# Fox, Rock Shock or Marzocchi...??



## carzykid (Nov 26, 2013)

I have 1000$$ to spend on my fork +/- 200$$. I am torn between the Fox 40 26 the Rock shock boXXer rc2 and the Marzocchi 888 rc3 evo v.2. I am have been biking for nine years and know what im doing when i downhill. I want to put one of these forks on a 2014 Specialized demo 8 2 frame.


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## project_d (Jun 1, 2007)

RS or Marz. IMO, they both feel great, maybe the Boxxer feels just a bit better, but the 888 will require servicing less often. I love the Fox coil shocks, but I'm not big on any of their other suspension products.


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## csermonet (Feb 2, 2009)

they all 3 are so refined these days, whichever you go with will be awesome. i love'd my 32mm boxxer, was blown away by my 08 marz 888, and my 2011 fox 40 has been my favorite so far.


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## Gemini2k05 (Apr 19, 2005)

carzykid said:


> I am have been biking for nine years and know what im doing when i downhill. I want to put one of these forks on a 2014 Specialized demo 8 2 frame.


No one who knows what they're doing even considers riding a boxxer.


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## SHIVER ME TIMBERS (Jan 12, 2004)

How about the DVO Emerald ?? jusrt save a little more cash


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## eshew (Jan 30, 2004)

Marzocchi is back with the RC3 Evo damper. 888 all the way. Fox's just don't last, so much maintenance. Rockshox, I have no experience with since destroying a Quadra & Judy. I picked up my 1st Marzocchi's in 2004 and they are still perfectly functional & plush as hell today.

Marzocchi was king of DH since the beginning, they are back since 2010. I had the older 2004 Super T & Z1 Freeride and was looking for that same trail melting performance on new fork (a few years ago). Bought a 2010 Marz 55 Rc3ti new. It's amazing... No spiking, melts the smallest bumps in the trail and handles the big stuff like you're landing on a pillow. 

Change the oil in your Marz once a season after an initial 5-6 ride break in change & ride the hell out of em! The break in period does foul the oil pretty quickly, won't make much of a difference in performance but the oil in the damper side will look pretty ugly. Golden Spectro 125/150 fork oil is identical to what Marz runs stock, & much more affordable. Grab a few quarts & you'll be good for a few years. I did find that changing the oil solved a leaky seal I had on the damper side, apparently the seals don't like dirty oil. 

Get the 888 RC3 EVO makes all the difference in the world. Non RC3 just don't compare.


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## carzykid (Nov 26, 2013)

Awesome guy's thanks. I looked for the DVO Emerald and the only one I found was 2,759$$


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## aerius (Nov 20, 2010)

Manitou Dorado Expert. I rode a Dorado for a day at Bromont and was pretty impressed. It does the same thing to DH terrain that my Minute Pro does to regular trails; bumps large & small are simply erased and the tire is glued to the ground. Only downside is you'll need a rear shock that can keep up with it, the bike I was riding had a Cane Creek DB coil which I found was quite well matched.

Manitou Dorado Expert 203mm Fork | Manitou | Brand | www.PricePoint.com


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## billybobzia (Jan 10, 2004)

Gemini2k05 said:


> No one who knows what they're doing even considers riding a boxxer.


Wasn't steve smith riding a boxxer to a world cup championship?? I guess he is a moron..


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## carzykid (Nov 26, 2013)

Wow that manitou Dorado is cool how is it maintenance wise co mapired to the Marzocchi


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## man w/ one hand (Dec 29, 2003)

carzykid said:


> Awesome guy's thanks. I looked for the DVO Emerald and the only one I found was 2,759$$


And that is the reason only guys like SMT & sponsored riders will be able to "expound" on just how awesome those DVO forks are....sadly.


