100 mm is perfect and plush. ETA is an outstanding match for the shock. Leaves 30mm of travel to keep tire on the ground while climbing.great shock for the cost! Would recommended to anyone who likes xc rides. Retro series rocks!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
smd
a Cross Country Rider
from Austin, TX, United Snakes Date Reviewed: February 26, 2009
Favorite Trail:
what goes up goes down
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$250.00
Purchased At:
Jenson
Strengths:
Value, "taste of a real fork" feeling, value.
Weaknesses:
Weight, noise, limited travel adjustment.
Similar Products Used:
RST Pogostick (er...Gila), Fox TALAS 32 RLC, Old 80mm Marzocchi Bomber
Bike Setup:
Fork began life on a DB Response; now on a Voodoo Wanga SS.
Bottom Line:
This turned out to be a good "starter fork" when I was in college, and broke as a skunk...it was a stretch on the budget, but was made up in smiles (and fewer pogo-endos). Coming from the cheap-ass RST fork, it was a godsend, with incredible plushness and adjustability.
After two years of no maintenance (only regular pressure checks, stanchion wipes and the occasional Tri-flow drops), the Bomber performs about as well as the day I mounted it.
There is some play in the stanchions when you rock the bike back-and-forth (w/brakes locked) which has been evident from the start, but it's not enough to worry (just a mild bother...). Compression is a tad noisy, but no harsh clicking to date. The rebound knob ran away from home on the fourth ride and I've yet to replace it (PITA to adjust now, though...)
All in all, I'd buy it again (or perhaps the XC 700) if times were tight and I needed another fork; I'd also happily recommend it as an upgrade for a neophyte's bike.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Icemonkey
a
from London, UK Date Reviewed: June 1, 2008
Favorite Trail:
long, descending singletrack...
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$260.00
Purchased At:
online
Strengths:
Stiffness, supple over small bumps good over larger obsticles.
Weaknesses:
THE INSTRUCTION BOOKLET.
Similar Products Used:
Very early pace forks, Rockshox Indi, Rockshox Judy xC and a few on mates bikes - fox etc
Bike Setup:
Old Lavadome classic steel, now all XTR and XT
Bottom Line:
Ive just come in from a long rocky ride in the Catskills NY and the fork finally performed beautifully. At first I thought my shock pump was broken, but the air pressures are all wrong, no wonder people have problems with leaky cartreges, try cutting the pressures in half and then taking your shock pump on a ride to get it dialled the way you want it. You wont be disapointed. After much tinkering and general trial and error I feel like I have an excellent fork. Its robust, lightish, reacts excellently, does not top out suddenly feels confident and adds a lot of speed to my descents. The EST thingie is also very handy, dropping my fork down to 70mm for an aggresive uphill stance. If you can get one cheap as I did, it is a great bargain. Just ignore the manual, its useless - Oh, better still - save a tree recycle it as toilet paper. 4 chilis because of the manual and the time I wasted with it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tim
a Weekend Warrior
from Roselle, IL Date Reviewed: April 19, 2008
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$230.00
Purchased At:
Jenson
Strengths:
Very durable, excellent built quality, strong, looks good, all features work as intended, ETA definitely helps on climbs and function like a lockout, lighter than the fork I took off, great price when on closeout from Jenson. This fork soaks up the big bumps extremely well and handles small jumps as well as any fork of its type should.
Weaknesses:
This fork doesn't have the small/quick bump damping I'd like it to have. Luckily small bumps don't really bother me too much. When the fork goes over rapid minor bumps you can hear a clicking sound inside the fork. I'm not sure if that's normal or not. I can live with it.
Similar Products Used:
Crappy stock SR Suntour 75mm fork that came on my bike.
Bike Setup:
Stock 2008 Raleigh Mojave 4.0 with added Specialized Hardrock R tires, 2007 Marzocchi XC 600 fork, Rav X Comfy X Lock grips,
Bottom Line:
This is quite possibly the best fork for the money when you can find it on closeout. I looked at lesser forks for more money and was not too impressed. I highly recommend this fork as an upgrade, especially you can find it for $230 like I did (Jenson). It is a VAST improvement over the crappy stock SR Suntour. I give it 5 chilis for value and 4 chilis overall because of the clicking internally.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Juanito
a Cross Country Rider
from Place with lots of mountains Date Reviewed: April 12, 2008
Favorite Trail:
lots of uphill
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
It seems solidly built. Very simple internals making it extremely durable and not too many knobs so set up is extremely simple and not much stuff to break or lose. Takes the hits like butter! big or small it is an amazing fork and will take whatever the trail will send you.
Weaknesses:
Marzocchi recommended pressures are way too high! be sure to cut the pressure in half or else you will be riding a semi rigid bike for your weight.
Bike Setup:
Hard tail
Bottom Line:
This is a solid product! so simple and it works, durability is a big thing for me especially since i do epic multi day mountain bike rides. If something fails on the 3rd day i still have to ride it a few more days till i get back to civilization so simplicity and reliability was a priority on my selection. A coil on one side and an open bath make this bomber practically bombproof even after 500kms with little maintenance in between. Air springs risk the chance of a seal breakage, with a coil and air pre-load plus open bath damping this fork will keep you cranking even if the air seal breaks and no air is left in the fork.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tim
a Cross Country Rider
from Humboldt Date Reviewed: December 2, 2007
Favorite Trail:
dirt
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$260.00
Purchased At:
Jenson
Strengths:
Great torsional rigidity, easy adjustment, smooth action, perfect for the bike I put it on. I love the ETA lock-out.
