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Submitted by
marco cote
a Racer
from windsor
Date Reviewed: May 10, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | malden park or seven hills | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$10.00 | | Purchased At: | a friend | | Bottom Line: | i got it for almost free so i am happy bu they needed new seals. i am only 12 years old and 70 lbs. I think they are perfect for mee but last race i bottemed them out on like a 4 footer.( that is when i still only weigh 70 lbs)
I put in like 50 $ to these and i think it was worth it!
| Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Greg Ryan
a Cross Country Rider
from Limerick, Ireland, Eurpoe
Date Reviewed: May 31, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Cratloe Woods, Co.Clare | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$230.00 | | Purchased At: | Limerick Bike Store | | Strengths: | The ability to adjust the rebound and compression on th fly was really good, but you'd better make sure that both sides are set the same . You could end up causing alot of damage. Not too heavy and a lovely finish. Really loved them but.... | | Weaknesses: | ...Did I suffer?!? I had the oila nd seales replaced about 12 times a year if I was lucky. They kept on leaking on one side, and then followed by the other a few weeks later. After I got rid of them, sent them away to shock heaven, I was told that the unit had an internal crack in the wall of the left fork. The oil was bypassing the inner seals and working it's way out to greet me. This was th emost annoying thing that I have ever come across in Mountain Biking. I have bust my middle finger (ladies welcome to give it a try) but this was the worst thing ever. I ahted these forks as a result. | | Similar Products Used: | Bomber Z2, Rock Shock Judy's | | Bike Setup: | Diamond Back Axis Pro, XTR/XT Groupies and beloved Cateye Daylights! | | Bottom Line: | Go get um. If they give you any trouble at all in the first two months, get you money back and invest in a decent pair of Bomber Z2's. SORT'ED! | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kevin
a Cross Country Rider
from Hong Kong
Date Reviewed: January 11, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | GOOD DAMPING!
SMOOTH! | | Weaknesses: | Air, air and air....
Wanner change to full coil+oil | | Similar Products Used: | Marzocchi XC600, Rock Shox SID SL, Rock Shox Psylo XC, Rock Shox Judy 100, Marzocchi Bomber Z3 Coil, Marzocchi Bomber Z1 Air | | Bike Setup: | Wheeler 9980 Easton, DeoreXT | | Bottom Line: | The proformance of this fork is really good.
But the outlook is...suck....
So I wanner buy a Bomber Z2 or SID SL on som days later. | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steve
a Cross Country Rider
from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: August 4, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | technical singletrack | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Good dampening makes for a plush feel.
The looks. Beautifully machined. | | Weaknesses: | The lack of steering stiffness. High maintenance.
Blown seals are a pain in the ass to replace. | | Similar Products Used: | Marzocchi EGS, Rock Shox Judy XC, various bombers. | | Bike Setup: | Giant Cadex ALM 1, full xtr, raceface system, turbine bb, ringle superduperbubba wheelset. monkeylite carbon riser. | | Bottom Line: | I bought this fork used for $200. The previous owner raced on it once, so it basically was still brand new. Suspension feel is very plush, but you have to do some fiddling around with air pressure and oil height to get the right feel according to your riding style and body weight.
Long term durabity issues:
Lack of stiffness. There is too much flex for aggressive riders like me, or people who weigh more than 180 lbs.
Blown seals are annoying. The seals have to replaced at least once a year. Lack of travel doesn't make for a good fork to ride hard on. I bottom the fork out just by jumping over 1 foot logs. [there is brake rub on my v-brakes when i sprint hard! ... and my brakes are tuned perfectly]
If you see this fork on sale nowadays, it's a good buy, because it will probably be really cheap. But long-term use, I would recommend getting a bomber. I'm seriously looking at the 2000 Z2 ATOM 80 which performance and durability issues are nothing bu non-existent.
I give this fork 4 flamin chilis for value because of initial suspension quality, but 2 for overall stiffness and lack of travel.
