The legend: 1997 Marzocchi Z1 Bomber

The 1997 Z1 changed the way we rode bikes, and for me personally was the most influential piece of bicycle kit I ever bought.

1996 style, proflex and Z1...

Pre-Bomber forks were skinny, in-active or just plain unreliable. Marzocchi's previous model fork was called the DH3, which in function terms was brilliant once you fitted the optional coil spring kit. I remember at the time you used these or Judy DH's, but the Judy's sealed plastic cartridge used to explode as soon as you looked at them so the DH3 got the nod, but with just 3" travel and skinny legs the Z1 was a big step forward.

Z1 vs DH3

The fork was for the model year 1997, so that’s on sale time of September 1996 - to summer 97. Pre-production models featured STEEL stanchions and were very heavy and were given to a select few to race on, including Rob Warner.

Z1 prototype

check out Rob Warner in Kaprun, 1996, Britain's and Marzocchi's first world up win on the Bomber Z1

The production fork featured twin formula standard disc mounts and an optional canti support (pictured). The pre-load adjusters were round and the cartridge tops, plugs and adjusters were quite tall which could sometimes foul the downtube of the frame they were fitted to. For 1998 this model became the Z1 Alloy and featured new low-profile top caps and adjusters for better frame clearance.

2007 Z1 Bomber

Reviews of the time were extremely positive, winning many magazine awards and fans along the way.

What mountain bike test

MBUK award now lives on the wall of the gents...

Z1 poster still on our office wall!

Internal wise the Z1 featured twin adjustable rebound open bath cartridges, twin coil springs with adjustable pre-load. It may sound over built by today's standards but these were built for hard use and built to last with many forks still being used today.

exploded diagram

Here is the full catalogue specification in Marzocchi's own words.

1997 Z1

Moto X cartridge serves as the Bombers hart n’ soul. This ‘open bath’ hydraulic cartridge directly descends from our famed Magnum moto fork. The revolution is the most reliable & sophisticated cartridge ever designed and here’s why;

• Internal oil pressure is eliminated which makes seal failures a thing of the past.

• All alloy CNC cartridge assembly.

• Infinitely adjustable “speed sensitive valving”.

• CNC alloy pre-load adjuster.

• Seal-less ‘no blow’ cartridge design.

• Large oil volume for quality damping performance.

Open Bath Design

• Cartridge sits in a bath of oil keeping it cool & eliminating damping fade.

• Oil keeps the fork feeling buttery smooth & stiction free.

• Oil circulates from the cartridge leg into the leg via a high-pressure valve.

Coil Springs

• 15mm pre-load adjustment.

• Non – temperature sensitive.

• Extremely durable long life.

• Superior sensitivity & hyper-speed reactivness.

• Lightweight open wound design.

• 3 spring rates available (soft, medium, hard).

• Easily interchangeable.

Specification:

Weight: 3.9lbs

Travel: 100mm/ 4”

Function: coil & hydraulic design. Dampers: dual open bath cartridges control compression & rebound fully adjustable. Springs: coil spring, open wind, 15mm pre-load, 3 available.

Steer tube: Easton EA70 alloy.

Stanchions: 30mm Easton alloy, hard anodized.

Crown: Forged T-6 alloy, CNC machined & polished.

Arch: Forged T-6 alloy, CNC machined, removable brake hanger.

Sliders: Marzocchi cast alloy.

Length: 473mm/ 18.6”

Colour: Tangerine dream orange.

