Submitted by
Mike Dyck
a Cross Country Rider
from parksville BC Canada
Date Reviewed: January 19, 2004
Strengths: Everything (craftmanship)
Weaknesses: N/A
Bottom Line:
I wrote an article in 1998 about these forks. THERE GREAT ive changed the oil 4 times since 1998 and there still as good as new!! WIll recomend these shocks to anyone!!!
I've recently upgraded my stock EVO2, as above. The one thing I've kept is my three year-old Z2 Bams. These things are excellent. I've ridden many other bikes owned by friends with much newer forks and I have not been tempted. The Z2 Bams offer a superb ride, and keep it that way with little or no maintainence, which means maximum time on the trail.
Similar Products Used: my first oil/coil front shock, manitou 3 elastomer.
Bike Setup: one on a hardtail commuter bike, the other on my full suspension bike with shimano disc brakes.
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Submitted by
DAVID HAKIMI
a Weekend Warrior
from DENVER,COLORADO,USA
Date Reviewed: April 8, 2002
Strengths: VERY SMOOTH, NO PLASTIC KNOBS, OBVIOUS HIGH QUALITY CONSTRUCTION
Weaknesses: NOT STIFF ENOUGH TO USE WITH DISK BRAKES, EVEN THOUGH IT HAS TABS TO MOUNT THEM. I USE IT WITH AVID MECHANICALS, AND IT VISIBLY BENDS BACK BY A FULL INCH WHEN THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED! UGLY CROWN ASSEMBLY, THE NEW ONE PIECE CROWN IS MUCH SMOOTHER LOOKING.
Bottom Line:
BEFORE I EVER INSTALLED THE FORK, I INSTALLED THE EXTRA HEAVY SPRINGS AND ADJUSTED THE OIL HEIGHT AND WEIGHT AS RECOMMENDED BY MARZOCCHI. HOWEVER, I DID NOT SLOW DOWN THE REBOUND ADJUSTMENT ANY AFTER DOING THIS. BIG MISTAKE!!! THE EXTRA HEAVY SPRINGS CAUSED IT TO REBOUND SO FAST THAT IT TOPPED OUT SEVERELY AND TOTALLY DESTROYED THE REBOUND CARTRIDGES ON THE FIRST RIDE! HOWEVER MARZOCCHI REPLACED THEM AT NO CHARGE AND IT FEELS GREAT NOW. THE ONLY PROBLEM IS THE FACT THAT IT IS NOT LATERALLY STIFF ENOUGH FOR DISC BRAKES, EVEN THOUGH IT HAS TABS TO MOUNT THEM. IT ALSO IS TOO SHORT ON TRAVEL TO SOAK UP ANY MAJOR TRAIL OBSTACLES, I TOOK A FAMILIAR OBSTACLE THAT THE SC-90 WHITE BROTHERS REGULARLY SOAKS UP WITH EASE, AND WRECKED HARD BECAUSE IT OVERWHELMED THE 73MM Z2 BAM. FINAL VERDICT: FEELS GOOD ON RELATIVELY SMOOTH XC TRAILS, BUT NOT DESIGNED FOR FREERIDING BY ANY MEANS. V-BRAKES ARE ALSO THE WAY YOU SHOULD GO WITH IT AS WELL, AS THEY WON'T FLEX THE LEGS LIKE DISCS DO. BUY IT IF YOU WANT A HIGH QUALITY FORK TO USE WITH V-BRAKES, AND CAN LIVE WITHOUT A LOT OF TRAVEL. PROBABLY A GREAT MATCH FOR A HARDTAIL OR SOFT-TAIL, BUT IT ISN'T WELL MATCHED TO ANYTHING WITH MORE THAN 3 INCHES REAR TRAVEL.
Similar Products Used: WHITE BROTHERS SC-90, MANITOU MACH 5, ROCK SHOCK JUDY
Bike Setup: GIANT NRS, FULLY CUSTOMIZED. THOMPSON POST AND STEM, AVID MECHANICALS AND AVID ULTIMATE V LEVERS, RED MAVIC 517'S WITH HAYES ELITE HUBS, RETROFITTED TO 8 SPEED FOR RELIABILITY, ALL XT AND XTR.
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Submitted by
Fluffy
a Weekend Warrior
from Belgium
Date Reviewed: November 26, 2001
Strengths: Very plush, low maintenance, easy to adjust, perfect for my riding style.
Weaknesses: Maybe the weight, but that's not an issue for me. I know I can trust this fork.
Bottom Line:
I had it serviced once in 3 years ($50), it still feels brand new. It's plush, strong, ... Hey, it even looks good! My next fork will definetely be another Marzocchi!
Similar Products Used: RST Mozo Pro, RS Judy, Lefty
Bike Setup: Mavic wheels, Deore LX, Cane Creek, Kore, ...
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Submitted by
EDOUBLE
a Cross Country Rider
from WHEATLEY HEIGHTS ,NY
Date Reviewed: April 10, 2001
Strengths: STIFFNESS, PLUSH,TRACKING, LOW MAINT.
Weaknesses: NADA
Bottom Line:
BEING 240LBS, I CHANGED THE SPRINGS BEFORE I EVER RODE IT TO THE EXTRA HEAVY ONES.THE JUDY AND MANITOU SXR ARE GOOD FORKS FOR THE MONEY BUT THE Z2.BAM IS AWESOME. IT FLATTENS THE TRAIL YET DOSNT BOB ON THE CLIMBS.ITS TRACKING IS LIKE HAVING A RIGID FORK, NO FLEX WHATSOEVER!. IT DONT GET NO BETTER THAN THIS! SURE AIR FORKS ARE LIGHTER WEIGHT BUT SO IS THERE ALL AROUND PERFORMANCE.
