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Marzocchi
Z-150 FR SL ECC
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Average Rating
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4.1/5
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# of Reviews
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21
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MSRP
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$ 695.00
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Weight
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Description:There's no doubt about the type of terrain the Z-150 is built to handle - this fork is ready to freeride!
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Submitted by
rustnvrsleeps
a Weekend Warrior
from central coast, ca, usa
Date Reviewed: September 18, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$350.00 | | Purchased At: | used from friend | | Strengths: | great marzocchi ride quality
uber adjustability w/ oil wt, oil volume, air pressure
light weight (5.2 lbs) for 6" travel w/ 20mm thru axle | | Weaknesses: | minor gripe about QR20 system. prefer simple lo-fi bolt on thru axle that fox 36 uses. | | Similar Products Used: | 02 Z1FR ECC, 03 Z1FR ETA, 03 Vanilla 125 RLC, 06 36 Talas RC2 (demo) | | Bike Setup: | 6" single pivot w/ rising rate linkage and romic coil shock | | Bottom Line: | i read a lot about this fork on the suspension forum, so i already knew that its performance is very sensitive to how its tuned (w/ oil levels & air pressures).
i finally bought a used one from a friend for a good price 2 years ago, then immediately took it to my LBS for an oil change and check of seals/etc. i'm guessing that my LBS used marz's published values for oil volume & air pressure, because after i got it back, it wasn't performing as well as my 5" coil Z1's. i wasn't getting full travel, and fork lacked the same small bump compliance as my coil forks.
so i searched the suspension forum (look for posts from TNC), found the info i needed, and tuned it myself. fork is pretty easy to work on, too. it took a few rides to get this dialed in playing with oil and air pressures. fwiw, i weigh 160lbs (no gear) and used 6.25 wt oil in R leg filled to 100mm from top of threads (w/ legs fully compressed and damper rod fully extended). L leg oil wt +/or volume is less crucial, so i used 50cc of 7.5 wt in that leg. pumped about 21 psi in +'ve chambers and 110 psi in -'ve chamber.
now i'm getting full 6" travel, no bottom out on tech descents, same buttery smooth small bump compliance as marz's great Z1 coil forks i own, and have an easier time engaging the ECC slamdown/"lockout" for steep climbs. for an air spring system, my fork feels surprisingly plush and overall bike suspension is well balanced w/ air fork and coil rear. (for example, i've got a 4" travel slalom bike w/ Z1 coil fork & float air shock, and the rear end's suspension quality is not well matched to the supple coil front end).
after about 10 hours of use, a small amount of oil accumulates in the neg air chamber, increasing sag and decreasing total travel, so i turn it upside down and 'bleed' the oil from the neg chamber (depress valve stem w/ a small hex wrench wrapped in a rag).
tuned right, this forks flat out performs for the "all mountain" type of riding i do on my 6" bike--wanna thank everyone on the suspension forum who posted tuning tips. considering that this 2004 fork can be bought used in late 2006 at bargain prices, this fork is an unbelievable deal. its well worth considering for anyone who wants one of the newer 6" forks (like Marz's Z1 SL, Z1 Light, AM SL, 66SL, etc, or a Fox 36) but can't afford the newer ones. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Fred
a Weekend Warrior
from Santa Cruz
Date Reviewed: January 10, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Mailboxes when built up | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$350.00 | | Purchased At: | Supergo (now performance) | | Strengths: | This fork is leet. Its light and super plush. Those that dont know how to tune right probably got an idea that it sucks as I did for the first ride. So yeah the fork is good | | Weaknesses: | little flexy for 6 inches | | Similar Products Used: | 66rc | | Bike Setup: | SC Bullit | | Bottom Line: | Not worth 700 but definetly worth 350, sweet fork, never bottemed out even when i cleared a landing
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jacob
a Weekend Warrior
from Santa Cruz
Date Reviewed: October 9, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Mailboxes | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$350.00 | | Purchased At: | Supergo | | Strengths: | Everything. This fork is beastly... | | Weaknesses: | It tops out un less you put at least 100 psi in the negative chamber | | Similar Products Used: | 66rc but this thing is better | | Bike Setup: | 03 Bighit Comp | | Bottom Line: | This fork is good. The ECC 5 is the coolest thing ever when your going up Pogonip, it levels you out. I have no idea how that guy blew out the negative air catridge.... he probably put in more than the max 150 psi. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bobby Jim
a Weekend Warrior
from Santa Cruz, California
Date Reviewed: August 26, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$350.00 | | Purchased At: | Supergo | | Strengths: | It's plush when the seals and everything gets worn in... toatally soaks up rockgardens and 10ft+ drops with ease.
