[Robot Chicken]

OK, it's been a week now that I've had my 66sl.

If want my conclusion first here it is- "Awesome!" (whiny cartman voice)

Here's the specs:

Around 550-555mm AtoC at 170mm
5.6 lbs with 2 inches cut off steerer and axle bolted in
adjustable travel from <100-170mm (could possibly go lower for all I know!)
low speed compression adjust
4 air springs
and an all around top quality feel to the whole thing, knobs and all.


How does it feel compared to a coil Zoke?

Just as good as any coil Zoke with one week of hard break-in riding. Will get better with time as bushings get set.

OMG is it really that light? You bet! Lightest 170mm fork you can buy!

Here's the cooledt part of this fork, you can adjust the travel by a huge margin! Zokes says it is 150-170mm, but that's no true at all. It can easily go down to 100 or less. I'm running mine at 120mm right now for the heck of it. All it takes is adding air to the negative chamber which takes no more than 2 minutes. Something that can be easily done before a huge climb up a mountain.

I can imagine this is going to be the next hot fork to have for dirt jumpers. Seeing as how it can go down to 120mm or less it's an ideal DJ fork. Add the fact that it's only 5.6 lbs and it's a good choice. By far stiffer than any 32mm stanchion fork and most likely stronger.

All that and it still can go back up to 170mm for a huck session or a day at whistler.

Man, I thought the Pike was a versatile fork... 66sl is mega tunable.


You have the positive air spring, negative air spring, right leg spring, and the bottom out air spring chamber PAR which controls progression.

The lowest pressure for the negative spring is higher than the top pressure for the positive spring. This will make sure that your fork will never get stuck down if the air spring fails, it will go up in the travel.


The 66sl is easily the most over looked fork of the 2006 release. I couldn't be any more happy!


















btw, I have a slightly used 2006 66sl for sale if anyone is interested! JK

 

[RobsterCraw]

Sounds like good stuff, I'm already doing research for my next bike a long travel trail bike like a nomad, 6.6, enduro, whatever. Sounds like a good fork.

 

[airwreck]

You like the pike, I didn't.
Kind of makes me wonder, and then there is all the screwing around you've had to do with that 66. Part of my enjoyment of the van36 was the right out of the box excellence.

 

[Robot Chicken]

You like the pike, I didn't.
Kind of makes me wonder, and then there is all the screwing around you've had to do with that 66. Part of my enjoyment of the van36 was the right out of the box excellence.

You've got to be kidding me...?

Because I liked the Pike means the 66sl must be like the Pike and suck?

Do you even think you had the Pike set up correctly?

Name me even one way that the Van 36 is more versatile than the 66sl. 66sl is for tech geeks who want something that can be tuned to any type of riding.

Just because I'm messing around a bunch with it doesn't mean I didn't get it out of the box all nice and ready to go. In fact it had all of the air chambers set pretty well when I got it. I didn't even touch the thing with a pump for a while.

 

[ronny]

Being able to wind the travel down to 120mm is a great feature for a 170mm fork. Handy for climbing and djs. Does the travel still feel plush when it is wound down to 120mm?

I have a Pike and like it a lot also. Super versatile.

 

[gemini2000]

Im stuck between this fork or the 66 light eta , I just cant decide

 

[goRz]

Good for you that you enjoy it!

However, this winding the travel down by increasing pressure may sound nice in theory but I doubt it will be any good in practice.... Imagine pumping this stuff before an uphill and decreasing pressure before goin' down... I don't think so.... unless this uphill is HUGE,...
I am considering this as an all-mountain-FR fork, so setting it to 120mm for DJ is not an advantage for me... wouldn't Light ETA be better ?

 

[Robot Chicken]

Good for you that you enjoy it!

However, this winding the travel down by increasing pressure may sound nice in theory but I doubt it will be any good in practice.... Imagine pumping this stuff before an uphill and decreasing pressure before goin' down... I don't think so.... unless this uphill is HUGE,...
I am considering this as an all-mountain-FR fork, so setting it to 120mm for DJ is not an advantage for me... wouldn't Light ETA be better ?

