Submitted by
Jay Man
a Cross Country Rider
from Cairns Australia Date Reviewed: October 20, 2009
Favorite Trail:
All Cairns trails
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$200.00
Purchased At:
Came with my GT 3
Strengths:
Looks good
Weaknesses:
Heavy, sticky, Bluddy crap.
Similar Products Used:
Fox, Rockies.
Bike Setup:
Standard 2008 GT Force 3
Bottom Line:
After having read all the other reviews, I don't feel too bad now. My GT is an all mountain bike and these forks are obviously not siuted for this nor any rough xc style riding which is what I ride mostly. A week after having the bike the forks started sticking and making noises. Then last week they felt soft and saggy and when wanting to pump them up noticed oil coming out of the valve. I am a light rider (75kg). I am so disappointed with Marzocchi. It has put me off ever purchasing this brand again. I have sent them off for a warranty reapir.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
machinehead
a Weekend Warrior
from Denver, NC, USA Date Reviewed: September 26, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Lake Norman State Park
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$200.00
Purchased At:
Jensen
Strengths:
Major upgrade from Rock Shox Pilot. Tubes are 30% larger and seals are much better, the whole thing is much sturdier. Absorbs hits pretty well. The label on the fork says XC only and this holds true for me. The XC600 takes some pretty good hits considering.
Eastern Trails are made of roots as is well known.
A good test of a fork here is plowing downhill in the woods across millions of these roots. If you can make it down the hill at full speed and not fly over the bars or bounce off the trial, you're doing great.
Amazingly this fork works well for that. It takes some practice to set it up correctly so I carry a shock pump with me to adjust the fork depending on what trail I am on.
Weaknesses:
There is about 10mm of sag that won't let the fork extend all the way even with 50 psi. I believe the fork oil is too thin.
When adjusting the air pressure some oil leaks out of the valve.
The so called lock out lever does not have sufficient notches to hold the lever in intermediate positions. But I always ride it unlocked anyway so it doesn't bother me too much.
Similar Products Used:
Rock Shox Pilot
Bike Setup:
Giant NRS3 with some upgrades.
Bottom Line:
If you have a bike with a crappy skinny tube fork like the Pilot, or want to add suspension to a rigid, this is a good upgrade. It serves the purpose it was intended for, Cross Country.
I noted before that oil leaks when adjusting the air pressure. This oil is very light and I intend to replace it and the cartridge side oil with 15wt Good Quality motorcycle fork oil this winter. I believe the oil in this fork is too thin. Common problem on some dirt bikes too.
The fork rebounds great over whoops and gravity wells. Takes moderate drops too. Since they are such a big improvement over the Pilots, I am going faster. The limiting factor for me now with these forks are my tires.
I think some people might want to use this fork for All Mountain or Freeride. Unhappily this fork will not work for that.
But if you are an average to aggressive non-racing Trail Rider, it is a good deal. For around $200 I can't think of a cheaper better fork.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
zander4
a Cross Country Rider
from Atlanta GA Date Reviewed: June 18, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Ft. Yargo
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$189.00
Purchased At:
JensonUSA
Strengths:
Looks good,price
Weaknesses:
Noisey! Very soft even with full air preload.Not for anyone over 170 lbs.The TST2 is a joke.It's either open or locked out.Mine developed a clicking noise after a few rides.
Similar Products Used:
Manitou,Rock Shox
Bottom Line:
Def. not built in Italy anymore.On top of already being noisey, mine developed a bad clicking sound in the TST within a week.I sent it back to Marzocchi at my expense.Their warranty turnover is 3 weeks.So after getting it back a month later I took my bike out and after about 15 miles of trail riding it started poping again worse than the first time.I called Marzocchi about this and they said to send it back again at my expense to repair again.Did not offer to just give me a new one.So my good price deal turned out to be a nightmare.Marzochhi can kiss my @#%!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
arctic slalom
a Cross Country Rider
from Rochester, MN Date Reviewed: June 5, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Maah Daah Hey
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$189.00
Purchased At:
Jenson USA
Strengths:
stiff, tracks good, black stantions are nice touch.