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## carzykid (Nov 26, 2013)

aerius said:


> Manitou Dorado Expert. I rode a Dorado for a day at Bromont and was pretty impressed. It does the same thing to DH terrain that my Minute Pro does to regular trails; bumps large & small are simply erased and the tire is glued to the ground. Only downside is you'll need a rear shock that can keep up with it, the bike I was riding had a Cane Creek DB coil which I found was quite well matched.
> 
> Manitou Dorado Expert 203mm Fork | Manitou | Brand | www.PricePoint.com


The shock that comes with the specialized frame is the new Ohlins ttx22m so im not sure how it will preform. I hear only good things about it from all the major bike magazine's.


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## aerius (Nov 20, 2010)

carzykid said:


> Wow that manitou Dorado is cool how is it maintenance wise co mapired to the Marzocchi


No idea, since I don't know how much maintenance current day Marzocchi forks need. 
I do that it needs a lot less than a Fox or Boxxer, according to the Dorado manuals, the worst case of lots of long rides in severe conditions calls for changing the semi-bath oil every 3 months and the damper oil once a year.


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## man w/ one hand (Dec 29, 2003)

carzykid said:


> The shock that comes with the specialized frame is the new Ohlins ttx22m so im not sure how it will preform. I hear only good things about it from all the major bike magazine's.


Ohlins is on a whole nother level, ride a CCDB coil or air.


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## Gemini2k05 (Apr 19, 2005)

billybobzia said:


> Wasn't steve smith riding a boxxer to a world cup championship?? I guess he is a moron..


If you think Smith's boxxer bears any resemblance to a production boxxer, I feel very sorry for you.


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## darkzeon (Jun 15, 2006)

Boxxer R2C2 very good! potential problem would be the seals, which can be replaced for cheap.


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## pinkrobe (Jan 30, 2004)

carzykid said:


> Awesome guy's thanks. I looked for the DVO Emerald and the only one I found was 2,759$$


. $2239 at Jenson.


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## pip213 (Aug 8, 2013)

carzykid said:


> I have 1000$$ to spend on my fork +/- 200$$. I am torn between the Fox 40 26 the Rock shock boXXer rc2 and the Marzocchi 888 rc3 evo v.2. I am have been biking for nine years and know what im doing when i downhill. I want to put one of these forks on a 2014 Specialized demo 8 2 frame.


Im kinda in the same boat as you but building a 951 evo , having rode previous 40s/boxxers/and on my last bike a 888 evo. They were all good forks you really cant go wrong the,40 i had to service more often had a few broken dampers but it was a smooth fork while it worked,the boxxer wc (on my brothers bike) he liked it alot weighs about 160, he serviced it every 2 months (new oil) and full overhaul twice a year, he sold the fork and then picked up a dorado, this was last year, he had about a month of riding on the dorado really easy to set up and was smoother then all previous forks we have been using, he ended up selling the whole bike to build a new bike. The 888 i had never let me down always worked and easy to service, i would change oil every 3-4 weeks to keep things fresh, (at the time riding 5 days a week after work). Fast forward to now, after riding the dorado a few times on my brothers old rig i ended up going with a dorado pro, im still in the process of building the bike so no ride time yet. My brother finshed building his 951evo 2 weeks ago, he ended up going with the 40 float, so far hes had a few runs on it and is pretty happy with it. Long story short i think any new fork now days will work great


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## SHIVER ME TIMBERS (Jan 12, 2004)

carzykid said:


> Awesome guy's thanks. I looked for the DVO Emerald and the only one I found was 2,759$$


DVO Suspension Emerald DH Fork 203mm, 26" Black, Tapered - Go-Ride.com Bicycle Shop, Salt Lake City, Utah.


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## pinkrobe (Jan 30, 2004)

Hmmm. A few take-off Dorados are starting to show up for under $1k. Hmmm...


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## pip213 (Aug 8, 2013)

Yea pricepoint has dorado experts for 900.00


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## carzykid (Nov 26, 2013)

man w/ one hand said:


> Ohlins is on a whole nother level, ride a CCDB coil or air.


 The frame comes with that shock and if it's a whole nother level why change it for CCDB. To me that seems like pointless spending.