Its lighter than a 66RC that my friends has and I totally prefer this fork over his | | Weaknesses: | FLEX!!! it's kinda scary... I weigh about 95 lbs and when I use my front brake the fork flexes towards my frame... | | Similar Products Used: | Sherman | | Bike Setup: | 2003 Bighit Comp with Raceface bashgaurd, Atomlab trailking pedals, DHX rear shock | | Bottom Line: | If you an still get the 48% discoubt that i got from Supergo go for it. If your chosing between a 66 and this thing - in the long run you'll be more satisfied with the Z150 FR SL. I just took it to Mammoth and it totally out preformed my friends 66rc. Neither fork is worth $700 but if you get it half off like me for $350, its lights fire under ass | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dan
a Weekend Warrior
from London
Date Reviewed: April 26, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Super Morzine | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$360.00 | | Purchased At: | EBay | | Strengths: | Stong, Little flex, Very small bump sensitive, Light(ish) | | Weaknesses: | Negative air chamber looses pressure, also looses about 40psi from the Negative chamber when you disconnect the pump | | Similar Products Used: | Fox Vanilla 125, Marzocchi 66 | | Bike Setup: | Orange Patriot, "Freeride lite" setup | | Bottom Line: | These forks are excellent, set up is not as bad as others describe - I weigh 170lbs and have 32lb in the +ive air and 150 in the -ive, very plush linear travel - float over small bumps and soak up big hits nicely. The only problem is the negaitve air chamber - perhaps mine is faulty | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Killer B
a
from Horse Shoe, NC
Date Reviewed: March 26, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$360.00 | | Purchased At: | eBAY Dealer | | Strengths: | Light weight, very stiff laterally, ECC control, Marzocchi quality, well know durability. The Z-150 is the world's most used fork by those Pro rider's who win races.... | | Weaknesses: | maybe if I had to mention something weak, it would be the lock-down clamps for the QR20 axle. I personally haven't had any trouble with them, but have heard of others who have. I don't remove my front wheel during transit, so I just tightened the clamp down real snug & it hasn't come loose since.... If you have to remove the front wheel after each ride, I could see how the clamp could eventually get worn down. Simply replace it with a allen bolt.... | | Similar Products Used: | 'Zocchi EXR Pro (with air preload stage added). This fork is very good as well, especially w/ the added air assist. | | Bike Setup: | 2004 HARO Xtreme X2. 'Zocchi Z-150 SL Freeride fork. Hayes HFX-9 DH 8" F&R. Mavic DeeMax wheelset. P'Racer Fire Mud Pro tires. Fox FloatR shock. Ritchey clipless pedals. San Marco Race Day seat.
Here's a "dirty" pic for you:
http://img124.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img124&image=haro031205bresize6vd.jpg | | Bottom Line: | So far after almost 3 months of use, this fork has performed flawlessly. I can't believe how it handles the larger stuff that I used to dodge on the trails. More control for sure on steep descents. I personally don't use the lockout feature, but hear it works well. The weight savings (1 lb) over the coil model is deinitely an advantage, but I must say that an "air/oil" fork does ride differently than a "coil/oil". Instant repsonse and resistance vs. a progressive resistance (on the coil/oil) is probably the biggest difference.
