Strengths: strong, stiff, does not bottom or top out, simple design, no plastic parts
Weaknesses: none, unless you like plastic dials or are a weight weeny...
Bottom Line:
I used this fork a few years ago for urban, dirt jumping and DH and it was amazing. I weight 150 (170 with all my gear) and used the fork stock. Droped it 8ft to flat tones of times and it was super plush. 12 stair gaps to flat or into stairs and it handled it all beautifully. The big fat stanctions, beefy lowers took a crazy beating and never lost it's plushness. Never felt flexy. Very little upkeep, I never even opened it. Used it for dj, dh and street and it saved my butt more than once. I took a pedal drop, 6 feet to flat and my chain skiped sending me into a nose dive and the fork took it. I have never had a fork that I felt so safe on. Not the most responsive for DH but can handle the abuse... Only reason I got rid of it was cause I stoped doing the urban thing. I now ride a psylo (got it on sale for xc) and I would fear droping it off 2feet if the grim reaper were after me, cause it would bust and I'd kill myself anyways(my psylo broke in 30 seconds on a 2" bump, no joke! and with the cost of repairs I could have just gotten myself a nice xc Marzocchi and saved over a month of riding). I can not believe people get psylos for urban when the Marz dj's are out there and cheaper. The dj3 was perfect, no dials to break, just simple strong design so you can go ride! If you want dials, get the dj2 or dj1... My next fork will definetly be a Marzocchi. My buddy droped his z3 (Marzocchi xc fork) 6 feet to flat ttill it broke and they just gave hima new one, Rock Shox warranty takes months and costs a fortune. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON ROCK SHOX, THEY STINK AND THERE SERVICE IS HORRIBLE. I MISS MY OLD MARZOCCHI, IF YOUR RIDING STREET OR DIRT JUMPING GET ONE!
Similar Products Used: Marz z3, RS psylo, Boxxer, Manitou 6
Bike Setup: planet x bommer single speed
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Bob James
a
from Aberdeen, Scotland, UK
Date Reviewed: December 9, 2005
Strengths: Super plush, very reliable, looks, price
Weaknesses: never used marzocchis before, but mine had a steerer which seemed to be a fraction of mm too wide and as a result would not sit in my original headset properly. Also some stems would not fit. Never experianced this problem before.
Bottom Line:
Mine had been heavily used for a couple of years before I got them (plating peeled off, slight oil leak in one side)but bought them as a temporary fork for a mere £20. Was very suprised with how well they worked (especially considering their condition!)and a year on, despite me neglecting them completely they still seem to be working perfectly.
Submitted by
Stuart
a Weekend Warrior
from Abbotsford, b.c, canada
Date Reviewed: July 27, 2004
Strengths: IT's really plush. Extremely light for the amount of travel. generally feels good over small jumps and drops.(3/5 feet)
Weaknesses: It's too soft for climbing and it bottoms really easily over drops bigger than six feet. (this is on a ht) however, it's not very expensive compared to the z1, so this is expected.
Bottom Line:
I'd only suggest this fork for a full suspension bike , because at least then the rear shock takes some of the impact away. overall, this is a good fork(meant for the lighter rider) Its extremely light and should soak up the hits for most. I guess i'll just have to lose some weight. MARZOCCHI ALL THE WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! peace out
Similar Products Used: z1, z2(pos), 2002 z3, 2003 drop-offs, atom bombs. (marzocchi all the way!!!!!!)
Bike Setup: 2003 oryx dd66 (gotta love chromoley frames) with blackspire ring god, deore derailler, hayes hmx, kona bar, ironhorse stem, king headset, shimano craks, blah blah blah.(i made it myself)
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Lukasz
a Cross Country Rider
from Warsaw, Poland
Date Reviewed: July 8, 2004
Strengths: sensitivity, dumping, looks
Weaknesses: very soft. you can fell it very well on uphill tracks.
Bottom Line:
Best buy for the money. Pretty durable, too. It is 3 years old and works just perfect, WAY better then a lot of new forks I tested.
Similar Products Used: RST crap, Judy XC and few others on other people bikes
Bike Setup: XT, hardtail, always-covered-by-dirt(tm) system
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Mat
a Weekend Warrior
from Melb, Australia
Date Reviewed: March 27, 2004
Strengths: These forks are so smooth and plush. Strong, durable, unbreakable!
Weaknesses: None so far
Bottom Line:
I bought a 2001 model secondhand, and was half-expecting to have to get a rebuild. After a weeks riding i found the only thing wrong with them were a few minor scratches, and the stickers are sort of peeling off. i'm fairly light (110 lbs) and i can't run them at their softest as they are just so plush. it's great after coming off a set of forks that i could barely get 20mm of travel out of. The seals still haven't leaked. these forks are great for everything i have used them for- cross country, light freeride,trailriding,ANYTHING! well done to Marzocchi on such a superb fork. GO AND BUY THESE FORKS NOW!!!