Maybe I shouldn't have bought such a weak fork if I knew I was going to be riding hard on it. T_T *sniff sniff* | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
jonne lindmark
a Cross Country Rider
from sweden gellivare
Date Reviewed: May 9, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | crescent brimer and trek y5 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | It´s good to trail and many other things. It is a cross country fork. | | Weaknesses: | It could have more suspension. Sometimes it hit trugh when i´m freeriding | | Similar Products Used: | rs xlc rs sid xc | | Bike Setup: | crescent brimer whith a marzocchi xc 700 | | Bottom Line: | It´s a good freeriding fork. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jesse
a Cross-Country Rider
from Bernardston, MA
Date Reviewed: May 19, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
none | | Weaknesses: |
it was terrible from the day I got it! The fork never held air. This could be just a one time thing though. | | Similar Products Used: |
none | | Bike Setup: |
magorly modified diamond back sorrento | | Bottom Line: | It's the worst!! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
a Cross-Country Rider
a
from New Jersey
Date Reviewed: April 3, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
Great damping | | Weaknesses: |
too little travel,less than 3 inch. | | Similar Products Used: |
Rock Shox SID , Rock Shox Judy Sl, Manitou Fs Ti | | Bottom Line: | This fork kick ASS.....It is much better than other shocks I tried.Rock Shox and Manitou's are just crap.Why pay so much for a fork that SUCK when you can get the XC700 for half the price??If you want something better than this try Marzocchi's Superfly or Z2 atom bomb.Marzocchi makes the best shoks in world right now.The XC700 is value for money and it is a pretty good fork.The only thing is the lack of travel...I'll give them five stars for their system and -1 for lack of travel | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Hrvoje
a weekend warrior
from Zagreb, Croatia
Date Reviewed: January 17, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
After one year still no problems. Best fork I ever had. Adjustable, reliable, no leaks ever... And it looks great too.
On few ocasions failed to get into rigid mode (mark six) due to reasons unknown. After few miles it fixed itself and everything was OK since. Maybe fluid mixed with air, someone said... If someone could explain why it happend, please. Thnx. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
OLD KEN
a cross-country rider
from Northern California
Date Reviewed: December 21, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
When Supergo was firesaleing these forks it was just too cheap to not upgrade both my son's and my rigid forked bikes. After over two years fo fairly regular (once or twice a week) riding insome of the more challenging local areas on two sete of forks, I have to give these forks high marks. Each set of forks has developed leaks once but after disassembly, I found that they only needed a good cleaning and an oil change and are fine with no further parts to be replaced.
What I found to be helpful however, was to place an appropriately sized O ring under the piston seal to make the fit to the inside of the slider a little tighter. this improved the damping action quite a bit.
On the next teardown, I'll try throwing springs in them as suggested in other reviews, but just for curiosity. The forks work quite admirably just as they are and I wouldn't replace them unless they were seriously damaged. Kudos to the folks at marzocchi for these forks, and damn them for discontinuing them.
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kjell Arne
a cross-country rider
from Norway
Date Reviewed: October 28, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I have a fork like this when I lost my extender to pump air i to the fork I havent only used the fork in position 6 lock'ed position.When I asked to get a new extender they had newer herd about this.The fork is good but the service in norway losy | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
W.J. vanEssen
a cross-country rider
from Apeldoorn, Netherlands
Date Reviewed: October 24, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I bought the fork this August and I'm very pleased with it, th e damping is just fine for me, I'm not a very heavy person +/- 50kg. Next time, when I have to check the fork I will put some more oil in the fork.
I don't have the fork that long, so I'm still experience with it!
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
7/8
a cross-country rider
from Lodz, Poland
Date Reviewed: August 14, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
First of all, the fork weighs 1430g w/out steerer tube. Bought a XC700 1.5months ago and had it installed on my '95 Giant Granite, along with a Tange AheadSet. A week later, I spent some 8 days bashing the hell out of my fork (even riding on front wheel, although not intentionally)and wow! What a difference to my old HiTen rigid fork! And the weight didn't change much, I may have even made my bike lighter. This is my first sus fork, so I can't compare it to any other brand, but here's what I found:
You have to adjust the air pressure right. For me, this means no sag when it get seated on my bike-this prevents most of the up-down bobbing when accelerating, useful on road. Then you have lots of travel left (with this fork's progress you can't really have it bottom out)
2nd thing is the damping/rebound control. For me, 4 is the best, all-around setting, nice for descents. You can also try 3-better for jumping because of lesser damping (I guess).
Maintenance: Keep the fork boots on! They are made of delicate rubber and tend to come off rather easily (which is good when you want to take them off)and they come off by themselves, especially in muddy terrain. So keep them on, and clean the fork stanchions after each ride, and for God's sake, don't lube the stanchions! This would atract grime and promote seal wear! From time to time, remember to lift the dust seals (you can use a small screwdriver, just be careful) and remove any dirt which may have gotten under them with e.g. a q-tip.
