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Submitted by
pete
a Cross Country Rider
from bend, or
Date Reviewed: July 23, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | mckenzie river | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$300.00 | | Purchased At: | jenson usa | | Strengths: | Super plush damping, ecc handy on super steep climbs, doppio is fun when you know how it really works. | | Weaknesses: | No compression!! | | Similar Products Used: | Mx comp w/eta 105mm, Pike Race uturn 140, Mx Pro 120 w/eta, Drop off 150mm w/eta. | | Bike Setup: | Marzocchi Z1 FR SL 130mm(air pressure 11 psi per leg)(neg-120 psi). Mountain Cycle Rumble (04), single speed conversion kit, king headset, thomson front and rear, single track wheelset, schwalbe racing ralph tires 2.25, avid mech 6" brakes, wtb pure v race saddle, answer riser bar, odi grips...................... | | Bottom Line: | If people took the time( hmmmmm..........took the time) to set up their forks properly then they would not have as many issues with their damping units. Once you really take time to set this fork up and understand the doppio it is so much fun to play with. I weigh around 230 and I am 6ft 6" so I am hard on stuff but this fork has surprised me of late. It is now 2007 in late July and I have used this fork on several bikes and I have it set up on low psi (11 psi) per leg. From what I have garnered from Marzocchi when run this low it is awesome for XC/Trail since it soaks up everything. Increase the psi up to 20 lbs per leg and one can transform it into a dual slalom/4X rig and no bottom out feature. It really takes a pounding and I notice little flex unless........................you are riding really hard such as in a race. Other wise this fork can be tuned for all sorts of riding if you know how to set it up. I say Fabien Barel at Sea Otter ride this fork on the downhill and he was moving.................. He had the 150mm doppio and he is considerably lighter than I but in no way do I ride like this speed demon. This fork comes alive on hard tails but with full suspensions it does lack the compression so it dives too much and one cannot stiffen up the fork. Marzocchi really offers good support so go to their tech site and find out for your self. Too many lazy impatient people out there so take the time. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ironhorse Hollowpoint
a Cross Country Rider
from San Diego, CA
Date Reviewed: March 31, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Noble Canyon | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$550.00 | | Purchased At: | Beyond Bikes | | Strengths: | Plush and very active. Great fork when set up correctly. | | Weaknesses: | Setup is a pain. Factory weight oil is not meant for lightweight riders. Dry wipers led to very bad stiction. | | Similar Products Used: | Rockshox Duke, Rockshox Reba | | Bike Setup: | '04 Ironhorse Hollowpoint | | Bottom Line: | I was ready to throw this fork away. I thought I had wasted $550. As a relatively lightweight rider (135lbs), this is a horrible fork from the factory. Also, BeyondBikes did not tell me the clunking was from the rebound set wrong. They said it was normal, which now I realized they were full of it. The fork initally had massive amounts of stiction and no small bump sensitivity, no matter what I had the air pressures set at. I eventually gave it one last try and took the fork apart, drained the factory 7.5weight oil and refilled with 5 weight oil and regreased the wipers with Super Slick Grease. It became everything I had hoped it would be when I first bought the fork. Absolutely no stiction and very good small bump sensitivity and very very plush. This fork is a very good fork. It just is not very good right out of the box and requires a lot of set up. Not a fork for newbies. I give a 4 for value because I paid so much. I know later in 2006 they were selling in the 300's. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a
from Winston Salem
Date Reviewed: March 20, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Snowshoe Mountain, WV | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$299.00 | | Purchased At: | Price Point | | Strengths: | BUTTER SMOOTH PERFORMANCE (When setup correctly). Light weight fork, with rebound, lock out and adjustable travel. | | Weaknesses: | Infinite ways to setup so the fork settings have to be adjusted and tweeked until the desired feel is obtained. Not for the out-of-the-box and go rider or manual reader. | | Similar Products Used: | Rock Shox Psylo SL | | Bike Setup: | Cannondale Jekyll. Only the best crosscountry/all mountain ride ever made. | | Bottom Line: | The bottom line to this fork is patience. Do not use the air pressures from the manual. I like a butter smooth squishy feel when it's in the downhill mode and an in between feel when in the AL mode. I put 30 psi in the positive chamber, 70psi in the negative, and 10 in the par. Play with the tst air pressure but the amount is very low. A little bit of air pressure really affects the tst setting quite a bit. Just remember very low air pressures in all the chambers. I practically ride over curbs and piles of roots and feel nothing. I have been very pleased and wish to buy another one just to keep instock so when the time comes to replace this one I have another one ready to go. Those people that wrote a negative review should have just bought a FOX for their out of the box and ready to go junk! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
