Review: Marzocchi Super T Pro
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Testing gear is fun. When that piece of gear is a fork, it's really fun. Needless to say, I was very excited to have the new Marzocchi Super T Pro mounted on my trusty rig - ready for a beating. I'm very familiar with last year's Super T, as it was the fork supplanted by this year's model. Changes to the 2002 version include an extra inch of travel (bringing it to 7" or 170 mm), a new Open Bath HSCV cartridge, multi-circuit damping and the reportedly new QR 20 Plus dropouts, although at first glance they seem to be the same redundant design of old. |
I first put the forks on during the last round of storms that left the Shore covered in snow and soppy as hell. So I decided to start off with a couple of urban rides. While I wouldn't say the urban environment is the best place to test a fork's performance, it was a start. One thing that impressed me was the feel of the forks right out of the box. The 2001 Super T's took a bit of time to "break in" before the internals seemed to behave smoothly. At first they felt harsh, maybe over-damped, and there seemed to be some stiction on the sliders. Not so with the 2002 version - smooth as butter right out of the box. On stair sets and drops, they felt great, doing a good job with supple high-speed stairs, as well as easily sucking up larger drops with flat landings. I didn't bottom them on any of the urban rides, but I'm not a beastly urban rider, either. Regardless, the travel feels plentiful on less than smooth drops to flat in the 5-6' range.
| Once I got to the trail, the Super T really impressed me. The extra inch of travel was immediately noticeable, and the only time I bottomed out was on a slow 5' drop where I stopped dead in a crater. On high-speed sections, the fork's stiffness was appreciable, and damping felt much nicer than on last year's Super T. While I haven't bothered to alter the fork's setup too much yet, rebound damping feels good at both high and slow speeds. Adjustability is almost unlimited, so I will fine-tune the fork's performance as I put in more miles. |  Pete testing |
On front-first drops and steep sections, the fork keeps everything together nicely. I felt confident letting it do a lot of the work, sucking up roots and rocks and moving on to the next test with no complaint. It does a fantastic job staying on course through transitions out of steep sections, such as the ones at the bottom of Boogie Man. While I wasn't quite up to the Pile Driver drop (8'+ to tranny), with these forks, I feel I will be, very soon.
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I have a few issues with the fork's design, none of which are new to those familiar with Marzocchi's line of Freeride forks. The 'M' arch is my first question mark - it limits tire width and doesn't seem to have the durability of the old replaceable arch. With a 2.7 mounted I seem to have a bit of wiggle room, but not enough for a 3" tire, which is a popular choice among the riders that this fork is designed for. So far the fork's lateral stiffness has not been an issue through a variety of situations, supporting one of their reasons for the 'M' arch design. |
My second issue is with the QR 20 plus system - why the QR skewer and the bolt-on keeper tabs on the bottom of the drop-outs? It's not a true quick-release system since allen keys are involved, and it doesn't seem as confidence-inspiring as other thru-axle retention designs, such as those found on the Monster T or the Boxxer.We weren't able to get a straight answer on this from the Marzocchi staff in Vegas. (Fortunately from what I've seen in the original equipment cataglogues for 03 it looks like a new design is on the way - Ed.). These beefs aren't deal-breakers in my mind, but they are two consistently raised questions on what is otherwise a great fork for riding on the Shore, or general big hit freeriding. I also blew the top cap off one of the fork legs on the first ride - probably due to a loose keeper-bolt, but still a bit of a pain to get replaced.
To sum up, it's safe to say that the 2002 Super T continues to be a great fork for big hit freeriding and amateur racing. It has a great combination of lateral stiffness and supple feel, without being too porky. If it were a bit cheaper, I think I could give it 5 stars. It's still a good value for the money, but it's definitely priced up there with a few other great forks like the Boxxer.
If you're looking for Bomber feel without Monster T heft, I would definitely recommend the Super T as a great do-it-all fork.
Ratings:
| Quick hits: | Quick misses: |
| - Great feel
right out of the box - Who couldn't use an extra inch? - Plentiful adjustability - Great performance in big hit situations - Wants to go fast! |
- Controversial
'M' arch design -QR 20 Plus is redundant. |
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Rating Guide:
5.0 Outstanding -
4.0 Very Good -
3.0 Above Average -
2.0 Fair -
1.0 Poor -
