# 08' Marzocchi 66 RC3 Axle coming loose



## MoRon (Aug 18, 2007)

Just got the new rc3...had it on about 2 rides. I was noticing a creaking noise while braking on slow steep techy downhills and thought it was my headset. after further inspection i noticed that it was my front wheel moving around! The QR is tightened down as tight as it will go and there is movement between the hub and lowers of the fork causing a creaking noise. I've tried two different front wheels and it does the same on both of them. has anyone else had this problem? Why couldnt they just stick with the clamp style that worked so well for the past few years. Spending this kind of money on a fork and my wheel not staying tight is unacceptable. Maybe this is a sign of the new marzocchi....."Designed in Italy".....but made in taiwan....they're cutting corners but the forks keep getting more expensive...doesnt make sense. any help would be appreciated! Thanks!


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## Jerk_Chicken (Oct 13, 2005)

Damn, sorry to hear. Glad you brought this up because this is now the second instance I've heard of this happening.

Got any closeup pictures of the setup and the individual parts (qr, hub, and dropout)?


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## MoRon (Aug 18, 2007)

dont have any right now....i'll try and post some up tonight when i get home....i may try to make a little video clip to where you can actually see the movement I'm talking about. .... I'm kinda bummed....maybe my hubs are just too old or something...but that shouldnt be the case...who knows.


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## Jerk_Chicken (Oct 13, 2005)

The video would be great and perhaps more informative than pictures only. Hopefully with more visual info we can help out or definitively tell you to send it to the LBS to check. I won't go ahead and say this could be Zoke's new defect because it's way too soon to tell. As far as the Italian vs. Taiwan construction, many are taking a wait and see approach because the last couple years or Italian construction wasn't that great either, including the engineering. Sending their stuff out could be good or bad, but I do agree about pricing.

Hopefully we'll hear more from you later on this. By any chance, have you used a conventional bolt on axle in the place of the QR to see if that's the culprit?


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## creyc (May 24, 2005)

Very interesting indeed...

I'll be picking up my new Fly today, complete with an '08 66 ATA. I played with the QR system the other day at the shop and it seems like a solid system, so this will be something I will definitely pay attention to. I like the fact the new forks dont need tools to take the wheel off, but I don't want it to be THAT easy.



Second opinion coming up shortly!


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## MoRon (Aug 18, 2007)

yeah, I've had these wheels both on an 05 888 and an 06 66vf2. Both had the bolt on and never ever came loose. This new QR works a bit like a torque wrench. you can crank it down as hard as you want, but when you reach the amount of torque it allows it clicks and wont let you get it any tighter. I'll post up a vid tonight hopefully. I just know i was alot more comfortable with the bolt on.


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## MoRon (Aug 18, 2007)

on a happier note....this fork does ride awesome. super stiff and amazingly plush. Need to check my oil levels...bottomed a few times last weekend on stuff it shouldnt have....it'll take some time to get it dialed, but it rides awesome. just gotta get this qr axle thing figured out.


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## Freerider Forever (Jan 22, 2004)

Jerk_Chicken said:


> By any chance, have you used a conventional bolt on axle in the place of the QR to see if that's the culprit?


Unfortunately you can't run a standard axle on the new 66. The new QR axle threads into the left dropout, making it impossible to fit a standard axle through the dropouts. I am not happy to hear about this loosening issue...I just got one of these forks a week ago, and I have already had two separate issues. First my fork was 45 mm low on oil, then the lower compression knob on the bottom fell off on the first ride. If my axle starts coming loose, I'm going to throw a f*cking fit with Marz...I can't believe this fork is having so many issues, especially after my '06 66 performed flawlessly for a year and half. I'm kinda wishing I kept my old one...


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## Jerk_Chicken (Oct 13, 2005)

Here's a problem someone is having with their 55 axle:

http://forums.mtbr.com/showpost.php?p=3715292&postcount=39


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## MoRon (Aug 18, 2007)

hmm....

maybe someone will have an aftermarket axle that will be bolt on...similar to the old style but obviously without the bolts on the lowers....dont know if that would work with the internal threads on the lowers though. if nothing else works maybe i'll go to a nice beer can shim....this much money for a fork and im gonna have to shim it with a beer can. wtf!


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## quazi (Mar 22, 2007)

I have had no problems with mine so far but i guess i will have to keep on eye on it. You are right by the way that with the amount that these forks cost they should not be having those problems.


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## konut (Mar 25, 2006)

i was intrested in a new 66 but wondered if you could not fit the 08 888 lowers instead.

and i nearly lost all my adjusters rear shock included as the bolts were not snug.

and to be honest the built in taiwan sticker gives me a bit more convidence as italian made stuff aint all that good.


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## Jerk_Chicken (Oct 13, 2005)

Makes me wonder if DT Swiss has a 20mm RWS in the works. Personally, I don't see the problem with just using bolt on axles. We all carry the tools and they don't really take that much time to take apart and reassemble, especially with the advantages they carry.


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## MoRon (Aug 18, 2007)

i agree...whats the big deal about carrying allen keys? You have to have them anyways....and who is in that big of a hurry to get your wheel off? I could see someone in an XC race needing to, but i dont think too many people are racing these forks where they need to get their wheel off that fast....Id much rather carry tools and know that my damn wheel is gonna stay on, than have some bs quick release.


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## konut (Mar 25, 2006)

i prefer bolt on axles to but marzocchi have gotta keep up with trends,i,e maxle.

and im sure the new fox qr has been done already.

any one know if its a viable option on running 888 lowers on the 66 uppers then.


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## Karupshun (Jun 13, 2006)

Great. I have a new 66 on the way and I am so excited to find problems like these

I'd rather just have pinch bolts too. They're not that slow to remove a wheel. 
There's not a lot of threads on the lower to grab, and if they get damaged much, the whole lower is toast.

I hope I get one of the good ones


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## gratiflying (Sep 21, 2006)

did you tighten the axle until it clicks?

as posted earlier, it's similar to a torgue wrench/gas tank cap system.

mine takes more torque than i would have normally applied to make it click.


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## Jerk_Chicken (Oct 13, 2005)

With my Z1 Light, even with the pinch bolts, it's pretty easy to work and avoid overtorquing and damaging the lower. Simply take the hex key and insert the long end into the bolt, thus to keep the short end in your hand and reduce leverage. Tighten until experiencing resistance, then go about 1/4-1/5 turn after that.


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

Hey remember the probs Marz wuz havin' w/the alignment of the axle holes on some of the 06 lowers ? ? I don't like the sound of that "torque wrench deal". No way it's gonna tighten down just right each time. This ain't no gas cap we're talkin' about, this is one area you can't leave to the guess work of a system that isn't tried & true and is already causin' issues out'a th' box AND at th' prices of these forks ??????? 

I'm callin' "FORXPLOYTATION" on Zokie's part. Shame on'em. Sounds like they're tryin' to rest on their laurels here.....again.


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## William42 (Oct 29, 2006)

wow....totally amped about getting my giant glory 0 and having to hope that "my fork is one of the good ones" jesus christ how do you NOT notice something like that in product testing... its been out for like a month now? two months? maybe their product testing went something like this 

*quick spin around the parking lot*

feeling good guys! lets send it out! 

unless this fork feels absolutely amazing i'm selling it and getting a totem asap.