Yeah, it isn't as easy to adjust the travel as a Pike. That's not the point though. The point is that it can be set, For a day of DJ, For a day of XC, for a day of Hucking, etc.

BTW, I'm talking 3000foot plus climbs here. I wouldn't reallly even bother with it otherwise since I end up walking my bike most of the time, it saves energy.




Another great thing I've thought about with this fork is that you can run lower open bath oil levels and adjust bottom out with the PAR chamber, which I've found to be incredible at ramping up the end stroke. Lowering the oil levels slightly should yield a more linear spring curve for the main part of the fork stroke.



The 66sl matches the DHX 5 really well in feel. They both hold a nice suction cup feeling when doing scetchy drops on to nasty landings.



Stiffness? I've never ridden a single dual crown 32mm fork that's as stiff as this sucker. I can't see any movement in the lowers at all when holding the front brake and rocking the bike back and forth.


OK, here's a bad thing! They put one of those classic marzocchi stickers on the fork that says NOT FOR FR X or DH! WTF? So that makes the z1 forks XC or AM forks? Did they mistakingly put the sticker on my fork? Are they serious?

I would have to call false advertising on them if they really put that on there intentionally. It clearly states on the web site and catalog that it is for DH and FR extreme. Who cares right? Still one bad black mo fo!

 

[fireboy]

Name me even one way that the Van 36 is more versatile than the 66sl...

The way Fox forx leak oil and Marzocchi's don't??

...one happy 66RC owner....

 

[SHIVER ME TIMBERS]

glad to hear you are enjoying the fork...nice write up

 

[airwreck]

You've got to be kidding me...?

don't be so sensitive.

my comments weren't meant to offend you.

I'm not making any claims just sharing my observations and experiences.

The 66's sound great, I'm sure I'll try one some day.

p.s. my fork isn't leaking and I have yet to hear of one that is.

 

[TNC]

I've been following RC.

don't be so sensitive.

my comments weren't meant to offend you.

I'm not making any claims just sharing my observations and experiences.

The 66's sound great, I'm sure I'll try one some day.

p.s. my fork isn't leaking and I have yet to hear of one that is.

It's obvious he's mightily enthused over Marzocchi product. That's understandable. They make awfully good stuff. There are many other good products out there right now that have achieved the same performance and perhaps even durability of the Zoke line. There are 5 high end forks out in my shop at the moment...4 are on bikes that I'm riding frequently. 3 of those forks are Marzocchis...not a stinker in the bunch. 1 of them is a Manitou 6" Flick Plus...a surprisingly good fork for such a cheap price. The last one is a Van 36...my first Fox fork and an amazing one. I'm not high on the Talas 36, but this Van is one nice fork, so I'd definitely agree with you there, Airwreck. There are too many good forks available to poo-poo many of them without extensive riding on each of them. I don't own stock in any fork company. I think my broker told me that most of my money was in WalMart.

 

[jubilee]

I think my broker told me that most of my money was in WalMart.

That's broker code-speak for "China".

I know, wrong forum. Had to do it TNC.

 

[j6105]

"lightest 170mm fork on the market"

yeah thats true, but you can get the OIL/COIL fox 36 van w/ 160mm travel that weighs 5.45 pounds and is stiffer......

The zokey is amazingly adjustable if u break the rules, i will give you that, but by lowering/raising the air to get the travel under 120mm you are putting WAY more pressure on the seals and bushings than they reccomend......... that sucker is gonna blow within a few months.

I can make a TALAS go down to 60mm of travel, but obviously it is not gonna hold up for a long time like the zokey.

Sweet fork, just dont give people ideas that are untrue/breaking warranty becuase it will probly screw someone over in the end.....

Fox normally makes forks for sponsored riders that are out of normal of normal (50-100 mm talas36, 90-130mm van 36) but they have special chambers and dampers instead of just insane pressures all over the place........