This fork is tough & well worth the $360 I paid for it NEW on eBAY. I imagine the prices will continue to fall to a point since the '05's are already out. Buy one and it'll take you to the next level, I promise.... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
thirdy lopez
a Weekend Warrior
from usa
Date Reviewed: February 9, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | rockville/chinacamp/ | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$350.00 | | Purchased At: | super-go | | Strengths: | this six in. single crown fork is still and plush when needed im a 230lbs and this takes it all | | Weaknesses: | i really have not found any exept for the set up it will take a few more rides but its work | | Similar Products Used: | 00 Z1 130mm | | Bike Setup: | enduro pro for agressive trail with alot of riderload | | Bottom Line: | ride it abuse it love it.for those who want to gain more confidence in product and on equiptment? the bomber series has set the standard for these why do you think they overshadowed everybody and dominated at whistler? RIDE ON!!! BE SAFE!!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Duncan lighthill
a
from seattle WA
Date Reviewed: January 10, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Greenlake Jumps | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$495.00 | | Purchased At: | Beyonbikes.com | | Strengths: | Extremely durable, Alot of fork for the money, very adjustable. | | Weaknesses: | very complicated, bottomed on the first day casue i dint have it set up right. its difficult to get it pluch and still prevent it from bottoming and the negative air is hard to get right | | Similar Products Used: | marzocchi drop off, rochshox psylo, sherman firefly | | Bike Setup: | 04 kona stuff with z150, rhyno lites, azonic love seay, hayes hfx 9 brakes, race face diablous stem, azonic fusion mag pedals | | Bottom Line: | great fork for the money, real good for dirt jump and freeride. hard to get set up right but once you do its great. ive only had it for 3 days so im still fiddling with it. go not use this for down hill! it will explode! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Victor
a
from San Diego, CA
Date Reviewed: December 1, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | any single track rides | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$450.00 | | Purchased At: | Supergo | | Strengths: | Great overall trail, freeride and light downhill fork. | | Weaknesses: | It took awhile to break in and understand the right setup for my riding style. I findly figure out a quick fix for the top out noise and that was to put more air pressure in the negative valve. | | Similar Products Used: | Marazocchi Z-1 | | Bike Setup: | Intense Uzzi-SLX w/Push industries Fox stable platform upgrade | | Bottom Line: | This fork work greats for what it was intended for. Its nice to have that extra inch of travel over the Z-1 and it is just as plush. I always did like the feature in locking down the fork for the climbs (sometimes on the flats)and enjoying the full travel on the way down. I would highly recommend this fork to anyone that is not a hardcore XC or Downhill rider (leave this to the ones that get paid to ride) but enjoy the finer things in live. Just go out and ride for fun.... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
PaulN
a Cross Country Rider
from WalnutCreek,CA
Date Reviewed: November 11, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Tunnel | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$600.00 | | Purchased At: | Local | | Strengths: | Very adjustable, ECC works great, QR20 is very stiff and holds the hub better than any QR. | | Weaknesses: | Negative cartridge blew out four times | | Similar Products Used: | '97 Z1
'99 Z1 BAM
'01 Z1 MCR
'03 Z1 FR
'03 Marathon SL
'04 Z150 | | Bike Setup: | Uzzi SLX w/ PUSHed FOX RC, Hadley hubs w/ Avid discs | | Bottom Line: | The negative cartridge is the downfall of this shock. It really works well for a few days or weeks but then you will get a hand full of oil leaking out when you check the negative pressure indicating a blown shock.
After I walked in to Marzocchi in Valencia for the fourth time with a failed cartridge they handed me a brand new Z150 with coils. Marzocchi makes the best coil shocks ever but I would not recommend buying any Marzocchi air shock. I have had the same problem once on the Marathon SL. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Navin
a Weekend Warrior
from Irvine
Date Reviewed: October 10, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Old Dark Hollow, UT. | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$458.00 | | Purchased At: | SUPERGO | | Strengths: | -Very tuneable (it's easyer than pumping up a tire), You can customize it no matter your wight or riding style. Way easyer and less messy than buying a bunch of springs which will cost more than the pump.
-Light wight, it weighs the same as my coil sprung 130mm fork and it's a bomber so it doesn't flex.