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## Jerk_Chicken (Oct 13, 2005)

William42 said:


> wow....totally amped about getting my giant glory 0 and having to hope that "my fork is one of the good ones" jesus christ how do you NOT notice something like that in product testing... its been out for like a month now? two months? maybe their product testing went something like this
> 
> *quick spin around the parking lot*
> 
> ...


Go easy on the Totems. People have been having lots of problems with them as well. Some are on their third replacement and they are still blowing out or creaking.
All this talk of problem long travel forks prompted me to post 
This thread in reference to which 150mm + forks DON'T blow up. Maybe this will be an issue added to that thread. That's one reason I'm scared to replace my Z1 Light. Hard to find used for a reason, and incredibly reliable. Zoke knew a good thing and canned it. All they needed to do with it was move the RC2 and mechanical travel adjust to the 55 chassis, solely for the purpose of bigger stanchions, then dump tst.


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## Freerider Forever (Jan 22, 2004)

gratiflying said:


> did you tighten the axle until it clicks?
> 
> as posted earlier, it's similar to a torgue wrench/gas tank cap system.
> 
> mine takes more torque than i would have normally applied to make it click.


It takes quite a lot of torque to get the axle to click, and when it does, it is pretty harsh. It's also kinda weird because the lever blade sticks almost straight forward when it's tightened down that hard...


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## #1ORBUST (Sep 13, 2005)

1 reason I don't buy New MZ products with ridiculous New QR axels. I mean WTF!?!?!?! What dumbass wants a tool less QR on a Big Hit Single crown fork? Just keep the pinch bolt and you have no problems. Were not the ****ing lazy!! 

The problem you guys are having is crazy. Man, if my buddy has problems with his new 55 he is going to be pissed.


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

#1ORBUST said:


> 1 reason I don't buy New MZ products with ridiculous New QR axels. I mean WTF!?!?!?! What dumbass wants a tool less QR on a Big Hit Single crown fork? Just keep the pinch bolt and you have no problems. Were not the ****ing lazy!!
> 
> The problem you guys are having is crazy. Man, if my buddy has problems with his new 55 he is going to be pissed.


Soundz like Marz was too quick to try and one-up th' Maxel. I thought the system they'vebeen using on th' 05 to 07's was workin' pretty good. Never had any issues myself.


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## #1ORBUST (Sep 13, 2005)

man w/ one hand said:


> Soundz like Marz was too quick to try and one-up th' Maxel. I thought the system they'vebeen using on th' 05 to 07's was workin' pretty good. Never had any issues myself.


Yah I have a 06 66rc2x and the thing is bomb. I've never had an axel slip or anything remotely wrong with it.

MZ is just trying to be fancy and it looks like it might bite them in the ass.

But who know's it is still way to early to tell.


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## MoRon (Aug 18, 2007)

i had an 06 66 and have never had one problem out of it....figured 08 would be even more solid...which it is. It is noticeably stiffer and rides better....

Its not like my wheel is gonna fall off or anything, its just like the axle isnt tightening down enough to pinch the hub tight enough to where it wont creak. You can only feel the play when the brake is held down and you pull back and forth on the wheel. When i initially tighten it down its fine...but after riding it, its develops a creak. The QR seems just as tight as it was when i originally cranked it down....which leads me to believe that the axle just isnt cinching it together tight enough. Since no-one else has chimed in with this problem, I'm hoping i just have a defective hub with the wrong spacing or something although they've worked fine on my last 3 marz. forks. 

to answer one of the questions, yeah i've spun the axle until it clicks. You can continue to click it on around until its lined up where its not sticking straight out also which is nice.


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## #1ORBUST (Sep 13, 2005)

MoRon said:


> i had an 06 66 and have never had one problem out of it....figured 08 would be even more solid...which it is. It is noticeably stiffer and rides better....
> QUOTE]
> 
> It dosn't matter, that axel has to be soild Soild SOILD!!
> ...


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## MoRon (Aug 18, 2007)

i meant as far as the ride quality it felt more solid....

Obviously an axle thats not holding tight is a problem....not SOLID.


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## Freerider Forever (Jan 22, 2004)

If I here about one more issue with these things, I'm selling mine. But then again, what other better option do I have??? Bushings suck on totems, Manitou is in shambles, not to mention the Travis forks feel like junk...I want my old 66 back!


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## henryl (Feb 6, 2004)

Jerk_Chicken said:


> That's one reason I'm scared to replace my Z1 Light. Hard to find used for a reason, and incredibly reliable. Zoke knew a good thing and canned it. All they needed to do with it was move the RC2 and mechanical travel adjust to the 55 chassis, solely for the purpose of bigger stanchions, then dump tst.


I'm with you on this. Put the Z1 Light guts in a 55 package (w/o QR) and you got the perfect fork. Seems so obvious to me. What the heck are they smoking?


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

Freerider Forever said:


> If I here about one more issue with these things, I'm selling mine. But then again, what other better option do I have??? Bushings suck on totems, Manitou is in shambles, not to mention the Travis forks feel like junk...I want my old 66 back!


I've got an 05 66rc and an 05 66vf and an 06 66sl. All of them work great and I wouldn't take any of the new forks for any of them.


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## Nick. (Dec 19, 2003)

I have a '06 66rc2x on my Turner and a Pike on my hardtail. I travel with my bikes IN my car so having the Maxle is MUCH easier than pulling the axle on the 66. That all said, I won't be jumping into an '08 Bomber until I figure out if they have a mfg. issue or not.


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## davep (Mar 11, 2005)

Unfortunately this is not surprising. The Marz Qr axle has no way of creating radial 'tightening' around the axle/fork interface. The fork does not pinch (like the fox Qr system) and the axle does not expand (like the Maxle). 

The hole in the right side of the fork must be large enough for the axle to slide in, thus the hole is by definition, larger than the axle...creating play.


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## creyc (May 24, 2005)

Yo call marzocchi up, your fork definitely has a problem.

I just got back thrashing the sh** out of my new 66 ATA on all kinds of drops/hits/jumps and its solid as can be. No loosening, no front to back movement with the brake on.

As far as the axle, it works by squeezing the two sides of the fork tight onto the hub. There's a flange that the QR sits on and threads on the other side. The flange side has play up until you get it just barely tight and it pinches. Then as you crank it down till it clicks, forget about movement. Its not happening.

The only thing the pinch bolts did on the old forks was allow you to gently tighten the axle so you don't have to worry about stripping the aluminum threads, then "pinch" the fork tight on the axle to lock it in place. With controlled torque applied to the new axles its every bit as strong and idiot proof.

Unless you have a defective one  *ahem OP*


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## MoRon (Aug 18, 2007)

i'll have a quick video up soon of the axle movement......i think you're right, something is defective.....i'm hoping it is my hub. I'm glad to hear that no one else is having this problem...which leads me to believe that its my hub(hopefully)


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

MoRon said:


> i'll have a quick video up soon of the axle movement......i think you're right, something is defective.....i'm hoping it is my hub. I'm glad to hear that no one else is having this problem...which leads me to believe that its my hub(hopefully)





MoRon said:


> I've tried two different front wheels and it does the same on both of them.


Soundz like fork issues don't it ???


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## MoRon (Aug 18, 2007)

here ya go....its hard to see but look reaaaaal close and you can see the hub moving back and forth. basically i'm holding the brake and turning the wheel from front to back...just as the force would be on it riding. you can for sure hear the creaking.

