Marzocchi 380 C2R2 Titanium Fork - First Ride

Aug 16, 2013
by Mike Levy  

FIRST RIDE

380 C2R2 Titanium Fork

WORDS Mike Levy
PHOTOS Amy Mcdermid

Marzocchi's brand new 380 C2R2 Titanium may look like a 888 at first glance, but the 200mm travel fork is actually an entirely new beast from the ground up. There is no doubting the 888's legacy and performance in the past, with the Italian company's most successful DH fork winning over a lot of riders with both its set-and-forget reliability and ultra-sensitive early stroke, but it also has to be said that riders' expectations have risen over the last few years. No longer can a fork be pronounced a winner simply because it's near stiction-less and doesn't ask much of its owner beyond a bit of yearly love. With racers looking for more and more sophisticated damping, always less weight, and long-term dependability to boot, it was time for Marzocchi to head back to the drawing board to design a new fork that ticks all the boxes while also retaining that slippery, active suspension feel that they have become known for. The result is the 380 C2R2 Titanium, and the only thing it has in common with the previous 888 is it being right-side-up. A brand new 'Dynamic Bleed Cartridge' is hidden inside, while much lighter crowns, a fresh lower leg design that loses the 'M' arch yet gains rigidity, and added external damper adjustments in the form of both separate low and high-speed compression and rebound dials are some external features. It is also compatible with both 26'' and 650B wheel sizes.

380 C2R2 Titanium Details

• Intended use: DH racing
• Travel: 200mm
• Titanium coil spring
• 38mm nickel treated stanchions
• Tapered or straight steerer
• New 'Dynamic Bleed Cartridge'
• Adjustments: separate low and high-speed compression, low and high-speed rebound
• Titanium clamp bolts stock
• Compatible with 650B wheels
• Production fork weight: 6.28lb
• Availability: September, 2013
• MSRP: TBA



Dynamic Bleed Cartridge

Marzocchi's forks have utilized an open bath approach to damper design for many, many years, with a cartridge that fed on the same oil that acted as lubrication within the fork. This design made for exceptionally smooth performance due to there being enough oil to slosh about and lube the fork's bushings, although it couldn't meet how a closed or semi-closed damper performs when talking consistency because of that very same sloshing effect. Marzocchi says that the 380's Dynamic Bleed Cartridge is hybrid of those three damper designs, with it requiring some internal trickery to make that happen. The DBC cartridge uses a one-way seal that lets damping oil enter as required, but the clever bit is a spring-loaded piston that acts as a compensator (similar to how an internal floating piston functions in a shock's piggyback) that keeps the cartridge full of oil without it hydraulically locking: the piston moves up to make room as the damper cartridge fills with oil, and also down in its travel to take up the lost displacement as oil rushes out. While more complicated than Marzocchi's previous open bath damper, the DBC system employs technology that the Italian company is familiar with from using it within their motocross forks, meaning that they should be able to create a reliable design that performs well in the long run.

The DBC damper may be new to Marzocchi's lineup, but they are not straying away from their open approach to giving consumers the ability to remove and tune vital damper components. Looking for a change that can't be done via the external low and high-speed compression dials? The entire compression assembly can be removed from the top of the fork to allow the garage tuners and pro mechanics to make alterations to the mid-speed compression circuit, and shim stack assemblies that will make the job easier will be available from Marzocchi for aftermarket purchase.

Marzocchi 380
  Brand new fork lowers, sans the 'M' arch, help the 380 weigh in much lighter than the older 888. Marzocchi has also fitted the lowers with low friction seals from SKF.


On The Trail

We rolled over to the Marzocchi race support truck in the morning to have the 380 fork and Moto shock installed on our GT Fury downhill bike, a rig that we'll be using as a testing platform to put time on a number of downhill components in the future. Having given Pietro Palladino, the Italian suspension technician who is responsible for tuning the forks and shocks for Marzocchi's World Cup racers, our stats before arriving, he had done much of the necessary tuning before we arrived. All that was left to do was to double check our sag numbers and go over the fork's four separate damper adjustments: low-speed and high-speed compression, as well as low-speed and high-speed rebound.

Marzocchi 380 C2R2 Titanium
  This counts as rough, doesn't it? The Canadian Open race course proved to be a suitable testing ground for the 380, with the fork shining in the roughest of sections.

The first push reveals a fork that feels very much like the Marzocchi of old, with an incredibly active feel at the top of the stroke that had us wondering if the fork was underdamped, a trait that older 888 models were guilty of. It honestly felt very much like we would be blowing through a lot of the travel the second the trail pointed down, and it had us thinking that Marzocchi might have sacrificed performance at speed for the parking lot plushness that comes with not enough low-speed compression. We really shouldn't jump to conclusions, though, because we turned out to be very, very wrong. The 380 proved to have two personalities: one that was able to take out the smallest of trail chatter - picture micro sized rocks and roots, and another side that kept enough travel in reserve to take the force out of huge hits and spikes. Sometimes it's good to be mistaken, isn't it?

The supple feel that Marzocchi is famous for is there, and calling the 380 active really doesn't begin to describe how yielding its early travel actually is. This translated to an impressive amount of front-end grip in the dry, silty conditions that the Whistler Bike Park is known for during the heat of the summer, with the front tire able to stay in contact with the ground instead of pushing over it due to losing its hold. Confidence in the front of your bike is key to carrying good speed, and we found ourselves putting more and more faith in the front of the GT thanks to the 380's performance. The other advantage to that plushness, one that we confess to not noting until halfway through the first day on the fork, is how much fresher our hands felt after hours of laps on fast trails littered with braking bumps and holes. High frequency vibrations are muted before they reach the handlebar, and it was almost as if we simply didn't need to use a death grip on the bar when tracking over the roughest sections.

Marzocchi 380 C2R2 Titanium
  It took a few runs to believe in the fork's ability to not eat up its travel under hard impacts such as the G-out at the bottom of this rock roll, but we soon learned to trust the 380's dual personality.