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## carzykid (Nov 26, 2013)

I like the 888 and the Dorado. Im leaning towards the Dorado in the reviews its great and i like the price. I've ruled out the fox and the rock shock. Any one have a good counter argument for the 888's over the Dorado?


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## Swissam (Apr 8, 2008)

How does the new DBC feel in the 2014 models for the 888 RC3 Evo models? The CR and DVO are out of my budget and I can get a 2013 RC3 Evo TI or the 2014 non TI for $1,000. I leaning for the 2013 as its 300 grams lighter plus the tried and true open bath system. But if this new DBC is even better then I might get the '14. Not one single review on the '14.


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## man w/ one hand (Dec 29, 2003)

carzykid said:


> The frame comes with that shock and if it's a whole nother level why change it for CCDB. To me that seems like pointless spending.


Not saying change it for CCDB, do the tinyest bit of research, as in google it & you'll find that Ohlins was the company that partnered w/CC to make the DB, you crazykid.


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## pinkrobe (Jan 30, 2004)

CCDBA is so nice on my Mojo HD, I ordered one for my DH bike (Aurum).


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## darkzeon (Jun 15, 2006)

I may have gotten a lemon CCDB on my demo. It was serviced two months back, it leaked on the seals. Now it's weeping in the seals again, It's now back at my dealer. Hopefully Specialized or CCDB will sort me out.


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## man w/ one hand (Dec 29, 2003)

darkzeon said:


> I may have gotten a lemon CCDB on my demo. It was serviced two months back, it leaked on the seals. Now it's weeping in the seals again, It's now back at my dealer. Hopefully Specialized or CCDB will sort me out.


Maybe I just don't get around enough, but I haven't heard of any doing that. Nuthin' perfect I guess.


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## carzykid (Nov 26, 2013)

Ya they did and Ohlins partnered Specialized to make the shock. So I don't see why one would would be better than the other.


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## man w/ one hand (Dec 29, 2003)

carzykid said:


> Ya they did and Ohlins partnered Specialized to make the shock. So I don't see why one would would be better than the other.


See there, I knew you could figure it out on yer own. (That was exactly my point, it will be on par w/ a CCDB).


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## carzykid (Nov 26, 2013)

Got it thanks man. I honestly can't see anything wrong with the Dorado. As a fork the only issue i see it the head tube on the specialized it 1.5000" and 1.5000" will the steer tube on the dorado fit that i don't think it tapers and its not 1.5000" The website says its 1.25" or 1 1/8 streer. Im guessing this could be solved with a proper head set?


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## Electrin (Oct 4, 2012)

You could also look at marzocchi's 380. Tenneco Marzocchi Suspension - Forcelle 2014 - 380 C2R2 TITANIUM


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## danglingmanhood (Sep 16, 2005)

Yes, the proper headset will make it copacetic whether it's a straight 1 1/8 steerer tube or tapered.


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## carzykid (Nov 26, 2013)

It's 1 1/8 straight


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## Gemini2k05 (Apr 19, 2005)

darkzeon said:


> I may have gotten a lemon CCDB on my demo. It was serviced two months back, it leaked on the seals. Now it's weeping in the seals again, It's now back at my dealer. Hopefully Specialized or CCDB will sort me out.


No, you didn't get a lemon. It's a known problem that CCDB's don't work with the demos. The linkage of the demo's just destroys the shaft/bushings/seals on the CCDB's. It's dangerous actually, tons of them are snapping.

Additionally CCDB's are not the end all be all shock. They seem to work okay on some frames. They are fairly limited in their application I've found. Lots of frames feel just AWFUL with them, no matter how you tune them.


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## darkzeon (Jun 15, 2006)

Gemini2k05 said:


> No, you didn't get a lemon. It's a known problem that CCDB's don't work with the demos. The linkage of the demo's just destroys the shaft/bushings/seals on the CCDB's. It's dangerous actually, tons of them are snapping.