Man i hope its the hub and not the fork. this thing rides so well.


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## MoRon (Aug 18, 2007)

hey barry....

yeah man it seems like it....but now that i've been messing with it....one wheel I can clamp down and it immediately has play in it and the other wheel, isnt getting any play in it....but i cant tell for sure until i ride it. so just from that there, the two different hubs obviously are a few mm difference....and one hub is probably almost 4 years old and the other was a hand-me-down from BBA.....so I'm gonna try a new hub i believe....or maybe get some calipers and measure the hub widths to see if there is for sure a difference


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## flipnidaho (Aug 10, 2004)

it maybe play in the bearings. try the "loose hub" on another 20mm fork to see if it does the same thing. if so, you've found your problem.


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## Alpenglow (Feb 5, 2004)

*Just out of curiosity*

What air pressure are you running. I am having trouble finding the sweet spot on the fork. It feels great with 0 PSI, but it tops out harshly. Any addition of air makes the fork almost rigid.


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## be350ka (Dec 17, 2004)

MoRon said:


> here ya go....its hard to see but look reaaaaal close and you can see the hub moving back and forth. basically i'm holding the brake and turning the wheel from front to back...just as the force would be on it riding. you can for sure hear the creaking.
> 
> Man i hope its the hub and not the fork. this thing rides so well.


WOW!!! Not good. I really had to look to see some play, but the creaking is hard to miss. It is a shame that you can only get these forks with the QR. With as many versions of the same model that offered this year, you would think one would offer the "old" system.

Have you called Marz yet? I would be interested to see what they say.


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## creyc (May 24, 2005)

MoRon said:


> here ya go....its hard to see but look reaaaaal close and you can see the hub moving back and forth. basically i'm holding the brake and turning the wheel from front to back...just as the force would be on it riding. you can for sure hear the creaking.
> 
> Man i hope its the hub and not the fork. this thing rides so well.


Yea yours is not right. I think I've heard that sound before on my old bike though, have you checked out your hub real good? As someone said, loose bearings can do that.

I would post a vid of my new 66 axle, but it would be really boring with no creaking or movement 

By the way, slight differences in hub width don't really matter. The axle clamps the lowers down around the hub, and they will actually flex to accommodate slight differences in hubs.


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

MoRon said:


> hey barry....
> 
> yeah man it seems like it....but now that i've been messing with it....one wheel I can clamp down and it immediately has play in it and the other wheel, isnt getting any play in it....but i cant tell for sure until i ride it. so just from that there, the two different hubs obviously are a few mm difference....and one hub is probably almost 4 years old and the other was a hand-me-down from BBA.....so I'm gonna try a new hub i believe....or maybe get some calipers and measure the hub widths to see if there is for sure a difference


Hey MoRon,
I can't look at anything on youtube here at work so I can't see the vid., 
but those two issues in red, are by themselves alone, good enough reason to try a new hub. You really put yer gear through it's paces Holmes, and we both know what BBA puts his stuff through :eekster: so with all of that said I hope it is th' hub(s) and not th' lowers. I've yet to have any real issues w/any new Zokie fork, guess I've been lucky so far. Any chance it could be an "alignment issue" ?? There were quite a lot of lowers that came from Marz the last coupl'a yrs that had the axle holes milled out "out of alignment" and you had to force the axle into the otherside. Try putting the axel in w/o the wheel on it and see if the holes line up. It might be putting some funky torque'n forces on yer hub/bearings forcin' it to creak. Just a thought, considering past Zokie issues. You'll get'er figgered out.


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## konut (Mar 25, 2006)

could it not be tolerences between your axle and hub insides.

in the video it looks as though the wheel is flexing over the axle itself.


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## watermoccasin (Jan 28, 2004)

Alpenglow said:


> What air pressure are you running. I am having trouble finding the sweet spot on the fork. It feels great with 0 PSI, but it tops out harshly. Any addition of air makes the fork almost rigid.


Harsh top-out means you're not running enough rebound damping. Increase rebound by 2 clicks, then hold the front brake, compress the fork, and let it extend quickly. Keep increasing rebound by 2 clicks until you can see the fork extending slower. Then back off 1 or 2 clicks, so that the fork has the max amount of rebound damping that still allows it to extend quickly.

Don't run air preload unless you have to (if you weigh 200+ lbs). It makes the fork harsh. At 215 lbs, I run 3 pumps (NOT 3 psi) of air preload in my '06 66rc2x.

Anybody heard if the '08 66 and 55 forks will offer different springs rather than the air preload nonsense?


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## MoRon (Aug 18, 2007)

yeah barry, you're probably right.....i just have a bad habit of running stuff until its completely destroyed.....



> could it not be tolerences between your axle and hub insides.


It could be....i'll have to look closer....if i remember right there is always just a tiny bit of tolerance between axles and hubs.

and yeah....i'm running like 2 or 3 pumps of air preload....if you pump enough in there to actually register any psi on the guage then your fork will be too stiff. I ran my 06 66 vf with just a pump or two of air in one leg and it was perfect for me...(165 lbs)

top out=no rebound dampening....slow your rebound down and that will go away..go click by click like stated above.

ill keep yall posted on this when i get a new hub and see if that fixes the problem....


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## Alpenglow (Feb 5, 2004)

*I weight 170 and I like to have fast rebound*

The 66RC3 is different from the RC2x in that it runs one side coil. My assumption is that the air on the RC3 side is to compensate in case the spring on the coil side is not firm enough? My experience with Marzocchi forks in the last couple of years is that there is two ways to solve harsh topout; 1. slow rebound and; 2. hit the sweet spot with the air preload.

I asked the Marz tech on the phone about the fork adjustments and he could barely explain it. The manual sucks. He said for my weight to run anything between 0-50 psi in air chamber. The manual says 70 psi. If I run even 10 psi, the fork only uses about 40mm of travel. I'm gonna try the fork tonight with 0-5 psi and see if I can find that elusive combination of optimal psi and rebound dampening. I'm no suspension Guru, but I don't understand the point of Mech PL and compression dampening.



watermoccasin said:


> Harsh top-out means you're not running enough rebound damping. Increase rebound by 2 clicks, then hold the front brake, compress the fork, and let it extend quickly. Keep increasing rebound by 2 clicks until you can see the fork extending slower. Then back off 1 or 2 clicks, so that the fork has the max amount of rebound damping that still allows it to extend quickly.
> 
> Don't run air preload unless you have to (if you weigh 200+ lbs). It makes the fork harsh. At 215 lbs, I run 3 pumps (NOT 3 psi) of air preload in my '06 66rc2x.
> 
> Anybody heard if the '08 66 and 55 forks will offer different springs rather than the air preload nonsense?


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## MoRon (Aug 18, 2007)

> I'm no suspension Guru, but I don't understand the point of Mech PL and compression dampening.


Someone correct me if i'm wrong, but the way i understand it, the PL is what adjusts the force it takes for your fork to actually start moving, while compression is basically a bottom out prevention? Is this right?


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

MoRon said:


> yeah barry, you're probably right.....i just have a bad habit of running stuff until its completely destroyed.....
> 
> ill keep yall posted on this when i get a new hub and see if that fixes the problem....


Aaahh.......such is the life of a Hick Huckster.