While supreme plushness is a nice trait to boast about, any fast rider who knows a thing or two about bike setup will tell you that sacrificing all around suspension performance for a supple feel is a recipe for disaster. Thankfully Marzocchi didn't go this route, with the 380 being far from a one trick pony. Deep chunder - picture foot high holes, roots, and rocks - all taken in with very little fuss. There is no spiking, and it took more than a few runs to believe that the 380 could be both as supple as it is without eating up all of its travel at the first sight of trouble. One heavy hit in particular, smack dab in the middle of the fast line on the notoriously rough Canadian Open track, has always been a bit of a ''close your eyes and hope for the best'' kind of moment, with whatever bike we've pointed down it groaning in protest each and every time we roll the dice. That very same punch in the gut sort of impact didn't carry quite as much force behind it with the 380 on the front of the Fury, and we actually had to roll the dice again by hiking and re-riding the section to confirm our thoughts. Once again, not only did we survive but we also came out the other side with more control - no hard bottom, and only a controlled feel on the run-out after the impact.




Pinkbike's Take:
bigquotes
The two days that we've put on the 380 C2R2 Titanium fork isn't enough time to consider this as a true test - we've need a few months on it in order to comment on any reliability issues that may or may not come to light - but it was more than enough time for us to announce Marzocchi's return to the upper echelon of suspension makers. The Italian brand has yet again created a fork who's suppleness almost beggars belief but has also added an element of performance that the 888 always seemed to be missing: damping control when pushing hard on a steep track. Is the 380 the entire package, then? It appears as if it certainly might be, with the key being its longterm reliability. We'll soon have a 380 on the front of the Fury for a more lengthy test, one that will allow us to comment on that last remaining question mark, so stay tuned for the final word on Marzocchi's re-entry into the downhill marketplace. - Mike Levy


www.marzocchi.com

Posted In:
Reviews and Tech First Looks First Rides Forks Marzocchi Titanium


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204 Comments
  • 352 15
 What's the point of these reviews, don't get me wrong I like reading them and learning about new technology... But after reading this and your previous review on the float 40, I'd be no more clearer on which is better, IMO these reviews are pointless because we all know its going to work damn well but what we all want to know is how it compares to other market options, you need to compare both, see which does better at certain things and visaversa, and I completely get that you might get paid to do these reviews and probly paid not to compare them to competition but that also means your losing credibility as a reliable source ......,
  • 66 7
 So true
  • 22 2
 This. That's what I think about every single review I read on here. I don't think it's ever going to happen because they test what the brands let them test and they probably don't want to upset anybody or their content would suffer. I found the closest you can get is when they do the "best of 2013" reviewers pick at the end of the year. On the other hand though, it's kind of hard for them to claim "best ever" on products due to subjectivity as everybody has their preferences but then again I believe it would be a trillion times more useful for us to identify a reviewer with similar tastes to ours and then stick by his words... but yeah, I don't bother reading most reviews because they feel like copy/paste. I only read the stuff I'm VERY interested about, like this fork for instance.

I wish they'd do like some auto reviewers and have "best of category" awards and the such, it would be much more useful that the usual "everything is awesome all the time! Downplay all the flaws!".
  • 52 86
flag brandama (Aug 16, 2013 at 12:39) (Below Threshold)
 Don't read them then... nobody asked you to. All pink bike has become is a bunch people hiding behind their keyboards ranting about every little detail. I rarely ever comment on here but I am starting to get quite sickened. It must get discouraging for the crew at pinkbike to have to read everybody's qualm, when they are the ones who help make mountain biking a better world. I assure you you complaining about not knowing what fork is better serves nobody anything. Grow up.
  • 19 3
 @brandama.... In a way you are doing exactly what you don't like other people doing right now. It is actually a very good thing for people to be like this as the Pinkbike editors/writers can then gain some knowledge on what everybody wants, which in most cases is a good idea. I'm totally with sladevallydh, if PB had a Marzzocchi X VS Fox Y or X-Fusion X VS Rock Shox Y and eventually all of them in one article then people can see all of the positive features of the product and at the same time all of the negatives. This will give people a better impression of what product they should consider depending on what they like to ride and how they like to ride.
  • 11 1
 @brandama: Well that's the point. If you read what the users post, you will quickly start to believe that every single bike component is utter B.S. and when it's a positive comment, you can't help but suspect that it's possibly from a brand fanboy who hasn't even tried anything else. That's why we look up to reviewers as a reliable source since they have a lot more saddle time on a much wider variety of products but according to them, nearly everything is awesome. I'd really like to believe all products works equally well but anybody who rode a bike know that there are components who work better than others and that's what we'd like to know before we pull the trigger since we, as individual rider, do not have the time/ressources to test everything.
  • 25 9
 Pinkbike makes most of its money to run and support it' staff through advertisements, otherwise they would have to charge everybody a fee to be a member. I don't think it would be the best idea for them to do a full on fork shoot out and say what fork is better when the loosing fork company could stop advertising with pink bike. Forums like MTBR or on this site are the best places to find out how people like their products and which ones to choose. Also having and knowing riders within your community and hearing about how they like their stuff. To just come rip roaring on every single gear related post on this site about everything becomes a head ache. I know I can just not read the comments, but some people are funny, or offer interesting insight. When it is just slander over every thing I feel bad for the crew who bring us this material. Hey I just got to have a glimpse at the new fork for marzocchi, and hey it looks promising. I don't pay pinkbike so therefore they own me nothing. I strongly suspect most of the complainers are young kids who lack respect and life experience. On behalf of us adults pinkbike, keep up the good work providing us with insight in the bicycle industry!
  • 8 1
 But I'm not asking them to test two forks at once. I'm saying that IF they are going to test the newest forks/shocks from the biggest suspension companies then once they have compiled all of their data and what not they can compile it all in to one big article linking each of the pro's and con's of each fork and then give them a mark out of 10 or 5, coming from a tester who is unbiased (which they should be anyway). This will give us an idea of what is probably the best fork/shock out there. MBR, MBUK and What MB all do the exact same thing and look how successful they are. It'll not be long before Pinkbike will have a mag of their own and if they do I will probably subscribe.
  • 67 6
 @sladevallydh - I understand what you're saying, and to be fair we have made some straight up comparisons in recent reviews. What I would like to make clear is that this is not a review, and that I don't feel that I have enough time on the fork to make that sort of call at this point. I don't think that I'm being soft, but rather that I want more time on the product (we had it for about 1.5 days) before making any sweeping statements that could be a major factor in a consumers decision to either buy or not buy the fork. I think that's fair, don't you?