 

[gemini2000]

why do you keep bringing up things about fox forks? You sound like an add

 

[j6105]

why do you keep bringing up things about fox forks? You sound like an add

just because he is pickin on some of the best forks out there, he specifically references 36's and talks about how light stuff is. I admit i dig fox a tad too much, but it is deserved.

 

[TNC]

What's wrong with China?

That's broker code-speak for "China".

I know, wrong forum. Had to do it TNC.

It's exactly what a cheap bastid like me on a fixed retirement income needs.

 

[Ivan the Terrible]

Stiffer??????

yeah thats true, but you can get the OIL/COIL fox 36 van w/ 160mm travel that weighs 5.45 pounds and is stiffer......

How could you possibly verify that the 36 is stiffer. Have you spent lots of time on both. Quit posting out of your a$$. You remind me of a guy who I used to work with who had this blind love for anything Manitou, simply because his favorite riders used them. He read all the marketing and just bought it all hook, line, and sinker. He hardly rode and never put his gear to the test, ie:lots of rough usage. I'm not saying you don't ride much, but relax on the blind devotion. Oh yeah, Manitou sucks. They're forks are good for about 4 months of honest rough riding and its time to send'em back for a whole new rebuild. I can verify this personally. And so can anyone whom I've ridden with who has used one.

At the shop where I work at, Fox forks go back the most, usually for leaky seals. Its a fact.

Non of these companies rule. Each has its fair share of problems. If you work in the industry you see it everyday. Quit being such a patsy .

 

[Robot Chicken]

"lightest 170mm fork on the market"

yeah thats true, but you can get the OIL/COIL fox 36 van w/ 160mm travel that weighs 5.45 pounds and is stiffer......

The zokey is amazingly adjustable if u break the rules, i will give you that, but by lowering/raising the air to get the travel under 120mm you are putting WAY more pressure on the seals and bushings than they reccomend......... that sucker is gonna blow within a few months.

I can make a TALAS go down to 60mm of travel, but obviously it is not gonna hold up for a long time like the zokey.

Sweet fork, just dont give people ideas that are untrue/breaking warranty becuase it will probly screw someone over in the end.....

Fox normally makes forks for sponsored riders that are out of normal of normal (50-100 mm talas36, 90-130mm van 36) but they have special chambers and dampers instead of just insane pressures all over the place........

No rules broken dude. You don't have to excede the psi limits of the negative chamber in order to lower the fork. I've never once said such was possible and I've clearly stated that the negative chamber should not go much over 200 psi. I am welll within all of the limits.

Reducing travel with dual air chamber forks is nothing new, it's been done for years. Plus, the 66 has much larger air volumes than any 32mm single crown, which allows for less psi for the same results.

I don't think Fox forx are bad at all. I just think they are made more for racers than guys looking for a steady long lasting work horse. I've seen far more Fox forx crack or creak than marzocchis. A good Fox fork will shave time off a run compared to a marzocchi. I don't see many zokes in races. Both RockShox and Fox use lightweight lowers to lessen the unsprung weight which makes for a faster fork. Most of us don't care or notice 1 - 10 seconds off a run time we just like to have fun and not break stuff.



I figure if no one else can give a full review, then I should. A lot of good R and D went into the new 66 forks they should get the credit they deserve.



Does someone really think the 36 is stiffer than the 66? I can't imagine either is noticably stiffer than the other. Sure the Fox has 36mm, but Zokes always come with much tighter bushings. Zokes also have an incredibly wide crown, I mean this sucker is big enough to eat lunch on. In fact, I had my sandwich on it today. The Fox crown is more thin and rounded. From a design POV the Zoke crown will be stiffer fore/aft than the Fox. I can push the 66 straight into a wall and not see even a MM of flex from the crown to the axle. How does anything get more stifff than not moving? To make things more fare, the 66 should be lowered to 160mm.

 

[RobsterCraw]

Bottom line is that if you get either a fox of a marz fork you are not likely to have any complaints about it. The 66SL does not compare to the 36van, one is a coil and oil while the other is an air fork. Both companies are good and no one needs to put down any fork, if you don't have time on a fork, don't comment on it, because repeating hearsay is a good way to have lies spinning round.