Marzocchi Releases New 26" Only Bomber Fork for Dirt Jumpers

 @thenotoriousmic: Incorrect.

 basically a Fox 831 for half the price.... pretty good deal if you ask me.

 Rockshox 35 is a good option for budget

 I dunno man, for what it is, and the fact its gonna compete with the 831, id say its a bargain.

 @thenotoriousmic: yes we pump them up hard for jumping... however they aren't locked out, and still get some movement, but the stiffer stronger lower legs are very useful. A lot of non-pro riders will use this fork on bikes that are used in a variety of situations where a widely adjustable fork is quite nice to have!

 @Noeserd: if you like destroying cheap dampers yes, it's a great option.

 I had a pair of Dirt Jumper 1 forks back in the early-mid 2000's (it's been so long I forget the year) and it was good then. I am currently awaiting the delivery of a new Z1. I have high hopes for this fork.

 I feel like $500 is the sweet spot for price on a DJ fork.

Also why no measurements on axle to crown? I'm currently running a Manitou Circus 20mm which is great after I lowered it to 80mm, increased the air pressure to max and ordered the HD spring. One click off lock is perfect but that reversed arch kills me.

Loved the old Z1's that Nemesis Project would modify for DJ use and the DJ2 after it was lowered and thicker oil.

 @thenotoriousmic: yeah this...after switching to a 22" BMX I realized how unnecessary a dirt jumper is in most situations you see people riding them, though personal preference of course has a role. I highly prefer the feel of my BMX in everything except big slopestyle courses, where the DJ features definitely make a difference. Other than that my DJ sits at home now though.

 I want to buy one just to support the existance of 26" wheels.

 @man-wolf: Bmx’s are super scary after coming off a low long and slack mountain bike and dj bikes feel more familiar. I’m always toying with the idea of getting one myself for the same reason but after a few sessions on the bmx I’m always glad I didn’t. I came up short on a dirt jump last weekend and made my pikes creek. You’re going to have the exact same problem with these fork. If they had bolt up crowns and you know they’re going to last for years like the old marz DJ’s it would almost be worth it but hang up a few time and they’re going back for a new CSU before the warranty runs out and you just have to put up with the creeks.

 @man-wolf:
Yup. 22s are so fun. DJs definitely have their place, but not where I’m usually seeing them.

 @defconfour: the old man at my local shop put my circus on backwards one time, damn reverse arch!

 Apparently you haven't shopped for a DJ fork recently. You basically have.... garbage... then the 831. So you're getting a simplified 831 for half the price. Very reasonable.

 @onemanarmy: sure, it’s reasonable compared to what’s out there. And I’m not prone to the whole “everything is too expensive” trend. Still think a solid DJ fork ought to be 500 tops.

 @BiNARYBiKE: You can buy a solid DJ for for $500... It just won't be new.

 @thenotoriousmic: I think you have to consider that its a very niche market so not huge sales numbers, therefore the cost per unit is likely to go up from a production point of view. Unless they are able to cross pollinate parts from other forks they produce...

 @onemanarmy: What about Pike DJ?

 @SonofBovril: also doesn’t really do much it’s pumped up hard with a super firm compression tune so it feels almost locked out, all it needs to do is not break and require little to no maintenance. If it pulls it off there’s absolutely no reason to update it meaning tooling and r&d will be next to nothing. Just another case of the bike industry saying “what you going to do? Not ride” as they rip you off. Yeah sorry but this should not cost as much as a mid range lyrik. Also does anyone make ridged forks for dirt jump bikes?

 @onemanarmy:"Apparently you haven't shopped for a DJ fork recently. You basically have.... garbage... then the 831"
This is just inaccurate. There are LOTS of DJ riders who run Circus forks, either the expert or pro model, and praise them highly. You can get the expert for HALF (or less!) the cost of this one, and it is a more than capable fork.

 @thenotoriousmic: you're joking right? What trails do you ride where a 20" wheel would be superior to 26"? You sound like a kid too poor to get a DJ so you shit on them instead.

 @mhoshal: did you just call someone out for being poor?

