babied.
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Submitted by
Todd
a Downhiller
from West Linn, OR
Date Reviewed: July 21, 2006
Strengths: Pretty plush, stiff enough to get the job done, has air pressure, not just a duel coil design. pretty maintenence free. doesnt have too bad of a top out.
Weaknesses: I broke mine doing more AM duities. the travel sticks and it takes almost 2 seconds for the travel to return to normal. bobs uncontrollibly and desperatly needs a lock out feature. (this is for a EXR Comp BTW)
Bottom Line:
really, save up for a manitou black or something else. heck, yesterday I ride a manitou axel elite...my friend bought it for $125.00 new .... thats even a much better fork. marzocchi will ignore you or just say they wont fix your fork, even if its a warrenty issue.
Submitted by
Marc Gallant
a Cross Country Rider
from Moncton,NB,Canada
Date Reviewed: May 17, 2006
Strengths: I have the EXR PRO Air 105mm Stiff, strong, dosnt seem plush but its very sensitive on the trails Set it and go
Weaknesses: lack of adjustments (rebound would be nice)
Bottom Line:
this fork is perfect for what it is intended for, a good trail fork, i'm an aggressive trail rider and i weight 200 lbs. This fork gets the job done very well. With maintenance this fork should last me some time and i will ride it untill it breaks. At first i was hesitant of the Air fork because of my size, but after Pumping up the PSI to 50 it gets the job done well. It might not be as plush as the higher end forks but on the trails it's all you need. For what i got with the bike and the price i paid i can't complain one bit 4 chilis
Similar Products Used: 66VF, Jr.T, Slice Comp, MZ Comp.
Bike Setup: Have it on my Hardrock. I also have a Giant AC.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
PJ F
a Cross Country Rider
from UIO-Ec
Date Reviewed: April 10, 2006
Strengths: Srtong, excellent performance, never bottoms out (even if your weight 180 lbs), very low mainteinance,It could regulated rebound & damping with a heavier oil (you can put a 7,5 in one leg & 10 in the other)
Weaknesses: a little bit heavier(who cares if its strong enough)
Bottom Line:
This fork its what you need if you see for a strong, easy to care and you are a guy that set one time the bike and forget it about two months. Its better than a lot of more expensive forks (manitou sucks)MARZOCCHI make the best forks on earth.
Similar Products Used: RockShox Psylo, later Jr T (99 - 2000),
Bike Setup: GT Avalanche, EXR pro coil, Deore, v.brakes, WTB Weirwolf tires, formula hubs,
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Joe
a Cross Country Rider
from Fl
Date Reviewed: March 9, 2006
Strengths: set it and forget it
Weaknesses: micro adjust
Bottom Line:
I have a twin air chamber mag leg EXR pro, and if you need a 100 mm semi everything fork this one is great. After a cut steerer tube (steel) I got mine to 4.1 lbs.
Submitted by
Colby Young
a Downhiller
from halifax, nova scotia, canada
Date Reviewed: February 9, 2006
Strengths: nice feel,hardly ever bottoms unless you land really bad even tho a cross country fork ive used it for freeride and still it hardly ever bottoms color (silver lowers with gold stantions)
Weaknesses: none so far exept if you land hard enough it shakes up the open oil bath and make them too plush but this has only happened once with a bad nose dive
Similar Products Used: mazocchi mz race and comp 06 mz 1 lock up, 2002 jr t and sr duro this fork out performs all exept the jr t
Bike Setup: the exr,deore shifters and derailers,double track rims fsx pig pro headset hussefelt crank truvativ stem and bar and stem and a avid bb5 all set up on a 05 jamis komodo fx1.0
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Joel
a Weekend Warrior
from Edmonton, AB
Date Reviewed: February 9, 2006
Strengths: works for the first month, easy to handle, easy to pump up to make air adjustments, nice colour, It handles roots nicely
Weaknesses: a bit noisy, coil takes a bit of work to get to where you like it, no reboud adjust or lockout, doesn't work that great if you're riding year-round - winter in snow and sleet
Bottom Line:
Works great if you're learning to ride, but after getting some skill, its time to progress to something a little higher end where you can adjust the rebound, and maybe even have lockout.
Submitted by
sean mankiw
a Cross Country Rider
from vernon
Date Reviewed: January 16, 2006
Strengths: dosent bottom out when properly tuned good travel for the price comes with disk break mounts
Weaknesses: hard to lube if you want to properly tune them you need to do some searching on the web. cold weather makes it sticky but warms up unless your doing road riding and then it will freeze only because there is no bumps
Bottom Line:
great i love it when you lube it use a drip synthetic. and use a long zip tie and run the flat part of the tie down through the mud blocks and drip lube in that way. dripping it on the shaft or just trying to hold back the flaps wont let the lube get into the parts needed. also if you do that you will accumulate a lot of dirt. but thats just 4 mechanics advice. be carefull filling the air chamber it fills up fast. and thats about it.
Submitted by
broken
a Weekend Warrior
from columbia, mo
Date Reviewed: December 8, 2005
Strengths: f-in' strong, easy to use, easy to maintain, looks great, feels better, and best of all, it Marzocchi
Weaknesses: doesn't have ETA, had to figure out which one i had went i bought it (coil, air, internal, external adjust)
Bottom Line:
Marzocchi is the best fork manufactorer ever. They make quality products from entry level to preformance to professional level, w/o breaking the bank account. this is the best purchase i have ever made for my bike & will transfer it to my new SC Chameleon when it arrives.