                               catalogue page

Marzocchi factory trip 2013

On Tuesday the 5th of March we headed off to visit Marzocchi in their home town of Bologna to see what they have been working on for the past 12 months and also to see what they have planned for the future.

entrance to marzocchi.com

A little background to what has been going on. Last July (2013) Marzocchi’s fork assembler (Suntour) ceased production of all Marzocchi MTB forks, this news came somewhat abruptly and caused many problems and industry rumours. However with the help of Marzocchi’s parent company (multibillion dollar company Tenneco) they made a new long term strategy and investment to create their own factory and re-start production. To enable production to continue while the new factory gets up and running Marzocchi have already invested $1m in new tooling and assembly line in an existing assembly partner, Hodaka. Hodaka have an extremely high reputation for quality and already assemble the Roco rear shock line.

some classic's and prototype parts

We got the factory around mid-day and after a catch up with all our friends and colleagues we took some time looking at their ‘classics’ collection and the many prototype components they have in the offices. It is always great to be reminded of the vast and rich contribution Marzocchi have made to the mountain bike market over the years. Marzocchi have always produced motorcycle suspension and entered the MTB market back in 1991 with the original idea to do so coming from a Dutchman! Obviously the game changer was the ‘Bomber’ and it was really cool to see they still had the prototype Z1 with steel stanchions that was raced to glory by riders such as Rob Warner.

prototype Z1 Bomber, note steel stanchions

We also looked in depth at a motorcycle project that offers fully electronic active damping; this is something usually reserved for modern sports cars (sport mode button). Marzocchi’s system makes micro adjustments in compression and rebound damping in response to the terrain with a 10 millisecond response time and is fully user customizable using an ipad app – ground breaking stuff on two wheels!

Marzocchi still make lots of motorcycle forks for BMW, Ducati and MV amongst others...

We also ventured in to the MTB testing department. This is where every detail of the fork gets tested to all the current safety standards, in fact Marzocchi test well beyond the limits of their own products as safety has always been in the forefront of their designs. Here is where all the competitors’ products are also bench marked, it is vitally important to know what other suspension brands are doing in order to make sure your own is competitive performance wise.

At the 2014 meeting we spoke extensively about the new product range, which unfortunately I cannot go it to any details here, but we have seen it along with a 2015 concept and what I can tell you is that they have something very special in the works!

Ok here it is, but dont tell anybody I showed you....

UPDATE: Pinkbike exclusive on the new downhill fork and rear shock: READ HERE

sorry not yet...!

We spoke at some length about Tenneco plans and strategies, budgets and quality control. We had a look at the motorcycle plant where quality is measured in PPM (parts per million), the Bologna factory has now been running at ZERO PPM (for rejects and failure) for two months, which is an insane by anybody’s standards. This gives you an understanding of the QC that Tenneco insist on and what they expect in their new MTB factory.

Tenneco is a manufacturer so it is only logical that they want to make their own products so the budget of $2.5m is already in place for the new Marzocchi Asia factory. Marzocchi also now have complete control over the entire supply chain and can manage and monitor every single component. The goal of all this is to completely control every aspect of the fork production to ensure every fork performs and lasts as Marzocchi intended.

Lastly Marzocchi are also very proud that all the design and engineering is done in house in Bologna and that they have never had any forks or shocks designed out-of-house. It is also worth noting that none of the engineering team have left the company, they are all still there!

Our lasting impression of the trip is that Marzocchi are very positive about the future. They are now back in production with a very high end assembler, they have budget for future growth and new factory, they have a passionate and talented team and lastly and most importantly have some great products!

Get to the Marzocchi booth at The Sea Otter Classic for a 2014 first look!

As a foot note a Bologna Airport had a stunning 25th anniversary lamborghini Countach on display, part of another local company’s 50th birthday celebrations…

Lambo!

the old blog is dead, long live the new blog

With Posterous (or more accurately twitter) deciding to close there doors and delete all accounts on the 30th April I have had to switch blog providers. I have now moved a lot of the important posts, such as recall notices plus posts that you might find interesting. The old blog with all of its posts is still on-line here http://danjones.posterous.com/ plus I have all posts backed up so I can still access them even after Posterous closes.

The bike routes blog has now moved here: http://bikesandroutes.blogspot.co.uk/

The Marzocchi workshop blog can be found here: http://marzocchiworkshop.blogspot.co.uk/

Mountain Cycle San Andreas and me

Original advert, note the fork and disc brakes!

