Paging Robot Chicken

[The Squeaky Wheel]

I'm interested in your thoughts on stroke quality, rebound & compression damping and ease of travel adjustability on the 66 SL.
Could you compare it to the Pike coil. Don't bother with things like height, additional travel, etc and just concentrate on the suspension characteristics.

Thanks.

[SSINGA]

That is code for "I already have one on order and want to justify the purchase to myself"

[The Squeaky Wheel]

That is code for "I already have one on order and want to justify the purchase to myself"

Who do you think I am?
FoShizzle?

Thinking about it. I want more travel and a higher front end but LOVE the action of the Pike. Z1 isn't stiff enough for my tastes and I'm not a big fan of the 36, Van or TALAS. That essentially leaves the 66 series. The SL is air which immediately turns me off and the others start adding some significant weight. So I'm just feeling things out right now. I'm transitioned to ski mode and all disposable income is now going towards snow schwag.
In all liklihood I'll hold out for the RS 38 which I hope to get a preview of in the not-so-distant future.

[Robot Chicken]

I'm interested in your thoughts on stroke quality, rebound & compression damping and ease of travel adjustability on the 66 SL.
Could you compare it to the Pike coil. Don't bother with things like height, additional travel, etc and just concentrate on the suspension characteristics.

Thanks.

Did I see the chicken spotlight in the sky? RC to the rescue!

Even though a Marzocchi takes a month or two to get full smoothness, I'm extremely impressed so far. It's about the same difference between a Pike coil and a Pike air. You can't reaaly fault the Pike air at all, it feels just as good as the coil.

Best thing about the 66sl? Being able to set my sag. I didn't really care about sag before, but now that I have a Fox DHX 5 in the rear sagged at 30% the front felt a little too stiff and high for X amount of travel. One reason I didn't go with an 06 boxxer ride.

The new low speed compression is nice. I will have to mess with that more this weekend.


Not that I ever expected my Pike to snap, the 66sl is more confidence inspiring. Makes the rest of my bike look like XC gear.

So far I've only been riding it in 150 something mm mode. I will jump it up to 170mm tomorrow when we do our UBER mountain snow ride in 1 foot of snow.


I'm still messing with air pressures and the fork hasn't boken in 100%. A full review and how to setup the fork will be posted in the near future.

I only switched to the 66sl because I wanted more travel and more beef. Pike is still one of the best 32mm forks you can buy though. Mine has actually been less maintenance than any Zoke I've ever had.


edit: I'm also holding out for the new RS 38 fork. The 66sl is getting sold instantly when those suckers come out. If it has Uturn (5-7inches) and motion control I'm all over it. I can't imagine a better fork than a burly PIKE!!

[The Squeaky Wheel]

Cool & Thanks.

Like I said, I'll probably do nothing until Spring.

I like Boxxer Ride too but dual crown forks on a trailbike = lots of knee banging. No thanks. We strapped a Boxxer Ride onto a 6-Pack and one ride was all it took to convince me that it's not for everyday riding. Great fork though. Like an overgrown Pike.

One thing I'll disagree on is coil Pike v. air. I think the air Pike is superb but still doesn't maintain the same traction as the coil. YMMV.

[Robot Chicken]

Cool & Thanks.

Like I said, I'll probably do nothing until Spring.

I like Boxxer Ride too but dual crown forks on a trailbike = lots of knee banging. No thanks. We strapped a Boxxer Ride onto a 6-Pack and one ride was all it took to convince me that it's not for everyday riding. Great fork though. Like an overgrown Pike.

One thing I'll disagree on is coil Pike v. air. I think the air Pike is superb but still doesn't maintain the same traction as the coil. YMMV.

I don't have much time on a Pike air. I'm just going by what others have reported here, like tscheezy.

Plus, aren't big sticky front tires for traction? I've always felt that trying to setup a fork to take the small stuff your tire should take, isn't a good method.

My impressions of the 66sl could be pampered a bit by my 2.5 front DH nevegal stickE tire at 14 psi and on a 39mm rim! Small bump traction is good even with a rigid!




