Everyone seems to point to this decision being the kiss of death .I thought Taiwanese kit was and is top notch so what happened with Marz then ? I remember the U.S rep telling me that it was a nightmare getting anything done by the Italian factory , how true that was don’t know .B.T.W. i’ve got a pair of 2010 Micro Ti’s which seem to be back on form like my 2004 Marathon S’ and so much better than the 08 crock of poop they’ve replaced .

Err – maybe just like everywhere else there is variation in the quality of output produced by different manufacturers? The issues are because it was moved to Taiwan, it’s because of where in Taiwan.

I’d hazard a guess that marz got complacent and it was a move purely to save money and they didn’t get a grip on qc/qa at the beginning of the process.

My 99 z2 lights were bloody incredible. I remember riding out on a brand new pair of fox talas rlc’s from 2008 and being a bit disappointed that they weren’t nearly as plush.

My missus got a pair of rc600 (or whatever) in 2007. Utter shite.

I’d hazard a guess that marz got complacent and it was a move purely to save money and they didn’t get a grip on qc/qa at the beginning of the process.

yeah I’d hazard a guess at that. If your specs aren’t iron-clad and your quality control well in place then you can end up in all kinds of trouble e.g. Evil Revolt http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/f19/evil-undead-240178/

My 99 z2 lights were bloody incredible. I remember riding out on a brand new pair of fox talas rlc’s from 2008 and being a bit disappointed that they weren’t nearly as plush.

They aren’t as ‘plush’ (whatever that is) because they are platform damped, unlike the old marzocchis. The reason for this is that it is what most people want, because it provides better performance (at least for todays longer travel xc forks).

There are good factories out there but the key is in getting someone good on the ground. If you don’t know how the cultural differences work, how the country works, how things are then you’ll waste years getting to know it and have to take the crap that goes with the learning curve.

I suspect they thought they could do it themselves as mamangement didn;t want to front up the cash for someone who already knew what they were doing and have now learned the lesson the hard way.

I’ve seen this many times in all sorts of business…

But try telling that to someone in a suit with no real world experience…

because they are platform damped

Excuse my ignorance but what is “platform damped”

The reason for this is that it is what most people want

As above, I have no idea what I want/need 😳 Therefore how do “most people” know this?

I buy a bike, it has forks. I ride bike and fiddle with forks having no idea what I am supposed to expect ❗ Most people I ride with do the same afik 😐

They aren’t as ‘plush’ (whatever that is) because they are platform damped, unlike the old marzocchis. The reason for this is that it is what most people want, because it provides better performance (at least for todays longer travel xc forks).

Yep probably. For me marz went pear shaped when they stopped feeling plush and started going wrong. Reliability and confidence go a long way, perhaps even overtaking performance.

Stereotypes are just that. Individual cases will vary. I work with Italian engineers who are absolutely excellent. Just to push the stereotype further, they are based in so-called lazy Rome but they work like trojans.

Who cares they drooped the ball.

they are based in so-called lazy Rome but they work like trojans.

You mean they work like Greeks? Retiring at 55,tax avoiding,debt defaulting,kickback taking,rioting….If the Europhobe doubters are to be believed 😉
Oh and Jeremy Clarkson hasn’t a good word for them either

Ahem, Troy is (currently) in Turkey.

compositepro actually nails it. Irrelevant where they were.

Doh! 😳
Was thinking of Spartans-I knew I should’ve gone with the joke about condoms-last time i try and be funny

wouldn’t like to have colleagues who worked like Spartans. They’d assassinate us !

I’ve dealt with numerous Italian component manufacturers (not bicycle) and have found almost all of them a complete nightmare.

In my experience, the Italians totally conform to their stereotype – they design aesthetically great products which sometimes even work properly, they lack any sense of urgency, attention to detail is woeful and they close completely for most of August!!!

I wouldn’t be too quick to blame the Taiwanese.

I’ve just done the 661 mini DH races at the Forest of Dean, and I used some brand spanking 2011 888RCV’s. The last time I rode a full on downhill bike was my 2006 224 dd with 888rc’s. I’ve got to say the 2011 models were far better than their 2006 counterparts. Obviously, I can’t comment on their longevity but wow, they were good (unlike the rider).

Lots of Italy bashing going on here..

Unlike the UK the Italians still make their own cars, and have a huge engineering and fabricating output.

when i first started out as a M&E surveyor i did get caught out by the August closures!!