glen hepting
a Weekend Warrior
from small town bc canada
Date Reviewed: January 31, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | mt. provost | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$975.00 | | Purchased At: | lbs | | Strengths: | lite | | Weaknesses: | this thing has so many adjustments you can get lost in them. the manual is a joke. played with it for seems like forever then took it to my mech. he messed with it for a hour and we never really got to work all that well. i have owned lots of mar forks and never have i used such a piece of crap like this. stick with a spring not air. | | Similar Products Used: | how about a stick with a tennis ball on the end of it. | | Bike Setup: | sanata cruz heckler | | Bottom Line: | i'm not saying marz does not have a good product but this thing is not helping there resales. i went to manitou flick. little heavier but worked right out of the box with min. adjustments. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Richard Toften
a Weekend Warrior
from Norway
Date Reviewed: December 13, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Hafjell | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | Sykkelbutikken | | Strengths: | Great tunability, relatively light | | Weaknesses: | Useless manual | | Similar Products Used: | From '92 Rock Shox with 2" of travel to Marzocchi Shiver | | Bike Setup: | Commencal Supreme 6.10, SRAM, Race Face, Formula 7", Fox RP3, Mavic CrossMax SL, Maxxis Minion | | Bottom Line: | I write this review coming from the same situation as many other reviewers below; this fork is tricky to tune, espacially if you start out with the manual! I started out with the recommended settings, and kept lowering them, without getting the feel I was hoping for. Fortunately a friend of mine is the official Marzocchi Service Mechanic for Norway, and he gave me the following tip: Go even lower on the mains, higher on the neg and PAR! 7 bar (100 psi) in the PAR, 7 in the negative, and check this - 0.5 bar (7 psi) in the main chambers! I tried it, and it worked, but I'm 180 pounds and freeride, so the forks were a bit on the soft side. I then adjusted this to 6 bar (87 psi)in the PAR, 6 in the negative (the order is very important, or you'll get more sag) and 1 bar (14 psi) in each leg. PERFECT! If anything, try it, it sure works for me, the forks are butter smooth without bottoming out. Happy trails! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Robert "Apple" Lizares
a Cross Country Rider
from Bacolod City, Philippines
Date Reviewed: October 5, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Tube 1, 2, 3 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$490.00 | | Purchased At: | Local Bike Store | | Strengths: | Controlled dumping, smooth and quick. Who says its hard to tune? Read the manual people! | | Weaknesses: | None so far | | Similar Products Used: | Fox Vanila 125RLC, Fox Talas 125RLC, Fox Float 130RLC | | Bike Setup: | My fork is now in my 2005 Enduro150 S-works. | | Bottom Line: | If your planning to purchase a 6 inch fork, this one is the lightest and the cheapest in the market. Setting it up is simple. If your runing 6inches of rear wheel travel, then don't inflate air in the negative chamber. Because doing so reduces the travel. Thats why...."read your manual boys and girls" If you plan to reduce travel, then buy a shorter travel fork that matches your rear travel. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a Cross Country Rider
from Upstate NY USA
Date Reviewed: September 26, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$425.00 | | Purchased At: | Beyond Bikes | | Strengths: | Stiff, Seemed durable | | Weaknesses: | Lots of problems for a new fork | | Similar Products Used: | Marathon S,XC, Psylo's , Judy's, SID's, Minute2 etc. etc. | | Bike Setup: | Foes FXR (currently no fork) | | Bottom Line: | I chose to spend my hard earned cash on the All Mountian SL('05,purchased in early '06) based on having good luck with the durability of 2 Marathons and Marzocchi's long history of good stuff. After the first ride it immediately started bleeding off pressure in the left leg (NEG AIR) with some weeping apparent at the bottom of the leg.I thought maybe break in would cure it. As soon as the main seals broke in it developed a bad knock in the right leg. Pressures? No. Damping? No. I pulled the fork, flexed the lowers and discovered there was SEVERE slop in what seems the lower bushings. AT +/-SIXTY BREAK IN MILES??????? You could literally hear the slop in the bushings standing ten feet away in a busy bike shop! I didn't dare tear it down to inspect the issue for fear of voiding warranty policies,etc. Hopefully, Marzocchi will turn this around in a timely manner. I will let you know.
