As you might know from my blog here or talking in various threads about @RetroBike I have rebuildt a bike and have a lot of fun with it.
But I’m still not satisfied with the front fork (a red DH3 from 1996), I’d like to have a higher axle-to-crown distance. So my first try is a Marzocchi Bomber Z1 classic with 100mm travel, it has a height of 473mm and uses another technic for suspension.
The older XC Marzocchi’s used an oil/air suspension system. Compressed air (up to 4bar) does the suspension, oil does the damping. I drove this forks in all of my bikes in various setups for the last 25 years.
Starting with the Z1 (classic) Marzocchi uses another approach which comes from the motor bycicle technique. The fork has more weight, 30mm stanchions and is from much stronger construction. It has a coil springs & oil hydraulic design, means the both legs have each 2 springs integrated, one for rebound and one for preload.
Damping is done using dual (oil-) bath catridges, compression and damping is adjustable. The difference is: it is soft in the beginning (air pressure zero when starting the compression, just the spring is preloaded) and will grow during press-in. The stronger the fork is compressed, the higher the air is compressed. The 2 hydraulic cartridges will handle the damping. Most effective design!
For me this is easy, I can service such forks , I still have some oil seals left and most important I have suitable steerers and Bomber crowns left.
There is a bigger ‘BUT’, because the basic colour of the Z1 is ‘orange tangerine dream’ only, which does not fit to the bike.
I don’t know what’s the best: Just don’t care or spray it!?
Or may be go for a red eloxal??
Another ‘BUT’ is, that the 100mm travel and the 473mm might be not enough. So l’m looking for a Z1 BAM with 130mm travel. The Z1 BAM are available with 100 and 130 travel, I do not understand in the last detail because of all the models which had been places on the marked. But we’ll see.
This forks are o.k. for the frame, it will fit to the building years.
(will add pictures later)
