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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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.

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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.

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