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## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

Jerk_Chicken said:


> Makes me wonder if DT Swiss has a 20mm RWS in the works. Personally, I don't see the problem with just using bolt on axles. We all carry the tools and they don't really take that much time to take apart and reassemble, especially with the advantages they carry.


I almost never take my front wheel off, so it's a non issue that my 66 has pinch bolts. Perhaps some people take off the front wheel a lot more frequently...although I despise roof racks and having to take the wheel off.


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## MoRon (Aug 18, 2007)

man w/ one hand said:


> Aaahh.......such is the life of a Hick Huckster.


haha...more like...."such is the life of a broke ass 24 year old who spends every penny he makes on bikes"


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

MoRon said:


> haha...more like...."such is the life of a broke ass 24 year old who spends every penny he makes on bikes"


Hey Holmes you ain't priviledged, "such is the life of a broke, divorced 45 yr old too". :madman:


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## konut (Mar 25, 2006)

man w/ one hand said:


> Hey Holmes you ain't priviledged, "such is the life of a broke, divorced 45 yr old too". :madman:


cool,45 and still shredding.

i used to worry but im not going to anymore,still got 11 years to catch upto you though.


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## The Dude (Jan 19, 2004)

has anyone called to see if the new 888 lowers and 66 lowers are interchangable? dont the 888's have pinch bolts?


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## konut (Mar 25, 2006)

The Dude said:


> has anyone called to see if the new 888 lowers and 66 lowers are interchangable? dont the 888's have pinch bolts?


i asked this to but no reply,cant see why not but i got my fingers crossed.:thumbsup:


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## Jerk_Chicken (Oct 13, 2005)

Someone else had a problem with their axle in this thread below :
http://forums.mtbr.com/showpost.php?p=3715292&postcount=39

http://forums.mtbr.com/showpost.php?p=3719119&postcount=42


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## Dirt_Dog (Sep 21, 2007)

Maybe try using some shims to make it tighter?


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## Huck Banzai (May 8, 2005)

Any chance theres some kinf of shim/washer with a 20/21 id/od? I would think that could snug things up.


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

The Dude said:


> has anyone called to see if the new 888 lowers and 66 lowers are interchangable? dont the 888's have pinch bolts?


I got no idea if the lowers will interchange, but according to te Zokie site, the 55's & th 66's are the only ones that get the "crap-xle" treatment.


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## MoRon (Aug 18, 2007)

Just got off of the phone with Marzocchi.....

They haven't had any problems with the axles so far....

They're sending me a new axle, no questions asked, so thats cool. Hopefully this will fix the problem. 

I dont think there is any room for a shim, its such a tight tolerance i doubt you could fit anytihng in there before you cranked it down.


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## kona4lyf (Sep 24, 2007)

Freerider Forever said:


> If I here about one more issue with these things, I'm selling mine. But then again, what other better option do I have??? Bushings suck on totems, Manitou is in shambles, not to mention the Travis forks feel like junk...I want my old 66 back!


yah, makes me fall even more deeply in-love with my problem-less black 07-66 ata,she justs keeps on keepin on,:thumbsup:


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## igotbanned (Oct 20, 2007)

i had a tiny wee little bit of play in mine too, even after it clicked, but I torqued the axle around a tiny bit more, and it went away. But then it came back....my dad looked at it, and said the way it works is with some funky gears...yada yada yada...you can turn it around as many times as you want, and it wont get tighter than the first click. So if your quick release is sticking out straight, just click it around about 6 more times to get it into the right position. Pretty much, you can spin it as many times as you want. I did, and I am gonna wait and see if it helps keep the axle from slipping loose.....hope this helps.


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

BUMP !! Keep us posted Brian. Hey anyone find out if the 55's & 66's lowers interchange w/888's ??????


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## MoRon (Aug 18, 2007)

cranked the axle down....it tightened up to where I couldnt move it by hand....bottom of first downhill this weekend....creaking like hell...hopefully my new axle will be here this week. and hopefully i'll have a new front wheel built up in two weeks. so if neither one of those fix it this piece is going back to marzocchi.


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## Karve (Mar 31, 2006)

MoRon I think we are all waiting with baited breath to see what happens when you get that new axle so keep us posted amigo


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## 1soulrider (Jan 21, 2004)

I have a 08 55ATA, no issues with the axle, great fork so far.
A couple of friends have 08 55s and 08 66s no axle problems with any of them.
Could be a batch of out of spec axles?
Personally, like the new q/r axle. I hated the old QR20 but the 08 is nice.


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## Uncle Cliffy (Jul 7, 2006)

man w/ one hand said:


> BUMP !! Keep us posted Brian. Hey anyone find out if the 55's & 66's lowers interchange w/888's ??????


I'm pretty sure the 55 forks have 36mm stantions. The new 66 and 888 forks run 38mm stantions.

I was kicking around the idea of selling my 06 66RC2X, but I'm not so sure now...


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## tacubaya (Jan 27, 2006)

Don't do it.


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## Demodude (Jan 27, 2007)

*my rc3*

Hi, I have the same fork and so far, no problems to speak of. I run 5-6 pumps of air and I weigh 178lbs.
The problem sounds like bad bearings in the hub,,, When you grab the front tire and move it side to side, is there any play?
However, that creeking is creepy....
The first time the axle clacked I thought I broke it, lol, My fork didn't come with a manuel.


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## MoRon (Aug 18, 2007)

a ray of hope....

I got a new axle and put it in and now it doesnt have any play. Won't know 100% that this is it until i get to ride it this weekend, but It Does not have play any more. I rode it around tried grabbing handfulls of front brake to put force on it, dropped it off a little 4' wall outside the bikeshop and it didnt come loose. We'll see this weekend. Measured the inside distance from one leg to the other on the lowers and it was 2mm less than the width of my hub, which means that it was an inside tolerance somewhere. Inside of the hub measured exactly 20mm as did the diameter of the axle, which leaves the threads on the end of the axle. Its possible that the thread depth was off, or the threads werent machined correctly or who knows. I'll have the final word after riding this weekend, but this is looking like its gonna fix the problem.


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## Karve (Mar 31, 2006)

good news.. let us know how she rides and if it all keeps together


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

MoRon said:


> a ray of hope....
> 
> I got a new axle and put it in and now it doesnt have any play. Won't know 100% that this is it until i get to ride it this weekend, but It Does not have play any more. I rode it around tried grabbing handfulls of front brake to put force on it, dropped it off a little 4' wall outside the bikeshop and it didnt come loose. We'll see this weekend. Measured the inside distance from one leg to the other on the lowers and it was 2mm less than the width of my hub, which means that it was an inside tolerance somewhere. Inside of the hub measured exactly 20mm as did the diameter of the axle, which leaves the threads on the end of the axle. Its possible that the thread depth was off, or the threads werent machined correctly or who knows. I'll have the final word after riding this weekend, but this is looking like its gonna fix the problem.


Problems like this bug the sh_t out of me till I figure out what the "issue" is. I hope a lap'er two in Wilson's don't resurrect the "creakin' fork'n-hub ghost",  w/any luck it's been banned to the "nether regions of XC somewhere". :thumbsup: Keep us posted Holmes.


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## igotbanned (Oct 20, 2007)

i had the same thing to a much smaller extent, but still slightly loose. I lubed up the part of the axle that pushes against the fork, and it seemed to fix it. If you end up having some play again try this too.