Now for the bad news:
Afer 3 weeks of awesome action, 500km (including some 200km in the mountains in driving rain), I experienced an oil leak! My local bike shop (Dynamo, Lodz) reluctantly replaced the oil seal for free (this is covered by the warranty) and I've been riding it ever since, hassle-free. Maybe the leak was my own fault, 'cause I was told about the dust seal thing after the fork leaked...Anyhow, this is a great fork, looks awesome-go buy it! I give it 5 chillies for the way it works, but remember about the inevitable leaks. And if you still want to go for a MCU, think about winter (I ride all year long, so this is important for me). | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mountain Fraggle
a racer
from the East Coast
Date Reviewed: June 29, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Plush, plush, plush! And then I added the spring upgrade. Plusher, plusher, plusher! Air pressure can be run lower with the springs installed and stiction is non-existant. High speed stutters, big hits, handles anything and tracks incredibly. Anyone who wants the springs can order them through their local shop from Marzocchi. These springs are specifically for the XC forks. I don't know if you can use bomber springs. Great fork! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
cedric
a weekend warrior
from ardeche
Date Reviewed: May 12, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Great fork, but as it is italian, you can espect some problems.
I had two leaks in less than two years, and cost me a lot to fix it.
But when it works, the Marzocchi xc700 is fantastic! Superbe fourche, mais etant italien, vous pouvez vous attendre a des problemes.
J ai eu deux fuites en moins de deux ans, et cela m'a coute assez cher a reparer.
Mais quand elle marche, la Marzocchi xc700 est vraiment genial! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
dirt eater
a cross-country rider
from Alabama
Date Reviewed: May 2, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Mine is the xc600. Bought it in late 1995. The action is awesome, but the fork is laterally flexy. I have a Hugi pro hub in it now and that hasn't stiffened it up too much. Reliability is fantastic. In 1995 the generation of forks with coil springs wasn't available, so this fork was an obvious choice for me (I think MCUs are stupid). I don't know that I'd buy it over again because it's so flexy, but I would definitely stick with something in the Marzocchi product line. Whoever answers email for Marzocchi said that they don't plan to pursue air/oil forks in the future because of stiction; maybe I don't know what I'm missing, but I think that's too bad for everyone trying to build a light bike. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Pavel JANICEK
a cross-country rider
from Ostrava, Czech Republic
Date Reviewed: April 22, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Je to docela slusna videl vzhledem k cene a olej mi zatim netece. Je treba ji zpocatku trosicku vyjezdit a pak je to v oukeji. Dale vidim vyhodu v tom, ze kdyz budu chtit tak do ni vrazim pruzinu a tim padem muzu ufouknout vzduch a tak snizit tlak na olejovku. Staci? | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tommy Jensen
a cross-country rider
from Denmark
Date Reviewed: March 16, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
A (ok) fork, but have a lot of disqualities. For eksample mine just broke on a ride, and there was nothing I could do! It just bobed up and down, and I haven´t been able to fix it because the danish distributer is a jack a.. But when it workes it´s a nice fork, and I like the locking system, because it´s a relife when I rite on a road it´s nice that theres no suspension. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a racer
from Canada
Date Reviewed: March 15, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I bought the fork in march 97. Three months later the fork started leaking,
I brought it to the local bike shop to get it fixed. He charged me
alot and he didn't fix them, so i took the fork apart my self cleaned it
and put automatic transmision fluid in it and it has never leaked again.
The fork is plush and i love it. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Adry Azad
a weekend warrior
from Subang Jaya,Malaysia
Date Reviewed: March 1, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Hello , i'm 14 and i ride a chromoly frame with a XC 700..my review = Great fork.The fork works very very well especially at high speed and with big bumps.My friends who rides a MAnitou Fs ti wants to get it now.Best fork i have ever ridden.So trash that old forks of yours and get a MARZOCCHI | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
JAIME DE LA FUENTE RIVERA
a weekend warrior
from SAN LUIS POTOSI S.L.P. MEXICO
Date Reviewed: February 18, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
This fork has worked well, but I got a problem with the part that keeps the both arms together, one of the screws got broken and I had to replace it, the fork has worked very good,and it feels great in all kinds of terrain, the only problem that i have found, is that when im pedaling stand over the pedals it moves a lot up and down, and that its not good for pedaling
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nigel Connor
a cross-country rider
from Philadelphia, PA
Date Reviewed: January 16, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Why buy a RockShox SID when you can get pretty much the same thing for hundreds less? I found the suggested PSI of 45 was way too high. I set mine as low as 20 just to get the plush action. Doesn't bottom out much even at low pressure and with its 2 of travel. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
PiasT
a cross-country rider
from Poland
Date Reviewed: December 29, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
These shocks are magnificent! It looks cool with my bike and it works great. I haven't used Bomber springs yet but even without them it works smooth and eats small bumps so you feel like if you drived Mercedes 600. It took some time until i adjusted air pressure and oil level (it changes force required to fully compress it, but if there's to little of oil sealing don't work good so be careful) | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark Wilson
a weekend warrior
from Vancouver, BC, CANADA
Date Reviewed: December 19, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
These forks are awesome!!! They beat the crap out of my freinds Judy XC's and they are VERY adjutable (important to me because I'm 14 and weigh 125 lbs)
I have heard about using the bomber springs in them, if you know anything about this PLEASE email me and tell me how! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Noritsugu Chikushi
a weekend warrior
from Japan
Date Reviewed: October 22, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
XC700 is very good.I bought this fork from SuperGo.