Unlike some other places, I'm not going to pawn off the day and a half of riding time as a real review. Once we have a long-term 380 to test you'll be able to read all about it, and I'll make sure to make some of those direct comparisons that you're asking for =)
  • 32 3
 @ mike levy

My comment was a broad statement, it's not just forks, it's your reviews on numerous reviews, tyres, bikes, wheels, etc. I find when reading them that I know a lot about the product but nothing about how it compares to other products. I get that the products you review can be good, but I refuse to believe that they are all the same, I feel that PB writers refrain from comparing just to please your sponsors. As Ryan said, it would be brilliant if you did product vs. product, something which isn't done. And it's something that really should be done IMO. Thanks for replying
  • 21 0
 Watch an episode of top gear and you should soon realise that they garbage 90% of what they test, yet somehow more people now want to buy a Porsche Lambo or anything else even more now even though they tear it to pieces. We NEED to have negative reviews. f*ck the sponsors. If they don't want to risk getting a negative review, don't submit the product for testing. I have far more respect for the ones that do.
  • 4 49
flag Lilshredman (Aug 16, 2013 at 13:41) (Below Threshold)
 realize*
  • 7 1
 i think the point is that many riders would rather read and trust A TRUE review/comparison by pinkbike of parts/frames/suspension because of the pure wealth of knowledge that pinkbike has with some of their staff being able to ride countless setups day in and day out. compared to the average MTBR reviewer who may or may not have any idea what they are talking about - or they could just be bias as they are reviewing the only fork they have ever ridden or dont want to believe that they just spent $2k on a marz fork that is not as good as a boxxer or fox or DVO or...

in all honesty, the above is more of a positive prop to pinkbike and all the work that their staff does. we know THEY know which fork they like best and works best. i just wish that they would flat out say it sometimes. i mean...how many 650b trail bike reviews have their been in the past month. if i was in the market, i would have NO IDEA which one to buy. and maybe my area does not have demo days for all these frames. one or two of them has to be junk in comparison...right? how am i to know?

*disclaimer - i am an adult and i also have a graduate degree
  • 47 2
 @lilshredman...I'm Australian you spanner. See my name. What I'm doing is speaking English. Get your head out of your ass and get out of the 1700's. The real world is using the metric system too whenever you're ready. You're making your country look stupid.
  • 9 3
 @ccolagio - Love the disclaimer and thanks for the props. We (RC, Kazimer, and myself) all have our own personal preferences when it comes to products that we test, but that doesn't mean that something that I like is the absolute best, just that it works well for me. It's tough but we have to keep everyone in mind when to put a review (which this 380 piece isn't) together, and that means that we can end up describing something that is happening instead of just straight calling a certain aspect out. It does seem like some readers have short memories, though, as there have been plenty of critical reviews on the homepage. Then, as soon as a positive review goes up, it seems as though they get forgotten.

@ManuelMTB - I am personally not that surprised that Marzocchi's new, high-end and not inexpensive downhill fork appears to perform very well... They knew where they had to improve and did just that. If the fork did something wrong during our short time on it, you would have read about. The question about reliability remains, of course, and we'll comment on that when we can.
  • 9 1
 Why not have a section at the end of a review, labeled 'things that could be improved' ..... Please don't mistake my comments bashing you and your reviews, I know your trying to keep your own personal preferences out of it but I think your reviews could greatly benefit from a little more comparison ....
  • 9 4
 @sladevallydh - You mean like the ''Issues'' section at the bottom of every component review we've done for the last 3 - 4 years? Feedback is always welcome.
  • 13 0
 I mean a section that directly compares the chosen product to other products, if you notice one product doing one thing better then another, you should mention it. I'm not trying to tell you how to do your job but I think you can see I have a point, one shared with other PB readers. We just want top end products compared more against each other so we can make a better decision on what to buy.
  • 6 0
 Damn straight!
  • 5 0
 I think it would be great if Pinkbike would rate products that they review allowing readers to quickly compare different products. For instance lets take an AM bike which there have been a lot of lately. You can give a rating out of 10 for climbing, descending, cornering, reliability, value and then an average rating. This is just a quick example but you get the idea. Would allow a more objective view at each product.
  • 22 0
 @mikelevy - i like that youve been popping back into the comments section. whether youve got something good/bad/informative/link/defend/not defend - its just really nice to see you checking back in. much appreciated whichever way your response goes - going above and beyond being the author of a piece
  • 4 0
 And the articles need to remain objective, and neutral because there are so many variables of products and rider requirements. I cant imagine it would be objective journalism to say product A is better than product B because of this. Keep up the great work PB.
  • 2 0
 great points. support the fearless riding content of the subjects and members with fearless writing. i think pb will.
  • 6 0
 Not when you're speaking the Queen's English mate.
  • 7 3
 Tell you what, why don't you people actually form your own opinions instead of being dictated to by the reviewers here? Read through both the articles, think about what kind of riding you are mostly doing and go from there. Both this article and the Fox 40 Air article will both note different aspects about the fork performance and from that you should be able to choose.
  • 2 6
flag Lilshredman (Aug 16, 2013 at 16:41) (Below Threshold)
 Tit...fork!
  • 2 2
 I partially agree that some more blunt reviews would be nice. But I think that when the reviewers are representing such a popular biking website they probably need to exclude their personal bias or excitement from a review. If Pinkbike.com announces that they think one product is best, that could have a huge impact on the market. They probably don't want to tell you what to buy. They probably want to produce an article that helps you think for yourself. Although, yeah, I'd honestly like to see some comparison.
  • 4 2
 BOOOM!
  • 7 2
 @Everyone_That_Says_They_Need_to_Tread_Lightly_in_Their_Reviews.