-ECC5, easy to use even while riding. Just by switching the lever to 5, then push down on the handlebars. You can lower the front 3", Sweet for those climbs when you have difficulty balancing your weight between the front and rear tire, plus it allows you to breath easyer and saves your back (I'm old so this is nice). When the ecc is set to 3 or 4 it slows the rebound so for moderate climbs you still have compression but the rebound doesn't push your weight back, it feels like someone is pushing down on the handlebar.
-Linear feel, the high volume and low pressure air doesn't feel "bouncy" like the other air shocks. | | Weaknesses: | -The only thing I can think of is the initial setup. You must understand things about static/sag height, positive/ negative air, topping/bottoming out, etc. to setup this fork correctly. I just bring the pump with me and "play" with the pressure.
-The major weakness is me, this thing makes me want to go ride every day, I don't have the time! | | Similar Products Used: | Marzocchi Z1 QR20, Jr-T's, few Manytoos and Rocksucks :0 | | Bike Setup: | Customized Storm Thunder, with 7" of rear travel and 3 gears up front.
For the major components, XTR cranks, Hayes 8/6". Two wheelsets, one is a WTB DH (I can drop my bike weight 6 lbs just by using my XC wheelset). Easton DH carbonfiber handlebar. Thomson seatpost. The rest XT. | | Bottom Line: | I used to swear by coil springs only, no matter the wight! But I'm not jumping as much anymore, and I wanted to climb faster, so I decided to try an air fork. I was glad I did, It goes over everything and with all the sag drops into stuff.
This fork helps me climb and decend faster, I can't complain...
I recommend this for those who ride over ALL terrain and likes to climb up ALL the hills.
According to Marz. this fork is designed for Agressive XC riding, so all you hucksters and jumpers stick with a coil fork.
I don't recommend this fork for a newbie, the setup is difficult it's gonna feel bad when you don't have it "dialed in". e-mail me for help.
I will post again after I "break" it in.
Ok, now go ride hard and keep the trails open! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bikerdom
a Downhiller
from Milton NH USA
Date Reviewed: September 4, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Yup that's the ONE! | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$2000.00 | | Purchased At: | OEM on '04 Rocky Switch SL at LBS | | Strengths: | This is a repost and I wanted to add that this fork gets better as it gets older. | | Weaknesses: | Tricky to tune. | | Bike Setup: | Rocky Switch SL | | Bottom Line: | After learning to tune this fork(correct oil level, 100-120lbs in the neg. air chamber, go a couple pounds less than the manual post on the recommended positive air pressure). I weigh 180lbs and run 32lbs(manual post 35lbs for my weight). I love this fork. The more I rode it the better it got. Now she's been broken in for 2-3 months this thing is smooth and never bottoms out. I really love being able to pedal this bike. I think the Fox Float AVA RL + the Z150SL creates a great 6 x 6 rocket. What a combo! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Billy Boden
a Downhiller
from winchester, Va USA
Date Reviewed: September 2, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | The one that goes down | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$625.00 | | Purchased At: | Blue Ridge Schwinn | | Strengths: | Really lightweight for a 150 MM fork,lots of tunability, climbs like a beast locked down. | | Weaknesses: | x-pensive, QR20 is a PITA, tuning is difficult for the novice. | | Similar Products Used: | Sherman breakout, | | Bike Setup: | Z-150sl, Giant AC with 7 1/2" link, Romic | | Bottom Line: | When I first got this fork I hated it. The oil level was low and it would use all of the travel on a medium hit. I adjusted the oil level and everything got better.Tuning will make or break the performance of this fork. Super fast ramp up of spring rate. Refuses to pack up. This fork has saved my butt too many times. Expensive, but there is nothing else like it out there. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joe
a Downhiller
from Bellingham, WA
Date Reviewed: July 17, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | -Lightweight air sprung singlecrown with 6 smooth inches of travel. very stiff laterally and very plush vertically.
-The ECC damper almost works like Marzocchi claims! the lock down mode is great if you have to ride uphill to get to the downhill.
-All the black ano looks cosmetically cool- looks like it costs $695. | | Weaknesses: | -It will take some time to break in this fork and also patience figuring the optimal adjustment for your weight and riding style. All the adjustments (Positive air pressure, negative air pressure, rebound adjustment and oil height) must be overwhelming for novice mechanics-- according to most of the reviewers below. the owners manual is basically useless, so know what your doing or take your fork or send it to someone who does.
