Submitted by
Matthew DeLap
a Cross Country Rider
from Richmond Virginia
Date Reviewed: June 10, 2009
Strengths: Bank Vault solidity
Weaknesses: Weight - easily compensated for after you get used to it!
Bottom Line:
Biggest, Baddest fork I could ever hope for! Takes anything you can throw at it. Never barks back. Could be the beefiest fork out there. It would be hard going back to riding any other model at this point.
Bike Setup: ironhorse warior 4.0 bomber monster t 2005 diablos face facecrank animal bedals and holly rollers 26 x 2.7
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Submitted by
Mark
a Weekend Warrior
from Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: October 4, 2006
Strengths: The monster T's are amazing. They are super plush, don't bottom and are incredibly progressive
Weaknesses: Are you kidding me?? the words weakness and Monster T should never be found in the same sentence.
Bottom Line:
Plain and simple, this fork is absolutely indistructable. It is super smooth all the way through the travel and very progressive. I do a lot of urban riding, and I have never bottomed these forks out. Also, the weight is not really an issue. You get used to it very quickly and hardly notice it is there. the fork also handles like a dream on the trails. if you want to find a great fork that won't bottom out off anything, feels super smooth and wont break, look no further. The Monster T is the answer, and if you don't believe it, just try one!!
Similar Products Used: Marzocchi Drop off triples (not a good idea) Manitou sherman slider plus
Bike Setup: 05 Kona stinky, shimano saint rear with an arrow racing DH rim, race face, truvative, shimano deore hydro brakes, 5th element rear shock and Monster T's
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Submitted by
Joel brazzoni
a Downhiller
from sudbury ontario
Date Reviewed: May 18, 2006
Strengths: super stiff, bottomless travel,good ajustability
Weaknesses: not good for cross country, bobs abit even with compression cranked up
Bottom Line:
this fork has saved my bacon lots, super stiff and plush, bottomless when tuned properly. i'v riden the crap out of it for 2 years but maintained it and it rides like new. Best hucking and big drop fork out there. Get one if you brake stuff it wont let you down! value 5 because wont fail you 4 overall because hard to pedal around, but you get use to it
Bike Setup: santacruz V-10 03 monster t and other tastys
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Submitted by
Eder Giovani Savio
a Weekend Warrior
from Florinópolis - Brazil
Date Reviewed: July 13, 2005
Strengths: Lateral stiffness, plush and progressive travel (green spring). Low and easy maintenance. Strong. Extremely trustable. Long life. The website of Marzocchi is very good.
Weaknesses: 10 lbs. Old design. No brake hose guides.
Bottom Line:
The natural evolution of Monster 2002 is not Monster 2003, but the 888. I had a Monster 2003 and I really became disappointed. It is very heavy (12 lbs) and is not so plush.
Just buy a new Monster (2003 and < ) if you want to jump from roof. If you want really ride for fun, forget them.
I'm thinking about to buy a 888 or 66, but I'll break my heart if my old monster lady go home...
I'll give the max rating because the old monsters are historical and yet are in excellent work for low price. As well, if you are a massive guy, it is an excellent agressive all mountain fork.
Similar Products Used: Monster 2001, Monster 2003, Jr T 2004, Boxxer 2001, Z1 MCR 2001.
Bike Setup: Remec DH Word Cup Carbon Fiber, Hayes 8", Roox parts, Shimano XT.
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Submitted by
Ericsimeon
a Downhiller
from W los angeles ca USA
Date Reviewed: January 31, 2005
Strengths: strong,smooth,nice and plush very adjustable.
Weaknesses: Inever know its got one.
Bottom Line:
well built,lived up to its name and with confident.from the headset down to the axel shown no weakness at all.it makes alot more fun being on a trail with a monster,folks sees why drops and obstacle becomes carefree with enjoyment.Marzocchi guys got it all thank you.folks should consider purchasing a monsterT,when riding to huck and drop.
Strengths: Beefy, Never dies, Pluuuuush, Bolt on fiesta, '99 is 'light' for a monster
Weaknesses: nothing? uses a lot of oil heh
Bottom Line:
got a super deal on a bleeding, beat up '99 monster. New seals, some sanding, JB weld and new oil made it feel as good as new. Other forks might be more high tech, newer, prettier or lighter but nothing I've ridden feels as good as a properly tuned old school monster. For $200, it should get 10 flaming turds.
