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08/29/2008 nsmb mountain bike symbol


Marzocchi Sessions 2007
Fresh from Italy
An air dh fork?  A 1.5" steerer tube?  It's all happening.
Cam McRae

Finally to Italy.  This year marks the fourth time I've attended a Marzocchi press launch but the first time it's been held in the company's homeland.  The first two years we rode the Whistler bike park and last year the event was held in conjunction with the Adidas Slopestyle in Saalbach Austria.  That was too much to cover in one weekend and this year's choice of Riva - a sparkling gem of a town at the north end of Lago di Garda - was inspired. Riva attracts pilgrims of many stripes; climbers, wind surfers, sailors, but mountain biking may be the sport of choice.  Riva hugs the edge of a chasm bordered by the imposing peaks that surround the lake.  Feel like descending 1200 metres or close to 4000 feet?  No sweat.  There is technical riding, smooth single track along with some of the most challenging rocky terrain you've ever seen. There are even companies that do nothing else but shuttle mountain bikers to trailheads in the area. Sounds like a Mecca to me.  If you consider yourself a rider put it on your list.  It's well worth a few days of your time.



Rob Jauch may be the hardest working freerider in the biz. He got up early to get these shots high above the lake while other riders (and journalists) snoozed.  Photo ~ Marco Toniolo

There was a curious shortage of silicone at this year's Marzocchi Sessions.  For the first time no Marzocchi girls were present.  Last year's pair were more high maintenance than Paris Hilton but they didn't share her affection for a good party.  Surely this isn't the end of the bulbous breasted babes?  Never fear.  Fans of plastic surgery will be pleased to know that the new M girl hails from Argentina.  I didn't see a spec sheet but based on leaked info she'll be complete with after market gel bags and heels with four inches of travel.


Cedric 'Cougar Bait' Gracia being chased by Brian 'Clubber' Lopes.  Photo ~ Marco Toniolo

After spending so long leading the charge in freeride and downhill forks it must feel odd for Marzocchi to be playing catch up against a few products.  The 2006 Boxxer World Cup has been a big hit.  Air sprung and only 6.1 lbs, (claimed weight) downhill racers have flocked to the newest Boxxer.  Their Maxle system for 20mm hubs is a favourite of many as well.  Marzocchi will go to market with an air sprung dh fork of their own in 2007 and their interpretation of the Maxle interface. With Cedric Gracia on the roster for 2006 along with Brian Lopes it's pretty clear that they'd like to prove something in the race world. Marzocchi also has the most successful gravity racer of all time on the payroll - Anne Caroline Chausson - who was in Garda long enough to do some laps, show off here rainbows and put the fear of god into Cory Leclerc.  Marzocchi is unveiling three new forks aimed directly at the gravity race market for 2007.


Anne-Caro Chausson on the gas.  Photo ~ Marco Toniolo

Hell has frozen over. I was gobsmacked when I heard that Marzocchi is producing a 1.5" steerer model 66 for 2007.  Bryson Martin, president and CEO of Marzocchi USA, was extremely vocal in his opposition to this new standard when Manitou brought it to market but demand from frame manufacturers was such that they were left with little choice. In their own words 'we thought it would never happen.' The beer can-sized head tube allows designers to beef up the front end of their bikes due to a larger contact area between the headtube/toptube and seat tube. The big stick 66 won't be available in your LBS though - unless it's already attached to a bike.  Another addition for 2007 is post mounts on almost every Marzocchi fork.  Last year the Super T was axed and the Junior lived on.  This year Jr. has been sent packing and the Super T is back without any major changes except that it will now be produced in Taiwan rather than Italy.

With the acquisition of Brian Lopes a 4X specific fork was a no-brainer.  110mm of travel.  The picture suggests the new QR20 but the text says it will be a thru-axle with bolts.

QR 20 for 2007
I was never a fan of Marzocchi's QR20 system.  It always required a tool and the tabs were subject to failure.  The new QR20 is completely tool-free and is said to produce a 'very rigid' wheel/fork connection due to a double-sided expansion system.  I didn't get a chance to fiddle with it but it appears to be similar to Rock Shox's Maxle.  Marzocchi has wisely kept conventional thru axle 20mm connections on forks like the Dirt Jumpers and the 66s where you want the most secure attachment possible.  There's still nothing that compares to the stiffness of a two-bolt through axle clamp.


The 66 SL 1 ATA.  Travel is adjustable on the fly between 140 and 180mm. The complete 66 line includes the 66 RC2X, the 66 RC2 ETA and the base model 66 RV (Europe only as aftermarket.)  The 66 forks have 35mm stanchions.

