Submitted by
yetibiker08
a Cross Country Rider
from HILLSBORO,OR Date Reviewed: September 15, 2009
Favorite Trail:
DESCHUTES RIVER TRAIL
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$485.00
Purchased At:
SUNNYSIDE SPORTS
Strengths:
Super stiff, super plush, TST 5 is amazing and simple to opperate, graphics are awesome, build quality is exceptional coming from Italy and not Taiwan. ATA is great and the 120mm to 160mm is great.
Weaknesses:
Air tables suck! Totally incorrect and the 20mm needs to be a QR!
Great fork for cross country, all mountain, drops, railing berms, riding black diamond sectons, super smooth almost like a coil over. Super adjustable (but) to all of you out there this fork needs to be serviced from the get go and yeah that sucks but if it is going to perform well just do it now and ride for the next 2 years without a service. The fork weighs around 4.9lbs and so far it is bomb proof. I borrowed this fork from my brother and used it for a month and wow it is the best all mountain fork on the planet (under $500) when the prices drop the following year. Fox does not do this so when someone pays $950 for a Float 36 RC 2 and has issues ouch that is alot of money to spend on something that has issues. For $950 I could buy an All Mountain SL 120-160 for $500 and a Mavic Crossline wheelset to boot. Would be nice if Fox did this without charging full retail for their products! Ah well they will learn this in due time.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
WalterN
a Cross Country Rider
from Washington, DC Date Reviewed: April 21, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Avalon@Patapsco
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$700.00
Purchased At:
Avalon Cycles
Strengths:
ATA Travel Adjustment, TST5 Damper with full lock-out, weight
Weaknesses:
ATA Travel adjustment is slow, early runs were horrible.
Similar Products Used:
Fox TALAS 36, RockShox Lyrik
Bike Setup:
Santa Cruz Nomad1, Marz. AM SL1 fork, Race Face Atlas cranks, Mavic wheels, King hubs & headset, Thomson stem and post.
Bottom Line:
I bought an AM SL1 a couple of years back, when they first hit the market and it was selling for about $700. I was building a SC Nomad and needed a 160mm shock. At the time it was the only fully adjustable, 160mm travel air sprung, Single Crown shock, besides the Fox TALAS 36. The Fox TALAS was (and remains) over $1000 and had a ton of reliability issues.
I initially hated this fork, because like others, I had a lot of problems getting it dialed-in. Marz's pressure charts are freaking ridiculous. On top of that, I have found that required pressures vary from shock to shock, or cartridge to cartridge. For example, I ran the shock at 50/80 - after getting it serviced, I had to drop pressures to 20/50 to get similiar performance. After 3 failures of the shock, it has now been operating flawlessly for over a year.
The GOOD:
1) This is a great performing shock that is comparable to the Fox TALAS 36 at about 1/3 the price. Once you get it dialed in, it performs like a coil shock. The negative air chamber keeps you from getting lauched over the bars with good progressive resistance.
2) Travel Adjustment (ATA): You can wind down the travel for climbs, then jack it back out for bombing downhill. It make it possible to ride your AM bike at a ski slope or on a flat XC loop = truly All Mountain.
3) The TST damper is really solid. It's easy to use and has enough range that you can go from wide open for DH to fully locked out for extended, standing climbs.
THE BAD:
1) The main air cartridge is prone to leaks. The symptom of this is that the shock gets progressively stiffer over a long ride. This is because the cartridge is loosing air into the stantion. Over 3 seasons, it has had to be sent back to Marz twice; it would have been 3, but the third time around they sent me a swap out cartridge. After the 3rd cartridge, it has run for over a year with no maintenance. I'm guessing that Marz worked through the reliability issues.
2) While the travel adjustment is nice, it's slow. Unlike the TALAS and the RS Lyrik, which both adjust with a flick of a switch, the SL1 has to be wound down. it takes like 16 turns of the wrist to go from top to bottom. You will find yourself spending alot of time winding it up and down.
3) It takes a bit of work to get dialed in. The pressure reccomendations from Marz are way off. i run the ATA cartidge at 20/50 and the reccomended pressures are 70/100
4) It is a discontinued product. Never a good thing from a support standpoint.