I would suspect that the Pike air you rode wasn't setup right or something. Every detailed report I;ve read has said the Pike air is just as good as the coil in every way once set up and broken in (not that the Pike needs breaking in).

[Robot Chicken]

ok here's some more info after a day of bashing around the woods!

On the topic of travel reduction. Some of you will be glad to know I've been able to take the fork down to 120mm!!!!!!!!! All you need to do is set the negative PSI to about 200-210 and the positive to around 20-40 depending on weight. Then put about 5-10 in the PAR. MIND YOU THAT IS A TOP OUT 120mm!! I am not just saggin the fork way down. This will prove incredibly handy for climbing, DJ, and XC. I'm sooooo stoked!


I've also played with the compression with good results. If you like the TST cart, you're going to cream your pants over the new RC2 low speed compression! Brian Peterson was correct, the new low speed damping adjust has an incredible range and is of the same effect of the first few TST settings. Anyone with an AM fork with TST might want to check out putting a z1 rc2 damper into there for kicks. Very nice, even though I'm more into low compression, so it's not exactly anything I'll really ever use. It does however tune out brake dive pretty well!

Ohh and real world weight? LBS scaled my fork at exactly 5.6 lbs with cut steerer and axle. Not bad, not bad at all. In fact I can't tell any difference in weight from my Pike.

[sampo]

Robot Chicken or anyone who has ridden 66SL/Van RC2

I weigh about 60kg. I ride an ASX and ride everything from heavy XC trails on it to DH and for two solid months next season, Whistler/Shore (Oh yes). I currently run an 03 super T (lovely fork). Now, I can't decide between the Van RC2 and 66SL. I have heard great things about the fox, but am very tempted by the extra travel (and more importantly, higher a-c) of the 66.

What do you guys think of the quality of travel on the 66sl? Is it as plush and controlled as the Van RC2?

Thanks,
Sampo

[Alpenglow]

I am kinda kicking myself for picking up an 05 AM1 closeout instead of waiting for the Z1 light eta. Don't get me wrong, I like the AM1, but I think I would have like the 20mm & new dampening better. Thanks

I've also played with the compression with good results. If you like the TST cart, you're going to cream your pants over the new RC2 low speed compression! Brian Peterson was correct, the new low speed damping adjust has an incredible range and is of the same effect of the first few TST settings. Anyone with an AM fork with TST might want to check out putting a z1 rc2 damper into there for kicks.

[Robot Chicken]

Robot Chicken or anyone who has ridden 66SL/Van RC2

I weigh about 60kg. I ride an ASX and ride everything from heavy XC trails on it to DH and for two solid months next season, Whistler/Shore (Oh yes). I currently run an 03 super T (lovely fork). Now, I can't decide between the Van RC2 and 66SL. I have heard great things about the fox, but am very tempted by the extra travel (and more importantly, higher a-c) of the 66.

What do you guys think of the quality of travel on the 66sl? Is it as plush and controlled as the Van RC2?

Thanks,
Sampo

The 66SL is just incredible all around. It's a good alternative to the Van36 for people who want more travel, more beef, adjustable travel, and the ability to change the spring rate when you want.

This fork could easily be used be a 100 lb rider or a 300 lb rider.

I just replaced a Pike SL with the 66SL. The Pike is just about the smoothest a coil fork can get for small bumps. I have noticed no difference at all in small bump compliance, as long as the negative pressure is up high. On top of that, the fork is only a week old, so it will get better with a month or two.

I'm mostly excited about the travel adjust. I was worried it would be limited to 150mm - 170mm ,but it turns out it can go even lower than 100mm.

[Renegade]

On the topic of travel reduction. Some of you will be glad to know I've been able to take the fork down to 120mm!!!!!!!!! .

RC, have you ridden your bike with your fork at the 120 or 130mm settings? I know you've gotten it that low, but I'm interested in the quality of the ride at those settings. Is the performance of the fork the same at the lower settings as it is at the higher ones? Thanks.

[jncarpenter]

RC, have you ridden your bike with your fork at the 120 or 130mm settings? I know you've gotten it that low, but I'm interested in the quality of the ride at those settings. Is the performance of the fork the same at the lower settings as it is at the higher ones? Thanks.