 @mhoshal: lol you’re kidding right? Have you ever ridden proper dirt jumps with steep lips and landings? Sounds like you’re a guy that sucks at actually hitting dirt jumps so you’re talking shit to this guy when you clearly have no idea what you’re talking about. I’ve ridden a LOT of different jump trails on both BMX and DJ, and there are MANY situations a bmx bike will be better. As mentioned in previous comments pretty much everything other than large slope style. But of course you have to have the riding skills to handle it so, maybe not for you.

 @vid1998: pike dj is good but is up there at what $850. So the Marz dj is $150 cheaper and just as good.

I

 @man-wolf: expert is the best of the budget dj forks but the dj is better. Just is. It’s tough to compare price on a new fork vs one that’s been around and you can get on sale.

Say the dj goes on sale for $550 or even $599? So the price difference is more like $100-150. You still even thinking about the manitou?

 @man-wolf: lmao I've been djing since you were shutting in Pampers kid don't act like I can't ride when you're talking about bmx's. Why the hell are you even on an mtb site moron?

 @mhoshal: haha okay dude....All I need to do to see you suck is go to your profile and check out your videos, looks like you've been sucking for a long time also. I'm in my mid 30's and have been regularly riding for decades in various disciplines of cycling. Got my first dirt jumper in the early 2000's and BMX long before that. I regularly ride world class trails, dirt jumps, and road. Looking at your comment history I can see you are clearly a troll with some warped perspectives. So yeah, get bent.

 @mhoshal: all of them. All the best spots in the world are dominated by Bmx’s

 @onemanarmy: Here in Europe Pike DJ goes often for less than 700€ and Fox/Marzocchi rarely gets discounted. But a stiffer chassis of 36 and 20mm axle should be a difference if you do some bigger stuff.

 @thenotoriousmic: I actually just got my first Dirt Jumper in over 10 years (I had a Norco 250 new around 2006) a few weeks ago after years of only riding my BMX. My BMX is lighter and possibly stronger, but it doesn't handle ruts on older trails well, although I prefer my BMX for a skatepark still. I am very familiar with adjusting forks from my DH and trails bikes, and I can absolutely say that setting up a DJ fork is worth the effort. We don't NEED the best forks in the world but this is a nice option for the higher end

 @lognar: FYI, your old 20mm front wheel is 20x110mm.

 @lognar: 20mm fronts have always been 110mm axles. The only difference between the old ones and the “20mm boost” hubs is the placement of the brake mount (on the fork) and the rotor mount and flange spacing (on the hub). Your old wheels are safe in this fork.

 @DirtCrab: really? i never knew, just assumed it was 100

 If you really want a pair @rsfsus can press in a straight steerer

 Dont give them any crazy ideas... since the chassis is the same as the older 36, you could then install any travel (100-180mm) Z1 air spring you want and put one on your old 26" bike, but that just makes too much sense, and we can't have that.

 right? i got an argyle right before they were discontinued because i was pretty sure it would be the last 1-1/8th DJ fork made. my 2005 twofortythree is dialed but im afraid once this fork is done, so is the frame.

 @bicyclelifestyle: Is the chassis actually identical? I have a friend who might be interested in that for his 26" bike. If everything is exactly the same an air spring is only like 50 bucks.

 Did nobody go nuts when they invented conical steerer tubes? I can't remember. 1 1/8" 4lyf

 Yes!

 Yes, this!

 If they produce these in 1 1/8 straight steer... they'll sell 1000 in the first week.

 Can use a press in external cup on the bottom (hope makes one) that will allow you to run the tapered steerer, without affecting the geo much.

 @SonofBovril: Have you got a link for this? Regards.

 @BenPea: Actually, everyone went nuts when Manitou introduced onepointfive (1.5" straight steerer). Manitou said you needed this to get more than 130mm travel with a single crown fork, so promptly Marzocchi introduced their z150 fork to "prove" them wrong. Most fork manufacturers then released longer travel single crown forks with both 1 1/8" and 1.5" straight steerers, yet at the same time frame manufacturers played it safe and made their frames compatible with the larger diameters. So when fork manufacturers eventually released tapered steerers, no one was complaining. It just phased out the straight 1.5" steerers, not immediately the straight 1 1/8" ones. In fact, I've still got a 2007 Magura Wotan 160mm single crown fork with a straight 1 1/8" steerer even though they also had the tapered steerer option at the time. By the time fork manufacturers went with tapered only (which was only halfway this past decade), no one was complaining anymore.