-I personally hate the "QR20 plus" dropout system. its weak and cumbersome. These forks will have the dedicated bolt-on axle and 170mm travel for 2005, so it may be worth it to wait untill those come out.
-The ECC 5 adjuster needs to be renamed the ECC 3 for three usuable positions (fast, slower, lock-down)
Oh and by the way Marzaocchi customer service is a cruel joke. | | Similar Products Used: | Marzocchi; EGS, Z-(1,2,3,4 and 5), Jr. T, DJ1
Other brands; Scott Unishock, Rock shox quadra 21 and mag 21, judy xc and SL)
never owned a Manitou! | | Bike Setup: | Stinky deelux. Z-150 SL. I run this fork with 25 psi positive and 140 psi negative air pressure. Oil height is a bit less than 30mm from the top. My weight is 140 and I ride with extreme aggression, (yet with smoothness!).
| | Bottom Line: | I was initially very disappointed with this fork For a $695 fork this thing had some problems... There was top-out AND bottom-out and the ECC was non-functional when I recieved the fork new. After about a month of use and tinkering with adjustments I got it working decently. Then I rode at Whistler BC and took it to the Marzocchi representative (on site!!) to fix it. Since then the fork has been buttery progressive pleasure.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dan
a
from Sandy Hook, CT, USA
Date Reviewed: June 29, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Trumbull, CT | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Lightweight for a 6" travel fork, that's about it | | Weaknesses: | Oil level came ridiculously low from Marzocchi- Hard to tune for plush travel without bottoming | | Similar Products Used: | Psylo SL | | Bike Setup: | 04 Big Hit comp, Z150 SL, MRP Mini-Me, Crank Bro's Mallet C | | Bottom Line: | This fork dissapointed me. I was expecting the answer to a need for a long travel single-crown freeride/DH fork, and what I got was an aggresive XC fork. First of all this fork took about 5 re-tunes to get it working decently, the oil level was way too low and uneven in both legs from the start. I have the rebound damping up all the way and it is still rebounding too quick. I was bottoming out so I added more air which made the fork too stiff, and adding more oil didn't help the ramp-up too much. I am stuck at a crossroads- more air is needed to stop from bottoming, but this makes the fork too stiff to soak up bumps and smaller stuff. If you want to drop anything over 4' and still have fun on singletrack then don't use this fork. I am buying a Manitou sherman slider because Marzocchi has left a sour taste in my mouth after using this fork. By the way, dropping 7 footers felt smoother on my Rock Shox Psylo with 125mm of travel. | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dominic Libby
a Cross Country Rider
from Milton
Date Reviewed: June 2, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | I'm Not Tellin' | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | OEM on bike from TriCity MTB Rochester NH | | Strengths: | Travel, Stiff for a single crown fork, Looks, Smooth, ECC5, Fender mount, QR20 | | Weaknesses: | Weight. needed oil to get ECC working right. Pain to get at the right hand sides air valve. | | Similar Products Used: | Super T, Junior T, Shiver, Z1SL, Marathon SL Manitou DC forks. | | Bike Setup: | `04 Rocky Mountain Switch SL, Fox Float RL AVA ProPedal, Marzocchi Z-150SL, Mavic DeeMax Tubeless, Hutchinson Octopus 2.3, SRAM X0 shifters & derailleur, LX Front derailleur, SRAM Chain, Evolve RaceFace cranks & Bottom Bracket, Easton carbon Bar & Post, Easton Vice Stem, Time Z-Control Pedals, FSA DH Pig Headset, Hayes Mag Plus Brakes(8" front, 6" back), Salsa Flip Off Post Clamp(only thing to hold a Easton Carbon in place), WTB Saddle. Total bike weight=33.5lbs not bad for 6 x 6. | | Bottom Line: | I received mine low on oil(very low on oil) and this caused the ECC not to function properly as well as a bad dampening feel. I was use to this because I have yet to get any brand fork with a better than 50% average on getting the oil close to spec's. They need to learn to pump these things a few times before topping the oil level off. Manitou, Marzocchi & Rock Shox are guilty of this problem. Anyway after emailing