Talk to me about Marzocchi 55's

A mate has got some 55 rc3 Ti forks and they seem pretty good.

Im wanting something burlier for my 5 from the float 32 R’s.

Im looking at the 55 RV 2011 or the 55 TST2 air. One about 300 and the airs at 375 at evans.

They claim a 3 yr warranty so they must be happier about the reliability. Are these both adaptable down to 140mm if the 160 wrecks my climbing ability?

Looking at the specs i will add about 2lb

i got 2009 55R’s and they i have found out through the helpful peeps on here are adjustable to 140mm by moving the internal spacer. as for the newer ones, dunno but would have imagined they would be the same. I like the forks personally, do exactly what i want them to and have a good response

I also found these TST2 2010 at Jensons for only 200 +20 postage.

Do you get customs charges from Jensons at delivery – even then that would only be about 40 quid right?

It’s a bad idea IMO. Adding 2lbs in weight to a five (Orange Five I presume? Could be a Five Spot, but either way I think it’s still a bad move) will be a seriously noticeable handicap.

If you need/want extra stiffness and better tracking then look at the Fox 36 Floats as these are seriously stiff (I’ve gone to those from Rock Shox Lyriks and can feel that the 36s are stiffer) and they will only add about 300g in weight.

In all honesty though, unless you’re heavy and/or seriously caning the sh*t out of the Five, then I can’t see you’d notice the benefit of a heavier fork over the 32. The 32 is a seriously good fork and probably has far better damping than the forks you’re looking at (though the RC3 Ti 55 is supposed to have excellent damping. Only problem with that fork is that there is only one spring available and if you’re heavy you need to use the air pre-load to compensate, which is supposed to ruin their plushness).

gee – cheers for the info.. Im 15 st and yep Orange 5.

The 55 rc3 ti has a coil preload as well as the air…

You won’t have a warranty if you buy from the USA. If it **** up, Windwave will tell you to send it back to the US, or charge you normal rate for repairs.

You have mail, by the way.

I have a slightly different view, I absolutely loved the extra stiffness a larger diameter stanchion delivered. I am a similar weight to you and swapped out Pikes for Lyriks, solo air ones with reduced travel, on a number of my bikes from hard tail to full suspension. I have never found that the weight an issue in any way. I would definitely say do not hesitate in going for larger stanchions, what fork you choose is up to you, watch the axel to crown length though that will make it feel different more than the weight.

Just my experience.
Have fun.

Ask jedi carl, he runs them on his transition

sean – the 55rv’s?

Aye sure thats what he put on his bottlerocket he built up, nearly sure.

Seriously considering moving from Van 36s to Marz 66 Evos at the moment so have a similar quandry. I’d say do it (i’m still in two minds as my bike already weighs 33lb). All the Marz forks I have had have been superb. I know they lost their way for a few years while they set up manufacture in the far east but the 2011 range is meant to be superb.

I use basic 55s. Straight from the box they work. I’m not into bells and whistles

are there any Marzocchis with adjustable travel? looked on the site, but couldn’t find anything.

a mate has an old set of Bombers that drop down to ~30mm from 130mm. brilliant for long, steep climbs….

Dont think any of the new bombers change travel via a dial or switch etc.
Not sure i would trust them if they did tbh

. Im 15 st and yep Orange 5.

Then you may well find the bigger fork gives you a greater sense of confidence and better tracking/steering accuracy.

Like you I am heavy (16 stone) and i’ve run a 150mm Fox Float 32 on my Nicolai AM. TBH I never had any complaints about the steering accuracy or precision and over rocky ground the fork was brilliant. I did however notice a lot of fore/aft flex on steep drop-ins/compressions/landings etc. The fork was also too short for my bike hence why I switched to a Fox 36 Float.