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Home | Product Reviews | 2006 Front Shocks | Marzocchi Marathon XC | ||||
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Submitted by
Nick
a Weekend Warrior
from Fort Collins
Date Reviewed: 8/4/2007 7:55:51 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | wathan |
| Duration Product Used: | 2 Years |
| Price Paid: | $425 |
| Purchased At: | marzocchi grassroots |
| Strengths: | stiffness, smooth when dialed |
| Weaknesses: | special adapter for adding air (broke off in the fork). TST leaks air, positiong comp adj. goes from super harsh to super soft. |
| Similar Products Tried: | rock shox sid |
| Bike Setup: | blur xc |
| Bottom Line: | In two years I only have a little over 100 miles on the fork. Liked it at first b/c of how stiff it was compared to my old sid. Took a little bit to figure out how to get it dialed. If your using the the reccomended air pressure the 5 click adjuster is super harsh in the full on xc mode and super soft in the DH mode to the point of not being able to ride. Setting it in the middle or one click away from full on DH was the way to go. Started having some problems with air leaking this summer, then the special adapter for adding air broke off in the fork. This is a part that I was never to fond of and wonder why marz couldn't put a standard schrader valve on it. I would prefer to replace the fork w/ another brand but money is an issue right now. Over all I havn't been to impressed with the fork. Will either ebay something or send it in to marz for repair(which ever is cheapest), then replace in a few years when I am out of college. |
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Submitted by
Todd
a Cross Country Rider
from Hamburg, New York, USA
Date Reviewed: 7/17/2007 11:36:54 AM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Bent Rim, Ellicotttville, NY |
| Duration Product Used: | 1 Year |
| Price Paid: | $400 |
| Purchased At: | Shifting Gears, Lockport, NY |
| Strengths: | Somewhat light. Italian. Bling-bling looks. Lockout. |
| Weaknesses: | Flexy, knocks, and too much play. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Marzocchi Fly 1, Fox Vanilla, Talas, Manitou Magnum |
| Bike Setup: | Turner Flux, race face dues cranks, Avid Juicys, Fox propedal shock, mavic 717s. |
| Bottom Line: | Right out of the box, this fork stunk. Like it need new seals, change of oil, etc. So much play, not plush like a Fox. Never felt sturdy. They made major changes to it in 2006, after so much success of the 2005s or before. Why change something that works?!?!? I have used other zocchi products and liked them but this has been serviced (by zocchi themselves-which took 6 weeks to get back after they claimed nothing was wrong with it) multiple times and still stinks. I noticed in 2007, they did away with the Marathon line...wonder why? Do not buy. I tried to avoid buying Fox suspension products in the past-because they KNOW they are the best and could care less about good service, but oh well, why fight it. |
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Submitted by
Jon Ormsby
a Weekend Warrior
from Longmont, CO
Date Reviewed: 6/6/2007 7:23:10 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Gooseberry Mesa |
| Duration Product Used: | 1 Year |
| Price Paid: | $420 |
| Purchased At: | eBay |
| Strengths: | Selectability - bells and whistles. Soaks up hits. Weight (with one leg coil) |
| Weaknesses: | Air leaked out of the top cap. Schrader valve access not compatible with shock pump adapter. |
| Similar Products Tried: | Previous forks: 2001 Atom Sport (80 mm) 1999 Atom Bomber (70 mm) |
| Bike Setup: | 2001 Rocky Mtn Element, made heavier and more durable over the years. |
| Bottom Line: | I'm pretty happy with this fork. The air problems - air leak in the top cap; schrader valve adapter doesn't fit into the adjuster cap hole - were certainly worrisome and annoying, but I've gotten beyond that. I typically run the fork at 100 mm, as the rear of my Element is 80 mm. Haven't tried 120 mm, and haven't measured real travel - it is certainly more than my previous fork. ETA lockout is very nice for long climbs, and I do use it regularly. I also like the terrain selection dampening, usually finding myself at option 4 most of the time, which is plush enough but doesn't leave the fork diving into holes. Option 1 is nice for road riding to the trail. |