....yeah & does the fork stay that low after a good hour ride where you put it to the test or does it begin to creep back up?

[Robot Chicken]

....yeah & does the fork stay that low after a good hour ride where you put it to the test or does it begin to creep back up?

That isn't even the half of it!!!! 120mm is nothing. This sucker goes down to 40mm!

Yes, the fork stays down when riding. THIS IS NOT A SAG HEIGHT!! THIS IS TOP OUT HEIGHT!!!

Yes, the fork feels avery bit as good at 120mm as any other Fork I've ever ridden at 120mm. The biggest plus is that you can still run a soft spring rate when lowered, but never bottom out by rasing the PAR which only effects the last 1 inch of travel. This fact alone makes it a little better than a coil fork in terms of having BOTH smooth riding and bottom out resistance. That's why I think this is an ideal dirt jump fork.


BTW, I weigh close to 200 lbs. I have also lowered the travel to 40mm and everywhere in between while still maintaining a good spring rate. I have not even come close to exceeding ANY of the pressures including the negative pressures. I'm suspecting the engineers at Marzocchi intended this fork to be lowered really far, but the marketing team decided to just call it 150-170mm to keep it from taking sales from the z1 lineup. Why buy a Z1 for $30 less when you can get a 66 for the same weight and travel? Good question.

Want proof? Here ya go. I rode it like this for an hour, never even hit bottom when I tried. This is truely the most versatile and adjustable fork ever made, PERIOD.




On top of that, you guys are going to cream your pants over the damping system RC2. The new low speed compression adjust is freakin amazing at making the ride a bit more controlled and illiminating brake dive.

[SSINGA]

Anyone else on a 66SL????

It's not that I don't beleive you RC just want to make sure yours isn't a fluke.

[rich.grandzol]

Anyone else on a 66SL????

It's not that I don't beleive you RC just want to make sure yours isn't a fluke.

My review:

http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/2006_fro...t_125181.shtml

[Renegade]

Hey Rich, what 0-100 psi pump are you getting, and where are you getting it? Thanks!

[SSINGA]

Hey Rich, what 0-100 psi pump are you getting, and where are you getting it? Thanks!

I'm sure Zocchi recommends this one

[Renegade]

I'm sure Zocchi recommends this one

linky-no-worky

[SSINGA]

linky-no-worky

Must be your POS puter!!

here is the long version:

http://www.marzocchi.com/Template/de...21&IDNegozio=2

[Renegade]

Must be your POS puter!!

here is the long version:

http://www.marzocchi.com/Template/de...21&IDNegozio=2

well, it might be my POS 'puter; I'm not one of those I.S. guys who has the most-bestest computers. It seems that my company doesn't think that a machinist needs the most-bestest.
Linky still no-worky for me.

[SSINGA]

well, it might be my POS 'puter; I'm not one of those I.S. guys who has the most-bestest computers. It seems that my company doesn't think that a machinist needs the most-bestest.
Linky still no-worky for me.

Well then, I'm sure you can figure it out. Go to Marzocchi USA webite. Hover the cursor over the softgoods menu and then click Bomber tools. Click the details button under the fork pump.

[rich.grandzol]

Hey Rich, what 0-100 psi pump are you getting, and where are you getting it? Thanks!

I can't remember the brand name, but I think they are the first manufacturer listed in the Quality catalog. They make 100, 200, and 300 psi pumps.

You might be ok with Marzocchi's 200 psi pump, but I think you'll get more accurate settings with the 100psi gauge. On the 300 psi pump I have now, it's hard to tell exactly what the pressure is when you are down around 35-40 psi. I'm 210 with gear, and I'm only running 36 in the positive springs. I started with 42, and that was too stiff. Over 3-4 rides, I dropped it down to where it currently is.

I'll let you know the brand when I get it. I ordered it from Human Zoom in Ardmore, PA.

[Robot Chicken]

Just about every bike shop I've been to has a few air pumps to choose from. I think a 200 psi pump would be a bit better than the 100psi because the negative pressures often go above 100 psi for lowering the fork at all.