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Opinion needed: BOS vs Marzocchi vs ?

PB Forum :: All Mountain, Enduro & Cross-Country
Opinion needed: BOS vs Marzocchi vs ?
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flag jozefk
Posted: Jan 8, 2015 at 4:17 Quote
Having a Trek Remedy 9.9 (2013) with BOS Kirk Shock (converted) and a Pike Dual position RCT3 that is now getting used in my new dartmoor hornet, I need another fork.

Pike is awesome, but ready for some levelling up... And don't hear too much good things about the latest Pike's...

Thinking about the BOS Deville 160 mm or the new Marzocchi 350 NCR Ti... but can only find a few shallow reviews of the last one...

Please give me your opinion guys...
flag Farry
Posted: Jan 8, 2015 at 5:10 Quote
I have only heard good things about the Pikes so curious as to where you read bad reviews. No one seems to have a bad word to say about them.

You cant go wrong with Bos. Yes it is a bit harder to get parts for etc but the performance is probably second to none.
flag jozefk
Posted: Jan 8, 2015 at 5:26 Quote
Hey man, this creaking issue is annoying me since a year... loads of other owners have it... LINK

Check this reaction under the video of Travis LINK

Try googling on sounds or cracking/creaking csu of pike ...

For the rest... pike is king... but dives a little too much during steep downhill rides...

I know .. for the price... pike is hard to beat... also pluce like nothing else... But wanna try some new... maybe even better... Wink

Really anxious for experience or advise on the BOS and even more the Marzocchi 350 Ti....


BTW not so hard to get BOS parts in Europe Wink
flag Nfd538
Posted: Jan 8, 2015 at 5:31 Quote
MRP Stage or Fox 36.
flag Farry
Posted: Jan 8, 2015 at 5:34 Quote
Interesting hadnt seen that thread before. at least they are sorting it under warranty which is good to see. Pikes seem to have awesome performance for the money though. I have the Bos Idylles on my DH bike and they are brilliant and damping is very consistent. long service intervals too which is a bonus so if the Devilles are anything like them id say they are outstanding. Havent heard much about the Marzocchis though any reviews I have seen again have been positive. all the big players seemed to have upped there games and brought out some outstanding forks so I would say you couldnt go far wrong with any of them. For me if money no object go Bos and if your on a budget go pikes.
flag jozefk
Posted: Jan 8, 2015 at 5:45 Quote
Nfd538 wrote:
MRP Stage or Fox 36.

Can you explain why please?

@Farry True... great warrantee... but will this be a solution forever.. or just a little time to get the creaking back again... ?Wink

Pike is second to none in price vs value indeed...
But really hoping to get something extra out of a new fork... Razz

Maybe searching for something that is not there?
flag friendlyfoe
Posted: Jan 8, 2015 at 5:57 Quote
I purchased a Marzocchi CR350 at the end of last season but unfortunately only got 1 ride in before having to pack it in for the season. Really never got a chance to push it hard, but on the few steeps it saw i was amazed how plush it felt (as you always hear about zoch). Was able to carry speed over roots like they weren't even there, and even just on flat corners the action of the fork made for tons of grip.

Haven't pushed it through any brake bumps and can't speak to the durability. I had the damping set pretty soft and felt that it moved through it's initial stroke a bit while peddling, but i think that's what contributes to why it's so plush. It definitely gets better the faster you go.
flag jozefk
Posted: Jan 8, 2015 at 6:02 Quote
friendlyfoe wrote:
I purchased a Marzocchi CR350 at the end of last season but unfortunately only got 1 ride in before having to pack it in for the season. Really never got a chance to push it hard, but on the few steeps it saw i was amazed how plush it felt (as you always hear about zoch). Was able to carry speed over roots like they weren't even there, and even just on flat corners the action of the fork made for tons of grip.

Haven't pushed it through any brake bumps and can't speak to the durability. I had the damping set pretty soft and felt that it moved through it's initial stroke a bit while peddling, but i think that's what contributes to why it's so plush. It definitely gets better the faster you go.

Great, thanks to hear this from you...

I just found this a min ago... LINK
And this LINK

What I like about this product and same for the BOS is that they are not so mainstream but still very good and maybe above average performers .....
flag demo8dave
O+
Posted: Jan 8, 2015 at 7:15 Quote
Riding both idylle rare and an older deville trc 160 and they are both awesome. Came from a 36 float and the devilles seem to have such better control and more supple. Don't feel like much in the car park but out on the trail they are brilliant. I'm not going 650b because I can't afford another set of bos yet and won't go for anything else (though the new 36 tempts me)
Can't comment on the zocchis though so not sure if this is much use. My mates 55s look silky smooth when he's riding past

Trc doesn't really get used much, wouldn't miss it
flag Ploutre
Posted: Jan 8, 2015 at 7:25 Quote
I'd go for the BOS because I know what to expect. Been riding BOS stuff for a few years, so far still so good Smile

Unfortunately, the 350 is recent and apart from a few reviews from people (and let's be honest, if you had just bought a 600€ fork, would you say it's bad ?) and some online reviews, we just don't know. Can't think of anyone who has ridden both a BOS and a 350...

As for service, it's now pretty easy to find people servicing it even in the UK, and they are selling seals and oil now (so everyone can service it at home, basic service including oil and seals is super easy)

TRC is as demo8dave said, pretty useless (but could be useful if you do a lot of low speed technical stuff for example)
flag friendlyfoe
Posted: Jan 8, 2015 at 7:55 Quote
Just day dreaming here about other things to do with the Zoch. The one thing i really hate about the fork is the actual rebound adjuster, it's about the cheapest feeling knob i've ever turned. That being the case rebound is a bit of a set and forget, you don't play with it often enough that it really matters.

