BIKERUMOR.com 2009 SEA OTTER CLASSIC COVERAGE: Where Fox moved to fully enclosed FIT dampers in their forks, Marzocchi is reintroducing their open bath systems for 2010.  That change, combined with additional coil spring internals, was made with the goal of increasing ease of use.  That’s not to say they’re moving away from air forks…quite the contrary, many of their new models have Air Assist preloads to help ease the fork into its travel.  They have a lot of new stuff in their 2010 line in forks ranging from XC to monstrous DH…here we go:
The first thing I noticed when their rep had all the new forks lined up was the beefy appearance.  Marzocchi’s long been known for strong, stiff forks, and judging by the looks of these, they don’t seem likely to flex or deflect easily.  Then, there’s the color schemes…rich, dark hues of purple, black and gray with red and gold knob accents.  These forks are unique looking to be sure.  But what about the tech?
 The Corsa and 44 suspension forks will have their new TST Micro Adjust, which allows for infinite control of compression damping, from full open to full lockout.  That’s the red lever on the left side.  The gold knob is the new threshold adjustment to control the end of stroke damping. The gray knob is the cover for the air valve, and the red perimeter knob is for their Air Volume Adjust, which allows you control the compression curve by altering the volume of air in the chamber.
Marzocchi also offers ATA (Internally Adjustable Travel) models without the TST Micro. In fact, the only difference between the Corsa and the 44 is the travel.
The Corsa TST has 100mm travel, and the Corsa ATA adjusts from 80mm to 100mm.  The 44 TST Micro has 120mm travel, and the ATA models range from 100mm to 140mm.  Forks are either/or, they’re not offering TST compression adjustment with the ATA models.
There’s a lot more to cover, hit “more” for a full rundown of their other new features, forks and technology, including the monstrous new 888 Downhill fork…
Close up of the TST Micro Adjust knob.
Close up of the Air Adjust knob.  It allows you to adjust the air spring’s compression curve.
The ATA models have different knobs.  The Rebound adjustment is on top (above), Compression on bottom.  The air valve remains on the top.  Ti spring models get an Air Assist that uses 15- to 30 psi that smoothes out the middle of the travel, and they have a Preload adjustment for the beginning of the travel.
For 2010, all forks get new bushings and a new rubber bottom out bumper.  Here are the new models:
New 44 29er Fork w/ 15mm Axle
The new 44 29er fork (above) uses a 15mm thru-axle only and will be available in several versions:
- TST Micro Adjust w/ Ti Spring (1.9kg)
- TST2 w/ Steel Spring (2.2kg)
- ATA with 100mm to 140mm travel
- 32mm stanchions
The rebound adjustment will be on the bottom, and the TST compression adjustments will be on the top, like the 26″ forks. MSRP will be around $450.
NEW DIRT JUMP / 4-CROSS FORK
Marzocchi’s dirt jump / 4X fork is completely redesigned with an all-new ‘upside down’ crown.  They claim it makes it stiffer and lighter, and the webbed arch increase lateral stiffness. Click on the image above to enlarge, you’ll notice the crown’s top is recessed…typically the bottom of the crown is machined out or recessed.
888 RC3 EVO TI
For full on downhill, the 888 RC3 Evo Ti is Marzocchi’s premiere bump eater.  It uses a Ti spring, Nickel coated tapered stanchion tubes and a new/different RC3 cartridge that allows the rider to tun the compression curve with interchangable shim stacks.  Weight is 2.99kg with 38mm stanchions and 200mm travel.
 
Compression adjustment is on the bottom, Preload on the top.  Rebound and Air Volume Adjust allow you to control the compression curve.
Folks like Wade Simmons, Richie Schley, Brian Lopes and Cedric Gracia use this thing to kick butt.
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