Weaknesses: Can you see a weakness on this thing? Takes a month or so to get used to the weight, but that's about it.
Bottom Line:
I'll admit the first time I took this beast for a ride I thought I made a HUGE mistake as the weight gain is enormous... But after a few rides too get aquainted, you couldn't pay me enough to get rid of this bad boy. HUGELY confidence inspiring, and allows for drops that otherwise would be pretty much imposible. I couldn't pass up the year end sale on the 03's for only 1000can,/700us. I couldn't give a RAT'S @SS if I'm walking up every hill I have to go up, the ride down more than makes up for it. Bullet proof.. I bent my Junior T in the first month, (and frame) but this thing will take anything I can throw at it and then some.
Weaknesses: could be said to be a bit on the heavy side
Bottom Line:
Here's an opinion from someone who is not a superhero doing 20ft drops to flat and 50ft road gaps. I came from riding an XC bike to my current one. Psylo's to Monster Ts. So thats about as big a difference as you're gonna get. Yeah takes a bit of getting used to picking up the front end, but you get used to it. Land it right and these things just eat up the drops. You really don't notice the weight at speed.
If you are buying a freeride bike and trying to keep things light, probably not the fork for you (go the super T) but if you're getting a heavy beast anyway...whats an extra few pounds.
Yes these forks are good, very good infact. They have 7" of Travel. And its real Travel. However, these forks will not be perfect for every one straight out of the box. If you weigh over 190lbs you will need to upgrade to heavy springs, the standard mediums just won't be hard enough.
As for performance, again its very good. The springs are progressive so the fork works well over small stuff as well as big hits. They are very adjustable, but will take time to bed in.
My Monsters had to be returned to the suppliers after only 15 minutes of riding, due to an oil leak on the rebound cartridge, but that was just due to a 'Friday afternoon' fork. Once it was replaced, the fork was fine.
Expect the Monsters to take at least 10 hours of riding to bed in properly. Mine took 2 days in Morzine to loosen up.
As for the weight, well that just depends on the bike you are putting them on and your own weight. I personally don't find the weight a problem. The Stab is a beefy bike anyway, and I found that adding the Monsters instead of the MX'6 actually added some needed weight to the front to balance the bike anyway. You will need to be pretty strong to chuck a DH rig around anyway, so what difference does a few pounds make anyway?
When you look down at the stanchions (40mm) they do inspire confidence. The 20mm bolt thru' also adds incredible stiffness to the steering. I never realised how much QR's flexed until I went Bolt Thru'.
The decals are extremely hard wearing. They must be 2mm thick! Anyone who has spent a week in Morzine / Les Gets will know that most damage to bikes seems to occur on the Ski lifts. Most of the lads in my group suffered damaged fork decals, but not me!
Due to the width of the crowns, the turning circle is good. 90 degree cross ups are possible.
So, Bottom Line: Now they are available for less than £500 I think they are wicked VFM. They are very strong, there is no Flex, and the Travel is very Plush. Marzocchi have been around for years, and have a lot of exerience in suspension systems due to their involvement in Motorbikes. Their systems are good, and well proven. If you don't want to pay the wedge for boxxers, buy Monster Ts instead. Its a lot of fork for your money.
Bike Setup: 2k Stab Dee-Lux, Monsters, Hope Big Un's, Enduro's, Race Face.
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Submitted by
Eric
a Weekend Warrior
from Phoenix, AZ
Date Reviewed: November 12, 2001
Strengths: Super stiff, lots of travel, very plush, great looks!
Weaknesses: None anymore.
Bottom Line:
This is a follow up from my previous post. This fork is awesome. Stairs, I don't feel them. It is heavy, but I can still manual my bike no prob, due to the new top tube angle. The oil leak on mine was a faulty seal that self destructed. No one could figure out why, but I got it replaced and now I have no problems whatsoever! Super plush, super smooth fork. I give it the full rating!
Submitted by
Slick Rick
a Downhiller
from Tiger Mt., WA
Date Reviewed: August 22, 2001
Strengths: Super stiff, plush, soaks up everything.
Weaknesses: It's pretty heavy, if you're a woman. I'm 15, and it's no problem.