The 66 SL 1 ATA
The most impressive fork I rode in Italy surprised me.  I've never been a fan of air forks - and I've been even less impressed with Marzocchi's long travel efforts. We've had a Z 150 Air on a bike for a couple of years now. We've had two cartridge failures and even a trip to Marzocchi Canada failed to make it perform up to expectations.  It feels wooden on compression and the rebound damping is only marginally effective no matter how much we play with the air pressure.  The 2007 66 SL 1 ATA bears absolutely no resemblance to our old Z 150 air.  The compression can be adjusted to ramp up nicely and in true Marzocchi fashion it's smooth and subtle off the top - an extremely rare trait in air forks.  The end of the ride down from Santa Barbara appears to be a poorly maintained Roman road.  There are steps and uneven rocks and boulders and the 66 SL ate everything up.  I played with the ATA - Marzocchi's new travel adjust system that dials between 140 and 180mm and the fork performed beautifully at both extremes and in the middle.   The adjustment knob is on top of the left crown and it's easy to reach - you can easily tweak it and stay in the saddle. This fork looks like a hit.

Chasing the Boxxer:  Marzocchi's air-sprung 888 is said to weigh in at 2950 grams (6.5 lbs) and the travel is adjustable between 170 and 200mm.

888s - introducing the SL and RC2X World Cup
Air sprung 888s were in high demand and I didn't manage to time my arrival at the paddock well enough to lay claim to one. Reports from other journalists - and team riders trying the forks for the first time - suggest that Marzocchi did it right the first time.  That will only be completely clear after a race season or a winter on the Shore  but so far so good.  The other new 888 - the RC2X World Cup - also eluded my grasp but I have enough experience with the 2005 888 RC2X to conclude it should be a hell of a fork.  I had a few concerns about previous base model 888s - the possibility of bottoming out to metal with a clang and a tendency to top out unless the rebound is very slow - but these traits were absent in the top of the line forks.  Less weight and less stiction should make an excellent fork even better. Marzocchi will continue to offer the 888 RC2X VA and the 888 RCV.

Ti springs and nickel coated stanchions: behold the 888RC2X World Cup.

In the words of Bryson Martin Marzocchi has spent "10 years on our own" in the single crown freeride market.  Somehow forks like the Sherman 1.5, the Travis Single Intrinsic and the Fox 36 Van don't register on his radar despite impressive pedigrees. In Marzocchi's eyes these are all-mountain tools whereas the Totem is the first real competition in the one crown freeride market - and the first from a company other than Manitou to offer a 1.5" steerer option.

Jamie Houssian from The Collective came along to check out some Marzocchi product.  Here he's trying out a 2007 Rocky Switch with a 66 RC2X up front and a Roco in the rear.  Photo ~ Cam McRae

All Mountain
Marzocchi has done a good job addressing the emerging all mountain market and this year they'll present four models; The All Mountain (AM) SL 1, (with a claimed weight of 2250 grams or just under 5 lbs) the AM 1, AM 2 and AM 3.  The SL 1 has TST 5 technology which allows for lockout when climbing along with rebound and compression damping adjustment and the ATA travel adjust to move between 120 and 150mm of bounce.  Despite the name Marzocchi claims that the All Mountain forks are 'freerideable' which to them means suitable for bike park use. The folks from Bologna tell us that the AM forks test to the same strength standards as the heavier 66 forks.  The AM SL 1 and AM 1 come with the new QR 20 system while the 2 and 3 come with a standard axle. Last year the AM forks were all standard QR. 



The Marzocchi All Mountain SL 1 - 160mm of travel adjustable down to 120mm. 32mm stanchions for all four models.

Z1 and Dirt Jumpers
If you are looking for a 150mm fork designed with freeride in mind there are two Z1 models on the roster for 07 and for dirt jumpers the line has grown to four - but the top model with adjustable compression damping is Euro only.  This year's Z1s and  Dirt Jumpers return to a conventional bolt on crown rather than Marzocchi's Cryofit process.



The Roco TST R.  With four shorter eye-to-eye options compared to the Roco RC World Cup, the TST R is aimed at shorter travel bikes and riders looking to earn their vert.

TST on Roco
This year the Roco RC comes with a Ti spring option but aside from that and the addition of World Cup to its name it's unchanged.  It's still user serviceable and you should never have to send it to Nebraska or Bologna for repairs.  A new model, the Roco TST (Terrain Selection Technology) R has a high compression setting designed for climbing and it too has a Ti spring option.  It comes in four eye-to-eye/stroke combinations as does the Roco RC World Cup.  Some platform rear shocks like the Progressive 5th element or the Manitou Swinger can have a slightly sluggish feel because damping does much of the work.  With a slower spring rate than a conventional shock they are slower to return to sag height but better able to respond to a hit when they are already deep into their travel.  The Roco has no platform - only a lively responsive feel that encourages play.  You'll want to double things up rather than bash through because you can easily get the bike off the ground.



