My old faithful (M Trax Ti3000) has served me well over
the years as a rigid, a hard tail and then back to rigid again. I generally ride
150 miles a week (on and off road) on the poor old thing and the bi annual ritual
of replacing sprockets, chain rings, cables etc came round in March. Having purchased
an excellent pair of Marzocchi Z2 X Fly for my "good bike" in December
I was tempted by the less expensive option of Z4s for my Raleigh. Being unable resist
temptation, if it means nice new shiny bits for my bike, I am now the proud owner
of another new pair of forks. So how do they compare to the Z2?
My trail time is spent on varied surfaces...mud, sand, forests, (little) rocks, shortish
slopes (there are not many real hills in Suffolk) and bridleways. I am 6foot 4 and
weigh between 14.5 to 15 stone so I give my equipment a hard time.
The Z2 feels light...very light. Steering is sharp and responsive (almost like a
rigid fork) and being air sprung, the forks can be set up to suit any riding style.
Out of the box they felt unresponsive and "dead" but with more trail time
they begin to loosen up. I am sure that my forks have yet to be fully bedded in but
can report that they feel better every ride . Rebound damping can be set with the
aid of a long allen key (provided) and you can spend hours fiddling about if that
is what turns you on. Tuning is obviously a matter of personal preference but some
guidance does help. I did not find any "blurb" in the box so I e mailed
Marzocchi and received an extremely detailed guide almost by return. The Z2 is a
cross country race fork with 80mm of travel and as such is worth every penny.
Out of the box, using the standard pressure setting, the Z4 Flylight felt like nothing
else I had ever ridden. Heavier than the Z2 and far more basic in every department,
I was prepared for a bit of a culture shock after all, there is no way a cheap fork
could compare with the X Fly is there?
My first ride was an around the block (4 miles of bridleway and rocky bits) jaunt
just to see what they were like...twenty five miles later I decided I rather liked
these forks, in fact I liked them a lot! OK the M Trax is not a thoroughbred and
the geometry is a little relaxed by contemporary standards but the combination is
superb. The Z4 soaked up big and little hits as though they were not there and the
overall impression is one of comfort and increased confidence on those fast, lumpy
downhill bits. Steering is precise though less so than the Z2 and while heavier,
fitted to a frame like the M Trax appear to be well matched. I assume that tolerances
on the Z2 are closer than those on the Z4 hence the difference in "out of the
box" performance.
Criticisms...there is no pump included in the price so add about £20.00 to
your budget. There is insufficient tuning data so you need to contact Marzocchi via
their web site. The paint on one of the drop outs on the Z2 has come away in a great
chunk...not so good on an expensive fork but you cannot see it and it will not rust.
To summarise, both of these forks are good, the Z2 has the potential to be excellent.
Although I have the Z2 fitted to my race bike which only gets occasional use (to
delay the onset of wear and tear) they would benefit from more use. The Z4 is a brilliant
budget fork with a big grin factor. If you are looking for a XC race fork the Z2
is the best I have tried, if you want a basic all round product with 80mm of travel
on a budget you could do much worse than the Z4.