P.S. I am 42, not an abuser and have a good mechanical background. I'd hate to see what happens when you really ride it hard. I will post a reply on Marzocchi's warranty performance. Hopefully they will boost rating with good turn around. MAYBE they need to police thier Taiwan subcontractors better! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Pat Dalton
a
from Poland, Maine USA
Date Reviewed: September 4, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | www.bikebackcountry.com | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$380.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance.com | | Strengths: | Adjustability, wieght, performance. | | Weaknesses: | I wish this fork had ETA, but that is the All Mountain I.
Adjustment is confusing at first. | | Similar Products Used: | MZ Comp, Rock Shox Indy C | | Bike Setup: | 04 Haro X1, Rock Shox Pearl 3.1. | | Bottom Line: | I really like this fork. It's been great. This fork is extremely adjustable. Beyond what is specified in the manual, once you get the concept of what air chamber does what. Once broken in, and figured out, it's an awesome fork. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John
a Weekend Warrior
from Oregon
Date Reviewed: August 28, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Bottom Line: | This is a 6mos update. I have been riding this fork as hard as I can and it has stood up to the test. After it is fully broken in it's very plush. I have found the settings that work for me, and it has been set it and forget it. I check the air psi every now and then and it has never lost any. A previous review outlined EXACTLY how to set it up, THAT WAY WORKS.
Marzocchi has a great fork here and if you can still find them online they are a great deal for the $$$. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ratt
a Cross Country Rider
from SoCal
Date Reviewed: July 14, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Any long single track | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$300.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance.com | | Strengths: | Long travel, good fore aft stiffness, better color that the AM1, cheap at blow out prices, tuneability, plush | | Weaknesses: | too much tuneability, a bit heavy for an air fork, tall a-c, super low psi shock pump not included, a bit of lateral flex, no travel reduction on the fly. | | Similar Products Used: | None, first 6" travel single crown fork i've been on or at least one that wasn't set for someone 40 lbs heavier. | | Bike Setup: | long travel travel XC frame, xc wheels and crank. | | Bottom Line: | I am surprized this fork doesn't get more bad reviews because its hard to setup and does not come with the correct pump to do so. There are 4 air chambers on this fork, 1 psi can make a noticeable difference in 3 of the chambers and the fork does not come with a shock pump and you pretty much need 2, a high pressure one for the negative spring and a low pressure one for the rest. I am still figuring out this fork, right now have 2 pressure set ups, one for everyday local trail riding and a techy rocky small drop trail setup. Hoping to find the "one" setup.
I am coming off a 115mm air fork and even though there is a bit of stiction in this fork it feels plush as hell to me, but like I said this is my first 6" travel fork. Pumping up the PAR a bit makes this fork feel bottomless, sacrificing some small bump sensitivity. The TST works ok, well enough that i am not searching for the compression knob.
I think this fork has a lot of stiffness fore and aft but in the turns i can sense some lateral flex probably due to the quick release setup.
This fork is a bit heavy, i didn't weight it but i think its 4.5+ lbs, an '07 140mm float 32 is way lighter and so are Revelations but neither can touch this fork on price.
