Submitted by
Allan
a Weekend Warrior
from Santa Cruz
Date Reviewed: May 21, 2003
Strengths: Stable, predictable, good dampening; lockout works
Weaknesses: None at this time
Bottom Line:
Faster downhill; goes over bumps and holes without deflection off course; absorbs better than Judys; Faster uphill due to ECC. Have done some sections that I felt unstable on before changing the fork
Bike Setup: Santa Cruz Superlight, XT, Fox Vanilla shock
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Submitted by
Dom New York City
a Cross Country Rider
from new york city
Date Reviewed: January 21, 2003
Strengths: Great looks, Plush damping over obsticles, Soft returns. ECC works like it should. Runs great on low PSI- Please check your weight to psi on shock. great quailty,
Weaknesses: For the price, i should have gotten the pump to, and a shirt, Cumbersome air adapter (when Screwing it in) Little caps that cover air valves can be lost once removed,
Bottom Line:
Shocks preform well , On the trails were it counts, its great reponsive, plush asborbtion, Great travel , Light. Most Meanest looking shock around. These shock takes great punishment , Jump and XC with confedence, MARZOCCHI X-fly-100 2002
Similar Products Used: Judy XC, head shock,Marzocchi Z-100 Fly light,Rockshock SID
Bike Setup: Rocky Mountain DH-element Hayes,XTR,XT,RaceFace,SUN,AZONIC,
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Submitted by
ill
a Downhiller
from Rockies
Date Reviewed: January 10, 2003
Strengths: Stiff, fairly light, good support.
Weaknesses: Came with seals that were bad.
Bottom Line:
This is for a 2002 (Stephen...that doesn't mean 2001) Xfly 100. Mine came with bad stiction that didn't go away. One call to marzocchi and they fixed it without question. The thing is now super smooth and the ECC works immediately when activated. I really like the Fox forx, but Fox's support can suck and I like the ECC more than lockout.
Similar Products Used: Other manitou, rockshox, Fox.
Bike Setup: On my SC superlight XC rig.
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Submitted by
Stephen
a Racer
from Dallas, TX
Date Reviewed: October 2, 2002
Strengths: Cheap, got 2001 model for onlt $250
Weaknesses: Less travel that claimed Poor compression stroke
Bottom Line:
-Travel on X-Fly 80 isn't nearly the full 80mm, more like 65mm -My fork had so much stiction out-of-the-box that I couldn't stand to ride the thing over little bumps. In order to get the fork responsive enough over fast small hits, I had to lower the air pressure so much that it bottomed out on hard hits. -The stickers are started to come off after only 5hrs of riding. This was the worst air sprung fork I have ever used. The only reason that I'm giving it a rating of 3 is that it was cheap. I have replaced it after only 1 month of riding with a Fox.
Weaknesses: -Purchased 2001 Model (Because I Could Not Afford 2002 Model With ECC) -Creaking Sound @ Crown/Stanchion Tube Assembly -Problem w/ Drive-Side Schrader Valve
Bottom Line:
In a nutshell - here's what happened... I bought a 2001 X-Fly 80 a few weeks ago - and earlier this week (Monday or Tuesday - I think Tuesday) the fork began to creak and seemed to read an inaccurate air pressure amount in the drive-side leg. I called Tech Services at Marzocchi - and spoke with Ronnie Dilman and Brian Weilgasz. This was Wednesday afternoon. I told Ronnie that I wanted to have the fork inspected because of the creaking and also the issue with the air pressure. He agreed that if I sent it via 'Overnight' courier service - he could inspect it and repair it on Thursday and then 'Overnight' it back to me for Friday delivery. Well - I got my fork back today (Friday) via UPS Red ("Overnight" - by 10:30) - and both stanchion tubes were replaced, the crown assembly (including steerer) and schrader valve cores replaced - along with a complete rebuild (just to make sure things are working properly). My out-of-pocket cost = $0 (other than the shipping to Marzocchi - which I think was more than worth it). Both Ronnie and Bryan were very helpful in explaining what seemed to have happened with the fork - and they fully stand behind their product and warranty. Thanks Ronnie - Thanks Bryan! I'll post again if I find that my warranty replacement/repair after I have had some time to romp about on the X-Fly. P.S. I had no problem contacting Marzocchi via their website. Yes - you need to fill out a customer profile - but this takes maybe 1-2 minutes (max.) - but you can also go directly to their company info and find the direct number to Marzocchi USA - in Valencia, California. I sent an e-mail and had a response from Ronnie the same day - which is how we coordinated the whole warranty replacement/rebuild. Quality customer service in my honest opinion...(This is the very reason I switched back to Marzocchi...)