There have been many things written about the Mountain Cycle San Andreas, pioneer, classic, icon, while all of these are true they have been extensively written about before, so here is only a brief history lesson.

Mountain Cycle was formed by Robert Reisinger and unleashed the San Andreas in 1991. He brought for the first time a monocoque full suspension frame with adjustable sub frame, suspension fork and disc brakes. Just one of these would of been remarkable but all of them together... 

The San Andreas first came on my radar when a UK journalist called Paul Smith had one, it featured as a full page poster in MBUK and was/is the only picture of a bicycle I ever had on the garage wall. I loved the fact it looked like a 500cc GP motorcycle with the engine removed, ultra tech and ultra cool in a world full of steel rigid bikes.

In 2003 the company for which I work became the UK distributer for Mountain Cycle, so I had to have one. We sold the frame set in two guises, DH with a 190mm eye to eye shock (Van R or Van RC) or XC with a 165mm (Float RL or X-Fusion). So a San Andreas XC in red with an x-fusion coil shock (cheapest option) came my way.

My first San Andreas, note 'official' VPS shock position

When we took over distribution of Mountain Cycle the production had just moved to Kinesis USA, but most importantly all of their frames were all still hand made in Mountain Cycle’s traditional Portland home. The frame featured an up-rated cartridge pivot bearing, a new VPS new shock shuttle and was compatible with a new bolt on fork stop to prevent damage to the frame caused by triple clamps.

How Mountain Cycle described the San Andreas at the time (1993). “The most versatile all-mountain high-performance frame in the mountain Cycle line. The legendry San Andrea is the bike that started it all. Twelve years after its introduction, the classic design is optimized, refined, and in high demand. The San Andreas can be built up as a lightweight yet extremely durable 4.5 inch travel XC bike, or as an all-mountain machine with six inches of travel.”

At the time there was a very negative magazine test, mostly targeting the high b/b height. Being a US made bike it was actually designed that way for rock clearance, however this felt a little weird for the UK tester... This led me to experiment with the VPS shock mount to see if I can ‘iron’ out some of the frames weaknesses and to get it to handle more like the UK norm. The official MC line at the time was that the bottom two holes were exclusively for the shorter XC shock, while the upper two holes were for the longer DH shock. In the owner’s manual it did actually say not to use the upper holes with the XC shock, but I thought that if you could it would lower the b/b height to a reasonable level...?

I proposed my idea directly to the factory and they replied that they could not see any reason why you could not use the XC shock in the upper shock mounts, so they told me to have a play to see what happens!

VPS mount top hole, 165mm shock

I ended up at the highest shock hole with the smaller 165mm shock; this dropped the b/b to 13” and slacked the head tube to a more stable angle with a 100mm fork. For me this gave the best compromise and is a set up I would whole heartedly recommend to try, the bike will only have 4 ½” of travel but the improved handling will by far compensate for this. Another set up option that works well when using a 140mm travel fork is the second hole from top with the 165mm shock.

I sold my San Andreas and moved on to other things, but the bike always had a special place in my personal cycling history... Until one night on the internet I spotted a dealer selling a new-old-stock 2003 model on clearance, the price was so cheap it was insane, I had to have it. I rebuilt the bike using the same ultra-rare Marzocchi RAC carbon fork for a modern take on the original ‘Reisinger’ look. I will never sell this bike; it is now part of me.

One new upgrade I have made that makes a massive difference is to swap out the old FOX Float to a ROCO Air LO, more modern damping keeps the back end in check and because the ROCO is a low pressure unit it has enabled me to lose about 50psi of pressure.

In summery the San Andreas is now old tech, it has a high pivot, it bobs a bit and doesn’t have much travel ... Of course none of these matters, cycling is about much more than that. In a world of big corporate cycle companies with instantly forgettable models the Mountain Cycle San Andreas still stands out today as something very special.

note: 140mm fork set up, VPS mount second from the top, 165mm shock

singletrack hunting

What's better than one San Andreas? Two!

Marzocchi's RC3 forks, 5 years of winning!