Yes, I recall a guy who reviewed the demo and snapped his CCDB. I have a VAN RC installed right now on my bike, I borrowed it from a friend (I have his demo parked in my house). And I noticed that there's a little oil and looks like it came from the VAN seal. Talk about getting unlucky. Now I'm missing my old Demo7, that frame never gave me problems haha.


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## brandon q (Feb 15, 2014)

So Boxxer's are crap? I just bought a Demo 8 I with Boxxers. My other bike has 2012 Marz 888cr with larger stanchions. I just got Demo delivered today. Cant wait to ride Sunday! Should I put Marz 888cr on Demo?? I rode Marz forks last summer at Big Bear with no complaints.


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## Rob-Bob (Jun 11, 2004)

brandon q said:


> So Boxxer's are crap? I just bought a Demo 8 I with Boxxers. My other bike has 2012 Marz 888cr with larger stanchions. I just got Demo delivered today. Cant wait to ride Sunday! Should I put Marz 888cr on Demo?? I rode Marz forks last summer at Big Bear with no complaints.


Boxxers are just known to leak. And if you are a heavier rider it can be hard to get a balanced feel on them. I would ride the bike with the boxers a couple of days and make a decision based on how you like them. If you keep them just be sure to learn how to regularly grease the seals to avoid problems.


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## brandon q (Feb 15, 2014)

Rob-Bob said:


> Boxxers are just known to leak. And if you are a heavier rider it can be hard to get a balanced feel on them. I would ride the bike with the boxers a couple of days and make a decision based on how you like them. If you keep them just be sure to learn how to regularly grease the seals to avoid problems.


Thanks for info. I am 160 lbs. plus gear. I will definetly ride a few times to see how Demo handles.


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## billybobzia (Jan 10, 2004)

Rob-Bob said:


> Boxxers are just known to leak. And if you are a heavier rider it can be hard to get a balanced feel on them. I would ride the bike with the boxers a couple of days and make a decision based on how you like them. If you keep them just be sure to learn how to regularly grease the seals to avoid problems.


Yes, boxxers are known to leak.. however, in my three years running a boxxer WC, I have yet to see it leak. If you follow the maintenance schedule and learn how to rebuild yourself, you won't problems. Pinkbike tech tuesday walks you through how to rebuild. Just grab a brew and spend a 1/2 hour every couple months. Its easy and after rebuild always feels great, in the summer months I rebuild it almost every month (just the bottom end). I tend to put new seals in yearly..


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## Gemini2k05 (Apr 19, 2005)

Rob-Bob said:


> Boxxers are just known to leak.


That's just the tip of the iceberg. They leak, the require constant oil changes. The bushing tolerances are so poor on them they have to machine them super tight, so the fork always feels draggy, the dampers are...substandard. The list goes on.


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## SHIVER ME TIMBERS (Jan 12, 2004)

Gemini2k05 said:


> That's just the tip of the iceberg. They leak, the require constant oil changes. The bushing tolerances are so poor on them they have to machine them super tight, so the fork always feels draggy, the dampers are...substandard. The list goes on.


friends don't let friends ride boxxers


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## shwinn8 (Feb 25, 2006)

Monster T !!


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## Gemini2k05 (Apr 19, 2005)

SHIVER ME TIMBERS said:


> friends don't let friends ride boxxers


Are you crazy? I LOVE when my friends ride boxxers. You're guaranteed to have a shuttle driver after the first run!


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## brandon q (Feb 15, 2014)

SHIVER ME TIMBERS said:


> friends don't let friends ride boxxers


Great advice!!


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## Extremo (Apr 1, 2012)

I'm surprised noone has suggested the X-Fusion RV1. Everyone who's on the Metric say they're the best forks they've ever been on. The RV1's are supposed to be amazing too. 

I just bought a Boxxer r2c2. I'm worried that I may have made a bad choice.


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## Gemini2k05 (Apr 19, 2005)

No need to worry. It's a certainty you made a bad choice


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