Price is after discounts. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
bigd
a
from modesto ca
Date Reviewed: July 8, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$380.00 | | Strengths: | adjustability, travel, weight, stiffness and looks | | Weaknesses: | not intended for sizable jumps. | | Similar Products Used: | r.s. psylo, manitou nixon | | Bike Setup: | khs fr2000-xt-raceface cranks-hayes-thomson post+stem-pro taper bar- | | Bottom Line: | This fork is for riders who can tune their own bikes. If you cant handle concepts like negative travel and multi stage air springs seek professional help. I feel the positive pressure setting guidelines in the manual are a little too high. Start with those settings and decrease pressure and chart the results. I love the tst dial and find the recomended pressure to be good. the pedaling platform is excellent in the mid tst setting. I weigh 245 lbs. and have had no air leakage problems. This fork is very stiff for trail riding and holds the ground well in downhill turns. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Guy
a Cross Country Rider
from Portland, OR
Date Reviewed: June 30, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$409.00 | | Purchased At: | downshiftcycles.com | | Strengths: | Stiff build, plush, highly adjustable, reliable, and an all-around great performer. | | Weaknesses: | Some of the previous reviewers? | | Similar Products Used: | see prior review... | | Bike Setup: | My bike is set up for trail riding. | | Bottom Line: | This is a follow up to my previous review. I've been on this fork for about a year now and have ridden it in a variety of conditions. It has performed flawlessly in every respect and only recently did I notice a drop in the performance (primarily in small bump sensitivity) which prompted some service from a local shop (oil change/TST service). It is now performing even better then before and I couldn't be happier. Props to the guys at Fat Tire Farm in PDX!!!
I can't help but wonder what prompts people to write such negative stuff when the problems they often describe are linked to user error or lack of knowledge as to how a product is designed to work. A little research on this site will often produce a sollution to most "problems". Before purchasing this fork I read a lot, asked a lot of questions, and went out and tried other products as well. I feel I made a very informed decision with this purchase and have been extremely pleased with it. I will also post a few things I learned about setting this thing up (copied from a post of mine)-
Base all of your air/sag adjustments around the "DH" setting on the TST and use the following formula as a start: Pos-Pos = Same, Neg = 3xPos.
I'm about 185lbs (195-200 w/gear) and run 35psi in each positive air chamber. The negative is about 130psi (for a slight travel reduction... plus I like the slightly higher negative pressure for increased small bump sensitivity). PAR is approx 5psi. My rebound is about 5-6 clicks in from full open. This set-up yeilds a very compliant, linear feel on the fork with excellent tracking characteristics. My favorite TST setting is "AM-" (one click above "DH").
To adjust your rebound (after setting up the air chambers)-
Speed it up all the way (all the way "fast") and turn it in one click. Do a "Pogo-stick" type hop, lifting the fork up. If you still hear/feel the "ping" (aka; top-out) then turn it in one more click. Repeat until the sound is no longer heard (shouldn't be more then about 5-6 clicks unless you're running a whole lot of pos pressure).
Hope this helps out a little!
Here's the actual thread-
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=191025
I hope this shines a little light into what seems to be a major issue with a lot of folks who purchased this fork. The 2005 All Mountain SL is an excellent product. If you read most of the reviews here I think you'll agree.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike Lonie
a Downhiller
from Bedford, NH, USA
Date Reviewed: June 27, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Mt Killington, Highland Mountain Bike Park | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$350.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance Bike | | Strengths: | Extremely adjustable, Plenty of travel, nice looking, and just AMAZING!!! If you like to XC and still want to do a little DH/FR this fork can handle for sure. | | Weaknesses: | None there is nothing that is a weakness with this fork. Who ever says this for is bad is most likely a Moron. | | Similar Products Used: | exr, marathon, shiver, and JR.T | | Bike Setup: | Haro Extreme 2 | | Bottom Line: | Anyone who is looking for a rugged fork this is it. The fork is amazing for XC and DH. Its able to soak up the little stuff and take the big stuff with no problem. All in all i would say this is one of the sickest forks out there. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
TJ Z
a Cross Country Rider
from New York New York
Date Reviewed: June 18, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | upstate | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$400.00 | | Purchased At: | PricePoint | | Strengths: | Stiff as you need. Looks great. Quality build: knobs and stuff. | | Weaknesses: | Weight for the CC rider is a bit high. | | Similar Products Used: | Fox vanilla (one year), Manitou Minute 1 2 and 3 all used + 8 months each | | Bike Setup: | Turner Burner, Easton EA70 stem, CaneCreek S-8 headset, XR rockers for total 4" travel | | Bottom Line: | I like this fork. I have no problems with air or oil leakage. Bottom line is the fork is well made. I would buy it again. Weight is exactly 4.5 pounds with 2" of steerer removed. The TST control works great with a super plush setting that meets my needs for rocky-rooty fast terrain so long as the air pressure is adjusted properly in negative and positive chambers. I set the fork up right the first time and have NOT touched it since for topping off.