Similar Products Used: 1999 'Zoke Z2 BAM, 2000 'Zoke X-FLY, 2000 Rock Shox SID XC, 2001 Manitou MARS Elite
Bike Setup: Cove 'Handjob', X-Fly 80, SRAM 9.0, King Wheelset/Headset, Thomson, blah-blah-blah...
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Submitted by
Troy McClure
a Weekend Warrior
from Springfield
Date Reviewed: August 11, 2002
Strengths: Fairly light and strong. Solid construction. ECC is the best thing since sliced bread.
Weaknesses: Took a looooong time to break in. ECC doesn't engage completely right away.
Bottom Line:
Not too many people reviewed this product, so I thought I'd put in my two cents. Great, great fork. ECC is worth every penny. It lowers the front end and makes the bike climb like no other 100mm fork can. My only complaint is the ECC doesn't engage completely right away, it often takes a pump or two.
Also, marzocchis documentation states 3 different oil levels depending on where you look. I ended up using 40mm from the top, and that seems to work best.
On a side note. Some people complain about brake rub using the ECC and v-brakes. I've never had this issue, its a good idea to have high quality hubs and skewers.
Similar Products Used: Other manitous and rock shox.
Bike Setup: SC Superlight. King headset & hubs. Salsa steel skewer.
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Submitted by
Andy Watson
a Cross Country Rider
from Cheltenham, England
Date Reviewed: July 1, 2002
Strengths: Looks great, tracks well, really smooth when bedded in, EEC good for the uphills if not too rough, good range of rebound adjustment
Weaknesses: The Cryofit crown
Bottom Line:
Really nice forks, loved them to bit until the crown began creaking 3 weeks in! Old Zocchis did this 2 years ago, and had 2 crowns b4 I sold 'em on. Thought the problem would have been solved, apparently not. UK importer said it is not a safety issue, will never break (i believe them) but for the thing to creak so soon!!!!! Sent em back to the shop I got them to see what they say, not sure what to do if they will change them, maybe give Rock Shox Dukes a go?? Only 3 overall, as the crowns still creak, years down the cryofit road!!
Similar Products Used: Pace PC2, Z2 Atom, Manitou sx,
Bike Setup: Klein, full XTR, Hope Disc Brakes, Race Face, etc
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Submitted by
Chas
a Racer
from Upper St, NY
Date Reviewed: June 24, 2002
Strengths: VERY PLUSH!!! ECC lockout, very light, stiff, dependable. Adjustable rebound.
Weaknesses: Not really a weakness, but could use air for rebound instead of coil. Could probably drop about .2 lbs for all the weight weenies out there.
Bottom Line:
First, this is a review of the 2002 X-Fly 100.
The shock took a little while to "break in". Before it does, there is quite a bit of stiction. Once that break in period is over, WOW!!!! This fork is just so much better than my SID as the stantions accept a wider tire and are a bit stiffer. (Much better for me as my riding style is aggressive.) I love the ECC lockout as the geometry of the bike drops while climbing...making me an entirely different rider.
I got a great deal on the shock from Angelo at PhatTire...thanks brother, you really hooked me up!!!
Bottom line...you will not be dissappointed with this shock.
Submitted by
Ward Tuttle
a Cross Country Rider
from Sunnyvale, CA
Date Reviewed: June 5, 2002
Strengths: Stiff and plush, ECC, 4" of travel.
Weaknesses: Coil negative spring instead of air. Incorrect oil levels from factory.
Bottom Line:
I think this a great fork. Marzocchi finally seems to have all of the bugs worked out of its x-fly line. It's plush, stiff and relatively light. The ECC works very well, it really makes climbing steep sections much easier and allows me to climb some that would be unrideable without it. The only downside is that it could be lighter if it had a air negative spring instead of coil. Also, the oil levels were incorrect from the factory. There was WAY too much oil in it which caused the spring rate to ramp up very quickly and make it very stiff. Once I changed the oil levels to the proper height, it worked MUCH better.
Submitted by
Jake
a Racer
from Woodinville Washingto US of A
Date Reviewed: June 3, 2002
Strengths: light, shiny
Weaknesses: i really dont like the travel, damping etc. its also a btich to keep looking good
Bottom Line:
i really dont like these forks, they arent really suited to my riding style (very very agressive)im think aboot gettin some marzocchi dirt jumpers next
Bike Setup: 99' Ellsworth Sub 22, Truvativ cranks, shimano deore XT component group, mavic x223 rims laced to shimano xt disc hubs, avid mech brakes
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Submitted by
BVBR
a Racer
from Ocomukowonawaukesha, WI
Date Reviewed: October 25, 2001
Strengths: Zero flex, very adjustable damping, best quality travel around, adjustable travel (if you're mechanically inclined), excellent customer service, versatility (spring kits available to make it a coil fork).