Bike Setup: 03 Mongoose pro Rockadile LED- Alivio rear, Acera front, MGD cable discs, Alex rims, Z3 bombers.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Jon Songster
a Cross Country Rider
from Moscow Idaho
Date Reviewed: June 26, 2003
Strengths: Much better feel then air shox, plenty of travel
Weaknesses: Heavy, not very adjustable
Bottom Line:
Seems like a pretty good fork, its heavy but so what. Loose some weight if you care about the .3 lbs. It was a cheap upgrade from the manitou six I was using and it looks damn nice.
Submitted by
will
a Cross Country Rider
from st cloud MN
Date Reviewed: October 10, 2002
Bottom Line:
i used the Z3 on my buddy's trek Y5. he has a fox vannila on back, so it took some of the attention away from it fork. but i rode on his bike before the Z3 went on, and i have to tell you, i felt damn invincible with that fork. it soaks up stairs and takes all the hit out of most drops.
Strengths: No flex, compared to various Judys and SIDs I've used before. Very nice on rocky downhills; the wheel tracks a lot straighter. Gets full 4" of travel.
Weaknesses: Heavy for XC racing. The plushness hurts on technical climbs where I'd like to lift the wheel over obstacles. I've still not been able to get the quality of travel through the whole stroke. I find the initial inch or so is too "soft," then it firms up toward the bottom. I may change the oil this winter. Also, the instruction manual is harder to decipher than Chinese algebra. I felt like I could rebuild any Rock Shox, and if I screwed up, the manual would help me out. Not Marzocchi.
Bottom Line:
Thumbs up for stiffness and getting full, supple travel. Thumbs down for indecipherable manual, cheapo plastic rebound knob. I'm neutral on the weight because it's not billed as a lightweight shock. I give it three peppers because I like to do my own work and the bleepin' manual won't let me do that. With a better manual, the Z3 would get a 4...
Similar Products Used: Various Rock Shox Judys and SIDs.
Bike Setup: Santa Cruz Heckler, XT, Fox Float rear shock. Black mainframe looks slick with polished rear triangle and polished Z3 which I "destickered." Gets lots of compliments.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Dan Munson
a Cross Country Rider
from Fort Collins, CO, USA
Date Reviewed: September 25, 2002
Strengths: Great fork with very smooth travel and easy adjustment.
Weaknesses: In cold weather the shock can stiffen a bit and travel can be slightly compromised.
Bottom Line:
Great fork for the weekend warrior or for a XC junkie. Easy adjustment, at low pressures absorbs the tiny bumps and the biguns' and at higher pressures will take anything you throw at it. Exceptional value for the price. Stands up great in race situations, although it does weigh a little more then some of the higher end shocks, it is able to preform with the best of them.
After riding a Judy, which is the biggest piece of deuce ever, my bomber just simply rocks! I'm heavy(195), but add a little air, which is totally easy, and you're off. I've done some 4 foot drops just testing it, and all I have to say is solid. Soaks up the little stuff and hammers the big stuff. Rock Shox=deuce, Bomber=rock solid
Similar Products Used: Judy TT-(TT=totally terrible?)
Bike Setup: 98 Stumpy, xt all over
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Vern
a Cross Country Rider
from Middletown CT
Date Reviewed: July 30, 2002
Strengths: Ride, stiffness, price
Weaknesses: Rebound adjustment
Bottom Line:
An excellent fork, and an unbelievable value. Exponentially plusher and stiffer than anything else I've tried (see above). The bike is much more controllable in rough stuff, due both to the plushness and stiffness. The rebund is a pain in the @** to adjust, but the fork rebounds too hard out of the box, so it should be done.
Strengths: Smoth ride on the little stuff. Light weight and little maintence.
Weaknesses: Bottoms out everywhere need to buy thick oil and the toughest springs
Bottom Line:
Great for a ride in the park but don't drop anything bigger than a couple of feet. I'm 200lbs. and starting to ride harder. They took the 10ft. drop with a flat landing they didn't break but they hit REALLY hard.
Submitted by
MntnMan
a Weekend Warrior
from New Jersey
Date Reviewed: November 19, 2001
Strengths: Plush, stiff, light (compared to RS Jett), smooth, and looks great.
Weaknesses: Haven't found any yet
Bottom Line:
I love this fork. I noticed a huge difference the first time I road it. It seems lighter (may be my imagination) than the Jett, handles beautifully, smooths out the little stuff, handles the big stuff like trees, roots, rocks and small drops real well. Makes riding seem less like work now and much more fun. Found the fork on sale and couldn't be happier. And the bright silver finish looks cool.
Here's a pic of it. [ATTACH]255605[/ATTACH] The only reason I'm getting rid of it is because I just got an 06 MX Pro with more travel. Needed to correct geometry issues with my fra Read More »
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help, anyone? my bomber z3, leaks oil on the left side, thru the arch and slider connection even tough I changed the seals with brand new ones.could You suggest a solution?Thanks! Read More »
Swapped out the seals and when I try to torque the foot nuts, they spin along with the internals, won't tighten up. I am hesitant to hit them with an impact or even a cordless dril Read More »
