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View Full Version : The Marzocchi Code


rockyrider
12-16-2007, 11:46 AM
Forget some wacky novel about secret religious Davinci Codes, the most cryptic thing to come out of Italy is a 2008 Marzocchi Owner's Manual.

If you own a 2008 Marzocchi fork equipped with ATA travel adjust, the manual will have skipped several key features that you need to know to make this sucker work. I had to find this info out from the Marz Canada service centre (conveniently located about 1km from my house).

The owner's manual is terribly secretive about where things are. There is a table that gives you the air pressure values for the ATA cartridge, but no indication of where to find the ATA valve. There are two separate air chambers with two separate air valves, and they have to filled in the correct sequence. What I am about to reveal to you is a secret, I can't take any responsibility for what happens to you once you learn this secret.

The all important ATA valve is hidden beneath the ATA knob. You must insert a thin bladed screw driver and pry the knob off. There is no evidence that this possible or advisable from the outside of the fork. It takes a fair bit of leverage to get it loose.

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This exposes the air valve and leaves lots of annoying little marks on the fork.

On the bottom of the fork leg, you'll find the PAR valve hidden under something that looks more like a valve cover.

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Depressurize both valves completely after the fork is fully extended in the ATA travel adjust.

Pressurize the top valve first to the recommended ATA pressure setting.

Then pressurize the PAR valve to the recommended setting.

Note that if you decide to change the ATA pressure setting to adjust sag, it is necessary to depressurize both valves first and then repeat the order for setting the pressures. It does make a huge difference in the way the fork feels, you can't just add or subtract 10PSI at the ATA valve without going through this process.

If your 2008 Marzocchi fork has a 20mm QR thru axle, the other thing that is not mentioned anywhere in the manual is how that QR works. You tighten the QR lever until it bottoms out and then you apply enough pressure until it snaps loudly into place. It takes a lot of torque to do that and you will think you snapped the QR in half. About 80% of the time, that leaves that QR lever pointing forward or in some other twig catching position. Once it has snapped into place, you just keep applying torque and it will click around to some more sensible position, it has a ratchet on the lever like a gas cap.

LeeMcGough
12-16-2007, 03:13 PM
Are they still putting out the "universal" manuals with their forks? You know, the ones where you have to hunt for the information for your particular fork in a manual that has some (but not all) of the required information for everything they made that year. Those are annoying as hell! Why would I want the manual for 10 forks I don't own?! Just a coherent one for the actual fork purchased would do just nicely, thanks.

rockyrider
12-16-2007, 03:44 PM
Yep, the 2008 Bomber manual. Still not the best thing to carry through airport security.