Marzocchi vs Rock Shox

[p_coutermarsh]

Hi all,

I want your advice on a fork replacement for my 2000 Marin Rock Springs. I went to Cycleloft (bike shop in Burlington, MA) with the intention of purchasing a Rock Shox Duke SL, however, they were pushing a 2001 Marzocchi Atom Race that they had hanging around. I was told that the Atom Race was far better than the DukeSL, though, I have my doubts. I ride XC and do not thrash my bike, so a 100mm travel fork seems ridiculous for me (all that bobbing) and that is why I chose the Duke SL (80mm). I am not an expert parts guy so I am unsure of which fork to buy. By the way, the Marzocchi is $350.00 (seems high for a 2 year old fork) and the Duke SL's msrp is $389.00. Can you please help me make a decision. Also, does anyone buy forks online and then have the bike shop install them? I want to help the local bike shop, but it seems like they are screwing me on pricing. ??? FYI - The marin is an XC FS bike with a Fox Vanilla R coil over shock and currently a Manitou SX LT (80mm).

Peace! ;D

[Jisch]

Yogi:

I really shouldn't be answering this, I only have had two kinds of shocks - Cannondale Headshok and Fox Forx RL100, but I'm bored. I checked both those shocks out at MTBR.com. The Marzoke Atom Race has a very high rating (4.9 out of 5.0). The Duke is rated at 4.67 out of 5. It seems that everyone has an opinion of "the" best shock, but either of these are probably fine.

As far as buying from mail order and having a bike shop install, some bikes shops will happily do this, others won't. Some bike shops will install the parts you buy from them for free, so in the end you may not really save all that much by buying on line. I haven't really looked at pricing for either of these on line so I couldn't say what the price difference would be.

Man I'm just full of answers tonight. Never mind...

John

[turch]

Marzocchi all the way. The Z2 Atom Race is not a freeride fork. It ranges from 80mm to 100mm in travel. Freeriders typically start at 120mm (though some might call 100mm the low end of the FR range). You will find the Z2 to be supple and sturdy and it's super easy to work on and should not be disappointed.

[AGENTGRAPE]

i say go with the marzocchi it can be set to run at 80mm if you think 100 is too much. i have had 5 marzocchi forks on 4 different bikes in the last 4 years you cant kill them.most of my experiences rith rockshox has led me to believe they are a little too delicate for rocky new england riding if you set your fork up properly you wont get all that bobbing. any shop should put the fork on for you its pure labor and the sale of a new star nut.

[Tim]

I'd go with a Marzocchi, but not from that place -- that price is nuts on a 2 year old fork. Check around on line -- you can probably find the same for, or another Marzocchi, for a lot less. BTW, my family and I own 4 Marzocchi's, ranging from 63 to 130mm travel, and none of them "bob." You've got to set them up properly, of course, but then they're great.

Tim

[knucklebuste]

Dude, don't give them your business. Check out Cambriabike.com they have endless specials on forks right now. Put them on yourself, it's simple simple stuff. Knuckle

[gungywump]

Get the Marzocchi.

I have an Atom Race and I love it.
Rock Shocks Suck. They are poorly built, don't last and have horrible service. I would be suspect of any company who constantly claims their new fork is an improvement over last years. It only means they are always trying to fix the problems in their poor design.

It seems that about 90% of the people on the NEMBA forum prefer the Zocchi, Get It!

[johnbryanpeters]

Ever notice that with chainsaw and camera and fork owners, the one they're currently using is the 'nads?

I have always suspected that the real grounds for some of the assertions is something like "after I spent all that money, the one I bought HAS to be the best."

I have seen the RS vs, 'zoch argument about a billion times on various forums without ever seeing data to substantiate the arguments. It gets especially silly when one faction's talking oil and coil and the other's talking air...

I have a RS SL, and it has worked fine for a couple of years, as did my previous RS fork. I'm sure I'd be happy if I had a 'zoch too. I can't claim to know enough at this point to claim superiority for either brand.

J

[AA]

Here is my advice (for what it is worth)

If you want an air fork go with the Marzocchi. My experience is that RS air forks are woefully inadequate in the durability department. Marzocchi uses a lower pressure, larger diameter air chamber that by design makes the fork less likely to leak air.

I'm not a Marzocchi snob, I recently purchased a RS Psylo xc for a bike I'm building up. It's a coil fork and I'm going to give it a shot, the price was too good to pass up. Unfortunately I dont know much about the Duke line.


Keep in mind when dealing with Cycle Loft that they are the biggest Marzocchi dealer on the east coast and push their product almost exclusively. You are going to have a tough time getting an unbiased opinion from them.

[radair]

Jumping on the Zoke bandwagon here. I've owned a bunch of Marzocchi forks and have been completely impressed with the performance and reliability. They're almost maintenance-free, and even then oil changes are quite simple. Can't go wrong with a Zoke, IMO.

That said, I bought a RS Psylo last year for a bike I was building. I was totally against RS, but for $100 I figured it was disposable and could figure out the optimum travel for the frame. Bottom line is that I've been very impressed with this fork. I've beat the piss out of it and it still performs very well. I really like the dial-a-travel U-turn feature, too. I'd even consider buying another for the U-turn feature alone.

In any case, go on-line and look at forks. I've bought a couple used forks at http://www.mtbr.com and have been totally satisfied (especially with the price).

[CouchingTiger]

I think that it really depends on what you are looking for. I like the new RockShox Psylo XC and SL. They had problems with the early models but the new ones work well and are very tunable. You can also adjust a full range of travel and they are pretty cheap.

I haven't ridden an 80mm fork in years. The shortest travel fork I have is 5" and I can't see myself going lower.

If you are going to beat the fork, I'd go with Marzocchi. IMHO, they don't feel as nice as the comparable RockShox (for instance a Zoke Dirt Jumper 2 vs. a Psylo XC) but they last, period. I have a Zoke Jr T on my FR bike and it's bomb proof. It just works and takes a pretty good beating. I have a Boxxer on my DH bike and a Psylo XC on my geared hardtail. I will attest that the Psylo can take a beating. All I've done to it is swap shock oil for a heavier weight and I've had no problems.

-Couch

[EVIL BOTA]

I just blew out my duke.I was very disapointed. I think the cold weather riding did it. Go with Marzocchi..

www.bikesmart.com

They have good deals.

Fix it ur self . 20 minutes and a pipe cutter is all you will need.

[lee]

Can't say much on either front of RS vs Marz, I've only run RS...but having said that...I just picked up a new 2002 Duke SL (100mm) from Ebay for $100...and you can always find good deals on ebay or mtbr.com...I figure I've had no problems with my RS's so far, so if I can spend $100 on a 3.3 lb fork that gets good reviews from those that have it (and the magazines...MBA stated in theri 2002 fork review "The Duke Rules" they gave it great reviews...and check out MTBR.com..good reviews as well), i cant go wrong...i can buy 2 forks for the price of one Marz...they run a lot higher, esp used...I don't think you can go wrong either way...i'd say definately install it yourself..it takes 20 minutes if you have to cut the steerer...10 mintues if you don't have to cut it...

thats my 2 cents....