A good review site that gets most of their money from sponsors, has a very large audience that they can influence but has a very subjective in depth reviews that often clearly point out the flaws of a product and finish all reviews with an easily searchable scoring system is DPReview. Its possible for a site that relies on sponsor money to rate certain products lowly, without hurting sponsor money. This is done by maintaining a high level of integrity in their reviews which will bring in the loyal public that the sponsors need to sell their wares to anyway. I have been on this site for a short time but even then if was quickly apparent that the reviews here shouldn't hold too much weight in my buying decision since they are so banal.

@mikelevy Just a suggestion but perhaps Pinkbike needs to structure their reviews (like most review sites) into Previews (where no real solid review is given, like the above article) Short term Test (Where you get a feel of how the product will behave) and Long Term Test (with in depth reviews and detailed descriptions). Until rated reviews (Preview/Short Term/Long Term) are given all the Pinkbike articles seem like exercises in Marketing.
  • 1 8
flag Lilshredman (Aug 16, 2013 at 19:40) (Below Threshold)
 www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKwv3fwEZ0M
  • 1 0
 Aye, respect Levy.
  • 4 1
 I know more about this fork now then I did before reading this. Thank you Pinkbike.
  • 4 3
 @sladevallydh
the title of the article clearly says 'first ride' which means it is a 'preview', not an actual 'review'. The entire premise of your complaint is based upon your own delusion.

The article also isn't "pointless" at all, the damping is explained more and the feel of the fork is described.

If it feels anything like a 888, then it probably doesn't have the firmer race feel of a 40, but as the article explains you can adjust it to your personal preference.
  • 5 0
 My comment wasn't isolated to only this aritcal.. A point which I made later on in the the comment section. My problem with the artical isn't what's written its what's not written. What is written is well explained and described and gives anyone who's reading it a good understanding of the product. But PB seem to refrain from comparing just to please their sponsors,
  • 3 8
flag Protour (Aug 17, 2013 at 8:09) (Below Threshold)
 I just reread it your comment did refer to this article. You wrote "these reviews" in your first sentence. Stop with the back pedaling, this isn't a review it's a preview. Your complaint was illegitimate because of that fact.
  • 6 0
 this wasnt just my point, this was over 200+ probs from readers im guessing who agreed with what i said.
  • 2 0
 @Protour, how is sladevalleydh being delusional? His beliefs on this topic are clearly being agreed with, the 257 props show this. He has also accepted from the writer of the article that because they have only had 2 days on the fork they cannot really give it a proper review, but I think the point of his first comment was when they do come to review things why don't they list the pro's against the con's and once they have done the same with another product that is similar they can list things that compare to or are lacking against the other product.
  • 2 0
 Agree though over the years my conclusion would ne to read between the lines. Whatever is not mentioned is usually unfavourable. Think he did not talk much about stiffness ao probably its a noodle. That way the journos keep their credibility (never said it was stiff just forgot saying it is soft) and please the companies.
  • 3 4
 Sladevally is delusional because he is calling a preview a review.

If you are going to complain about the reviews, then complain on an article that is an actual review, not a preview where the writer clearly states it isn't a long term review. I don't care how many worthless props you got from the clones on here who want pinkbike to compare every
product with every other product out there. Have you ever heard of deductive reasoning?
  • 3 0
 @Protour, a preview wouldn't usually include riding, a preview would just be a look at the fork (First Look) where as this is a First Ride so from those 2 days you can still give a review but it will be a very quick and low detail review compared to a product that has been tested for 5 months, like they plan to do I'm sure.

The fact that the fork has been ridden on and MikeLevy has been able to give some information of how the fork feels and all the specifications of the fork, in my eyes, make this a small review. Now sladevalleydh was really just stating that he wants an article (in the future) with a group of the same product, in this case forks, to be compared to one an other. Which myself and 279 others agree with.
  • 2 5
 It's bs that a whiner comment gets top rank on the introduction of an amazing fork like this. It's a real letdown and Levy didn't deserve that, he did a decent write up considering the short amount he was on the fork. If you only test something a day or two it's probably a good idea to not be too judgmental about it. But based upon what I have deduced from reading the preview it's plusher than a 40.
  • 4 0
 The whiner you are talking about has also spoken to MikeLevy in the thread and explained what he meant and understood that it wasn't a full review. Do you actually read what people have written?