@SonofBovril : Isn't it the other way around only? A lower crown race to allow people to use a 1 1/8" straight steerer in a headset originally made for a tapered steerer?

 @vinay: Cannondale had something to do with it too I seem to remember, planting 1.5" seeds in people's heads. Was it the stem manufacturers who prevented full 1.5 hegemony? The tapered thing seems to be a strange half-way house, in the same way as 15mm axles (I won't include 650b in that category). It's also a pain in the arse if you want to save 600-700g by putting a recent enduro fork on an old frame, because you just can't. It's fine if you go t he ough

 (sausage fingers)... if you go through bikes like there's no tomorrow.

 @BenPea: I recall the reasoning was that at the end of the day it are the loads at the root of the steerer are larger so that's where the increased diameter makes most sense and it wasn't all that much required at the upper section. In a way they kind of defied that point by making these forks available with tapered as well as straight 1 1/8" steerers without making any reservations about their envelope on how they can be used, maximum weights etc. So technically they just said the fork is just as capable no matter which steerer it comes with. I think Cannondale only started with 1.5" because they had their Headshok forks, so spring and damper units had to be housed inside the headtube. I don't recall they claimed it to be better in any way, structurally.

As for the stems, obviously different interfaces require more options which, for the manufacturers that do have the capacity, only gives them more options to sell something new. And as the biggest players do have that capacity and eagerness to sell you a replacement for something that could easily have lasted a lifetime, it won't be them who'd be bothered. But we were already running 40mm stems back then, I can imagine going that short or even shorter must have been hard with a steerer that large. It probably wouldn't have been able to pair with the newer (and unconvincing) 35mm handlebar interface we're seeing now.

The 15x100mm front axle is a funny one. Initially my reaction was also, what's the point if you've already got 20x110? But most popular cartridge bearing hubs (so excluding Shimano) could be converted between 20x110 and 9x100 qr. So basically, the added width improved nothing. No larger distance between bearings, no wider flange spacing, nothing. If you can realize the same with a 15x100 interface (with the thinner diameter axle requiring a smaller hole in the fork lower, reducing the loads there) then that actually is the better solution. And if the newer 20x110 boost hubs actually do utilize that width properly then that just is the better solution. So yeah, I'm no fan of changing standards (and actually don't have anything boost here) but the original 20x110 just wasn't what it should have been.

On the plus side, with the reducing fork offsets going as low as 37mm, there is no reason why a modern 27.5" fork couldn't serve as a perfect 26" fork.

 @vinay:. ... apart from the tapered steerer tube thing.

That was an unexpected deep dive!

 @SonofBovril: this actually only works if you have a 44mm head tube as the lower 1.5" steerer won't fit into the smaller diameter head tube

 @vinay: this. 1.5 straight came out before taper. Then I recall seeing a table back in the day showing that taper was almost all of the stiffness of 1.5 with only slightly more weight than 1 1/8. Though it was probably from a fork manufacturer so take it with a grain of salt.

 Ironically, most new frames are cheaper than the fork.

 Haha. Pretty close to what might have happened. Still a cool fork.

 I gotta say those do look pretty damn close.

 @bman33: I'd say it was more like:
"Hey guys, sales are slowing up. We need something new. Who has the most disposable income?" - Overlord
"40-50 yr old suburban males sir." - Minion
"What bike stuff did they obsess over in their 20's?" - Overlord
"Zokes sir!" - Minion
"Make them. Mark them up. And make them in 26" - Overlord
"Whuuu....I mean YES SIR!!!" - Minion
"Muhhhuhhuhuhhhahhhh!!!" - Overlord

 The Marchocci(sp?) brand being trickle down Fox with some corners cut is pretty dang sweet tho. Getting that 140mm Z2 (34 clone) fork on a 2k$ new FS bike is WAY better than the coil fork junk or RS Recon junk that used to be on there instead.

