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08/29/2008
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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.
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.
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New carbon-look graphics pimp things nicely for 2007
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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.
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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