Weaknesses:
stiction at higher air pressure; no through axle, limited adjustments....rebound is kinda goofy....no STOP limit on either end leaved me guessing.
Similar Products Used:
older marzocchi
Bike Setup:
blur classic, SRAM stuff, Mavic 717
Bottom Line:
a good value priced fork. for $189 there is nothing out there that will compare to this fork. even a used Fox is $275 (decent shape). i weigh 220 so I need to run pretty high pressure in the fork to keep it traveling correctly. when the air pressure is this high there is some stiction, but I'm thinking this will go away as the fork and seals break in a bit. I have the ATA2 120 mm travel fork. the ajustments (air pressure, ATA, and rebound) are plenty for me. I like to set a fork up and forget about it, and this fork is great for that. Most of my fiends have much more expensive forks (with more adjustability) and they never touch them on the trail anyway. the lock out is a nice feature too; something I have used on a few longer climbs.
this thing is really stout. the dropouts, stantions and crown look like they could really handle a beat down. perfect for a XC clyde.
it sounds like (from other internet site) that marzocchi has had some recent quality issues with their lineup. This fork seems to be very well assembled and has been treating me very good. I would recommend this prodcut to others a great quality mid level fork.
5 value turds for a great fork at a great price.
4 overall because there is always room to improve.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
saltyreefer
a Weekend Warrior
from West Chester, PA, USA Date Reviewed: June 1, 2009
Favorite Trail:
all of em
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$185.00
Purchased At:
Rocky Mountain Cycle
Strengths:
Road well, flush feel
Weaknesses:
A bit heavy, blew the cartridge out after 3 months... found out through research that Marz is putting Suntour catridges inside the forks. Suntour as we all know is K-Mart style.
Similar Products Used:
Fox Vaniila R, Talas, Marz 55ATA
Bike Setup:
Kona Dawg, Fox RP23, Fox Vanilla R, XTR setup
Bottom Line:
The forks ride well at first. After three months due to cheap Suntour inners it will need a rebuild if you ride like I, about 3 days a week. Fortunately Marz is rebuilding them now for free. Choose wisely.....
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
mtbbiker@heart
a Cross Country Rider
from So Cal Date Reviewed: May 26, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Hurkey Creek
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$189.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
For a XC fork, it's well built. Having to replace my original fork, the price point was a steal. I chose the 120mm version, and it drastically improved the handling.
Weaknesses:
Selector switch needs a more defined detent when selecting ride setting. You can hardly feel the selector, plus moves too easily if bumped while riding. I have bascially decided it's either locked or unlocked.
Similar Products Used:
Manitou SX-R
Bike Setup:
Trek Fuel, XT grouping
Bottom Line:
After finally blowing out my original (reliable) fork (Manitou SX-R) with no more repacement parts to be found I upgraded with a longer fork, with the lock out feature & air adjust. Being a 200+lb rider having the ability to adjust the preload is great. I have mine set at 65lbs and seems to work well for the sag. I have yet to even come close to bottoming out this fork. Since I am XC riding, and don't do big drops (ne more than a couple of feet) I feel safewith this fork set up. If anyone falls into this category, I would highly recommend this fork for the value.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
test_nein
a Weekend Warrior
from San Antonio, TX Date Reviewed: February 18, 2009
Favorite Trail:
McAllister/OP
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$189.00
Purchased At:
JensonUSA
Strengths:
Great price, TST2 comes in handy when on the streets. Strong fork, ive taken it off some jumps and never even got close to bottoming it out.
Weaknesses:
Seems to stick a bit, nothing too bad, doesnt really make much of a diffrence.