Weaknesses: poor quality control at factory (valve core depth not precise enough, oil not filled to specs), polished finish is a pain to keep looking good, cryofit began to creak. Price (that is, if you paid $600, like me), manual has inconsistencies RE: oil levels, requires pump adapter
Bottom Line:
I have the 2001 xfly 100. I've been happy with the performance of this fork and it has taken me to numerous podium finishes racing this year. However, I have been extremely frustrated at the poor quality control issues that plagued me when I first purchased it. Here's my story:
Sweet! Got my fork from Speedgoat. I wonder how I put air in this baby. Hmmm, looks like I need an adapter, and a owners manual would be nice. Called Speedgoat and it was on the way. Also, ordered the pump from Marzocchi....and 3 weeks later it arrived.
Got my adapter & manual, and pump. Pumped it up, according to the manual, removed the pump, psssssssssssssst, and lost a bunch of air. This only happened on the left side. So I called Speedgoat, they were super-cool and said send the fork back and they would send me another.
Sweet! Got my replacement xfly, this time with an adapter & manual. So I got out my pump, pumped it up, removed the pump, pssssssssssssssst, and lost half of the air, once again only in the left leg. I've dealt with air shocks before, and I know this isn't how they're suppossed to work. I decided to examine those top caps with the air fittings. I measured the depth of the valve cores in the top caps. Seems as though my left valve core was a few mm higher than the right. That explains the air loss. The valve pin remains depressed as you remove the adapter. I fixed it by machining my own adapter (something I shouldn't have to do with a $600 fork).
While I had the top caps off, I noticed that the oil levels where way different. One leg was nearly full, the other had considerably less oil, that couldn't be right. After consulting mtbr.com tech talk & contacting Marzocchi service I found it wasn't right. So they're shipping the forks with incorrect oil levels??!! Also, the owners manual and online manual have inconsitencies RE: oil heights. Anyway, I fixed that. Now everything works great, except now (10 months later) the cryofit has begun to creak. So I sent the whole fork into 'Zokes for 3 weeks of service (luckily I just got my new Marathon). They replaced the top caps, the arch, the crown and stancions, would have been easier to replace the whole fork if you ask me. Everything works, the air caps work as intended, the cryofit doesn't creak, and I guess I'm trusting the Marzocchi tech put the right amount of oil in legs.
As far as value goes, I paid $600 for mine (with a free King headset from speedgoat). For $600 I expect a PERFECT product, without all the glitches I encountered.
I like the overall performance of this fork. I also like the versatility. I was able to drop the travel to 90mm with spacers. I can also add coil springs to make it a coil fork, if I want.
I also must say that Marzocchi was super about standing behind their product. They also have staff cruising the mtbr.com tech talk to answer questions. That alone salvaged what could have been a much worse rating.
Similar Products Used: Marzocchi xc 500, Girvin Elite, Rock Shox Judy, Marzocchi Marathon
Bike Setup: SC Superlight
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Submitted by
clive
a Cross Country Rider
from Victoria,BC, Canada
Date Reviewed: October 21, 2001
Strengths: this review for the 02 Marathon.
smooth action, ridgity, 2 stage lock out is much improved over previous efforts
Weaknesses: at this price a shock pump should be included
Bottom Line:
this fork combines the smooth compression of a sid with the ridgity that marzocchi is known for. I found the sids to be built far too light for tech terrain, almost unpleasant due to excess flex and the other marzocchi air forks had only marginal compression performance. When I am riding with this fork I forget that I have a race fork up front, it's that good. This is by far the nicest race fork I have tried the only downside is that it is also the most expensive on the market.
Similar Products Used: superfly, x-fly, various sids
Bike Setup: norco team Ti, xtr, race face, easton
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Submitted by
Brian
a Cross Country Rider
from San Diego, CA
Date Reviewed: October 16, 2001
Strengths: Cheap, plush, relatively light, looks badass, responsive for a light rider like me
Weaknesses: Kinda hard to keep a single crown 4" fork stiff, no pump included, instruction manual is not that great but decent, damping could be a bit faster, like any new part you need time to break it in
Bottom Line:
For $279, it gives the a run for the money, and I've heard excellent reviews of the Duke SL. There's said to be much improvement in the sealing and stiffness over the 2000 model. The 100 weighs about 3.5lbs, which is a pound lighter than the XC's I originally had. My bike never felt so soft landing off small jumps on downhillls. It's a bit flexy, but stiffer than the XC. If you can still get these for $279 at Supergo, I'd get one. It's just a great value. Hopefully, this X-Fly will be everything I would expect of Marzocchi. 4 chilis, could be stiffer.