For Value: You can't go wrong at $400 at WheelWorld.com! I'm thinking about buying one for a spare
Overall: It's a really good shock if you are willing to work through the bugs. Don't buy this if you only own one bike. I have a few, so having one out for maintenance.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Big Peter
a Cross Country Rider
from Bend, OR, USA Date Reviewed: April 12, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Mrazek
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$480.00
Purchased At:
Sunnyside Sports
Strengths:
Super stiff, super plush(better than my coil pike), nice graphics, TST 5 (exceptional), 120mm to 160mm travel, no flex what so ever and I weigh 230lbs, love the white!!
Weaknesses:
Marzocchi has produced a horrible reputation for poor quality since 2007 and this has crushed their sales and they need to pull out of Taiwan and make only quality forks NOT MZ Comps...........crap. I have a 2003 Z1 FR SL 130mm fork and it has been fabulous along with the MXPRO 120mm super reliable. Taiwan has killed their reputation and their quality.
Similar Products Used:
Rock Shox Pike Race (05), Marzocchi Z1 FR SL 130mm(04)!!
Bike Setup:
(08)XL Yeti 575 (orange) w/RP23, (07)All Mountain SL 120/160, Chris King headset, Thomson Elite Stem, Pro Taper bar, Avid Disc brakes, Hope Pro 2 hubs w/Mavic 719 rims, Continental Vertical Pro tires, Sram X9 gearing, Stylo Gxp 3.3 crankset, egg beater pedals etc.
Bottom Line:
From what I have heard of this fork it has received bad reviews and the pressure tables are all messed up so my advice is have the fork serviced right away even though you really should not. Fox and Rock Shox right out the box are ready to rock and roll however Marzocchi forks need to be serviced right away. They will perform right away and put a grin on your face once serviced. I know that paying right after getting the fork is unacceptable, I know, I know but again the fork rocks after that. I weigh around 230 lbs and the (negative) is set at 120psi and the (positive) around 100 psi the opposite to Fox and Rock Shox!!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
jareldini
a Weekend Warrior
from united kingdom Date Reviewed: December 4, 2008
Favorite Trail:
uk bike park
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$400.00
Purchased At:
ebay
Strengths:
super smoooth,silky yet solid feel.plus the weight
Weaknesses:
none yet
Similar Products Used:
pikes,55's etc.
Bottom Line:
Ive actually got sl2's, 20 mm version, which i think was an oe version of sl1's which dropped tst micro for tst2.thank god.I had tst micro on a set of 55's which didnt work.These forks are a joy after riding 55's, a so-called improvement to the all mountain catagory.55's are heavy, feel like they're made in a chinese tap factory and cannot be ridden all day over all terrain.these can.if there is a problem with sl1's reliability then get a set of the sl2's, because mine feel lovely.check out ebay.the sl2 20mm tends to be grey.
NOTE:I,m not talking about the aftermarket ones with TAS and RV.Basically sl1's (ata etc)withoout tst micro.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Scott
a Cross Country Rider
from Bend, OR Date Reviewed: May 8, 2008
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$450.00
Purchased At:
Industry deal
Strengths:
Very stiff fork, nice 20mm TA, reasonable weight, very smooth when working
Weaknesses:
Reliability
Similar Products Used:
You name it: Pike, Lyrik, VAN 36, TALAS 36, Marz 66sl, Z1 SL
Bike Setup:
Ventana El Saltamontes, running 5/6" travel option
Bottom Line:
I purchaed this fork, as it had what I was looking for: reasonable weight, and wind-down travel from 160mm to 120mm. I would have been on an Air Lyrik U-turn if it existed, but that fork only comes in Coil U-turn, and the Pike is too short. TALAS 36 didn't have the essentially infinite adjustment. So, I ended up with an AM SL1 from Marzocchi.
Great fork, for around 15 hours. Then, it went bad. Damping sucked, and the fork lost travel, just like everyone else's. The ATA unit had failed. Called Marzocchi (in August of 2007) and explained the problem (the fork had been out nearly a year) and told them what was happening. I was a bit angry, as this fork had reported problems for many months, and before I purchased it, I called them to make sure that, yes, those early production problems had been solved. When I called them back after my fork became dead, they acted like I was the first person ever to have needed warranty on this fork! Terrible service, and I was without a fork for 2 months. When I had a problem with a Fox, they had it back to me in 2 weeks. Picked up a different fork, and sold this one on Ebay as soon I got it back, losing a couple hundred $ in the process. Probably my last Marzocchi product....