 I googled the 2015 Talas, and the lowers are identical, same arch design, same axle mounting system, LOL.

 @Svinyard: How are you too lazy to look up the name Marzocchi when it's literally in the address bar? haha!

 @j-t-g: touche

 @Ryan2949: Yep. I have a 36 with the same. Not looking to part with the bolted on 20mm axle any time soon.

 @Ryan2949: you are right! That is too funny. Pretty neat.

 @Ryan2949: this isn’t a secret, fox bought marz, they just took the 36 831 and made a simple cheaper version of it.

It’s about time they did this.

 @blowmyfuse: (raises hand as middle aged suburban male with disposable income who lusted over these in the 2000's) YES!

 @billg: totally understandable.

It's just an utter shame the Bomber Girls weren't reintroduced. Unless there's maybe a Rededit version of the press release from @MarzocchiMTB ???

 Can we all just have a rather stunning and awesome moment of silence for toxic masculinity courtesy of those awesome Italians at @MarzocchiMTB?

www.mtb-mag.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/12-ottobre-04.jpg

 @blowmyfuse: damnit son... cheers

 i'd be happy if i could get my hands on a little used 380, dorito's flexy on side impacts

 It would be smart for Marzocchi would become the king of the 26" old school bike fork replacement market, which is actually a pretty significant market. Millions of bikes with forks that will go bad.

 A few years ago I was looking for a 6ish inch travel 26" 20x110 straight steerer fork. It was like hunting unicorns.

 @DoubleCrownAddict: i guess i could tolerate a 27.5 bike but 29 is just ridiculous unless you're 6 feet. 26 is still more fun probably

 It's a lot worse these days...

 @Duderz7: Same. Finding one that isn't slightly wrecked is even worse. But at least it was cheap...

 I wonder if you could fit the CSU of the longer travel Bombers on the DJ

 and 36mm stanchions!

 and it's red!

 you can always buy lower cup from hope as an adaptor, however you will to lover like 10-15mm your fork

 @nickmalysh: i did this on an old STP frame.
Worked great.

 it does have adjustable rebound damping

 It has the most basic fox damper.

 @astro99: I meant only adjustable rebound.

 @NorCalNomad: that's fair enough, I forget they don't go as low spec as rockshox on things like dampers, I know some rs are literally rebound only.

 @inked-up-metalhead: Cheapest and most reliable damper that fox has in the lineup - purge valve for oil issues.
LSC is pretty useful to have for jumps as well. There's a pretty big range of LSC on the trail-oriented grip forks. I feel like I'd miss not having LSC adjustment on a fork that's going to spend it's life getting preloaded into lips.

 @inked-up-metalhead: A compression damper actually serves more function than a lot of people think for dirt jumping, with a good enough damper you can set it up to make it almost exactly like a rigid fork at takeoff but still almost use it's full travel at landing through some shim stack adjustments, and quite alot of pros like it that way. As a matter of fact pros such as Brandon Semenuk, Sam Pilgrim to name a few have their forks compression damping all the way to maximum on their bike along with air pressure at almost maximum or even beyond, I believe there's a Pinkbike article stated that Semenuk runs his Pike DJ at 190psi with 4 tokens and LSC at maximum. It's kind of an old school idea to just run super high psi alone to stiff up the fork, but that's due to compression damper just simply sucks back then so if you try using any for dirt jumping it'll explode, but with the technology and design we have nowadays you can actually use compression damper as a stiff up method for dirt jumping and you'll still be able to get full travel instead of just a over stiffened pogo stick, just that not all of them are that durable and you still need high psi to support the damper.

But yeah some people still do prefer the super high psi and super slow rebound and go combo, but since this is a first new DJ fork(sort of, it's still basically a 36 831) that labeled as a Marzocchi product in quite a while so it's reasonable for them to put something good on the table first, and hopefully they'll make a downgraded cheaper version in the future.

 How is that expert? I'm trying to find a discounted one. Anything you dont like about it for a guy not going huge?