Secondly, as you can so obviously tell this fork is already plusher than a 40, what about a Boxxer? Or maybe even the Emerald? Considering you seem to be able to tell a forks plushness from not riding it.
  • 1 3
 Norbs got robbed....
  • 1 1
 SMith is boss....
  • 1 2
 It's a review not a comparison
  • 2 1
 Did you read the thread at all? The whole point is that we would like reviews with a comparison at the end of them with another similar product.
  • 1 2
 I like bikes!
  • 2 1
 I didn't read his conversation with Levy, I just read the first comment by SladevalleyDH and reacted to it. I wanted to have my own conversation with him and I appreciate that he responsed. i shouldn't have said he was delusional, I apologize and side by side tests are great. I think pinkbike does a good job on reviews overall.
  • 1 0
 I was responding to a comment far above , They get paid to much from companies to say one is good and one is bad . Pink bike is not the place for a product shoot out , there's other places to see that sort of stuff
  • 1 0
 it because all new forks are the same, besides weight
  • 1 0
 hi Mikey .. imo it's about time to counter review this 380 fork and moto shock .. I appreciate it. Thank you
  • 41 3
 Is it just me, or does Pietro Palladino look exactly like Cedric Gracia
  • 7 1
 Hah, yeah I did a triple-take!
  • 7 3
 Cedric has a lost twin brother
  • 1 4
 hahahahaha
  • 1 1
 on first look i wasnt sure
  • 2 0
 both genius
  • 29 1
 Bring back the 66!
  • 3 14
flag finnrambo (Aug 16, 2013 at 14:52) (Below Threshold)
 why? AM bikes are so strong that they can do almost everything a dh bike can, and if you want to go bigger then get a dh bike, there's no need for a bike in the middle
  • 6 0
 I use a freeride bike because i live in flat wisconsin and the parks at my house are fun but i dont need full dh, i want it to jump well and still be able to kill it in the tech. i have no reason for a dual crown. 180 is perfect though
  • 1 1
 have you ever ridden a Slayer?
  • 2 0
 Love my '11 66 Evo Ti so much! It tracks the ground like a lazer, and just feels buttery smooth and completely controlled regardless of the terrain. 66 FOREVA!!
  • 1 0
 Yep, I've got a 66 RC3 and its sweet... I'm gonna buy a 380 too, no matter what the reviews. Love Marzocchi and will enjoy the new fork for exactly what it is.
  • 1 0
 the 66 is the only marz fork i didnt like, and i have owned more than eight marz forks. looking forward to trying the 380 though, but as it stands my fox 40 is a great fork.
  • 17 0
 my fork choice for 2014 season is gonna be a tough one....between the fox float 40, dvo, 380, and xfusion. Pinkbike, please do a downhill fork shootout/comparison!
  • 16 0
 Please, the solution is simple. Buy 4 bikes!
  • 2 0
 well, sometimes i wonder, how often do you change forks damnit ? Smile
  • 8 3
 40 floats are being recalled hahah
  • 1 0
 Really? Any online articles or info you could post a link to? I'd like to know whats up before I end up with one.
  • 1 0
 are the floats actually being recalled?
  • 2 0
 ask fox about it but my understanding is that when set under a certain air pressure the fork looses some of its travel.
  • 3 1
 That's hilarious.

I was starting to feel a little guilty about blasting FOX forks on PB so much for being unreliable, but now not so much.

To me this looks like the fork to have. The air forks(40 and boxxer) aren't as plush and require more maintenance, the DVO and X fusion sound interesting but I bet the Marzocchi is the most reliable with the most plush feel.
  • 2 0
 DVO is air to...
  • 1 0
 Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
  • 1 7
flag Quesadilla34 (Aug 18, 2013 at 0:40) (Below Threshold)
 Well fox is the best forever, so......
  • 4 0
 I beg to differ, I hate my 36 float RLC especially when I compared it to a 55 rc3 evo
  • 1 3
 Maybe u got a bad one. My talas is so amazing. Trail, cc, and even killed double blacks on it up at mammoth this week, fox did sumthing right
  • 2 0
 no, I just find it lacking plushness and having too much stiction, guess it's the fact it's not open bath but I find the only thing it's good at is high speed chatter
  • 1 0
 Ahhh, well there u have it, mine's open bath. And mine isnt even kashima, ny rear neither, both are smooth and the fork is especialy plush, to the point it is shocking how plush it is
  • 21 12
 Bring back the Super Monster T. Nobody cares about yet another 200mm fork.
  • 6 2
 Yessss super t all the way just make it lighter ha
  • 38 4
 Sir with all do respect " You are living in the past "
  • 2 1
 I'm still pretty happy with my Monster.
  • 1 1
 Tho marzocchis are super smooth, the older models are tanks, nobody needs a fork with less travel and more weight
  • 1 2
 Hopefuly this will be the first marzocchi with readonable weight, sorry monster t's
  • 2 0
 Shivers were sick... Heavy but still rad!
  • 1 0
 Yep. My buddy still rides one's and they're bomb proof
  • 8 0
 I've been trying to convince myself why I don't need one of these. FUU pinkbike.
  • 7 1
 I dont think ive been so excited about a forks being released since the lyrik launched. DVO emerald and now the 380 its gonna be a tough choice for people running dual crowns.
  • 4 0
 i like the emerald very much being usd but have no info on stiction (i know marz will be perfect, look up opinions on blue skf seals on mx forums, those are old news there, i wonder how they didn't use "teh blue seals" as marketing) and that ghasty torsion arch gimmick repulses me, i understand the motivation behind it but just look at those tiny screws at the bottom, ain't no way in hell that's adding any stiffness and you're supposed to be "legit". you know who's legit? marz's legit
  • 2 0
 Yeah im not sure on the arch either but even if it adds an only slightly noticable difference its welcome on a USD fork. Its Bryson Martin tho dude, the guy thats partly responsible for long travel and well damped forks becoming the norm, im sure DVO made the right choices in the tuning of the emerald and the build quality. I think it just may well be a little too expensive (not thats its not worth the cost just that most people would tend to go to forks like a boxxer rc/r2c2 due to the fact you can snap those up for not much more than a long travel single crown).

The marzo will (hopeully) be typical old skool marzo, built like a brick shithouse, require sod all maintenance and run sweet as a nut after a good few years abuse. If it doesnt theyre shafted considering how bad some of the forks were from 2006/7-08/9. Previous to that marzo reliability was bullet proof IMO. used to love the old Z1 FR series and the 66.