The Roco Air - designed for applications of 165, 190.5 and 200mm eye to eye and up to 50mm of stroke.

Roco R Air
I rode two Roco airs over the course of the weekend.  The first one felt stuck in the beginning of the ride.  It was only compressing half way until James Durand hopped on and gave it a few hard bounces.  It started working nicely after that but it began gradually losing pressure.  By the end of the ride it was done.  The second one - mounted to Rocky Mountain's excellent Slayer - performed flawlessly.  It was responsive and lively and despite using all of the travel I never felt it bottom out.  Putting pre-production product together for the press has to be a nerve-wracking exercise.  Most of the wrinkles are probably ironed out but odds are a few bad samples are going to slip through the cracks.  Apparently I found one of them. Overall this looks like a promising product.  Cedric Gracia plans to use the Roco Air on his Slopestyle bike - although in Saalbach he seemed to be looking for a way out rather than looking to ride.  I can't say I blame him.



Pete 'Euro' Roggeman charging down the Santa Barbara trail.  Photo ~ Cam McRae

Bring out the bling
The new graphics on the 888s will probably be described as 'sick' by the younger set.  I find them easy on the eyes to be sure.  The raised carbon-look decals on the 888 and 66 models look very pro and they up the all-important bling factor.  They are in a vulnerable position though and I did see one fork returning to the stable with a big chunk out of one of the 8s.  Not a surprise considering how rocky the terrain is near Riva but you can bet Buddy Consumer is going to want his fork to keep looking good after dropping a fat wad of cash.


New carbon-look graphics pimp things nicely for 2007


Marzocchi Rubber
Marzocchi told us their tire program has been a success and for 2007 they'll add a sticky rubber version of their M tread boots.  I was on a pair of the DH tires when we tackled 601 - one of the 'classic' local trails.  Imagine a dry creek bed with steps, off camber slickrock sections and an assortment of all that is sharp and bony and you'll have an idea of what 601 is like. It's an unrelenting battle and the tires were confidence inspiring because of their tough casing and I didn't flat or feel the bottom of the rims.   (An Austrian journalist who tagged along with us was riding Hutchinsons and he had two flats. He didn't have tubes, a pump or any tools.  On the next day's ride the editor of a freeride and DH inspired American magazine was equally ill-prepared and he lost pressure three times.  I guess it's not cool to wear a pack). 

Marzocchi tires - manufactured by Nokian - now come in a sticky compound version.

I appreciated the burl of the Marzocchi tires but I didn't like the way they hooked up.  I couldn't predict the breaking point and they slipped in situations where I was sure there was more than enough grip.  I rode the sticky rubber version the following day and they were a little better but I still wasn't very happy with them - and the conditions were bone dry. 


Dimitri 'Singletrail' Lehner from Freeride Magazine in Germany dropping a log above Garda.  Photo ~ Cam McRae

All in all this looks like a culmination year for Marzocchi.  Many projects have come to fruition and the line is looking stronger than ever.  In previous years there were some compromises but this year I couldn't see a single one.  It's early of course but everything looks more dialled at this point than any year I can remember. With the other three manufacturers pushing hard Marzocchi has shown they are up to the challenge - and even willing to eat a little crow to stay in the game.  2007 is a major leap forward and the whispered word from insiders is that the really big year for new products will be 2008. 

I can hardly wait.



Some Italian slickrock above Nago. Rider Cam McRae.  Photo ~ Pete Roggeman

Marzocchi always treats journalists like royalty - when really we're a bunch of dirt bags.  Besides bringing us to Italy and feeding us well, they arranged shuttles and bikes and even placed swag on our pillows during the day so there was a treat waiting when we returned to our room every night.  Jerseys, shorts, caps, hydration packs - it doesn't suck at all.  Thanks to Maria Helena Rondini, Jessica Morisi, Nicole Gonzalez, Bryson Martin, JP, Andrea Pierantoni, Sandro Mausiani, Chris Macabitas, Tom Rogers, Wolfgang Beuer and Signor Marzocchi himself for the amazing hospitality while we were in Italy.  Thanks also to Lorna Schouten, Dirk Janz and Dangerous Momo for letting us ride their bikes.

For more on Marzocchi products visit them here.


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