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Eduard
a Weekend Warrior
from Spain Date Reviewed: May 8, 2008
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
Local dealer
Strengths:
Smooth, good ratio lightness/stiffness, adjustability.
Weaknesses:
A lot of problems,
Bike Setup:
Yeti 575 / 08
Bottom Line:
A real disappointment, when the fork is not broken... it's really amazing!!, but it has too many problems
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Nick
a
from Santa Ynez, CA, USA Date Reviewed: April 20, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Romero Canyon
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$300.00
Purchased At:
Blue Sky
Strengths:
Super squishy, lightweight and unbelievably adjustable. It's got that bottomless Marzocchi feel.
Weaknesses:
10mm "dead zone" at the top of your sag setting. Takes a few big pushes to warm up. Initial stiction is pretty intense at the beginning of a ride.
Similar Products Used:
Sherman Firefly.
Bike Setup:
2004 Giant AC-1. Marzocchi Rocco coil. XT.
Bottom Line:
I was very hesitant to buy this fork after reading some of the less than favorable reviews below. But it seems as though I've lucked-out. If there is in fact a major difference between the quick release version and the regular thru axle, than the latter is definitely a huge improvement. After fine tuning the fork, which can be tough due to all the options, I'm really loving this bad boy. The ATA travel option is especially nice when climbing and can turn an all mountain rig into something appropriate for XC. The terrain-specific damping selector also works well; though I almost never use the last two, more rigid settings. The only really weird think about this fork is a dead feeling right at the top of where you set your sag. Going uphill it feels pretty funky and makes the fork seems less stiff than it actually is. Downhill, however, this feeling is unnoticeable. It feels super-plush and extremely stiff. All around a great fork if you have the patience to fiddle with it until you've found your most comfortable set-up. Not for people who want something tuned perfectly out of the box.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
james howard
a Weekend Warrior
from Northumberland, UK Date Reviewed: April 12, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Vancouver North Shore
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$1000.00
Purchased At:
Activ Cycles
Strengths:
Good spec, in theory
Weaknesses:
Chronic unreliability
Similar Products Used:
most fox, many Marzocchi
Bike Setup:
Comencal Meta 5 team
Bottom Line:
Before I start, I'd like to declare a long held loyalty to 'zocchi forks - downhill, freeride,xc - I've loved most I've had. BUT... These forks have wrecked that brand loyalty. They came as OE kit on my Comencal Meta Team. First of all they felt nice - a pain to set up as the suggested pressures are so wrong its laughable, but felt great. Then I go riding and my mate goes "are they only 120mm's?" "no", says I but then I look and oh yes, they've lost travel. So, off they come and back to 'zocchi UK (for 6 weeks!!) who suposedly fix the problem. Now the fork wont compress, so I check the pressures and they have them ramped way up, so I slacken them off and go ride, but now they won't make full travel, whatever pressure I try. So, they're off again - more waiting I expect. Totally weak for any fork, yet alone a top end one and zocchi cleary can't fix them as the ne 55's have the same problem. Also, very poor customer service. What are zocchi doing turning this sort of tat out onto the market? It seems that since production went to the far east, quality has plumeted, but the prices have increased! I'm back to Fox and reluctantly Rock shox.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Pac Man
a Cross Country Rider
from San Diego, CA, USA Date Reviewed: February 13, 2008
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$703.00
Purchased At:
Bicycle Warehouse
Strengths:
Relatively light for how beefy it is and for the amount of travel.
Weaknesses:
Decals came off when I removed protective plastic. Positive and negative chambers constantly lose air. ATA travel adjust dials itself down on downhill sections.
Similar Products Used:
Fox TALAS
Bike Setup:
Yeti 575
Bottom Line:
This fork is the biggest piece of crap I have ever owned. The decals came off when I removed the protective plastic when I first got the fork. No big deal I know, but it was a sign of things to come.
The Positive and Negative air chambers constantly lost air for the first couple months.
But by far the biggest issue is the ATA travel adjust dials itself down on downhill sections. As little as 5mm and as much as the entire 40mm of adjustment.
Marzocchi has "fixed" this problem 5 times already, including replacing the ATA cartridge 3 times. I got it back 2 weeks ago after the 5th "fix" and everything was working fine until today. It dialed itself down 10mm on a pretty tame rock garden--so tame my 9 year old shreds it on his HT.