I think with both these guys its what appears in the middle of their dual crown range as thats what most people are willing to stump up for. If they can put the same or very similar damping into a slightly heavier chasis and not cost more than £900 theyre in the right price range. Although boxxers get a lot of flack the r2c2 you can pick up for £600 if your lucky and thats a lot of fork for that kinda money compared to 40R for example
  • 1 1
 Not really so tough, just get a 40
  • 1 0
 at £1500 not likely, not thats its not a good fork just not got the funds to justfiy that. even Boxxer WC and Dorados are cheaper than a 40R. come to think of it a top of the line 888 is still only £90 more than a 40R
  • 4 1
 They need to take a look at their product assembly and after sales service before they make anything else. Had a surprise explosion of oil spitting out the RH leg, after one weeks use, on new 888's, causing white scratches on the stanchion. Turns out the clips keeping the cartridge together were not attached. Emailed Marzocchi UK, France, Italy and Australia (where i bought them, i'm in France), social media'd, looking for advice and direction, got a reply promptly from the UK only. They could look at the forks, at my cost. They are sorted now (local fix at my cost) and work well, but that is not great in my opinion.
  • 2 0
 theres no cartridge in the right leg
  • 3 0
 That's just poor service, period. I don't care if you're a small company or a multi-million dollar company....Totally unacceptable on all fronts. Tenneco or it's dealers need to get their heads out of their @ss or it's going the same way it was a few short years ago.
  • 1 0
 Thats cheap labor fault. Since Marzocchi moved out of the Italy with production, they keep on failing, now, and then.
  • 1 0
 with all respect due, i find this hard to believe. marz canada has been nothing less then helpful to me anytime i ever had an issue. i cant imagine they would be worse to deal in europe.
  • 2 0
 Lets say they put a world cup level rider on ALL the forks and he or she or both say Brand X is THE BEST fork. So if YOU cant ride at world cup levels, how did that test help you? The reviewer gives you the traits of the fork. small bumps, big hits, etc. So you take the points it did well or not well and compare to another brand and see where you might fit in. Then, you ADJUST the suspension where you need it. If you cant make a decision from that much information, its safe to say any of the forks will work for you because you dont know enough about suspension for it to make a difference.
  • 1 0
 well stated
  • 2 0
 I get the same feel and confidence from my 2013 888 evo ti v2. All it took was a spring swap as they are under sprung and the fork came alive. I wound't hesitate to point it down the roughest section one could find. and yet it is extremely stable and manages travel excellently. I would like separate compression adjustment again, but I wont be swapping my 888 any time soon.
  • 2 0
 For sure, a sorted 888 is far from a bad fork. Upping the spring rate to cover up a lack of damping isn't ideal, though. I feel like the 380 is an entirely different animal, but I'm with you on not needing to change it up if your 888 is working for you.
  • 3 0
 Changing spring rate is not a reflection of poor dampening. Just like on a rear shock you would try to match body weight and riding style with the correct spring rate to achieve propper sag and use of travel. Nobody would say a cane creek is under dampened cause they needed a stiffer spring. I went to a firm spring to get propper sag. Id ecourage more riders to toy with fork spring rates.
  • 4 0
 Nothing like competition to keep raising the bar!
This fork, dvo new dh and am single, pike, new boxxer w/charger damper soon...all the new bikes..geesh
  • 2 0
 I am using a very old, tuned 888 and it is good enough for me, but for a next season upgrade I will take the 380. This has been decided ever since the half a year ago announcement of the new Marzcocchi fork. It has all the adjustments I can imagine and I like to have gear maintained well even if it does not require anything more but each-two-years reoiling. There is one point more for the 380 as it fits the traditional 26inch tires as well as the new magical 27B. I find the review very professional and helpful as it has just confirmed my decision to buy the 380 without any kind of doubt about a new product. If I were to add something to the article, I would like to have some videos onboard and on a parking lot, just to hear the 888 working. Looking forward for a longterm reliability test results.
  • 2 0
 Love my 888 and will be waiting for a long term review. What really got me interested was the ability to take it apart and tune the cartridge yourself. I wouldn't dare do that on a Fox 40 or Boxxer WC. I'll be waiting on the Moto shock review PB so hop to it!
  • 2 0
 Man,cannot wait to get a new Marzocchi fork,iv been running my 06 888 Drop Off and i LOVE it..Cant wait to grab one of these bad boys i love the fact you can roll 27.5.. so i can run my big ole 2.75 rubber on the 26 inch wheel..Nice....tup Salute
  • 3 1
 Pink bike... please provide quantified evidence behind you reviews.
Everything feels brilliant.... we get that.
Everything's performance is amazing.... we get that.

