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I have a PA which is meant to run with 130mm forks. I got a nice pair of 150mm Marzocchi 2005 Z1's.
As the only thing that separates the 130mm and the 150mm forks seems to be a preload adjuster of 20mm what are the opinions of just running the fork with 20mm more sag? then you will get the best of other worlds surely or am I missing something?
To run it with 20mm more sag will mean having a very soft spring-rate in the fork, so you'll go through the travel quicker.
Geda, the Marzocchi forks tended to be longer from axle to crown than equivalent travel forks from other manufacturers but I can't remember which year they corrected this (or indeed if they ever did).
In general, I tend to recommend 130mm travel forks for the PA as that's what I designed the geometry around.
However, I think pretty much every fork has been used on a Prince Albert at some point since they first came out in 2004 (I remember chuckling when I saw one with a Junior T on it), so if the 150mm Z1 floats your boat just try it. I doubt it will snap your headtube off. Nobody's done that to a PA yet. Just don't come crying to me if you ride head on into a tree and the top/down tubes crease 😉
Cheers, I will give it a go. I do not ride it hard enough to do myself real damage.
The z1's @ 130mm have something like a 518mm a2c height, which is about the same as pikes @ 140mm and probably similar to a Lyrik @ 130mm.
I prefer my Dialled Alpine @ 130mm for the general riding I do, seems to make it more responsive.