I called my LBS and told them and they are going to call Marzocchi again tomorrow. I'm sure we'll get the run-around some more. I want my money back since this fork is a LEMON but I'm sure Marzocchi will just want to send another ATA cartridge to my LBS and I that will make the 6th time they've jerked me around.
Do yourself a favor and stay far, far away from this fork and Marzocchi products in general. I know that may sound extreme, but I don't want to do business with a company that screws their customers over this many times.
For what it's worth, I had a TALAS that had the crown and steerer tube start to separate. It was out of warranty and FOX fixed it for free anyway. Go FOX or Rock Shox if you want a fork that works.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
CARLOS ERAZO
a Weekend Warrior
from FLORIDA Date Reviewed: January 3, 2008
Favorite Trail:
All Mountain
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$700.00
Purchased At:
Bike parts
Strengths:
Amazing fork ( If works !!!!)
Weaknesses:
AtA cartrigde is extremly bad and its very difficult to get it as a spare part.
Similar Products Used:
Rock Shock Pike, some Manitou
Bike Setup:
Giant VT
Bottom Line:
Well I sent my fork to Marzzochi, believe me it was really difficult to get assistance. Nobody answer the Phone. The problem with the air was salved. But now I got a second problem the fork is dialed down. Still problems with the famous ATA air cartridge. Marzzochi should replace this part in all the first production, costumer can not pay for their design mistakes.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Andrew
a Racer
from Austin, Texas, US Date Reviewed: December 22, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Emma Long
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$420.00
Purchased At:
ebay
Strengths:
Looks pimp, TST5 works good, smooth through the mid travel, very adjustable, not that heavy
Weaknesses:
Takes a while to break in, small bump performance is weak, only getting about 5in of travel out of it, travel adjustment is a pain in the ass compared to Fox 36talas
Similar Products Used:
Marzocchi Monster T, Z1, 66, every Judy made, SID, Fox 32, Boxer, Reba, Fox 36talas, and many more
Bike Setup:
Intense 6.6, Juicy 7s, XT all around, Maverick speedball R
Bottom Line:
The fork is difficult to get dialed in. Don’t follow the air pressure chart that is posted on the fork, as it is way off. You’re best off just experimenting and doing it by feel. At 5lbs it feels light and can still handle everything that I’ve thrown at it. It does feel ten times better than it did during the first week but its still struggling with small bump sensitivity. It works great on mid to large hits and overall it feels pretty darn good. I am a little disappointed that I am only able to get about 130mm of travel out of it no matter how hard I ride it or how I have the air pressure set up. The travel adjuster is kind of a pain to use. It’s almost impossible to wine the travel down without having weight on the fork. I have to sit on the toptube to be able to screw it down. The TST5 is cool. It goes from fully plush to almost a full lockout. Am I disappointed with my fork?…Na. Does it have a few quirks?… yeah. Would I spend $500 extra for an 08 Fox 36talas?… Hell no!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
paul
a Downhiller
from The great state of Maine Date Reviewed: November 11, 2007
Favorite Trail:
crack addict
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$447.00
Purchased At:
a good guy
Strengths:
This fork has turned out to be alright. Actually the way the thing feels is really impressive, I cant say enough good about the overall suspension feel. Really one of the best I've tried. NOT as leaky as originally thought. Holds air for months. Also suprisingly torsionally rigid.
Weaknesses:
Lots of adjustablity. I want a fork I cant F up the tuning on. The occasional and random oil seepage. Hard to get the right amount of air to stay in it, could be the pump I'm using.
Similar Products Used:
z150fr, sherman firefly, fox 36 float rc2, z1mcr, z2, judy sl, indy xc, Super T, boxxer WC, Shiver, 888, MonsterT, DH3 to name a few
Bike Setup:
07 sx trail iii
Bottom Line:
Super light, stiff, tuneable if you are patient and have lots of spare time, feels ridiculously silky and bottomless, doubles as quite the big hit fork. And you can pick them up cheap nowadays...
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Paul
a Downhiller
from kittery me Date Reviewed: August 26, 2007
Favorite Trail:
crack addict
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$447.00
Purchased At:
sbxracer@hotmail.com
Strengths:
ride, looks good in white, smooth and supple, control, adjustability, feel, holds air
Weaknesses:
leaks oil from top of ata and bottom of tst5. Too much stuff - Marzocchi shame on you, as much as my 01 Z1 MCR feels like a bouncy turd (in comparison to modern forks) there has never been anything wrong with it, ever, ever, ever.