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Submitted by
Eric
a Weekend Warrior
from Gallup, New Mexico
Date Reviewed: 4/9/2007 12:41:55 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | The one I'm currently on... |
| Duration Product Used: | 6 months |
| Purchased At: | LBS |
| Strengths: | 1)climbing (ETA) feature is worth the price of admission; awesome! 2)TST settings really do make a difference in ride characteristics that you can feel 3)Low complexity (open bath coil-sprung design plus low pressure (35-45 psi) air assist chamber) 4)Removable V-brake bosses (disc and/or V-brake compatible—hear that, Fox?) 5)Stiff / tracks well 6)Looks cool |
| Weaknesses: | 1)In the TST setting next to the lockout, (#2), you get nowhere near 120 mm travel 2)Takes about 60 miles to “ride in” the seals before the travel is smooth / plush 3)TAS feature (that allows you to set travel anywhere from 100-120mm) is ridiculous, as you’d never choose a 100mm fork that weighs a portly 4.3 lbs. 4)Weight (4.3 lbs), though to be fair, it’s only 0.3 lbs. more than a Fox TALAS 5)It’s not a Fox |
| Similar Products Tried: | Older Rock Shox and Manitou's; Fox Float X's and Vanilla's |
| Bike Setup: | '06 Stumpy Pro frame/ZTR 355-Hope Pro II wheelset (tubeless)/Deus XC Cranks/XT der's with SRAM Rocket triggers/Avid BB7's/and this fork, natch/etc. |
| Bottom Line: | 1)I got this fork as a trade-in from my local bike shop (LBS) so I paid nothing. Although the MSRP is something absurd like $650, I’ve seen this fork a lot of places for a little under $400. I think that at that price, it’s a good value. If you were to pay anywhere near $600 or more, you’d be an idiot not to get a Fox TALAS 2)The ride: After the break-in period (60-70 miles?), the fork really came into its own. The right-sided TST settings (basically five pre-set, combined high & low speed compression damping settings, from fully locked to fully open), honestly make a difference that you can feel as soon as you switch. Unfortunately, setting “1” (locked out (or “lock-up” as Marzocchi calls it)) is useless, as it is far easier to reach down and flip the terrific left-sided ETA lever on the fly to drop the travel to ~80 mm for extended climbs. Setting “2” is virtually bob-free, even on out-of-the-saddle efforts, but it’s WAY stiff and allows maybe 2.5-3 inches (max) of travel, even if you’re pointed downhill. TST Settings 3 & 4 are the best overall for the rolling terrain. Setting #5 is incredibly bob-y for anything other than long downhill sections (and then, it’s great!) 3)The ETA (Extend Travel Adjust) feature is just fantastic. Easily accessed on the fly with a blind swipe of your gloved hand (on or off), it gives you a very climbing friendly geometry (reduced travel and steepened head angle) that I’m really going to miss someday when I replace this fork. Although that’s not likely to happen for a long time since it seems to be built like the proverbial brick s--- house. Downside of the ETA is that if you forget to flip it back off when you head downhill, that reduced travel and climbing geometry can be scary (this is, of course, “pilot error”, and not the fork’s fault). 4)THM: Not as smooth or linear as a Fox, but a solid, stiff, good looking fork with the best climbing feature of any company on the market. You COULD shave off 0.3lbs. by getting the 2006 Marathon SL, but it has a mind-bending FOUR air chambers (are you kidding me?) compared to the Marathon XC’s coil spring and ONE air chamber. I would rate it a good (but not a great) fork. |
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Submitted by
JMC
a Weekend Warrior
from Ontario Canada
Date Reviewed: 1/8/2007 9:33:30 AM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 6 months |
| Strengths: | Colour? |
| Weaknesses: | Need to deflate air chamber to adjust travel. |
| Similar Products Tried: | xc600,99 bomber, 2000 Z1 drop off, Manitou Black Super, |
| Bike Setup: | 99 Heckler |
| Bottom Line: | Do not buy. First problem was couldn't get all 4" of travel even with no air pressure in it and I weigh around 160 lbs.Sent it back and then the compression dampeneing didn't work. Sent it back and now the seal on the TST leaks. This fork is too complicated. This is not Marzocchi of old where quality was job one. I won't recommend this fork to anyone for no price. |