 @Svinyard: Beginner at dirt jumping here. I have a Circus Expert that is a massive upgrade from the cheap boat-anchor Marzocchi DJ3 I have before. The Expert can be really stiff or somewhat plush.
The complaints that I have are in the reliability segment:
- Top-out clicking noise
- Bushing play
Browsing forums, this seems to be a common issue. I've been told by a shop that bushings + service would be a 200€ fix. Debating whether it's worth it...

 if you get a bike and go practice, the skills can be yours. age is a number. the limitation is up to you. I met a dude at one of the local bike parks this summer who was 42 and just started to learn to ride DJ when he was 40, he was able to do tuck nohanders and a good grip of other tricks. inspiring to say the least.

 Dirt Jumping is almost a critical training tool like the pumptrack. Get a DJ and hit the pumptrack and DJ's for sure. There is a LOT more to jumping than just sending a smooth big radius park booter at speed. A mellow DJ line is a great place to build that muscle memory and confidence in a place where you can just hit the same exact jumps over and over again.

 Oh for sure I'm not being totally serious, and am making excuses. I don't even get out on the trail bike as much as I want, so I'd have to have a pump track and dirt jumps right in the neighborhood to make it work. I have been considering a used BMX bike messing around like that. Age is just a number, but arthritis in the hands and severely shot lumbar disks are very real though. The time it takes me to heal now that I'm in my 50s though - whoa. At least if I hurt myself on dirt jumps I wouldn't have to worry about rehab because my wife would kill me first.

 I bought my first dirt jumper at 34, having a blast. My MtB skills have pretty much doubled in about 2 years. It helps if there is a good sceane in your area. I live in Portland OR and I'm lucky enough to have outdoor and indoor tracks (shout out to Lumberyard).

 I started dirt jumping when I turned 50. Repeat on the easier lines and you will get better. I used to be the guy who could crash hopping off a curb. DJ is the most fun you can have on a $1000 bike, guaranteed!

 @alwaysOTB: We didn't have any DJ's nearby (out in the Gorge in HR), so I got the ball rolling last Oct and group of us & HRATS built some at Golden Eagle park near the High School. Pro builder guy did all of the hardwork with excavator in a month, after 10mo of city meetings/approvals etc. You should check it out, its kind of modeled off the Blue Line at the Lumberyard but with a few progressive lines built in. We raised about 14k$ so it nearly funded itself (I went over budget a bit). Its not huge, we only had so much space and money to work with but its definitely fun and there is the Velosolutions pumptrack there along with a beginners learn-to-stand-and-pedal dirt pumptrack zone too. Cool community project, we need more of these. Apparently there is some stuff in Tualatin and Lake Oswego just put something in...but unfortunately that one kind of sucks, but there is potential. DJ's are good and the new Mitchell Ridge updates ARE SIIICK..fun day in the Hood. (Is the lumberyard running these days btw??). BTW there is an even bigger park being built by the same guy in White Salmon this fall.

Golden Eagle Bike Skills Park:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQq11sQN4t0

Upcoming White Salmon Bike Park: (just my model for now, dirt is getting moved soon tho)
www.pinkbike.com/photo/19484405
ep1.pinkbike.org/p5pb19484406/p5pb19484406.jpg
www.pinkbike.com/photo/19484407

 @number44: Also being 50+ and arthritic (hands and knees and more) DJ seemed like the stupidest sport to take up, but there is some magic in sticking the landings perfectly. The silence and calm you feel when your wheels leave the ground followed by a smooth landing melts away any stress you may feel, including death threats from the wife. I've been there. Worst DJ injuries are just some pedal slips (get shin guards) and a few bruised ribs (when I got over-confident on a bigger line). Currently recovering from my worst crash ever - on a trail ride - broken jaw, hand and wrist ligament surgery. Wish my local DJ place had been open instead of the rocky trail ride... so does my wife...

 Probably more robust and stiffer than the Expert, cheaper than a Pike DJ or Fox 831. Seems like a nice option.

 Probably a bit stiffer. I wouldn't expect any other improvements to be fair though. Spring and damper are pretty solid with the Circus.