Similar Products Used:
manitou sherman firefly new 05 (she was a leaker when new too, spv is stupid), 07 fox float RC2(really great, stuff inside started knocking around in a few weeks), my old stand by 04 Z150FR bombproof now, even though it had stuff clanging around the lt leg after a few rides, but weighs an honest 9 pounds. Marz had to warranty fix this fork two after me riding it 4 times. That time it only took a few days to fix and they overnighted it to me without me even asking, that was a really nice experience.
Bike Setup:
07 sx trail 3 saint, LX (the new all mountain), RF all mountain stuff, she makes a great XC ride
Bottom Line:
I've never owned a fork with so much stuff you can do to it, its a shame that to get the good damping you usually have to spend the big money to get all the bells and whistles.
I bought the fork off ebay from some loser, it was new but leaked oil out of the ata. I sent it back to Marzocchi, they were cool and said they'd take care of me. It looks like they put a new TST5 cartridge. I got it back friday, rode it saturday its leaking oil from the top of the ATA (like it did before) and now its leaking oil from the bottom of the (new) TST5 leg.
Whatever I'm not mad, this is how it is. Hell I could probably get the rest of the summer out of the thing before performance would deteriorate.
Technology has driven the market in a certain direction and so has cost, unfortunately we the consumer are going to lose out.
Based on my latests experiences with Marzocchi I'd say you cant buy a fork based on reputation any longer. My 06 888 VF2 has been wonderful... so far.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Carlos Erazo
a Weekend Warrior
from Florida Date Reviewed: July 10, 2007
I bought this fork just a couple of months ago, during my second ride, the fork started to losing air. The fork cost me $740 bucks, that mean 370 buck each ride. A little bit expensive. I call Marzocchi, and I will send back the fork, in two weeks.
The performance of the fork is really amazing, but the quality is really bad. Marzocchi must pay attention to this kind of problems
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jesse Hill
a Weekend Warrior
from San Jose Date Reviewed: June 11, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Demo or Northstar
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
great adjustability, plush and stiff, servicability
Weaknesses:
early models had alot of issues
Similar Products Used:
Alot(see my earlier comment below)
Bike Setup:
Same as first review
Bottom Line:
ok so now I have a late model run and have been using it for about a month now. Well it took a lot longer than it should have to get all the kinks out but now that they are out I just can't believe how well this thing rides. So plush yet never bottoms out. Easy and effective travel adjust just an all around great fork. Thos interested just make sure you get a late run (you can tell because all the new ones dont have QR20). I now give only 4 for value since for 4-5 months there were issues but I wont bomb it too hard since it seems just about everyone had new 07 tech issues.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Kaku Ito
a Downhiller
from Shibuya, Tokyo Date Reviewed: June 5, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Takamineyama
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$800.00
Purchased At:
CRC
Strengths:
Feels plush when you set everything right. Stiffer than other brands’ forks in its category. Travel adjustments (only when it’s working), Progressive adjustment with PAR mechanism, good rebound function, lock out mechanism with TST5.
Weaknesses:
Lots of problems with earlier production ones. But the problems should be solved with the newly redesigned cartridge.
Intense 6.6 (Manitou Evolver ISX-6 air shock), XTR components, Mavic Crossmax SX, Dangerboy SR-71 OS stem with Syncross Bulk bar, Syncros Pedals.
Bottom Line:
It’s a very appealing product with lots of adjustment and also, looks superb. It took very long and I had to purchase one extra to make everything work, but when everything is working, there’s no other fork in its category that even compare to this fork. Very versatile. I use it from everyday street assalt, dirt jumping and also for hope it is going to be good for downhilling (when I get time, man!).
