Product Test: Marzocchi 44 Micro Switch Fork and Roco Air Shock
Marzocchi was founded over 60 years ago in 1949. To say they have experience with designing components for two-wheeled machines is an understatement. Two brothers, who at the time were designers for the prestigious Ducati Corporation, founded the company with the vision to focus on suspension products. Within a decade, the company had become the original equipment supplier for the likes of Ducati, BMW, KTM and Aprillia.
In the ’80s, Marzocchi introduced their first mountain bike suspension fork. By 1995, the forks had evolved into the iconic Bomber design, which was highly regarded as the only suspension worth running on the front of your bike at the time. Recently, Tenneco, a 5.9-billion-dollar company that markets automotive suspension under the Monroe and Rancho brands, acquired Marzocchi. While Marzocchi’s longevity in suspension design is unmatched by any other bicycle company, they seem like an odd addition to an auto suspension company’s portfolio. We had to see if the current designs live up to Marzocchi’s reputation.
UPDATE: The management team in the Marzocchi U.S. offices made a mass exodus after this review was published. You can read the related story by clicking here. While our test findings remain the same on the product, we felt these changes should be factored into your buying decision. Is the change good or bad? We can only report that Marzocchi representatives have told us their parent company, Tenneco, is looking to fill the positions and establish a new manufacturing partner. (Update: We just received information from Marzocchi that they have found a new manufacturing partner for 2013. Read about it here.)
Tech features: The 44 Micro Switch TA fork is a 4.7- to 5.9-inch, travel adjustable, air-sprung fork with a sealed-cartridge damping system. The stanchions are nickel-coated and internally butted to save weight. The bushings are slotted to increase oil flow and keep everything well lubricated. The construction of this fork is top-notch, but it has a slightly more industrial look than other, more streamlined forks. The air spring is a two-position system featuring either 4.7 or 5.9 inches of fully active travel activated by the silver knob on the top of the right leg. The fork features adjustable rebound, infinitely adjustable compression damping and lockout. The 44 Micro Switch TA retails for $869.99 and is available in a 1.5-inch tapered or 1 1/8-inch straight steerer version, both with 15-millimeter thru-axles. Our test fork with a tapered
steerer cut to 7 inches weighed 4.1 pounds.
The Roco Air rear shock uses an air spring with a high-volume, nickel-coated air sleeve that produces a smooth, linear feel. It features rebound damping and lockout adjustments. The Roco Air LO retails for $449.99 and weighed 13.4 ounces with mounting hardware. Marzocchi USA can be contacted at (661) 964-1100.
Field test results: We mounted the full Marzocchi treatment on our trusty Intense Tracer 2 platform for the duration of the test. Both the fork and shock bolted up without any clearance issues. We settled on roughly 30 percent sag front and rear. The feel of the 44’s travel is plush and linear for an air-sprung fork, even right out of the box. While we rarely found ourselves using it, the travel adjustment functions perfectly and delivers a plush and matched feel in either setting. The TST Micro knobs allow the rider to tune the range of the compression damping via the threshold knob. The more clockwise the inner gold knob is turned, the more impact the outer knob will have on the compression damping. Once the range is set, the outer, four-position lever can be used to quickly adjust the settings on the fly. The 44 provides the buttery smooth ride that Marzocchi has always been praised for. We did notice more noise from the damper than we’ve experienced with most forks at this price point; however, once on the trail, it’s not noticeable. The ride of this fork is nearly perfect, offering tons of front-end traction and stiffness, responsive damping and ultra-plush travel. The adjustment features are also very user-friendly once the initial setup is taken care of. The shock’s feel is well matched to the fork and felt so linear that it accentuated the spring curve on our Tracer 2 test bike. The beginning of the stroke offers slight resistance, while the middle of the stroke feels buttery smooth and extremely linear. The ending stroke ramps up, but less than most air springs. This feel delivers a very usable amount of travel and a super-smooth feel for trail riding. If you’re after a more aggressive and progressive sensation, Marzocchi also offers lower-volume air-sleeve kits. While the shock performs perfectly in the open mode, the locked-out mode is harsh. If the shock is purchased aftermarket from Marzocchi, the lockout can be de-tuned to function as a low-speed compression adjustment instead, which we would have preferred. Any Roco Air LO can be sent back to the factory to be de-tuned, but this will incur a rebuild fee. The wrecking crew had a tough time adjusting to the knob configuration of the complete Marzocchi treatment. This is the only fork we’ve recently tested with the air spring in the right leg and the damper in the left. This means the travel adjustment and lockout are on the opposite sides from what we’re used to. Also, the open and locked positions on the rear shock are reversed from nearly every other shock on the market. This isn’t a drawback, but it takes time to get used to.
While our six-week test period isn’t long enough to make bold claims about long-term durability, we experienced no issues. After dozens of rides, both ends feel as solid as the day they came out of the box. The 44 and Roco Air prove that the suspension components Marzocchi makes are still able to run with the big dogs.