Buy this fork! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ko
a Weekend Warrior
from Littleton, CO, USA
Date Reviewed: June 17, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$375.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance | | Strengths: | Don't know yet | | Weaknesses: | Doesn't feel as smooth as Fox or Manitou. Marzocchi exaggerates amount of travel. Long, long break in period. Can't measure sag while sitting on bike because stiction is so bad it's locked out and I need to lift the front end of the bike and slam it down to compress it. After 100 miles, still has stiction. Setup is a pain, negative air chamber needs to be pumped before each ride. | | Similar Products Used: | Fox Float 100, Manitou Sherman | | Bike Setup: | Marin Attack Trail 6" rear. Thomson post and stem, Shimano mix of LX, XT, XTR drivetrain, Avid BB7 disc brakes, Sun DSC 2 laced to XT hubs | | Bottom Line: | I decided to buy this fork because instead of the Fox Float 130 because I got a 50 percent deal at Performance for $375, $100 less than the Fox, plus it was only .5 pounds heavier than Fox but gave me an extra inch of travel. At least that's what I thought. First, the stanction only measures 5.9" so there's no way it can travel 6", second, I pumped up the positive air to my recommended weight and even less than my weight. I bottomed out the fork and can only get 5.1". I weigh 155 lbs. with gear so I pumped up the neg. 90 lbs, pos 30 lbs, TST 30 lbs, and PAR 15 lbs. I took the bike out to my favorite technical with rocks, drops and roots and nearly killed myself because the fork had stiction so badly I couldn't even tell if it was working. I didn't even use the TST to fight off bob because the fork was locked out in plush mode and only worked on occasional downhill. My arms were sore for days after. I measured travel and it was only 4.5". I asked my fellow MTBR.com reviews for recommendations and turns out I had too much air in the PAR which apparently makes it more harsh in the upper travel. I reduced the air in the par to 1 lbs. and it helped a little. My travel increased from 4.5" to 5.1" and stiction was a little better but still there. I tried reducing air in the the pos and TST to 25 lbs but travel didn't increase and now I was bottoming out the fork. and stiction was still there. seems like I have to hit a sqare edged bump or do drops for the fork to compress. After 100 miles this fork still sucks. I should've went with the Fox, all you need to do is pump it once and ride it, no stiction and is smooth out of the box. All in all, buy this fork if you like riding full rigid fork or like to be surprised when the fork will work or will lock out on techical trails. Don't buy it if you want a smooth trail fork. My rating is based on the $750 MSRP. I feel sorry for anyone who paid that much for this fork. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
westin
a Cross Country Rider
from USA
Date Reviewed: June 6, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$350.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance Bike | | Strengths: | Relatively light, non-plastic parts | | Weaknesses: | Manual is a joke. Set up is tedious. And mine lost air. | | Similar Products Used: | Everything | | Bike Setup: | The usual | | Bottom Line: | I'm returning the fork to Performance. Mine started losing air in the left leg after 2 months of riding. Overnight it loses 80% air. Tedious setup is a pain and is very sensitive to even a few psi difference. I'm a Zoke fan, and appreciate their workings, but maybe I got a lemon. Maybe not. Should have purchased a Pike. | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeff Bur
a Cross Country Rider
from Rotterdam NY USA
Date Reviewed: June 4, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | ALL with dirt | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$379.