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mark
a Weekend Warrior
from NYC Date Reviewed: May 19, 2007
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
Arche De Triumph
Strengths:
Solid. It instills confidence
Weaknesses:
Travel adjust
Similar Products Used:
All Mtn 1
Bike Setup:
Yeti 575
Bottom Line:
Great Fork. I had issues with the travel adjustment. Sent it back to Marzocchi. Still problem wasn't solved. Turns out they have a retro fit coming that will solve the problem. I've since locked it in the six inch mode, and have had no issues with losing air or leaking oil. This fork is light, and does exactly what it's supposed to do. The issue with the travel adjustment is irritating, but I'm loving it in the 6" mode, when I take a break I'll send it back. With all these new bells and whistles that they're putting on new forks, it's to be expected that there will be glitches. Would I love a perfect fork, yes. Has Marzocchi been cool, yes. If they sent me a new fork, there's no garauntee that the new one won't have the same problem. Bottom line this is an awesome fork.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jacob
a Downhiller
from matthews nc Date Reviewed: March 26, 2007
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
blacksheep cycles
Strengths:
none
Weaknesses:
everything
Similar Products Used:
pike, firefly
Bottom Line:
well, its going back again. this thing has been the biggest piece of junk. so much for buying a high end fork. same issues as before. marzocchi still hasn't gotten back to me after i talked to them a week ago and they said they have the parts and would call me the next day. it will be up for sale when its returned so stay tuned.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Corey
a Weekend Warrior
from Seattle Date Reviewed: March 24, 2007
Favorite Trail:
South SeaTac
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$600.00
Purchased At:
friend
Strengths:
this is by far the best fork I have ever used, I trail ride , jump and do 4 to 5 foot drops (I am old)it seems to take every thing that I give it, setting it up is easy too , and it only weighs 5 lbs
This is a great fork if you are looking for a lite long travel fork that can take a beating , like Marzochi says it is a all mountain fork , you can get a beter down hill fork or a better XC fork but this one does it all , I am very happy with my decision do buy this, and so far I have zero problems with it
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
El
a Weekend Warrior
from Canada Date Reviewed: February 18, 2007
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$600.00
Purchased At:
lbs
Bottom Line:
This is an update to the review I posted below. I sent in my All mountain SL to Marzocchi to deal with loss of travel, air, and oil leaks. The oil leak and air loss seems to have been fixed. Under the ATA knob it appears the placed some sealer of some kind around the air valve. I noticed though the fork continued to lose travel. To fix I took off the ATA knob, then unscrewed the ATA plug with a cassette cog removal tool then tightened the small screws located on the ATA plug. This seems to have diminished any travel loss. Its a fine adjustment of the screws, to tight and the ATA is hard to adjust(turn), too loose and the system loses travel.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
EL Carlson
a Weekend Warrior
from Canada Date Reviewed: February 6, 2007
Favorite Trail:
FM
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$600.00
Strengths:
Light, hightly adjustable, Also own an 05 z.1 eta, wanted a fork that performed well in both high and low travel settings and to be able to dial in Progression.
Weaknesses:
Oh no! The guys review below me sounds awfully similar to my experience. Fork is begining to loss travel during decents. Noticed after my 3rd ride the fork had shrunk in length by 30mm. I thought I had missed something on my intial setup. Adjusted my settings to Marzocchi specs and experienced the same problem next ride. I had to stop on my downhill run repeatedely to wind up my ata. :( Given how much this fork cost I am very dissapointed to be sending it back to Marz. Particularly after reading the post below.
Similar Products Used:
Psylo,boxxer,firefly, Z1,
Bike Setup:
Heckler, DHXair, Saint, DB, King hub, headset
Bottom Line:
Happy I held onto my Z1 probably have to swap forks for a month to ship the SL back to Marzocchi. Perhaps I should have gone with a Lyrik, or a 36.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jacob
a
from Matthews NC USA Date Reviewed: February 1, 2007
Favorite Trail:
any
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$700.00
Purchased At:
black sheep cycles
Strengths:
Color
Weaknesses:
Everything
Similar Products Used:
RS Pike SL, Pike 454, Firefly plus
Bike Setup:
Morewood Shova 6" of travel
Bottom Line:
The first couple of rides the fork was fine. Then I noticed that it looked as though I was losing travel. So I measured exposed stantion and it came out to 5.25". I found that odd considering its marketed as a 160mm travel fork. I contacted Marzo and they said it has 10mm of negative travel. Kind of took that with a grain of salt. So I continued to ride the fork. Then I noticed the fork began to dial itself down. It was cold at the time so I figured it may have something to do with the cold air and the air fork. Then the final straw. During a trail ride I noticed the ATA side fork leg was covered with oil. Then I compressed the fork and noticed you could hear air leaking. I checked the air pressure and it had lost 70lbs of air during my ride. So, I replaced the missing air and continued with my ride. The travel adjusted itself down to about 90mm and I was unable to turn it back up.
So recap, leaks oil, leaks air, travel dials itself down and the travel is stuck at 90mm.