Bottom Line:
Boosts your confidance and allows you to do things that could destroy lesser forks. I overshot a 12' drop and landed flat, but the fork was fine. If you ride hard, need a plush fork, and you have the money necessary, this is the fork you should be on.
Strengths: Truly a Monster,hence the name.Bombproof internals,great seals,plenty of adjustibility.7"?This feels like 10".ABSOLUTELY NO FLEX AT ALL!Eats anything and everything you throw at it.This is one badass piece 'o' machinery!!
Weaknesses: 10 lbs of weight,too damn heavy to be much good as a DH racing fork.Compared to my Super-8 equipped with a X-Vert Carbon,this fork added close to five pounds,all on the front.Makes it hard to pick up the front end for wheelie drops(though it's not a big deal--shift your weight back and you may just slam right over the obstacle with no harm done). Even my Superstar 7.0,which gets the same travel,is almost as stiff,and feels just as good over big hits(and BETTER on small hits),weighs about 2 pounds less.On the front end of the bike,that does make a big difference in handling. Okay,I've bitc%ed enough.The weight is really the only fault I have with the fork.The rest is so good everything else is nitpicking.
Bottom Line:
A great fork if you don't mind the extra poundage.Definitely worth the money if you are into house-dropping,Northeast DH racing(which is as technical as it comes),or are a fat-ass DH racer/freerider who beats the sh$t out of lesser,lightweight forks. Me?I weigh 160-170 lbs,so a 10-lb fork is overkill.I still love the Monster.I only got the Stratos for my Brooklyn because my Brooklyn is a considerably heavier bike than my old Super-8 and I wanted it to stay below the 52-pound mark(I succeeded,even with Doublewide rims,3" tires,and Profile cranks.Don't ask me how.Voodoo maybe?) Anyway,if you're a big DH'er sick of constantly maintaining and bending light forks,the Monster is for you.It's one of the best forks out there,even compared to some of the more expensive manufacturers like Risse,Mr.Dirt,and Avalanche.If you're more of a svelte,finesse-oriented rider,consider Stratos' offerings.They lack nothing compared to the Monster and are a good deal lighter(read:more raceable).They are also slightly less expensive. 4.5(rounds down to 4,sorry)nuclear sh%ts overall.It would've gotten a 5 had it been a pound or two lighter...
Strengths: Truly a Monster,hence the name.Bombproof internals,great seals,plenty of adjustibility.7"?This feels like 10".ABSOLUTELY NO FLEX AT ALL!Eats anything and everything you throw at it.This is one badass piece 'o' machinery!!
Weaknesses: 10 lbs of weight,too damn heavy to be much good as a DH racing fork.Compared to my Super-8 equipped with a X-Vert Carbon,this fork added close to five pounds,all on the front.Makes it hard to pick up the front end for wheelie drops(though it's not a big deal--shift your weight back and you may just slam right over the obstacle with no harm done). Even my Superstar 7.0,which gets the same travel,is almost as stiff,and feels just as good over big hits(and BETTER on small hits),weighs about 2 pounds less.On the front end of the bike,that does make a big difference in handling. Okay,I've bitc%ed enough.The weight is really the only fault I have with the fork.The rest is so good everything else is nitpicking.
Bottom Line:
A great fork if you don't mind the extra poundage.Definitely worth the money if you are into house-dropping,Northeast DH racing(which is as technical as it comes),or are a fat-ass DH racer/freerider who beats the sh$t out of lesser,lightweight forks. Me?I weigh 160-170 lbs,so a 10-lb fork is overkill.I still love the Monster.I only got the Stratos for my Brooklyn because my Brooklyn is a considerably heavier bike than my old Super-8 and I wanted it to stay below the 52-pound mark(I succeeded,even with Doublewide rims,3" tires,and Profile cranks.Don't ask me how.Voodoo maybe?) Anyway,if you're a big DH'er sick of constantly maintaining and bending light forks,the Monster is for you.It's one of the best forks out there,even compared to some of the more expensive manufacturers like Risse,Mr.Dirt,and Avalanche.If you're more of a svelte,finesse-oriented rider,consider Stratos' offerings.They lack nothing compared to the Monster and are a good deal lighter(read:more raceable).They are also slightly less expensive. 4.5(rounds down to 4,sorry)nuclear sh%ts overall.It would've gotten a 5 had it been a pound or two lighter...