Super go said Shipping rate is $70
But, USP postage was only $42.88.
There were no service manual and Zoke's Warranty card.
They use cheap type crown and one of fixing bolt was broken.
I send e-mail many times about this problems.
Supergo disregarded.
I want to say Be careful If use SuperGo's e-Mail shopping.XC700 is Very good suspention.
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeff Peters
a
from cross-country rider
Date Reviewed: September 28, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I recently bought an XC 600 after contemplating rock shox indy XC's and SL's, and was completely overjoyed once i got the fork on my bike. I am absolutely convinced that Marzocchi is the king of suspension, and these XC 600's are the goods. It has taken some adjusting of the air pressure to get a good setting for my riding style, but it really seems to me that
you can't do anything wrong with setting up the fork. I think that's the ultimate sign of a great fork. The ride is unbelievable, and for the money i paid (i got a GREAT deal), it kicks major butt. I recently tried out a friend's cannondale with new judy XC's, and I was horrified when i bounced on the shocks. This is what you get in the new judy's?! I exclaimed. As far as I'm concerned, that closed the case. Marzocchi rules, end of story. Too bad the XC 700's are out of production. If you are considering a new set of forks, don't take a look at the judy's in your local bike shop until you've exhausted all possibilities of getting your hands on some Marzocchis. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Hyperglide
a weekend warrior
from Toronto, Canada
Date Reviewed: August 13, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I just installed Marzocchi's Bomber-style spring kit in my XC600 (fits the 600 and the 700), and I'm delighted. It's WAAAAY more responsive to small bumps, tons more active. Even with the kit, you can still air the shock up, too, so I run just 25 pounds or so on top of the spring and get super responsive low speed bump eating and a kind of rising spring rate that retains that air/oil big bump eating capability. The adjustable oil rebound damping still works after the springs go in, too. Really sweet. The only complaint is that it makes a definite clunk when it tops out. I guess that proves it's working, but a little less noise would be nice. XC600 and 700 owners... don't hesitate for another second. Buy the spring kit and let the Judy guys eat their hearts out! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rags
a cross-country rider
from Oh Canada
Date Reviewed: July 16, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
Admittedly, I don't have a lot of experience with suspension forks, but this was a great purchase for my first pair. Initial impressions and price ($250 cdn) are super positive. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
MaN
a weekend warrior
from GRENOBLE
Date Reviewed: July 7, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
This fork is NOT reliable. Many problems after only three months. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jolane Synott
a weekend warrior
from Australia, Victoria, Sunshine
Date Reviewed: May 10, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I have xc6000 and I think that these shoxs are good. but the crown is too weak, it is made of aluminium. when i was doing a bunny hop and landed and both sides of the forks came out of the crown. i got knocked out and my face is all cut up, my knee cap has filled up with liquid and my shoulder and elbows are stuffed, my jaw is stuffed and i have to eat baby food. shoxs are good but too weak. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brad
a weekend warrior
from IA
Date Reviewed: April 5, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I picked up my XC600 on closeout for $200. Great deal! It's sooooo smoooth,
it's unbelievable. A friend of mine bought a 97 Judy XC with the
spring/elastomer combo and my 'Zoke is a million times smoother. A couple of
minor complaints though:
1st it pretty much requires a Risse adapter to adjust the air pressure.
2nd it's a bit flexxy--shouldn't be a problem when I get a nice aftermarket
suspension hub.