Fork is now back at Marzo and apparently all these issues have been corrected with 2nd production run. Its just too bad I'm going to wait about 3 months to get my fork back. I see a RS Lyrik in my future.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dave
a Weekend Warrior
from Toowoomba, Qld Australia Date Reviewed: December 20, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Rain Rutt
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$690.00
Purchased At:
CRC
Strengths:
This fork feels so solid and light it contradicts itself. I love how easy it is to adjust the amount of travel. It has a great travel range (120mm -160mm). Metal adjusters. BLACK STANCHIONS! Both the positive and negative air are easy to set up, and seem to hold their pressures reasonably well. 5 TST
Weaknesses:
No wheel retention system (like rockshox and fox) means installing the wheel involves a bit of juggling. The white paint is a little flaky, but at least the undercoat is white so any scratches can't be seem unless you're up close. No point of reference for TST Dial.
Similar Products Used:
Rockshox Tora 318, Rockshox Pike 454, Fox Talas 36.
Bike Setup:
DMR Trailstar LT, 729 rims, hope pro II hubs, hone cranks, LX shifters and brakes, 8" rotor front 7" rear, XT deraileur, NSB hanger banger....
Bottom Line:
When I first got these forks I was a little disappointed at how easily the paint chipped, especially where the wheel goes. At first the fork felt sticky, but now that they have worn in a bit they feel plush through the full travel.
I generally run these forks at the 135mm -140mm as retains good geo for my frame. Extending the travel is quick and easy to do, once click equates to pretty much one mm, so its easy to calculate how much travel will be available. With the fork at its full travel it feels bottomless.
The QR20 is fantastic (almost identical to the maxle RS uses), however it is sometimes difficult to install the wheel due to the lack of grooves for the hub to rest in. Its still a million times better than QR, and the fact you don't need a tool to remove the wheel makes it better than normal 20mm in my opinion.
The 5 TST system is very useful. I don't have the remote, and don't really think it'd be totally necessary. From the factory they don't have a making so you can tell what setting the forks are at, so I made a small scratch on the top of the dial, and it looks like it should have been there from the start! I mainly use the all mountain setting for climbing, the DH setting for trails, and the fully locked out setting for riding on the road. The only slight disadvantage is that it can sometimes take a little time to turn the adjuster from full lock to full squish. I'm used to the pop lock that RS forks have, but feel the 5 positions are more useful in the long run.
All in all I'd recommend these forks to anyone who is after an aggressive trail fork, but still wants to be able to ride some XC, some DH and FR. Unless you are doing some crazy things, these forks should see you through in comfort.
These forks really do epitomize the term ALL MOUNTAIN, they can handle just about anything going down, and will still let you ride back to the top before your smile wears off
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dangerous Dave
a Downhiller
from Northamptonshire, England Date Reviewed: December 20, 2006
Favorite Trail:
The ALps, or Afan, or FT Bill
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$420.00
Purchased At:
LeisureLakes
Strengths:
Travel range (easily adjustable), damping adjustments very useful and practical for on the trail use. Feels strong and solid for it's weight. QR20 is fantastic. Marzocchi have attempted to put in wheel retention for when you are installing the wheel but it's still not quite the same as Rockshox's or Fox's attempts. All adjuster dials are metal, and just feel very sturdy and of high quality. Better than RS dials.
Weaknesses:
Er? Very sticky when new. I'm told this is the ridiculously tight tolerances in the ATA cartridge. But it's bedded in nicely now and works an absolute treat.
Similar Products Used:
'03 Marzo Z.1 Fr Pro, Fox Vanilla RLC's, Sherman Fireflies, '06 Marz Z.1 FR SL and Z.1 Light
Bike Setup:
Santa Cruz Chameleon, X.O gearing, Formula Oro Bianco brakes 180mm rotors, Thomson 50mm X4 Stem, Answer Pro tapers, CK headset, XT hollowtechII crankset, e13 DRS guide, Mavic EX721's on Hope Bulbs, or Mavic XM819's on Hope Bulbs, for XC Gemini Team DH for proper DH duties.
Bottom Line:
For ages I've been after a fork that does it all. With my Chameleon I tend to do it all, XC, DJ, a bit of DH, FR and even dabble in 4X. So I wanted a fork that was light enough to pedal up the hills and not be a burden on 4X, but be strong enough to take the abuse of light DJ, DH and FR.