Marzocchi they sent me the oil level spec's in about a week by email which was in my opinion acceptable timing. Oil level corrected and the fork came to life. After a few XC fun rides and DH runs with a little hucking I really like this fork. Very smooth for an air fork. There is some top out noise but I can't remember a fork that doesn't once you start riding long travel forks, not an issue like the previous reviewers review. Not noisy like stated(at least mines not). Takes nice size drops with out bottoming. High speed runs rock. Not as stiff as a DC fork but never noticed any flex. Stayed true where she was aimed without any signs of deflection or loss off control. Great QR20 axle interface probably helps get that steering to respond. This fork combined with a properly setup AVA ProPedal Fox shock makes my Switch freeride bike pedal like a real epic all mountain type bike. Great match for the Switch. I'm sure a coil spring version is great too but if super plush you won't get the ability to pedal. That's where an RM7 or RMX takes over. 'Nuff said. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
KEVIN
a Cross Country Rider
from SAN RAFAEL
Date Reviewed: May 28, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$595.00 | | Purchased At: | BEYOND BIKES | | Strengths: | LOTS OF TRAVEL , STIFF | | Weaknesses: | CLUNK NOISE AFTER HARD RIDING , EEC5 IS NOT MUCH BETTER THAN THE OLD EEC LOCKOUT , NOTHING LIKE FOX TALAS . I WAS A FOOL TO BUY THIS FORK | | Similar Products Used: | TALAS , PSYLO , Z1 BOMBER | | Bike Setup: | YETI 5.75 | | Bottom Line: | SCARY CLUNKING NOISES WHEN RIDING HARD DOWNHILL . I WOULD TRY TO RE SET MY OIL HEIGHT BUT I CAN NOT FIND ANY INFO TO REPAIR THIS FORK FROM MARZZOCHI OR ONLINE . I DO NOT WANT A BIKE SHOP MECHANIC MESSING WITH IT AND I DO NOT WANT TO BE WITHOUT A FORK FOR 2-4 WEEEKS IN SUMMER SENDING IT BACK TO MARZZOCHI . SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE Z150 SL .
ALSO I BROUGHT THIS FORK THINKING IT WAS ADJUSTABLE TRAVEL HEIGHT . !!!!!!!IT IS NOT !!!!!!!!!, LOCK DOWN OR ADJUSTABLE REBOUND ONLY . | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
StabbedDawg
a Downhiller
from Shibuya, Tokyo Japan
Date Reviewed: May 27, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Takamineyama | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$700.00 | | Purchased At: | Beyond Bikes | | Strengths: | Its lightness and the rigidity. Amazingly smooth as an air spring fork. | | Weaknesses: | Air pressure setting is hard to manage. No SPV equivalent and ECC5 is cumbersome to dial while you're riding. | | Similar Products Used: | Rockshox Psylo Race | | Bike Setup: | Kona Bear Dee-lux, Betd LT Linkplates, Manitou Swinger Air 4-way, Mavic X823 tubeless rims, Hadley hubs. Bear is intended for back-country riding, but I convered to light downhill/hard freeride bike. 6" and 6" travel. The pictures are posted at http://homepage.mac.com/kakuito/Menu115.html | | Bottom Line: | It works better than anything I have tried, but since I experienced what SPV does with my rear shock, I'm considering to change them to Manitou Nixon or Rockshox Pike after I try them out. Until then, Z150SL is the only choice for me. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Feyd
a Cross Country Rider
from New Hampshire
Date Reviewed: May 19, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Moat Trail (the actual trail, not in the valley) | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | Not locally. | | Strengths: | All the benefits of the standard Z150 without the weight. Super plush and lively. Long travel with a turn radius. Unlimited tunabilty with the air and oil levels/viscosity. 20mm stiffness wit Qr ease. LIGHT!Feels just like my Z150 but throws around much easier. | | Weaknesses: | Initially sticky but broke in eventually. And it is a little on the pricey side but worth it. | | Similar Products Used: | Z150,DJ2,Z1,BOXXER,Z1QR20