 Yeah, some new dj bikes still only have 1 1/8" straight steerer, huge miss not having it as an option.

I guess I will just have to buy another Manitou, props to them for being the only decent option for straight steerer frames.

 Identity are slawesome forks, especially 10x110

 i know right?

 Where the heck are you finding a complete DJ bike with a fork on it for $900?

 @onemanarmy: ok fair enough, 1200 will be canyon or gt; ns and darmoor have some around grand, also identity or dmr sell nice complete; my point is 700$ for dj fork for average dj rider is kinda steep, since u do not need much from suspension

I still ride argyle fork - which is super simple and doing job just fine;

Any low end fork with true axel will make a trick

 Nah Maybe in 2014, not 2020

 Upgrading from 1 1/8 so is really worth it. The handling feel is improved, feels more rigid, headset holds longer.

 Because tooling on a 26 specific z1 lower would be cost prohibitive and you’d never get a marzocchi dj. At least now you do. If this sells well maybe we’ll see a truly new dj from marzocchi. Same reason there’s no 29in 58.

Money talks.

 Awesome to have more options but, both the Pike and 36 have been coming in DJ configurations for a while now, and are abundantly in stock online.
www.ridefox.com/family.php?m=bike&family=36831
www.sram.com/en/rockshox/models/fs-pike-dj-a4

 @lognar: Interesting. When i was looking 2 years ago I could not find much. Ended up picking up a 2017 pike thats working great.

 @lognar: both of those options are a few hundred more.

 Manitou's Circus Expert and Pro are also easy options that are pretty great for the price. This seems like the best option for an upper echelon fork tho with 36mm stanchions.

 @MikeyMT: maybe they're newer than I know, though I thought the pike DJ was around 3-4 years ago when I was looking to build a DJ

 @Svinyard: Expert for the win. Why spend more?

 I agree, but I think for guys that go big enough to need a 36mm fork...this is a lot more affordable than a Pink/831. How did you break your Circus??

 Oh for sure it’ll be great for some
Other guys but I don’t ride my DJ that often so spending 700 on a fork for my $850 la bomba (used) isn’t a worth while
Upgrade @Svinyard:

 @freeridejerk888: Same, my Astronut was 560$ shipped when you could still get them lol. Hard to drop 700$ on the fork...I'm not going big either. I'm just trying to find a deal on a Circus Expert.

 with an air spring kit and the 15mm axle conversion kit you can do exactly that with this fork.

 @So if you change the air shaft what is the maximum travel you can make these forks?

 @foxfactory:

 @foxfactory: Are the stanchions long enough to do that? Or do these lowers have full length bushings like the old DJ24street had so that you can indeed increase the fork length/travel at the expense of stanchion overlap? Also, couldn't find full specs anywhere, what's the axle to crown height for these (at 100mm travel)?

 you will never hit the rebound adjuster on anything. ever. promise.

 Can just take it off after setting how you want it ?

 @foxfactory: you guys should make just a round dial that is indexed, I hit mine on the Z1 all the time.

 air springs are lighter and far superior for DJ applications.

 @foxfactory: so are rigids

 My DJ 2 broke in half, back in the day, so we'll take a, "yes" on that one. It had wicked graphics on it though, looking back. Pirate style writing/graphics, on black. Should have transplanted them to my new fork.

 www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=mKwdcR9w&id=1BC14253849B5F29A58E76DF26F502A7D182821A&thid=OIP.mKwdcR9wBA2IcaG2qIRYtQAAAA&mediaurl=https%3A%2F%2Fep1.pinkbike.org%2Fp4pb9829891%2Fp4pb9829891.jpg&exph=800&expw=450&q=Dirt+jumper+2+2004&simid=608007338819783657&ck=4137E1D720512264B776799A2811248E&selectedindex=0&form=IRPRST&ajaxhist=0&vt=1&sim=11

 There are a number of reasons why dedicated 26" is much better:
1. Can't do foot jams with 27.5
2. In order to get the axle to crown correct with a 27.5 fork you have to drop travel to 80mm or less, which is not enough
3. Most 27.5 forks use boost spacing whereas most 26" DJ wheelsets are 20mm DH spacing