With my 03 Z.1s, the performance was incredible, but the weight was a pain on long XC rides, so I got the Vanillas, but hey squirmed under big stuff which put me off despite the awesome bump performance.
Then the shermans? That was a waste of time, kept breaking inside.
I bought the Z.1 SL's and was disappointed that the advertised travel adjustment was such a faff, but it was the only fork in Marzocchi's range that went to 130mm of travel which suits my frame best for general riding. Really good forks but I wasn't happy with not being able to dial the forks travel as I wanted, so when these came along I thought my prayers were answered.
And oh boy they are. The 20mm system is great, really stiff, and confidence inspiring. Simple to use too. The ATA system is just incredible too, once you've set it up right (sag and bottom out) it's so easy to turn the adjuster and it just feels like it oooozes quality. This baby isn't going to break, and with Doppio systems reliability, I have utter confidence in it.
The TST5 system is great, so simple to use and the cartridge is a piece of suspension art work. No faffing about with several dials to get different levels of platform, just choose whether you want it plush, not so plush or locked out. So you know you are going to be able to tackle whatever the trail throws at you with the fork working efficiently under all circumstances. Rebound range is great too with no problems with damping spikes yet at all.
If you want a fork that is short enough for XC but are the type of person that sneaks out when the lycra brigade aren't looking and like playing dirty with the big boys on the DH courses, this is the one fork for all of that.
Don't think I'll ever change this fork now.
Only bad thing is the paint around the dropouts comes away very easily.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jesse Hill
a
from San Jose, Ca USA Date Reviewed: November 26, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Demo
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
Rigid, Plush, and light (I know a Marzocchi that is actually light)
Weaknesses:
It may have an oil leak (not sure yet)
Similar Products Used:
I work in a shop so I have tried alot, Shiver, 888, 36 talas, 36van, 40, nixons, shermon, etc...
Bike Setup:
07 heckler w/ dhx coil, all chris king, dt 5.1d, am sl1 qr20
Bottom Line:
well I got this fork because the guy I know at marzocchi recommended it and at first I thought no way an air fork I always ride coil (so does he) so then I thought well it must really work if he is going to recommend an air fork to me. Well I got it after he did the works for it and I bench tested it and thought hmm still feels like air to me. Well after riding it I can't believe it, it is so smooth there is no way this thing should be air. the only issue is after hanging it there is some oil that came out the top of the ata side (and tehre isnt much oil to start with) so I gotta call him and see about this but all in all very promising fork.
I will update later with more time on it. Ill just give 5 for both right now because I am not sure if anything is actually wrong may have just been residual oil.
ps. youll see alot of people talking about the air chart being wrong and it is but the only thing you need to do is put 30psi more in the bottom then the top then figure out what you need for pressure by sag setting and record it down.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Kaku Ito
a Weekend Warrior
from Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan Date Reviewed: November 18, 2006
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
ChainReaction Cycle
Strengths:
Very burly for its category, but still light enough. Best control over various conditions with the right behaviors which means very plush with descent setting, pedal friendly with allmountain setting and nicely locked at locked position when I needed (TST5). Very good range in taking in the positive air and air adjusted bottom out was what I really wanted over the other forks I had owned before. ATA works great. Low profile for the dial comparing to other forks. Plenty redound damping range.
Weaknesses:
None, but they should also make the same fork with shorter travel matching for 5 inch travel frames to keep the headangle right and preserving weight at the same time.
Intense 5.5 (upgrading to 6.6 for this fork soon), hadley hubs, ex823ust rims, dt swiss Alpine III spokes, SRAM X.O shifters with X.O rear mech and XTR front mech, XTR disc brakes with XT shifter converted with dangerboy levers. Dangerboy SR71 stem with answer protaper lowrise bar, XT cranks, xpedo MX3 pedals, thomson seatpost, SDG BelAir
Bottom Line:
Very burly for its category, but still light enough. Best control over various conditions with the right behaviors which means very plush with descent setting, pedal friendly with allmountain setting and nicely locked at locked position when I needed (TST5). Very good range in taking in the positive air and air adjusted bottom out was what I really wanted over the other forks I had owned before. ATA works great. Low profile for the dial comparing to other forks. Plenty redound damping range.
Still too early to conclude yet, but from all of the experience that I had with the other forks, I love the burliness, plushness, preciseness and the complete controls for setting how I want it and to be flexible for the terrain that lies in front of me. and last of all, it looks beautiful.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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