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## MoRon (Aug 18, 2007)

sorry for the delayed update on this......right before I got my new axle in from Marz. I hurt my shoulder and havent been able to ride for 3 weeks.....

anyhoo, got out last weekend. New axle seemed to tighten up properly. Halfway through the ride i noticed the creaking noise again while braking, reached down and the damn thing was loose again. 

Called Marzocchi up today and got an RA # and its heading back to them to look at. 

At the bike shop we measured every inside and outside diameter of the lowers, hub, axle....you name it we measured it and everything seemed in spec. its almost like the inside diameter of the hub is bigger than the diameter of the axle. 

so this is the latest update....oh and theres a bit of oil leaking from my left top cap...and luckily it requires some special tool to tighten so i can't tighten that either.....This fork is become more of a hassle than its worth. 

I'm putting my 06 VF2 back on for now.....never had one problem from it in a year and a half.


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## Jerk_Chicken (Oct 13, 2005)

MoRon,

The topcap no longer uses a cassette lockring tool?


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## #1ORBUST (Sep 13, 2005)

Jerk_Chicken said:


> MoRon,
> 
> The topcap no longer uses a cassette lockring tool?


if so weak!! Crazy update to, I thought it was fixed.


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## Jerk_Chicken (Oct 13, 2005)

Sucks that expecting problems is the norm, rather than the exception. Zoke seems to be running a really shady operation now, especially with the Taiwanese construction, but higher prices.

Their practices over the last 3 years made me a Fox owner this year. First non-Zoke in over ten years.

PS- The 36 RC2 is awesome.


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## scrublover (Dec 30, 2003)

Jerk_Chicken said:


> MoRon,
> 
> The topcap no longer uses a cassette lockring tool?


Both caps on my 66 ATA do.

No leakage anywhere, and axle is staying tight. Making sure to tighten it until it hits the "gas cap ratcheting" point seems to be the key there.


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## whittm (Jul 15, 2006)

Hmm something fishy going on here? You all rockshocks and fox reps? This threads been dead for weeks! MoRon, why the heck didn't you send the forks back weeks ago? As said, special tool? It uses a cassette lockring tool!



> sorry for the delayed update on this......right *before* I got my new axle in from Marz. I hurt my shoulder and havent been able to ride for 3 weeks.....


What's that all about, you said you did a 4 foot drop from a wall to flat to test them, when you had the new axle:



> a ray of hope....
> 
> I got a new axle and put it in and now it doesnt have any play. Won't know 100% that this is it until i get to ride it this weekend, but It Does not have play any more. I rode it around tried grabbing handfulls of front brake to put force on it,* dropped it off a little 4' wall *outside the bikeshop and it didnt come loose. We'll see this weekend. Measured the inside distance from one leg to the other on the lowers and it was 2mm less than the width of my hub, which means that it was an inside tolerance somewhere. Inside of the hub measured exactly 20mm as did the diameter of the axle, which leaves the threads on the end of the axle. Its possible that the thread depth was off, or the threads werent machined correctly or who knows. I'll have the final word after riding this weekend, but this is looking like its gonna fix the problem.


I can't work out what's happening here but your storry sounds strange and doesn't tie up? In fact, these issues seem to be blown out of proportion, 2 people on this entire site have had axle problems and suddenly there are more like 20 people with problems! In fact the only replies to both posts from other owners seem to be positive!


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## MoRon (Aug 18, 2007)

whittm,



> Hmm something fishy going on here? You all rockshocks and fox reps? This threads been dead for weeks! MoRon, *why the heck didn't you send the forks back weeks ago?* As said, special tool? It uses a cassette lockring tool!


marzocchi sent me a new axle.....I hurt my shoulder on a saturday.....got new axle on thursday....shoulder only hurt when I pulled hard on the bars....didn't feel comfortable going on 20+ mile rides in the forest with a questionable shoulder......therefore I didn't ride.

Next time I have a problem I'll be sure to send you a detailed schedule of what I have been doing with my time.

I didnt want to send the fork back until i tried a new axle. I'm sure the fork got beat around a bit more cruising down a trail at 20+mph which apparently knocked it loose.

I'm not blowing anything out of proportion. The fact of the matter is that I have an almost $1000 fork that I've ridden maybe 5 or 6 times that won't hold my front wheel tight.

Jerk_Chicken,

you know, i didnt even think about that.....thats probably the tool to do it...notice my username.....:madman:


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## whittm (Jul 15, 2006)

> you know, i didnt even think about that.....thats probably the tool to do it...notice my username.....


Yeah sorry, didn't want to resort to name calling


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## MoRon (Aug 18, 2007)

apparently I'm ok with being called names if my nickname is moron:yikes: 

if you have no insight into this fork problem you should move on.


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## Jerk_Chicken (Oct 13, 2005)

MoRon said:


> apparently I'm ok with being called names if my nickname is moron:yikes:
> 
> if you have no insight into this fork problem you should move on.


It's a cliche for me at this point, with respect to my username as well. They think it's a big deal to call me "Jerk".

Regardless of what he says, please keep us updated as the situation develops. I'm really interested in hearing about this, as the 66 was a choice of mine before I went to a 36, and who knows, if I really want some more DH duty, it's pretty much the only game in town to put on the front of my bike for those occasions.


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## Heals120 (Apr 16, 2006)

If I'm completely off on this here and its been resolved, I apologize and just ignore me. I'm a bit rushed for time and don't have the spare moments to read the entire thread right now.

What hubs are you running? I have a Dimension 20mm up front and had the same issue with my Pike due to the adapters. The hub comes with Quick Release and 20mm adapters that simply slide onto the hub body. Every now and then I notice quite a bit of play in them. Same sort of motion as your video (diagonally). All i have to do is take the wheel off, and use a rubber mallet and give the each of the adapters on the hub a good whack.

Just incase these are the hubs you have try that. Even if it is a hub with an adaptor system like that, I would give it a try. Don't kill it, just a solid tap.


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## MoRon (Aug 18, 2007)

yeah I tried that.....I've gone down to the bike shop and put on about 4 different wheels they had on the wall.....all brand new...hubs including, dimension, atom lab, mavic, and quando. and maybe one other....they all did the same thing. something has to be defective in the lowers...thats all that can be left. sending it back to marzocchi tomorrow. hopefully it wont be 2 months before i get it back.


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## rscecil007 (Apr 7, 2007)

sorry to hear about your troubles MoRon, that sucks. Hopefully Marz will get you squared away quickly. I am interested in this fork also, as I am thinking of picking one up in the spring.

I feel your pain though, I have been through 3 Lyriks, and my 3rd needs to go back now. I know not every fork will come off the line perfect, but its discouraging when you drop almost a $1000 on a fork and there are problems from the get go, or you repeatedly get a new fork of the same version and they all have some kind of problem.


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## whittm (Jul 15, 2006)

I think the moral here is keep your old fork or parts until you're satisfied with the new ones. And also as soon as you get a problem, send them back, straight away! Hey, I've spent $1600 on a rear hub, tried to take the sproket off after a few months with the correct tool, and it ripped the hub appart! Sent it back all the way to germany, took 2 weeks to repair and send back. Now, i didn't go around complaining on a public forum about it, I just sent it back and got it sorted, you should've done the same thing a loooong time ago. Fair enough to make a public complaint about things if you repeatedly have to have replacements - then it's a real issue! But you still haven't even sent it back once! Come back when you're having problems with a second set of lowers.