Overall a great fork for the money if you can still find them (check Supergo) and have a stiff hub.
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brian Gabel
a cross-country rider
from Whitehouse Station, NJ
Date Reviewed: July 24, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
This fork gets overshadowed by the Judy and the Manitou, but it's a real gem. The fork's build quality easily beats the SL/XC and the Mach 5, with excellent fit and finish, solid feel and anodized steel catridge knobs (no plastic here!). It comes in a classy polished silver color. The only quality issue I have is that the fork's labelling is stickered on and can peel off. The fork is an air/oil design which means it's highly tunable for varying trail conditions and isn't susceptible to temperature changes like MCUs. Air pressure is adjusted via easy-to-access schaeder values for each stachion tube and has a normal pressure range of 35-80psi. Compression and rebound damping is adjusted via a 6-position catridge knob with one position to completely lock out the fork's action - hammer all you want!
A common complaint of air/oil forks is stiction, but the XC-700 rides more like an MCU in this area. Right out of the box, the fork's action is actually lousy with lots of stiction. After about 75 miles, the fork transforms into a plush and active bump gobbler. The transformation is substantial, so don't judge it until it is fully broken in. The XC-700s does exceptional well, I've found, over small stuff and at slower speeds. Sound like a wussy fork? Well, it IS an air/oil fork, a design that usally excels only the big stuff or at high speeds. This small stuff gobbling characteristic makes for a comfortable and plush ride. The Judys and Mach 5s do this too - but the XC-700 does it with less weight (2.9lb plus steerer), more tunability and more reliability (Marzocchi hasn't had a recall in over two years).
Ok, how about the tough stuff? I was riding down a long, gradual decline at about 21mph and came across a washed-out section with pretty nasty ruts. The XC-700 really surprised me. Considering it has only 52mm of travel, it tracked through the section very competently. It ate the big hits admirably and I continued through it without a hitch. Why do I mention this? If I had been on a rigid or perhaps a lesser suspension fork, a spill would have been likely. I've crashed on much smaller stuff than what the XC-700 got me through. Now, I enjoy blasting through the section, laughing at the ruts all the way.
You have to learn how to set the damping and spring rate right. If you have too little damping or low spring rate, the fork feels unconfident under hard cornering. You'll know if you set the fork too plush. I weigh 170 pounds, ride various XC terrain and found 55psi and #4 catridge position to be a good generic setting. While it doesn't track like a rigid bike, it's close enough and its ride smoothing abilities are more than compensatory.
I've only had the fork for a month, so I cannot comment on the long-term maintanence/problem factor. So far, though, it has run flawlessly. Just lube the seals and keep the fork boots on!
If I had to do it all over again would I buy the XC-700? Conditionally yes. It's a great fork, but so is the competitions': RS Indy SL, Halson PDS Inversion fork, Girvin Vector 2 with ODS unit or even Marzocchi's next-generation Bomber fork. It basically comes down to picking the fork with the right design, price or even color (why else get a Judy SL? :-D ). | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark Rickerby
a racer
from Wellington, New Zealand
Date Reviewed: July 4, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
model: xc600
This is the first suspension fork I have used, and I really like it. It
absorbs bumps well, at most speeds, although it is a little harsh in small
to medium sized bumps at low speeds. It absorbs big hits really well without
a hard bottoming out. The six adjustment clickers don't make too much
difference although you do notice the change in rebound. I hardly ever
use the lock-out setting.Even though I regularly ride in muddy areas and
dont run fork boots, I have not had any problems with seals in the 6 months
I have had the fork. The only problem I have with the fork is that is is
impossible to adjust the air pressure without buying a $120 pump. The
Rock-Shox syringe pump is much better than using the schraeder valve on
these Zokes. This factor does not detract from the forks performance,
Air/Oil is here to stay!
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ben
a cross-country rider
from Philadelphia, PA
Date Reviewed: April 12, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
The owner of my local bike store convinced me that as far as plushness goes, no other cross-country fork compares to the Marzocchi XC700. After riding the fork for about six months in cold weather, I'd be inclined to agree. I can only compare my current fork to the Manitou Sport and the Rockshox Mag21, but really, air/oil is still king. Two critiques however. First, although the fork is adjustable, I can't really feel much of a difference through the range except for lock-out. Second, I've had two incidences of leaky seals. But factor in price and you have a great fork that, IMHO, easily outperforms Rockshox and Manitou.
I give it only four stars, not five, because of its seal problems and servicability.
| | Overall Rating: |
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