Similar Products Used:
Manitou spyder
Bike Setup:
'98 V-Link 1.2 (Built up)
Bottom Line:
This is a great fork, it can handle much more than just cross country. When I first got the fork on I jumped down a hill and some jerk but a huge rock right on the down hill trail (thanks ass). The fork went right over it no problem, and smooth as hell. The TST lockout comes in handy all the time and the rebound is nice to (I dont really mess with it much). Larger riders can boost the air presser to acomidate them. I would highly recomend this fork as an upgrade for older bikes, it fits great can handles even better. Most people say save your money to get a good fork but at $189 (Jenson USA) this shock CANT BE BEATEN!!! Would get all 5's if the sticking wasnt present.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
gotboostedvr6
a Cross Country Rider
from hamilton nj us Date Reviewed: December 2, 2008
Favorite Trail:
mercer community
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$203.00
Purchased At:
Rocky Mountain cycle
Strengths:
Lightweight, Very plush, rebound has many points of adjustment, little flex.
Weaknesses:
Hydrolocks at 129mm, blows through travel too easily, too much oil from factory,
I am 250 lbs when geared: I have to run 65 lbs in the air chamber to keep proper sag. but the second i stand the shock almost bottoms out. to fix this i would have to run over 73 lbs and i think that would blow the chamber.
another solution I found was to run the tst one click in.
Similar Products Used:
Tora 302
Bike Setup:
2008 Fuel EX9 budget build:
Sun Rhyno Lite / Deore hubs 6 bolt
BB7 185/160
XT dual control
PG 980 cassette
XTR RD
XT FD
Truative holfitzer OCT 2.2 cranks 24 36 bash
Bottom Line:
This is a good fork for lighweight riders under 190 lbs.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
lowflier03
a Weekend Warrior
from Astugi, Japan Date Reviewed: November 8, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Fujimi
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$200.00
Purchased At:
Rocky Mountain Cycle
Strengths:
Great price, feels like a very efficient use of 140mm. TST control works great for XC riding. Very beefy dropouts. I have actually cracked dropouts on a FOX TALAS and I dont have any worries about these having that problem.
Weaknesses:
Would prefer a bit more adjustability
Similar Products Used:
FOX Talas 32R, Rock Shox Tora 302, Rock Shox Tora 318
Bike Setup:
07 Stumpy FSR Elite, XTR Build
Bottom Line:
I have the 140mm Travel version. Great fork for the money as you can pick it up for around $200 at most places now. Soaks up everything I have thrown at it without feeling mushy or too harsh. The TST 2 outer settings actually work very well, though its hard to tell a difference between the 2 middle settings. I just set 1 click under full open for races and have had no issues. Would have preferred a clicker style rebound adjust instead of just the free spin design, but for the price this fork is awesome!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Zoke2
a Cross Country Rider
from New Orleans, LA Date Reviewed: October 31, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Lincoln Parish Park & Oak Mountain
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$330.00
Purchased At:
ebay
Strengths:
soaks up everything I can throw at it and it looks great all blacked out and the stickers are easy to remove
Weaknesses:
its heavy and tst2 really only has two settings - full open and locked out the 2 other detents have no effect on LSC and rebound adjuster just spins freely
after 350 miles it is nicely broken in and is very plush but I do run about 5 psi over the recomended psi. the tst2 should just be a 2 way switch - open or locked out and the rebound adjuster broke in short order but it works so good as it is that I just ride it like that. good fork for XC riding
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
bluebugeyes
a Weekend Warrior
from foco, colorado Date Reviewed: October 17, 2008
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
hasn't broken yet, saved me from introducing my face to some rocks.
Weaknesses:
had to bring a shock pump on the trail with me to fine tune, between 10-20 psi over recommended
Bike Setup:
07 reign 0, with 08 reign 2 components
Bottom Line:
feels very very soft, as if it needs a higher psi level over the recommended.
I weigh 180 lb with gear and I had a hard time believing there was 120mm of travel with 45 psi in the fork.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
greenej12295
a Weekend Warrior
from Kann., NC, US Date Reviewed: September 2, 2008
Price Paid:
$200.00
Purchased At:
eBay (Friend)
Strengths:
Added more stability to my rides, took small to medium hits as if they weren't there, absorbed large hits, and lockout works good on uphill or pavement riding.
Weaknesses:
None
Similar Products Used:
RS Judy TT
Bike Setup:
05 Trek 4500
Bottom Line:
Was a great upgrade from my stock Rock Shox Judy TT shock that came on my bike.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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