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## rscecil007 (Apr 7, 2007)

whittm said:


> I've spent $1600 on a rear hub


What the hell kind of hub was that????


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## Jerk_Chicken (Oct 13, 2005)

Probably a Rohloff, BUT it broke due to what he was doing to it, not because of how it came out of the box. Completely different case. This is a consumer's forum and people need to know abotu this stuff.


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

whittm said:


> I think the moral here is keep your old fork or parts until you're satisfied with the new ones. And also as soon as you get a problem, send them back, straight away! Hey, I've spent $1600 on a rear hub, tried to take the sproket off after a few months with the correct tool, and it ripped the hub appart! Sent it back all the way to germany, took 2 weeks to repair and send back. Now, i didn't go around complaining on a public forum about it, I just sent it back and got it sorted, you should've done the same thing a loooong time ago. Fair enough to make a public complaint about things if you repeatedly have to have replacements - then it's a real issue! But you still haven't even sent it back once! Come back when you're having problems with a second set of lowers.


What happened here is MoRon gave a problem adequite time and effort to be worked out w/o making a knee jerk assumption and starting a pi55ing contest over it, (unlike some on newer member(s) have done). He has allowed Marzocchi to try and rectify this problem, (they sent him a new axle), and he didn't want to skew the problem by having to factor in a bum shoulder with any results the new axle would produce. Your thinking may be waaayy over our heads, so you & we would better served if you didn't even dignify this or any other thread with a response. 7 posts in 2 threads pppfftttt better off in the Brit forums.


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## string (Jan 13, 2004)

There have been a lot of people following this (and a few other similar threads) on issues and possible issues on the new crop of $1000 single crown forks. 

Its hard to drop this kind of money on a fork that may need to be sent back even once. Manufacturing issues do happen and it sounds like Marzocchi is trying to make it right, but at this price point I think most have little tolerance for problems. 

Its also very helpful to know the potential issues with the new forks as well as an idea of what to look for and what do if there is a problem.

There is simply not a lot of data out yet on the new products and every bit helps (both good and bad. (and I have read both on the 2008 66)

In my opinion, please keep it coming.....MoRon....keep us posted...


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## Jerk_Chicken (Oct 13, 2005)

String,

You speak some sense here. Some people don't realize that the big issue in sending a new fork back is that it actually costs A LOT of money in shipping. I had a friend that kept blowing his TST Marathon, and Zoke was good about fixing it, BUT it would cost him over $30 USD to ship and insure every time.


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## whittm (Jul 15, 2006)

> What the hell kind of hub was that????


Yeah a rohloff. And no not my fault, assembled by a shop, and no grease used, hence seized, whole body had to be replaced. Do you think I was born yesterday? I know how these forums work. Whether i have 7 posts or 777 posts tells you absolutely sweet fa about me or what i know! I've got 20 odd years riding experience under my belt, I'm a qualified aircraft engine repair technician and have about 10 years experience in engineering. I know it takes time to earn respect, but if I were you guys, I'd be careful who you pick on you never know who resides behind a screen. After all moron has only posted 30 odd times at most. What do you or I know about him? All i know is that I'd trust my life to most marzocchi products and have done since year dot, strange stuff happening with moron, never heared of anything like this before. To me it just sounds a little concocted? Any way for what my opinion's worth thats how I feel!


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## whittm (Jul 15, 2006)

I think we're dealing in big differences in culture here. For a start, here in Britain the customer has big advantages. If I buy a product at a local shop and it breaks, I pay nothing! They pay the postage costs and for the repair. Also someone balked at $1600 for my rohloff, guess what - we pay a hell of a lot of tax over here! But then again I get a lot of things, like free health care. I guess it's swings and round abouts and I'm commenting on a problem that can be dealt with differently where I live .


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

whittm said:


> Yeah a rohloff. And no not my fault, assembled by a shop, and no grease used, hence seized, whole body had to be replaced. Do you think I was born yesterday? I know how these forums work. Whether i have 7 posts or 777 posts tells you absolutely sweet fa about me or what i know! I've got 20 odd years riding experience under my belt, I'm a qualified aircraft engine repair technician and have about 10 years experience in engineering. I know it takes time to earn respect, but if I were you guys, I'd be careful who you pick on you never know who resides behind a screen. After all moron has only posted 30 odd times at most. What do you or I know about him? All i know is that I'd trust my life to most marzocchi products and have done since year dot, strange stuff happening with moron, never heared of anything like this before. To me it just sounds a little concocted? Any way for what my opinion's worth thats how I feel!


Let me tell you what I know of/about MoRon. He ain't got all of the credentials you like to boast of, but he is a friend of mine and a very accomplished rider, whom I have ridden with, as well as his wife. He has been working hard at going to school to create a decent life for he & his wife. He doesn't complain for no reason and actually has a problem when he says he does. AND the one thing I know him for is the fact that it wouldn't matter how long he had been riding or what his job is, *he wouldn't tear into someone on the trail street or the net, he's just trying to use MTBR for it's intended use, i.e. solving a problem or using the forums as a sounding board to figure what he may want to do involving a bike or something bike related.* 
*Now with MoRon, (or Brian, his given name), being nothing like the person you have proven yourself to be*, I'm sure you'll want to move on as he asked you do earlier, unless you have something positive and helpfull to add to a thread that is to you seemingly meaningless, being that this is all beneath you. But then you seem like a guy that _wants everyone to know how superior *you think you are*_. That's all anyone needs to know about you, cause there isn't much more past that, that I nor Brian are interested in hearing, and I'd venture you're used to hearing that.


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## whittm (Jul 15, 2006)

> He ain't got all of the credentials you like to boast of


No boast, just deffending myself, as some questioned my understanding of the subject based on my number of posts. Yes you are right I do tend to be abrassive, and speak my mind in view of what I can see in front of me, but don't get me wrong here i mean no harm, and have no interest in one upmanship. There are a million other things i could say, but as I said in my previous post, I don't understand your circumstances so I won't rise, I'll go my way before this turns in to a ridiculous slanging match.


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## MoRon (Aug 18, 2007)

whoa...seems i've missed a bit today....thanks for the backup fellas...

whittm, 
i have nothing against marzocchi, nor have i ever. I've ONLY owned marzocchi forks, about 10 of em so far and have been extremely satisfied with them all. I have no reason to concoct any kind of bs story. 

This is a discussion forum....i started it because i wanted to make everyone aware of the problems i'm having and see if anyone else was having similar problems and might know of a fix. 

and apparently from your post earlier you are the man. I mean wow, an aircraft engine repair man? No way I can compete with how knowledgeable you are. How do you know I'm not an engineer as well? You dont know. Maybe its my username thats throwing you off? But it doesnt matter what you do outside of riding on here. The common theme here is that we ride bikes.....and it also doesnt matter how long you've been riding for. You once again have one upped me on that one. 20 years? wow! I mean you obviously have an unfair advantage there being that you must be much older than I am, for I have not had the years available to have been riding for that long. anywho, I'm done talking about this. I'll post up once again when I have some new insight into this. 

Brian


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## Warp (May 24, 2004)

Bummer, Mo... 

Keep us posted. I had read some rumours on a Spanish board about axles not coming right, but didn't get the whole enchilada. Then Valentin (oddly from Europe too) posted the problem with his axle.

I read also about an ATA2 cart not working out of the box too... but that was a 55.