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | Plush, Plush, Stiff, Plush, light for the type of fork it is. | | Weaknesses: | Set up was a nightmare and the Manual should be burned alive!! | | Similar Products Used: | Fox Float, Black, Z1 freeride. | | Bike Setup: | 2005 Blur, rp3, FSA carbon cranks, xtr shifters brakes and wheels, wtb motorapter race 2.24, Easton carbon seat post and bars, Chris king headset, wtb seat. | | Bottom Line: | It took me a month to set this thing up. I have blisters on my hand from pumping. Two very important things to figure this fork out. First you need a Low pressure digital pump. I was trying to set it up with a dial and I thought i had 40lbs in the positve. When i bought the digital i realized i was putting had more like 55lbs in it. Second thing is the PAR is very sensitive. I have such a small amount of air in it i will not read on the digital. I called Marzocchi to ask questions about the manual. It's all in there just scattered through twenty or so pages. The set up that marzocchi gave me for my weight was much to firm. I will give some insight on my settings..... I weigh 190lbs with all my gear....... I put 30lbs in the positive air and tst legs..... I found that i loose 2 lbs or less in the positives removing the air pump.... In the negative i put 3 times the positive pressure in one leg.... By putting 30 pounds in each positive means you should put 90 in the neg...... I found to loose 15 lbs while removing the pump off the negative...... Basically pump the positive to 32lbs and the negative to 105 lbs...... If you want to run a 110mm travel put four times the positive air in the negative for 135lbs....... It doesn't seem to shorten the fork much, just gives it a little sag..... The par air under the left fork leg get two pumps with a topeak digital..... It won't read but it make a huge difference. You need 5 lbs or less....... I pump mine to 32 lbs in each positive leg and 135 in the negative left leg and two pumps in the PAR.....I struggled for a month figuring out this fork . No reason for everyone to suffer like i did.... hope this helps.... Its a start then you can dial it in from there. good luck and enjoy!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
michael landolfi
a Cross Country Rider
from asheville nc
Date Reviewed: May 17, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | kokopelli down / porcupine rim | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$800.00 | | Purchased At: | carolina fatz | | Strengths: | it is adjustable | | Bike Setup: | intense 5.5 | | Bottom Line: | An update. Marzocchi charged the bike shop $90 COD instead of the $70 I previously reported. An outrage! Who charges to correct problems during the warranty period? Also, my shock was one of at least 3 ALL MOUNTAIN SLs that immediately had problems and were revamped or replaced. At least 2 of the shocks lost significant air pressure ( even over night ) and require recharging multiple times on every ride - even gentle gravel road rides. I'll update again after a few rides in Bent Creek. Meanwhile, I strongly suggest building your bike with other forks. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
micheal landolfi
a Cross Country Rider
from asheville nc
Date Reviewed: May 15, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | kokopelli down/porcupine | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$800.00 | | Purchased At: | carolina fatz | | Strengths: | it is adjustable | | Weaknesses: | this is the worst fork that i have ever owned. marzocchi should be ashamed of themselves. within a week of purchasing my new $4,000 dream bike the "All Mountain SL" made noises that it should not have. the fork was replaced by the factory. Four months later the "new" shock was sent back to the factory. MARZOCCHI charged the bike shop $70 to fix whatever was wrong with the fork that is still under warranty. i will let you know how the second and revamped $800 shock holds up under my 49 year old 150 pound ass. my bet is it is a piece of sheet. Marzocchi will never get the oppertunity to screw me again. I strongly recommend against this product. | | Bottom Line: | At $800 a fork should work from the beginning and the factory should not charge anyone to fix the fork while under warranty. SHAME ON MARZOCCHI. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kevin
a Cross Country Rider
from New Jersey
Date Reviewed: April 24, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Hartshorne Woods NJ | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$399.00 | | Purchased At: | pricepoint.com | | Strengths: | Extremely adjustable,sturdy construction, | | Weaknesses: | Extremely adjustable, manual is vague so setup can be a pain | | Similar Products Used: | Rock Shox SID, Manitou | | Bike Setup: | KHS AM1000 full suspension | | Bottom Line: | This fork is great. It has great on the fly adjustments that you don't need tools for including 5 settings that incrementally reduce the travel from 130mm all the way down to lockout.