EDITED FOR ACCURACY: I don't know if Marzocchi has only one spring rate for all riders on the 350 TI. It would be worth asking because to me that would be a deal breaker on the TI unless the spring it comes with it is optimum for my weight. If not it might be a reason to stick with an air spring.

The only other downside is the NCR doesn't have adjustable high speed compression. Sure you can change the shim stack but for the money the competition offers it in an external adjuster.
flag its-chris
Posted: Jan 8, 2015 at 8:10 Quote
Talk to Prestigemtb (profile name on here) he can give you imput about both
flag Giladgu
Posted: Jan 8, 2015 at 19:50 Quote
I would also take a look at the manitou mattoc as well as the MRP stage fork
Haven't heard anything bad about any of them
flag mgrantorser
Posted: Mar 23, 2015 at 23:10 Quote
I have been riding a Marzocchi 350 NCR Ti since christmas. It is insanely goody. Just so insanely good. It actually sags appropriately (30%) while maintaining small bump sensitivity, and only using all its travel when absolutely necessary. For comparison I have recently ridden a 350 CR, 55 Switch Ta, and have had a bit of time aboard the pike. I know everyone says the pike is the reference fork for the 650b wheel size. I ardently disagree. It is an air fork. Like all air forks, you get the delightful choice between appropriate sag/small bump sensitivity/blowing through travel, and no bottoming/20%sag/awful harshness. I hope marzocchi spends half as much buying reviews of this fork as SRAM did the pike. It is just so good. It is essentially 160mm version of the 380 c2r2. If you read between the bias in pinkbikes review of that fork, it uses all its travel amazingly and has ridiculous small bump sensitivity.
flag ibex
Posted: Apr 7, 2015 at 12:17 Quote
Hello!

Had the opportunity to compare, although not extensively, a Pike, a Marzocchi 350 NCR Ti and a Bos Deville.
Bought a bike equipped with an 160 mm Solo Air Pike, which I swapped after few days for a MZ 350 NCR Ti.
In my opinion the two are miles apart in terms of function and looks.
I think the Pike is the most overrated fork the market has seen in recent years.
It sure is a relatively cheap and light fork, but for the price you get a thing that does not feel elastic. Compared to a MZ 350 Ti, it seems elastomer-sprung vs coil, for those who've lived back in the the elastomer days.
To me, a fork has to offer frictionless elastic feel, but with Pike or any other air fork I've tested, you get a pronounced feel of "plasticity". Small bump sensitivity is also so-so, and it dives like crazy with the sag set at usual 25-30%.
Also, I can't get why they market it as a 160 mm fork, as I've measured 155 mm of exposed stanchions when the bike rests - no idea where you could get the other 5 mm, not to mention the fact that you wouldn't want to hit the bushings with the crown in full compression.. Also, the Pike feels very cheap - manufacturing and design wise.
To me the Pike is the result of the industry trying to push out products who would appeal to the consumer (light), even if they do sacrifice a lot of performance for that reason. Just for the argument sake, when they try to make a light car, they don't by any means offer it with an engine and gearbox without proper lubrication. ..An athlete wouldn't drain away half or all of it's blood just to loose weight.. But current forks, trying to be light, have ditched the proper open bath design (apart from BOS) and the coil, because at 200 ml oil and the spring weight mean a lot for some and for the marketing wars going on. But you lose a massive part of the advantage of having a suspension fork (plushness, elasticity and linear feel), so it kind of defeats the purpose of having a fork in the first place. I've ridden for more than 10 years an open bath coil sprung fork, and even if it hasn't been serviced at all (!), not oil nor bushings or any other part, it still feels more smooth than most of the new forks made today that I've tried. No scratch or wear signs on the sliders, no oil leak for ten years without servicing speaks for super good internal self lubrication, smooth operation and set-and-forget design. I'd take any day a 300 g penalty for that. Moving on to BOS, even if open bath, they also feel dull compared to MZ 350Ti or any other coil fork I've ridden, not sure why they say It's better than a coil fork. It just isn't. Build quality is good, much better than the Pike. But when it comes to operation, again it can't stand next to the MZ 350 Ti. Small bump feels better than Pike, but not as good as MZ, which is the absolute reference in this area.
Also, going down a set of 5 or 6 steps resulted in the use of only 6 cm of the 17 available, so not sure in which everyday scenario you would end up using all de 17 - for example pumping pretty hard with all the bodyweight on the handlebars (while doing a moderate jump on tarmac) results in the use of only 12-ish cm. the BOS feels overdampened, even when you set all the controls to open - rebound an compression. Also, you don't get the smooth action along the travel which for the MZ 350 Ti is there. If y where to rate all three forks, the Pike would score a modest 6,5 out of 10, the bos 8 and the MZ a 9. Why not 10 for the MZ? because it doesn't offer the good old times eta-cartridge allowing the user to lower the fork for uphill (has platform pedal though, but I'd love a low front-end for steep climbs). With the availability of today's light enduro setups, why not own bike that can easily pedal uphill 20 km of trail and eat up with ease and sensation sturdiness and control a fast or hard descend afterwards? Going deeper in the season, I'll try to compare the forks on the trails I usually visit.
Would also love to hear from other users who can compare two of these forks in any combination.
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