| | Bike Setup: | GIANT VT1,Z150 SUN RHYNO/HAYES HUB 24"/26",HFX9,TRUVATIV RACE RACE 165MM DBL,XT SHFTRS,XT FRNT,105SS REAR. MAXXIS HIGHROLLER 2.7. | | Bottom Line: | A freeride fork in the truest sense. Enough travel to take drops as well as high and low speed technical descents. Single crown turn radius with DH feel. It can be tuned for any conditions and for any rider. And it's light enough and has lockout for the long grinders. A have another bike with a standard Z150 but I haven't ridden it since I got this thing. The lighter weight is sweet. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Billy
a Weekend Warrior
from whitefish
Date Reviewed: March 15, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$695.00 | | Strengths: | Seems stiff, smooth stroke | | Weaknesses: | For 695.00 this fork is a rip off. The ecc5 damping is a joke. For 695.00 this fork is a rip off. The first two clicks seemingly do nothing and the third is so slow to rebound that it is unusable, that goes for the forth click also. It does lock down in the 5th position so at least that one does what it should. the local shop checked the oil level, (which came the wrong height from the factory) but even after getting the level to factory specs the damping was useless. Marzocchi was no real help in solving the problem short of sending it in for them to look at. 700.00 is a lot to spend to turn around and be without your fork for 2 or 3 weeks. luckily the owners of the local shop are great people, and they are replacing it at their expense. Thank god that someone still knows what good business means. You would think if the damping cartridge was faulty they could ship you a new one, have the shop put it in, and you wouldn't have any down time. No, I guess that would be too customer service oriented. Anyway, I would think twice about buying this fork. There are better working products for the money. | | Similar Products Used: | manituo sherman 6", fox vanilla rlc, marzocchi z-1, marzocchi Jr.-t. | | Bike Setup: | 04 heckler with fifth element. | | Bottom Line: | Damping functions poorly for the caliber of fork. Marzocchi has poor customer service. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joe Schmo
a Downhiller
from Moab
Date Reviewed: January 9, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Flying Monkey | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$800.00 | | Purchased At: | my LBS | | Strengths: | 6 inches of buttery smooth Marzocchi brand travel! ECC5 adjuster lets you control the rebound damping on the fly and lock it half way down for climbing. Air sprung for lighter weight. Very cool black stancions. Tighter turning radius. | | Weaknesses: | Don't like to have to carry the adaptor but its necessary to fit two valves on the top of one leg. A bit flexy on the front to back side but still very stiff due to the heavy duty crown, 20mm axle and super thick steerer tube. | | Similar Products Used: | '03 Boxxer Team, Z-1 w/ ecc, Z-5, Z-3 flylight 100, Z-1 dropoff, old school Z-1. | | Bike Setup: | Specialized Enduro w/24" in the rear, Romic rear shock. Don't try this with your new enduro, the 6" will void your warranty. A good strong headset like the Ahead Tank or FSA Pig will do to help keep the head tube round. | | Bottom Line: | Marzocchi Caveat- this fork has aluminum steerer and stancions unlike its portly brother the Z-150. You would be advised to shy away from dirt jumping and 5" flat bottom landings with this fork. Its for light freeriding only. I weigh a feathery 155lbs so I am not too affraid of using it for what I do which is mostly technical DH, trails and light urban. I am still getting a feel for the fork and I will push the limits as I see fit. How's the fork? Awsome. I love being able to adjust the damper so easily and being able to lock it down is mandatory with my 67 deg HA. The 24" rear tire lowers the back end a bit so its a must for the climbs that I do on occasion. The air springs are infinitely adjustable and the responsiveness can be tuned in to your liking. It might be a little sticky out of the box but you can just up the (-) pressure temporarily until it breaks in. I expect it will perform just as expected. Will update after a few more rides. I would recommend this fork to anyone who does light freeriding, aggressive trail riding. A rider who wants the maximum travel w/o the weight and restriction of a dual crown. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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