But I am an R&D development engineer of nearly 20 years.... I have to provide quantified evidence to my sponsors, world be ace if I could just make up sht and it was true, it would make engineering easy.
  • 4 1
 Fair enough, but are you really surprised that Marzocchi's brand new DH fork feels great? They knew what they had to do and did it, plus it is a premium item that isn't inexpensive - it should perform well. And everything doesn't feel brilliant, which I've said in many pieces.
  • 3 1
 Their past record and all timing we have done with their products of the last few years would suggest otherwise.
A back to back test, 2 or 3 riders with different riding styles and base line speeds, swapping fork only on their bike, times and perception of mistakes made (going faster can sometimes add to mistakes) would give the pink bike audience something that starts to have some foundations.
You can add feel in, but often a feel can mean you are going slower.
If you guys had a test track for different bikes, parts etc. Then performance related to speed as one output requirement could be evaluated.
What the pros ride can often mean nothing as they have tunes or internals not available to the public.
  • 2 0
 My first DH fork was the Bomber!! Loved it, everything has come a long way since then but it's nice to see all Markets keeping current. Performance is Key to any bike part but you can't argue the bling factor too, everyone who mountain bikes..well, loves to look at other peoples bikes too, i know i admire my fellow racers/bike parkers alike, that said, i'm still stuck on the Gold stanchion look, even the RoxShox Black, cant get into the silver(titanium) just yet.
It sounds stupid, but my bike HAS to be Dialed & sick looking...To me anyway.
Shred on people whatever you ride...Its the ride that counts.
my best rides have been on my first bikes, Raleigh Burner!!! Whooo UK!!!!
  • 2 0
 Good to see marzocchi back at the game. Their plushness is amazing.. Now one question: what if somebody offers a ti spring for boxxer? I think that would be interesting...btw thanks rockshox crew at vallnord for the GREAT job you did to my boxxer. Now it feels better than ever...And for free!!!
  • 2 0
 Funny thing i find myself skimming over the review then I scroll on down to the comments and get GREAT reviews from all the people who hate it or love it . The comments are more fun to read then the reviews! The day Pinkbike censors comments is day I probably lose interest.
  • 1 0
 Well, guess what the job of moderators is? Haha
  • 1 0
 I think the reviewer forgot to rate the shock, unless that was done in another review, the link of which is not the article?
But it would stand to reason that this article might be more comprehensive, not only by in cluding more than a mere mention of the shock, but also how it comes on the same trail with a different brand of suspension. But I appreciate a first ride first impression, and thus am looking forward to a more comprehensive review based on a longer term testing, inclusion of the experience with the shock, experience with DIY modification of the shim stack and the resultant changes in fork/shock behaviour, and all of that compared currently available competitor forks and shocks. Thanks PB!
  • 2 0
 For sure, you'll be able to read about the Moto shock at some point soon as well. We'll be getting on a long-term review fork pretty quickly, so a true review is in the works.
  • 1 0
 Who cares about the review, I thought it was good enough for a short test! And no website should be telling you which product to buy. We are all different, stop being sheep and choose that which you feel suits your style! Engage brain before slaying @mikelevy poor bloke! All the tests and manufacturers are now saying 650B - I've run it for four years now... Do what you like not what everyone else does...
  • 1 0
 this was the best post a comment in a while here in pb because people is showing intresst in pb articles but they want more this product vs product is good for all of us the consumers and the manufacter and pb that annouce this products to the world of biking but i also understand why pb is not doing this thing for us and i think the reason ist that they dont want to upset their sponsores and their supporters i mean after us the users of the this website because if they loose this support this site will be a little bit more hard to manage than it is now am i rigth so yeah for me this review has good in all is aspects to improve the quality of the information that is given from the brands that we pursuit and also to improve the site quality to inform us
  • 2 0
 Do as i have, buy a 2007 888 rc2x wc Smile u don't need these expensive useless junks, if u know what a 2007 888 looks like, you would say they are trying to make....a remake of the 2007 models with the new 380
  • 1 0
 I do like marzhochhi cos my first long travel was a 66vf which has a very basic damping system and was not even expensive, but dude, that was super smooth and rigid! Even though I'm riding on a boxxer now I still feel 66 is so much better with same bike set and trail. Cant believe I trade my 66 for a stupid boxxer...
  • 1 0
 Hey Mike Levy, what spring did you have in the fork and how much do you weigh? The stock spring in my previous Marz fork was too soft, and I'm not super heavy at 175. Would be disappointing if the stock spring in the new fork was also too soft.
  • 1 0
 What about they also rate them with wheels(stars but as wheels, since it is for a bike)? It would make it easier to compare different forks, bikes etc. if they have been rated with points.
  • 3 0
 Looks like an awesome fork and I'm glad to see them getting back into the game!
  • 1 1
 The fork looks great with improvments but this name is strange. 380... remember me those RST 360 or 380 or 460 or something like that. Strange name couse stantions are 38mm not 380mm hahahahabits lack of originality fox 32-34-36-40 and zokes 38. Had some zokes like Z1 and Junior T ande they were heavy but amazingly plush
  • 2 0
 It can't hurt when the guy who sets up the world cup racers suspensions sets up the test model. I'm sure that it was pretty dialed.
  • 2 0
 This right here. Thats something that I think cannot be overlooked or underlplayed. I get that a selling point for these forks is the user tunability, (which is awesome) but many riders will be too scared to do so or it will take quite a learning curve to be able to make the adjustments you want. So a professional and personal tune is a huge start in a positive direction for any suspension component.
  • 3 0
 i wonder when were going to see this technology trickle down to their single crown forks.
  • 1 0
 i dont see why they are treating the low and high speed adjustmets like its some new great thing, rockshox has been doing it for years! my boxxer wc has it and its a 2010 model!
  • 1 0
 Great to see marz back in the game. They always have been the plushest forks out there. Next year will be great for riders with the choice of DVO, Xfusion and now the 380. About time the top two got some serious compeltion
  • 1 1
 we pulled Zoke from our inventory... just stopped selling the 888's period. for a while there, we had a run of eight 888's sold in about 3 months time, 6 of them had serious issues right out of the box, leaking oil or no factory oil at all was the leading problem, loud clicking noises, etc. and a guy in warranty tells us to "ride it for 10 hours and call us call if the problem is still there" and when tell him about how we've had the same warranty issues over and over again, he pretty much blows us off. l have noticed one of our main wholesale sources have yet to stock anything 2013 in the 888 dept. Zoke's a pretty big company, l used to love their product but it seems like when they moved to the factory to the ROC, quality control has gone waaaay down, for us to have 6 or 8 888's come to us with problems, that's pretty bad.
  • 5 2
 Bring back old Marzocchi graphics!!!!
  • 8 1
 personally, i like the new graphics. very simple and clean.
  • 6 0
 true, put there plastic letters "BOMBER" like in 2005 or 2006, for example, instead of that shitty decals like all other manufacturers do
  • 2 0
 Agree. The old Marzocchi were unique, now everyone just put damn sticker, and thats all.
  • 2 0
 if they have it in the sexy white with gold stanchions like they do now..... ill buy it the second its released!
  • 4 1
 Marzocchi is really stepping it up. Look out in the future for marzocchi.
  • 3 0
 When I go to the future, I will make sure I do!
  • 2 0
 this article is almost identical to the one you guys had back in March as well as one of the pics
  • 1 1
 The tech explanations are very similar... I explained pretty clearly once so there's no reason to take an entirely different approach when it is the same stuff. We'll have some proper photos of the Dynamic Bleed Cartridge's internals later today that will make it more clear as to what's happening in there.
  • 1 0
 Looks great, but it would have been hilarious and cool too if they would have named it 830 R2C2 Titanium Fork hahaha star wars edition
  • 2 0
 Very active to small bumps. No problem everyone will crank up the compression until the fork is a stiff pogo stick. Lol.
  • 2 0
 Are all new forks coming out 26 and 27.5 compatible , or has marzocchi started something .
  • 1 0
 This new fork is compatible with both wheel sizes
  • 2 2
 "It is also compatible with both 26'' and 650B wheel sizes."