Bike Setup: JAMIS DRAGON, Z2.BAM,RYNO-LITE'S W/XT HUBS,LX CRANK, XT DERAILLEURS, GRIPSHIFTERS, AVID BRAKES AND LEVERS, TIME PEDALS, HUTCHINSON PYTHON AIR LITES
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Submitted by
kyle
a Cross Country Rider
from michigan
Date Reviewed: April 9, 2001
Strengths: very plush. very adjustable.
Weaknesses: weight but not enough to make much difrence
Bottom Line:
i have dislocated both sholders in the past year and have no pain on big hits or wash boarded trails with my bomber. great fork. great price for the quality. weight is not really noticable.
Submitted by
Jon Evans
a Weekend Warrior
from Santa Rosa, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: February 5, 2001
Strengths: No flex, plush bump absorption, looks great, nice view when behind the handle bars, other riders stare at your forks
Weaknesses: None so far
Bottom Line:
These forks rock! They truly make me happy inside when I rode for the first time. I am sold on Marzocchi. I only have previous Judy XLs to compare with, and they are so much better. Its almost as dramatic a difference from rigid forks to suspension forks! When I first bought them, I worried because they didn't look like they had enough travel to take the hard hits. Don't let the looks deceive you. They work as good as they look.
Submitted by
Kurt Knock
a Cross Country Rider
from Duncan, BC, Canada
Date Reviewed: November 9, 2000
Strengths: Totally reliable!
Weaknesses: None!
Bottom Line:
I have never seen such a reliable and consistent fork. The action is very progressive, yet supple in the beginning of the stroke. I only change the oil in this fork once a year and this winter I'll put some new boots over the legs, they are starting to get a little shabby. Perfect cross country fork for those who still ride a hardtail. Low (almost no) maintenece and as close to perfect action makes this the fork to beat!
Similar Products Used: Just about everything out there.
Bike Setup: A hartail cross country bike - like you really care.
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Submitted by
Kent
a Cross Country Rider
from Bluffton, IN
Date Reviewed: November 6, 2000
Bottom Line:
Hope this fork stacks up to all of the favorable reviews I have read. I ordered the fork after breaking the brake brace on my Rock Shock Judy XC. Added weight won't be a problem as long as it is stronger than the Judy..hope hope.
Submitted by
Jake
a Weekend Warrior
from Salem Ma USA
Date Reviewed: September 27, 2000
Strengths: Buy this fork. You cannot get a fork half this good for 180 bucks. plush and stiff. This fork is very close to being the perfect XC fork.
Weaknesses: honestly none.
Bottom Line:
The first time you ride it dialed in I gaurentee you will that you will thank me or anyone else who convinced you to buy this fork. So what if its a 98 model you don't really think the technolodgy has changed behind these shocks do you. Ridden z2 xfly 2000 model and like this better. Its $179 what kind of risk are you running choosing it over a jett XC.
Go order it already and if you feel that you need to spend more money to get a good fork email me . I will give you my address and you can send me four hundred to six hundred dollars and I will buy one off of price line and resell it to you at a the above price.
Bike Setup: KHS hardtail frame with LX components.
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Submitted by
Jim
a Cross Country Rider
from Fort Collins, CO USA
Date Reviewed: September 19, 2000
Strengths: It does exactly what a shock is supposed to do.
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
These reviews get a bit redundant. That's because the Z2 is so far and away superior that folks can't help but to be happy with it. I am amazed at the difference this shock makes. It really flattens out the small stuff and does a fine job with the big hits. As I was riding one of our local trails, I started wondering whether someone had come through with a rake and smoothed the trail. The difference was staggering.
The additional weight can't be listed as a weakness. It's not a design flaw. It's just a necessary by-product of an open bath and spring system and it's this system that makes the shock so great. The fact that the damping can actually be tuned is terrific. All my past shocks claimed this as possible, but that's rubbish. Maybe I'm not "in touch with my bike", but I could never feel any difference after adjusting the damping in the Judys or Manitou. Adjust the Z2's damping and you feel it right away.
I couldn't be happier with this purchase. 101 burnt bananas.
Submitted by
Victor
a Cross Country Rider
from Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, USA
Date Reviewed: September 16, 2000
Strengths: Price, Stiffness, Adjustability
Weaknesses: None as of this point.
Bottom Line:
The look on the fork is great. The amount of travel is great compare to ones I've tested before. You can ride in any kind of terrain and it will absorb anything on the way. Adjusting the rebound/damping has been a pain in the head but it is since thats a new feature for me. Overall I like this fork so far and I am sure I will still love for many years to come.
Similar Products Used: Rock Shox Indy S, Rock Shox Jett T2, RST 260, Rock Shox Judy 100.
Bike Setup: GT Backwoods, Shimano, Trico Gel Seat, WTB Tires
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Submitted by
Julian
a Cross Country Rider
from Orange, CA
Date Reviewed: August 16, 2000
Strengths: Price, Price, Price! Plush, solid feel, great looks, easily adjustable. It's a bomber man!
Weaknesses: Dunno yet...feels a tad heavier than my pencil eraser shock, but can't feel it on the climbs.
Bottom Line:
WOW! Bike seems to fly over rocks and washboard trails, and shock plants the front wheel hard on the corners. 70mm travel eats up the big square bumps even on steep descents, and grabs the trail on the loose singletrack descents. NO FLEX! Bike totally handles like a dream compared to when I had my elastomer fork on. Pricepoint has a great deal at $180 - Don't miss out! I rode it for the first time last night so I know I have some breaking in and getting used to it to do, but already it feels amazing. My LBS said I need heavy springs for my 195lb carcass...I was fine with the stock mediums, but maybe I'll get the heavies anyway. Can't say enough about this fork...A Million Chilis!