Weaknesses:
I thought it was butt ugly until I peeled off the decals. They were destined for the garbage heap after the first crash anyway.
Similar Products Used:
Marzocchi ZI CR, Marzocchi Z2 Bomber, Rock-Shox Judy XC
Bike Setup:
Spot SS
Bottom Line:
About a month after I purchased this shock, I mistakenly posted a review as a XC 600 SL. In my review I mentioned how much I Iiked it so far, but would re-review it after putting on a few more miles. So far so good. I'm not a light rider and it has put up with some punishment. If anything, it's settling in and even smoother than when new. I haven't had to do anything to the adjustment yet either. The air pressures are holding and there are no oil leaks.
Ya can't beat it for the money.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
dan b
a Weekend Warrior
from clinton, nj Date Reviewed: November 26, 2007
Favorite Trail:
CR
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$230.00
Purchased At:
jenson
Strengths:
pretty light, looks good, easily adjust air pressure to set firmness. rides good, um. . .its pretty sweet overall
Weaknesses:
have an oil leak on the air pressure fill tube at the top cap
Similar Products Used:
had a crappy dart1 on the bike stock
Bike Setup:
07 IH maverick 5.0, e13bash, titec risers, giant carbon seat post, marz xc600, salsa shorty stem, welgo pedals, some other junk
Bottom Line:
for the price i paid, i think it was a pretty sweet deal. it rides really nice and looks awesome. if it wasnt for that oil leak id give it five and five. im going to contact marz and see if they can do anything about it. i dont know if i got a bum fork or if they all do this. i gave it 4 for value cause it cant really be that great of a deal if its falling apart on a 135lb rider. i ride aggressive xc, but i dont do any drops bigger than 2 ft really, so it not like a severly punishing it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
L'il Matt
a Weekend Warrior
from Murray Bridge, South Australia Date Reviewed: November 3, 2007
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$230.00
Purchased At:
Jenson USA
Strengths:
Appears to have good quality build (early days yet, time will tell...), good finish, good functionality (rebound damping, ETA function), low purchase price (this will obviously vary).
Weaknesses:
Slightly confusing set up for the inexperienced.
Similar Products Used:
OEM Marzocchi Z1
Bike Setup:
'06 Ironhorse Warrior expert, Sram X7 drivetrain, FSA crankset, Truvativ Team stem, PRO XC OS bars, Prorace carbon seat post, Selle Italia saddle, Shimano pedals, Maxxis High Roller tyres.
Bottom Line:
Although it took a little time (and some learning on my part) to get the setup correct, I'm more than happy with these forks.
I may need to change to a lighter spring (as I've yet to attain full travel for my 65 Kg/145 Lbs weight), but as these are an XC fork I've not subjected them to any big hits that would really test them.
The product finish is excellent, and with a few more kilometres in them I suspect they'll be as plush as 'zocchi's are renound to be.
Four Chilis for value, three (at this point) for overall - four if they perform in the long term.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ben
a Cross Country Rider
from Brevard Date Reviewed: October 24, 2007
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$229.00
Purchased At:
Jenson USA
Strengths:
Plush feel, good damping, great range of adjustability, light, ETA lockout, looks great.
Weaknesses:
Not as light or stiff as high end-forks.
Similar Products Used:
RST Gilla Plus (Origional Equipment).
Bike Setup:
Specialized Hardrock with a few upgrades.
Bottom Line:
This fork is awesome. I feel like it is definately the best 100mm travel agressive XC fork on the market under $300 or so. Expensive high-end forks have better damping, and are slightly lighter and stiffer, but this is still a great fork.
The ETA lockout is a great feature for long or steep climbs. I like the way it lowers the travel and "locks" the fork with only 30mm of stiff travel.
When I first got it, air leaked out as fast as I pumped it up, but I soon discoverd this was just becouse the top caps were not tight (maybe they were not torqued down properly or they wiggled loose in shipping, who knows). I just took a wrench and tightedned it and no more leaks.
I've only had the fork for three weeks or so, so I can't comment on reliability/durability.
The trails I ride are rocky, rooty, and steep, and this fork feels great going over the fast rooty sections and moderate drops (1-2 feet). It feels soft and plush, yet soaks up the bigger hits without bottoming-out or feeling harsh. I can finish a ride with the zip tie on the stanchion showing that I have come within mm of full travel, but never once feel like I bottomed out.
If I wanted the absolute best performance and could spend two or three times as much as I did on this fork I would go for something nicer, but for a very affordable $230 this fork cannot be topped by any other mid-range fork I've ridden. For the agressive XC trail rider who cares more about cost than ounces and gimmicks this fork is a great choice.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Marshall
a Cross Country Rider
from New York, New York Date Reviewed: October 23, 2007
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$239.00
Purchased At:
Jenson USA
Strengths:
ETA
Weaknesses:
Air leaks
Bike Setup:
Trek 9900 OCLV, XTR
Bottom Line:
XC and urban riding. The ETA is very useful on both the trail and in the city, off for downhill, roots, rocks or bumpy streets, on for climbing and smooth streets. The air pressure will decrease over the course of a week to the point that the front end becomes loose and unstable. I'm pleased with the performance of the fork as long as i keep the air pressure up but it's not fun when I head out the door and hit the cobblestones with a loose front end.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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