Marzocchi’s core product has always been open bath cartridges and springs. This has been the winning formula that was first used in the original 1997 Z1 Bomber, before that in Marzocchi’s motorcycle product. We have always believed in this concept as we like the non-existent service routines, buttery smooth ride and amazing grip. It’s also nice to see the magazines that matter agree with us!
Here is the roll of honour (and this is just the UK!)
2009 – 55 RC3, Dirt 100
2010 – 55 RC3 Ti, Dirt 100
2010 – 888 RC3 Ti, Dirt 100
2011 – 44 RC3 Ti, Dirt 100
2011 – 55 RC3 Ti, Dirt 100
2011 – 55 RC3 Ti, Singletrack Recommended
2011 – 888 RC3 Ti, Dirt 100
2012 – 44 RC3 Ti, MBUK Best Trail Fork
2012 – 55 RC3 Evo Ti, Dirt 100
2012 – 55 RC3 Evo Ti, MBUK Best Hardcore Fork
2012 – 55 RC3 Evo Ti, Singletrack Recommended
2012 – 888 RC3 Evo V2 Ti, Dirt 100
2013 – 55 RC3 Evo V2 Ti, Dirt 100
2013 – 888 RC3 Evo V2 Ti, Dirt 100

Traitor Luggernaut Fork Replacement

We have a safety notice from Traitor cycles regarding the Luggernaut front fork – if you bought a Luggernaut please contact Traitor directly for a replacement.
Due to safety concerns we are replacing forks sold on the V2 Luggernaut forks. If you have a V2 Luggernaut Fork, please do not continue to ride your frame with this fork. Contact  Traitor Cycles immediately via email at info@traitorcycles.com. Please include the below information. If you are a shop or distributor that sold this product, please contact your customers and let them know about this so we can replace their fork.
Model: Luggernaut V2 Fork (Produced in 2010)
Colors: Baby Blue, Black, White
(Send us the following information)
NAME:
SIZE  AND COLOR OF YOUR FRAME:
DATE AND LOCATION PURCHASED:
SHIPPING ADDRESS:
After we get your information we will send you a UPS shipping label so you can ship back your fork free of charge. We are currently in the process of making the replacement forks and will have your fork painted to the same color as your frame. We do apologize that this may take 1-2 months to complete so we ask for your patience.
To verify you have one of the affected forks, your fork should look like the picture below and have the same fork crown.  The V3 Luggernaut produced in 2011/2012 does not have any issues.  This is only for the V2 Luggernauts produced in 2010.

TraitorReplacementFork.pdf Download this file

Opinion: Is coil suspension dead?

Recently I was asked by Singletrack magazine to contibute to a feature entitled "are coil springs dead?" this is what I said...
Dan Jones, marketing manager at Marzocchi importers Windwave.
“Absolutely not! In terms of outright suspension performance a coil shock or fork will outperform its air counterpart hands down; of course the answer can never be as simple as that.
Air forks and shocks are now well developed, easy to set up, lightweight and, most importantly for bike manufacturers, any bike supplied with an air shock requires no additional springs to get the bike performing correctly. Coil shocks and forks can be made lighter with the addition of titanium coils, however this adds cost and with the simplicity of an air spring set up you can clearly see why air has become so popular, especially as OEM fitment.
Coil shocks and forks for the aftermarket make a lot of sense, riders looking for higher quality suspension that will give a genuine performance benefit need to try coil – air will feel almost blunted in comparison.
Coils are more active, almost fluid-like in feel and take out pretty much everything, air forks work hard but feel dead in comparison, like sitting on your hands waiting for them to go numb then trying to type; you can type, but it’s all just a little vague…
The benefits are obvious, you are better isolated from the terrain so suffer less fatigue in your hands and forearms, get greater traction and more confidence. Stick a GoPro looking at a coil fork and an air fork and do the same run, the coil fork will look hyperactive; it’s not hyperactive, it’s just doing what suspension should do.”

See the full gallery on Posterous