I guess we can add the great Marzocchi to the list of evil companies hell-bent on dragging 26 inch wheels from under us etc etc....
  • 1 0
 Some one is realy heavy handed with the negative props. Hamcheez points out that the fork has ti clamp bolts(which it does) and get neg propped. Plenty of idiots out there.
  • 2 0
 @sladevallydh
i think you are right
but it is not that easy since every rider prefers somthing different.
  • 2 0
 exactly right... Hit the nail on the head, the only TRUE test/ review is your own.
  • 1 0
 According to the pictures, this is a fork that keep you always in the same position.
  • 1 0
 The only thing I'm concerned with about these forks is how they handle nose cases, probably about 2-5 of them per ride.
  • 1 0
 better than others, didn't you read the canadian open part
  • 2 0
 380 + Chromag chrome bar = SHOWSTOPPER!
  • 1 0
 Apparently this fork has multiple personality syndrome... thats the main point that i saw in this article
  • 3 0
 The R2 D2 fork!!!
  • 2 1
 Very active to small bumps. No problem everyone will crank up the compression until the fork is a stiff pogo stick. Lol.
  • 2 0
 I don't want it. It's only 200mm. I don't go lower than 203mm pfft
  • 1 0
 Bit if an "interesting" tire choice there Levy. Looks more butchered than a racers name on a Crankworx live feed! Smile
  • 1 0
 very good fork yes sir, luckily marzocchi resurfaces and returns to what it was
  • 1 0
 Yep need compare reports / reviews to other products, not just "yeah, it's a pretty good fork..."
  • 2 2
 Fajny , ale ja wole moją poczciwą shive ... ona ma duszę! A nakurwiać też się da Razz
  • 2 0
 price?
  • 1 0
 Endlich mal wieder ne gabel von marzocchi die gut aussieht
  • 1 0
 Now when the clip comes out :X can't wait
  • 2 2
 Although the fork looks cool I would have a very hard time buying Marzocchi based on their poor customer service history.
  • 4 0
 I found Zokes to be very friendly with their customer service. I inquired about converting my old 66 rcv to the evo cartridge and Mike Gold (their customer rep) was happy to give me a complete list of parts I would need. Don't count them out based on customer service. They provide tons of tuning input on their site as well as oil levels and a full list of springs for their line up. Ask other riders what they think, then base your decision on real performance facts.
  • 3 0
 ive had excellent experiences with their customer service too. And you cant beat rhe crash replacement program. Ive gottan 3 forks for cost that way.
  • 5 0
 @RatHunter83: Not to rain on your parade, but Mike no longer works for Marzocchi. I have abused nothing but zokes for the past 12+ years and Mike always came through, even at a very busy Sea Otter. I have continued to experience great service since his departure.

This whole negative crap about Marzocchi customer service or ANY other company for that matter, makes me wonder about a persons' approach when contacting a particular manufacturer. You'll get much further with honey than with vinegar. Oh yeah, brush up on some technical jargon and parts names before you call and sound like an idiot that doesn't even know how to operate said product. Otherwise leave it to your LBS and leave your Playskool tools in the closet.

My 05 888rc is still blowing my mind and leaving me lots of spare time for beer and not wrenching on my fork every 2 months. A 55 and a Z-1 as well.
  • 1 0
 Ask anyone who bought an '08 55ata fork. I'll gladly give you 2 bike shops phone numbers that worked on my problem. Marzocchi had a serious product failure that they didn't stand behind. They should send everyone their money back that bought one.
  • 1 1
 08'-09' was when they were bought out by Tenneco and all production went to Taiwan. Nobody had a good experience with those years.
  • 1 0
 I'm not sure about the 55ata internals, but I have a friend that had his 66 air fork converted coils. My 08 55tst micro worked great until recently when I was not getting rebound dampening. A quick call to Marzocchi and a procedure was given to bleed the air out of the cartridge, returning the proper action to my fork. That being said, I would stay away from their air forks from 08-10.
  • 1 0
 The mechanic in the second picture looks loads like CG!
  • 2 0
 Wher is "M" crown?
  • 1 0
 When did a comment turn into 27 paragraphs??
  • 1 0
 I love the reviews, lol it just makes me stoked to ride more!
  • 1 0
 Looks smicko...I want to see it with Ti lowers on a Ti frame....
  • 1 0
 Will the new damper fit into the 888-chassis?
  • 1 0
 yes, stanchions did not change with the new fork. damper fits older 888
  • 1 0
 This Bike Looks so good!!! Please more pics
  • 1 2
 Marzocchi has been sucking big dirty donkey balls for a long, LOOOOONG time. Just fuck off guys. Just GFY and, yeah.................. GFY!
  • 1 0
 What are those wheels?
  • 2 0
 they appear to be industry nine wheels
  • 3 0
 Yup, they are Industry Nine's DH wheels. Review soon.
  • 1 0
 Sweet
  • 1 1
 Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiik!
  • 1 0
 Ooo, nice!!!
  • 1 0
 My Next Fork and Shock
  • 4 7
 any weight , price , timeline for these being available? how was that rear shock?looks nice. i'd hate to go off the front and catch a knee on the end of those crowns
  • 17 0
 Here, let me read the article for you.

• Production fork weight: 6.28lb
• Availability: September, 2013
• MSRP: TBA
  • 7 1
 haha shit. i'm easily sidetracked. sorry man
  • 2 0
 @whitebirdfeathers.. you sir, just made my day!
  • 2 5
 Awesome product.. But lets not forgets its titanium construction... That means expen$ive
  • 4 0
 it's just a Ti spring, the same thing Marzo has been doing for years, the stanctions aren't Ti they are still the nickle coating we have gotten used to with marzo
  • 3 0
 Its just the spring, and that isn't all that expensive. Plus this will be sold as a premium option to the 888, not a replacement, so why not put the best in your best fork?
  • 3 1
 titanium construction? haha
  • 2 1
 'titanium clamp bolts'
  • 1 0
 spring, and all the bolts are Ti. don't know about the price, but here in Russia, DVO official dealer offers Emeralds for 2340US dollars.
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