Yet, we've to see how a TST cart looks like and the RC3 adjusts the both hi and lo speed compression with the same knob?? Uh... 

Bummer... They were too close to perfection with the Z1 Light and the 66RC2X... Actually, they could have hit another homerun should the AM series would have used the RC2 cart too.

Oh, well...


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## konut (Mar 25, 2006)

sorry MoRon and thanks at the same time.

what do i mean by this well i was gonna buy a 66rc3 but i will wait until they sort out the bug bears first,it is a new product after all and not everything in life is perfect.

and shame on you man with one hand brits are ok most of the time.

and whittm us brits are getting our eyes ripped out and its not by the americans either,its the robbing importers who fail to pass on the savings.

last time i saw the dollar against the pound it was £1=$2.09,why arent we getting this saving.


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## davec113 (May 31, 2006)

konut said:


> last time i saw the dollar against the pound it was £1=$2.09,why arent we getting this saving.


Awww, you poor thing... its hard to feel sorry when we're bending over and taking it here in the US. My starting salary of ~60k after I get my engineering degree (in May) won't allow me enough money to buy a house in the town the University is in, never mind support a family without 2 incomes.


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## kona4lyf (Sep 24, 2007)

konut said:


> sorry MoRon and thanks at the same time.
> 
> what do i mean by this well i was gonna buy a 66rc3 but i will wait until they sort out the bug bears first,it is a new product after all and not everything in life is perfect.
> 
> ...


hey konut!!! yeap its around 1 pound = 2.50 aussie-- good ay:thumbsup:


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## Zell (Jul 29, 2007)

konut said:


> i prefer bolt on axles to but marzocchi have gotta keep up with trends,i,e maxle.
> 
> and im sure the new fox qr has been done already.
> 
> any one know if its a viable option on running 888 lowers on the 66 uppers then.


Speaking of Maxle, how is it? For some reason, I feel 30x safer with the pinch clamps on my Jr. T. Does it ever come loose or anything like that?


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## konut (Mar 25, 2006)

davec113 how does your socail life compare to this thread,i get 13 grand a year and the house prices are ridiculous all i can suggest is move,maybe your ambulance can halp to save you a few bucks in relocating.

and zell i get where you are coming from but its the mfg that determine what we ride.

and the pound is so strong against the american dollar now because great britain was in debt with the usa since world war 2 but they have finally paid it of.


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

konut said:


> sorry MoRon and thanks at the same time.
> 
> what do i mean by this well i was gonna buy a 66rc3 but i will wait until they sort out the bug bears first,it is a new product after all and not everything in life is perfect.
> 
> ...


Not meant as a blanket statement 'bout you Brits, Konut. I take people for who they prove to me they are, not who they say they are. Whittm has clearly proven himself in the pittance he has given us, that is who I take him for, he - not all Brits.

I had to stand up for my Homie, Moron. He's a good dude & is capable of defending himself but, dang, you can't let such as that go unchecked, no-what-I'm-sayin'. Him bein' a Home Boy an' all. 

Merry 
Christamas 
To All Yall. you too Whittm


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## konut (Mar 25, 2006)

totally understand...

whitttm did come on a bit strong i must admit.

although it has bugged me since moron first post trying to work out his problem bit late now i know but wonder if the axle itself is bottoming before it has chance to nip up the hub.

could be down to thread length i suppose we will see when hopefully moron gets sorted and he no longer has any misfortunes,fingers crossed of course.

and dont forget a prospurous new year.


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

konut said:


> totally understand...
> 
> whitttm did come on a bit strong i must admit.
> 
> ...


What Konut said & "To All"


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## William42 (Oct 29, 2006)

so i just got my giant glory 0 which comes with a 66 rc3, and my axle has also come loose - its not really a big deal because i just tighten it down again, and its only happened once, but i definitely tightened it like i was supposed to till it clicked, then it came loose. I'm thinking if i grease the threads it might do better (i was too lazy to when i got the bike, i just wanted to go ride!)


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## Jerk_Chicken (Oct 13, 2005)

Warp said:


> Bummer, Mo...
> 
> Keep us posted. I had read some rumours on a Spanish board about axles not coming right, but didn't get the whole enchilada. Then Valentin (oddly from Europe too) posted the problem with his axle.
> 
> ...


Well, it is possible to some extent, as I believe the compression knob on the RC2 did have some effect on HSC characteristics as well. It's sometimes hard to decouple all these things and there's a point on a graph where it all meets.


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## Warp (May 24, 2004)

Jerk_Chicken said:


> Well, it is possible to some extent, as I believe the compression knob on the RC2 did have some effect on HSC characteristics as well. It's sometimes hard to decouple all these things and there's a point on a graph where it all meets.


Agreed, I hear you loud and clear... But my point is that naming it "RC3" is a bit misleading, IMO.

Or what part of the movie am I missing?? What's the actual difference with the RC2?? I mean, Fox has separate hi-lo speed controls. Heck, even the Magura Ronin had them.

Or is it another typical Zoke stunt of renaming a cartridge, like RV for SSVF?


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## MoRon (Aug 18, 2007)

just got off the phone w/ marzocchi. They're sending me a whole new fork because of "multiple issues" is what the ticket says. There was also the real bad creaking noise coming from the crowns. Hopefully this one will be good to go. 

guess i wasnt crazy after all. There actually was something wrong.


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

MoRon said:


> just got off the phone w/ marzocchi. They're sending me a whole new fork because of "multiple issues" is what the ticket says. There was also the real bad creaking noise coming from the crowns. Hopefully this one will be good to go.
> 
> guess i wasnt crazy after all. There actually was something wrong.


So it wasn't all in yer head huh?? Good to hear Zokie is gonna do you right. Let us know how the new fork works out. Congrats.


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## The Dude (Jan 19, 2004)

sorry to resurrect this beast but how does the new fork run?


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## 08nwsula (Oct 19, 2005)

MODERATORS
PLEASE DELETE THIS THREAD!

thank you,
Management


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## William42 (Oct 29, 2006)

it runs pretty amazing. My fork turned out to be a problem with the hub giant sent out with the bike (and the warrenty hub too! had me thinking maybe i was wrong and it was marzo's fault) but then i got my new atomlab pimp wheel in and problem solved! 

My rebound knob doesn't do anything and hasn't since I got the fork apparently. Don't really care because the stock rebound is pretty perfect, but I should probably get it fixed for resale value.


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## MoRon (Aug 18, 2007)

yeah ive been meaning to follow up.....new fork seems to be fine. no creaking and wheel is staying tight. Havnet gotten to thoroughly pound on it yet because im in the middle of moving, but it seems to be fine. I'll give a better follow up once i get a handful more rides on it. I think the first fork just happened to be a turd.


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## MoRon (Aug 18, 2007)

why should they delete this thread? doesn't make any sense.


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## The Dude (Jan 19, 2004)

MoRon said:


> yeah ive been meaning to follow up.....new fork seems to be fine. no creaking and wheel is staying tight. Havnet gotten to thoroughly pound on it yet because im in the middle of moving, but it seems to be fine. I'll give a better follow up once i get a handful more rides on it. I think the first fork just happened to be a turd.


glad to hear. i was curious about the axle sitchiation cuz i got a 55 ata on the way as we speak.


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## The Dude (Jan 19, 2004)

bump my effin 55 is having the same simptoms too. guess its a call to zoke to see whats goin on.


