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The Italian fork maker does things up in Whistler |
Six or seven inches - I can't decide
Four or five inches of travel may be enough for some people, but that almost
ranks as a cross country fork to many folks in these parts. For
serious riding - drops, stunts, and other general silliness - you need a serious
fork.
Marzocchi canned last year's 6" Z150 fork in favour of the all-new 66 line of forks. By manufacturing long-travel forks with a 1 1/8" steerer, Marzocchi is effectively disputing the claim that a 7" SC fork needs a 1.5" steerer. There are a number of top riders ripping it up and proving the Italians right.
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Like the Z.1s, each of the three 66s comes with black crown, legs, and stanchions, and gold top caps. They also offer the stiffness that comes with a 20mm drop-out and dedicated axle, but even more importantly, they come with 35mm stanchions. That extra 3mm on each side, along with the sizeable crown, will make for a mighty stiff front end. 66 RC
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 Richie Schley one-handing the Slopestyle road gap on his 66 (and Rocky RMX) || Photo: David Ferguson |
 The 66 RC in all its glory || Photo © Marzocchi |
66 R
66 VF
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And when you need Some people are also looking for a double-crown fork to keep them out of trouble - or help them find it, as the case may be. For those people, Marzocchi has brought the 888 back for 2005. Featuring 35mm stanchions, 20mm drop-outs, and integrated stems, the 888 series is set up for 8" rotors. The three forks also make use of the one-piece arch and slider XFR design. The integrated stem is an option, but not a necessity on 888s. 888 RC
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 Wade Simmons dropping off the teeter during Slopestyle on his 888 || Photo: David Ferguson |
The Norco DH set up with a 888 RC, getting ready to rip down Original Sin under Corey Anderson
|| Photo: Stuart Kernaghan
 The 888 RC in all its glory || Photo © Marzocchi |
 Compression and rebound adjustment knobs on the 888 RC || Photo: Stuart Kernaghan |
888 R
888 VF
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 Rebound adjustment on the 888 R, sitting on the front end of a Cove Playmate the author was riding || Photo: Stuart Kernaghan |
If you're wondering where some of Marzocchi's old standards - the Junior T, the Shiver DC, and the Monster T - have gone, fear not. They're still here.
| The Junior has a forged top
clamp and crown, and 32mm stanchions, and a standard drop-out.
The Shiver features a CNC'd alloy top clamp with an optional drop crown and an CNC'd alloy lower crown, with 35mm stanchions and guards, and a 20mm drop-outs and dedicated axle. The Monster has a forged BAM lower crown and forged alloy three-bolt upper crown. 40mm stanchions keep things stiff, and an 8" post-mount rotor should stop you. |
Junior T
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Shiver DC
Monster T
Bender and a girl! Spangler and a different type of bust! - Part 3 |
 8" of pure pleasure || Photo © Marzocchi |