Set up is a pain because the manual doesn't tell you a whole lot. It's not that big of a deal, you just have to be patient. There are a LOT of adjustment options here. The manual covers every damn fork Marzocchi makes with footnotes to your specific fork, so it can be confusing. I think that perhaps living in a world where you get sued for anything, they may not want to suggest anything too specific. This way if you crash and get hurt, you can't say, "Well I did it just like the manual told me to."
This fork is so adjustable that you will definately find a setting to fit your riding style and taste. I have been out on it only a few times and I am already getting the hang of it.
CAUTION! CAUTION! CAUTION! CAUTION! CAUTION! CAUTION!
While I was researching forks here on MTBR, a couple of reviews for other Marzocchi All mountain forks said that the gold rebound adjustment knob on the bottom of the fork leg tends to come off and isn't covered under warranty! Take a 2.5mm hex wrench and unscrew the bolt. Apply the BLUE Loctite or similar medium strength thread adhesive. I was suprised at how loose the bolt was when I got it right out of the box.
5 Chilis because of great adjustability, good price and rugged construction. 4 Chilis because they should have a better manual.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Larry
a
from Lafayette, CO, USA
Date Reviewed: April 11, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$360.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance | | Strengths: | Smooth, adjustable, color. | | Weaknesses: | The manual, brake mounts, air valve plugs, the MANUAL! | | Similar Products Used: | Rock Shox Psylo, Manitou Skareb Platinum | | Bike Setup: | Giant AC with Rock Shox Sid. Adjusted to 6". Titec Hell Bent XC with bar ends. | | Bottom Line: | It was pretty intuitive taking off the Psylo and installing the SL. Now to adjust it. Wow! Check out this manual! It's a whole half inch thick! This will tell me everything! Sadly, no. It told me a little something about every fork they made for 2005 in about 5 different languages. They give a really brief description of each type of spring, each damper, rebound adjuster, etc. You gotta go to a table to find your fork and decide which spring and damper and stuff apply to your fork. I had to spend almost an hour figuring out how to use the manual. Then I scratched down on a sticky note how much air to try in each hole. That really is about how much info is there--what you can fit on a sticky note. They should have said, "Hey, if the stickers on the fork are in English and all the writing on the box is in English, maybe we ought to use a word processor, do a little copying and pasting and just give the customer a two page instruction guide in English for the fork we stick in the box." And then it would have been REALLY nice if they shared some of their wisdom about what each air setting does and how they affect the ride and how they are interdependent so that you can get your fork tweeked out in a few days rather than months. More knowledge always helps. They just hint on what adjusts the travel. They don't really tell you how. Hey, it isn't just Marzocchi; Manitou and Rock Shox don't volunteer a lot of information either. OH! I forgot to mention. Each section has a table of contents with page numbers. Sometimes they tell you to go see some thing on some page somewhere else. They inadvertently forgot to actually the number the pages!
That done, I go to put the air in. Remove the plugs covering the valves they say. Hey, anyone around with sharp fingernails? The top one wasn't too bad. The one in the bottom of the left leg is a soft black rubber. I thought I was gonna rip the head off it trying to get it out.
Let's go ride! The bike won't go in the roof carrier. They place the mounting holes in a way that you'd think that they just wanted to foil you on this one. Now I gotta hog out my nice silver Rocky Mounts on my nice Thundercloud Metallic xB.
Hey, this fork is sweet. The rebound adjuster is really easy to turn with 16 nice, distictive detents. Smooth like a real metal spring. Kinda sticky, but I expect that to get better. Get good air off it going over water bumps.
The bike came with an 80-125 mm fork and this one is 130-150 mm. The bar ends really help compensate when climbing. They adjust my riding position and help shift my weight forward which compresses the fork a little more than sitting more upright.
I'm gonna derate my value rating because I figure I will not get as much from the fork as I would if I knew a lot more about it. My ratings are based on list price. Based on $360, I'd give it 5. Same goes for overall rating. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
dave santacruz
a
from boise
Date Reviewed: April 5, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$350.00 | | Purchased At: | performance | | Strengths: | its not a Fox fork, eventually a heavily discounted price. | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | manitou,fox | |
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$ 755.00