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## j.kalis (Oct 1, 2007)

Do anyone know how to remove the lowers of the Marzocchi 66 RC3?


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## davep (Mar 11, 2005)

unscrew the foot nuts. but then again, if you could not figure that out, you *should not *be in there.


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## j.kalis (Oct 1, 2007)

I used to do maintenance for my Rock Shox forks, but it is my first Marzocchi.

I unscrewed the foot nuts. I cannot manage to remove the left nut (RC3 side).


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## Warp (May 24, 2004)

j.kalis said:


> I used to do maintenance for my Rock Shox forks, but it is my first Marzocchi.
> 
> I unscrewed the foot nuts. I cannot manage to remove the left nut (RC3 side).


If the fork has air preload, put something in there... like 10 or 15psi and undo that stubborn nut first.

If the fork has not air preload, put it upside down and push the lowers to preload the spring and undo the nut.


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## kike666 (Nov 16, 2007)

ok i had, same problem with 55tst2, the wheel was loose and didn't tighten somehow,
they send me new axle and problem was solved until now when it started to make noises again.
i can make vid of it, its the same problem with all 3 wheels but only 1 is squeaking (brand new one), others are loose, all these hubs work well on Pike :madman: 

Also noticed that axle is somehow not fully aligned to side of the lowers, ie. the upper part of the axle is flat to the side of lowers but the bottom is bit out of the hole, as it threads in under angle  will post some pics.


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## Kymmster (Jul 4, 2006)

*Old news...*

Glad to see this issue from last year is still not resolved... had to send my new 55R in yesterday for the exact same problem :madman:


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

Kymmster said:


> Glad to see this issue from last year is still not resolved... had to send my new 55R in yesterday for the exact same problem :madman:


Um......."glad".......why ???


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## Kymmster (Jul 4, 2006)

*Not*

It was a sarcastic glad, can't believe that over a year later this issue is still around. Of course maybe my fork was actually manufactured early on. I hope they send it back all better but I'm not holding my breath.


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## adhondt (May 21, 2007)

I have had the same issue with my RC3's bought from JensonUSA (but I live in UK) so am reluctant to pay shipipng back to CA. Posted query with Marzocchi online and they suggested removing the rubber o-ring on the shoulder of the axle.

After trying this I have to admit that it's worked! I have no more play at the hub. I do however still have more play in the bushings than I would have liked but do not notice this once I'm riding.

I'll monitor this over the next few rides and maybe send back in the winter.

anyway, for anyone with the same loosening problem try removing the o-ring.


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## kike666 (Nov 16, 2007)

Ok i removed same O ring you mentioned in your post, and it actualy helped... for some time- 3 weeks and after one harsh ride it came loose again .
Im :madmax: :madmax: 
ill send it back but will have to wait another month till is fixed... for some time
Looks like axle doesnt screw enough ill recheck my wheel first and try it again on other forks


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## nmpearson (Aug 13, 2007)

i talked to a marzocchi rep at interbike for a while...he said yeah remove the o-ring if it's doing that...but most importantly, you need to put a glob of grease on the o-ring. if you don't, it'll prematurely racket. I did that to two bikes today and it made a huge difference


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## Djponee (Dec 20, 2006)

the 09s seem to be working fine on my 55r.


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## roku (Sep 24, 2007)

Oh, boy, I'm glad i found this thead... because i have the same exact problem as the OP with my 66RC3 (really bad side to side knocking at the hub which is new, Hadley)

I tried greasing the o-ring
--better
I tried removing the o-ring
--_better still_

What i have left is a slight knocking when i pull the rim side to side with my fingertips. I can _hear_ it more than i can feel it, and there is no visible movement at the hub. This is exactly what this hub feels like in my 888RC3 with through-axle tightened properly.
So it looks like my hub was partly to blame, does anyone have experience fixing slight play in these hubs? I have tightened the bearing preload with a pin-spanner according to the included instructions, but it hasn't gone away, and it's hard to tell what's _too_ tight...


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## adhondt (May 21, 2007)

Cheers nmpearson, but just to be clear.....was he saying that you could keep the o-ring on the axle but put some grease on it to give it some lubrication (presumably they've found that the friction from the o-ring between the axle shoulder and the drop-out is making the axle lever arrive at it's release torque limit prematurely and therefore the hub remains loose)....but it sounds like he was also saying that you could just remove the o-ring as well?..........or does the grease go on the axle shoulder AFTER you've removed the o-ring

sorry, I just want a tight front wheel...

Cheers


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## kike666 (Nov 16, 2007)

These are all just partial solutions.I tried anything i came along but the problem persists its exactly same prob as described above : axle is tightened to max but there is still play somewhere in hub, 
Hub is ok on other forks so it is marz problem- poorly designed axle that cant tighten enough.
I just got third axle for my 55s and it was again ok for a week or two, then the play reappeared, its driving me nuts... not to mention other problems with damn tst2. 
I have more service hours than ride time on this forks :madman: :madmax:


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## nmpearson (Aug 13, 2007)

no, don't remove the o-ring, just slop a bunch of grease on it. He said you could remove the o-ring and reinstall it with some grease, but it's not necessary. Just throw a glob onto the axle on the right side and it should tighten to where it's needed. without the grease, it'll click before it should. 
Just to update...the 66's i did it to are working great, although the 55's start moving again after like 5 rides. not sure the reason....but yeah the tst2 on those suck pretty bad. i've sent 2 back this year


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## Highline (Oct 20, 2008)

*66 RC3 loose hub solution*

Hi guys,

Had the problem of the wheel axle not tightened correctly. In my case, the threaded part of the axle was too short. I could not screw the axle until the wheel hub was correctly tighten because I was at the end of the axle thread.

You can easily check if you have the same problem by looking whether you can tighten the axle more without the wheel in place than with it or not. If not... your axle is defective (too long).

The way to solve the problem is to make (machine) the thread a bit longer... if you have the tools required for this operation (or leave near a machining workshop). It worked fine for me.

Hope that helps someone, and hope we will soon get reliable products in the 180mm travel range... :skep:


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## Wreck_nz (May 10, 2009)

Hey guys I'm having the exact same problem with my 66 RC3.

How much longer does the thread on the axle need to be made?

Thanks


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## Highline (Oct 20, 2008)

Wreck_nz said:


> Hey guys I'm having the exact same problem with my 66 RC3.
> 
> How much longer does the thread on the axle need to be made?
> 
> Thanks


Hello,

In my case I made it about 1 turn/thread longer. It will surely be enough as one thread is 1.5mm, which should be more than the axial slop.

Hope you'll get the problem solved :thumbsup:


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## William42 (Oct 29, 2006)

what? don't make the thread on your axles longer, thats an awful idea, the lowers were miscast, send it in for warranty and they'll give you new lowers for free...


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## Highline (Oct 20, 2008)

William42 said:


> what? don't make the thread on your axles longer, thats an awful idea, the lowers were miscast, send it in for warranty and they'll give you new lowers for free...


That's a pretty good idea, but it'll take a bit more time, and it's not sure it'll work once you'll get the fork back.

True that Marzocchi should take it under warranty. In my case, I noticed the problem once I got my fork back from warranty, with brand new lowers (anyway I don't think that it's a lowers issue).

As I can't ride while my fork is getting serviced, I felt that the thread mod was the best solution. At least it works pretty well ;-).


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