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Submitted by
Jose Jaramillo
a Cross Country Rider
from Quito, Ecuador
Date Reviewed: 1/1/2007 2:17:35 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Infiernillo |
| Duration Product Used: | 1 Year |
| Price Paid: | $500 |
| Purchased At: | part of the bike |
| Strengths: | I've been always a marzocchi fan, when i bought the bike I request this suspension because I have had very good experience from other marxocchi suspensions. At the start this fork was working really fine, I didn't have complains althogh suspension set up was complicated but once you get it tuner for you it works fine. |
| Weaknesses: | But...after a couple of months suddenly this piece of crap stopped working, the lock out does not work, it was openned but the technicial did't fix it...etc. Later, in my other bike, also with this suspension, had the same proplem. Bad for marzocchi... |
| Similar Products Tried: | Marzocchi MX pro, Maratho 03 05, Fox RLT, Manitou R7, etc |
| Bike Setup: | Superlight XC, |
| Bottom Line: | I don't know that happened with this suspension but definetly it was a bad product from marzochi. i do not recomend this producto to anyone. Look for an old 05 marathon or a simpler marzocchi. |
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Submitted by
Brian
a Cross Country Rider
from Ga
Date Reviewed: 9/9/2006 4:59:38 PM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 6 months |
| Price Paid: | $350 |
| Purchased At: | online |
| Strengths: | Stiff. Vbrake capable. |
| Weaknesses: | Lockout blows out. No linear travel |
| Similar Products Tried: | Fox |
| Bike Setup: | Intense 5.5 |
| Bottom Line: | Here is the deal. I bought a 2005 version of this fork and it was a pretty good reacting fork. However this 2006 is changed and changed for the worse. Usually the Zokes I've owned were all stellar. However this 2006 model leaves a lot to be desired. It blew out the lockout as did my fathers fork (same model). I set it on the soft side and it still ramps up way too quickly and is just too stiff the last half of the travel. This basically leaves about two inches of semi plush travel. My sister's Fox vanilla 130 is much more linear and like butter compared to this crazy fork. I like Marzocchi and have had good luck with them over the years but I would pass on this thing. |
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Submitted by
ccm
a Racer
from North Vancouver
Date Reviewed: 8/9/2006 9:53:52 AM |
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| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Strengths: | coil is good, makes rooty trails feel less jack hammer like at handlebar |
| Weaknesses: | The TST and handlebar remote lock out are crap. The only settings that are useable with the TST are full open (DH) or fully locked (Climb). I was expecting that the TST would adjust the low speed compression damping, but it only seems to adjust the high speed compression damping; therefore, pitch due to body/pedaling input is not reduced by TST (unless full lock out) all TST does is make square edge bumps more harsh. The remote was installed by Marzocchi Factory technician and it broke within 15 minutes. The technician said that this is a common problem and that the whole system is poorly designed, difficult to assemble and commonly breaks. |
| Bottom Line: | coil good the external adjustments are junk and just add to the cost of the fork |
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Submitted by
Brad Caldwell
from Charlotte, N.C. USA
Date Reviewed: 6/24/2006 6:28:59 PM |
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| FavoriteTrail: | Poplar Tent |
| Duration Product Used: | 3 months |
| Price Paid: | $650 |
| Purchased At: | Biowheels |
| Strengths: | The adjustability of this fork is exceptional.very smooth. Light weight. |
| Weaknesses: | Have not found any yet |
| Similar Products Tried: | Cannondale Headshok dd60, 97 sv comp |
| Bike Setup: | Ellsworth Epiphany,Sram XO shifters,x9 rear,xtr front,xt cranks,thompson,easton,Wtb,Shimano xt wheels |
| Bottom Line: | This is a solid fork for xc or light all mountain riders looking for on the fly adjustment and light weight. |
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