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"Oh how the Mighty "M' has Fallen" Episode 2

5K views 68 replies 34 participants last post by  suicidebomber 
#1 ·
Saw daisycutter thread and decide to right "episode 2" on the subject with regards to what has happened to my fork.

OK so the story goes like this.

Back in March of this year, I got my 2008 Kona Stinky to replace the 2007 one I had that got stolen. At first, i was really excited, because for 08 they had changed the forks from Drop Off Triples to 66 RCV's. When I opened the box up and saw them for the first time, i thought "wow, these look friggen awesome!". Big beefy stanchions, QR axle and single crown versatility. So I put me bike together, set up the forks, and took em out for a ride. All was going well until about 15mins into my ride. CREEK, CRACK, CREEK went the crown as I rode along. Not only that THUNK, THUNK, THUNK went the bushings as a kept on riding. OK at first i thought the creeking was normal and that the forks were bedding in, and so was the bushings caus i had read the notice on Marz website explaining how this was "BUILT IN" to the 08 forks. I Also noticed that it was near impossible to get the axle to click like it should.

1 Month in, the creeking had gotten slighty worse, bushing play was still there and axle was still impossible top get to click and not only that, I also noticed that it wouldnt hold the axle properly. So i go to tighten as per described on the website then next thing
"CRACK!"
The axle internals had shattered.
F^%K, i thought.
So i ring up the shop i bought the bike from, and he called the Australian Marz Importer "Groupe Sportiff" and asked if it would be a warrenty replacement. They said they would have to look at the axle first, but in the mean time, they sent out a new one and would charge me the cost if the shattered one was shown to be my fault. So after 2 week down time from the bike, the new axle gets here, and i run out to install it so i can go for a ride. When i got to install it, what do i notice? They've sent the wrong bloody one.
:madmax:
They had sent me the QR axle for the 55's which has a straight lever unlike the 66's ones which have a bent one. So after waiting another week, the new one gets here and i finally get it to click like it should, however, it still would not hold the wheel tight.

3 months in.
Creeking still the same, but bushing slop has gotten worse.
To add to those problems, i noticed a film of oil around the base of the compression rod's cap on the bottom of the right leg. I take it off, and a large amount of oil spills out. I check the rod and found that if you wiggle the rod, air comes out. So i ring the shop up again and he calls Marz. They say the compression rod has cracked, and needs to be replaced. Im pissed of at this time because it's another 2 weeks without my bike, and also the compression rod failed within 3 months of fork being new. This fork is designed for FRX and DH, and yet it failed under use from a 16 year old who does dirt jumps and max 5 foot drops. Whats your excuse marz? Worn tooling? out of tolerant parts? shotty QC?

5 months in (Present time)
Creeking gotten horribly worse, to the point of which just pedaling will cause the crown to creek. Also bushing slop has gotten worse as well, to the point of which the whole forks feel lose.
Also to add to these problems, when the fork came back from getting the compression rod fixed, the seals now leak oil from around the outside. So after ringing up the shop again and much pleading, The guy says he'll send them to Groupe sportiff to get new bushings, crown stanchion assembly and steerer. Projected turn around, 2 weeks

Well 3 weeks in and i get a call from the guy
Apparently, Groupe Sportiff no longer import or fix the froks anymore. The conversation between shop guy and Marz importer went like this
"Sorry we dont fix the forks anymore, ring these guys up, they'll do it for ya!!"
So the guy rings the new importer, SCV Imports
"Oh sorry, we cant fix em yet, we dont have parts, but we can fix em for ya in 2 months!!"
So guy rings old place and asks can they send the parts to the new place
"Oh Sorry, yes we have the parts, but no, we cant send them to the new place because
(insert F%$King pathetic excuse in here)
So i waited 3 weeks for F%$King nothing, oh, and another week for the forks to get back.

So today the forks arrived today, just as faulty as the day i sent them to get "FIXED"
As im unpacking them, i notice a thin film of oil around the compression valve cap, i take it off and guess what, oil comes out again. I wiggle the rod around;
PISSSSSSSSSSSSS, SPLUTTTTTTTER, PISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

THE COMRPESSION ROD HAS FAILED AND CRACKED AGIAN, WITHIN 2 MONTHS OF GETTING FIXED FOR THE SAME PROBLEM:madmax: :madmax: :madman: :madman:

And because Marzocchi dosent know how to handle their importers, im now stuck with dud forks for another 2 months, because marzoochi cant keep check on there importers. You would think that if Marz head boss and the importers head bosses had any sign of a brain stem., They would tell Groupe Sportiff to keep fixing the forks until the new place was ready to do so, but no i have to wait 2 months to send them to the new people.
THEN I HAVE TO WAIT ANOTHER MONTH TO GET THE ****ING THINGS FIXED, AND FROM WHAT IVE READ AND TALKED TO OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEMS IVE HAD, THE PROBLEMS STILL WONT BE FIXED!

:madmax: MARZOCCHI, YOU NEED TO GET YOU ****ING ACT TOGETHER!:madmax:

You have provided me with a fork that has been plagued with problems since day one, and say that partly the problem is because of worn tooling, wrong casts and deadlines.
In the words of tom
" But again, molds and tooling wears out, new molds have to be made, we choose to change it up sometimes and go for a totally new design (38mm because FOX has 40mm) at that time. Sometimes **** happens."
Oh.......
Ok.......
Say for example if boeing made a part that was faulty due to shotty tooling, and this caused a plane to crash,and people died, do you think they would say "**** happens"
No
Sure, there is a huge diference between a plane and bike fork, but the principle is the same.

Marz, stop telling us that tools and deadlines are to blame, admit its due to **** QC
Also get a grip on your importers so that an entire country is not left without warrenty repairs for 2 months because the parts get here by ship (you would think that they would send them by plane, but no)

Im gonna say it, i miss my old drop off triple's. Yes the DOT's with cheap plastic internals, thin oil, and patheic way to adjust rebound.
Sure people may say they suck compared to 66's but did they have
Bushing Slop?
No...
Creeky crown, stanchion interface?
No...
Leaky seals?
No...
Shattered Axle?
No...
Cracked Compression rods?
No...
Compression rod that cracked again within 2 months of being fixed?
No...

Hell My old rockshox dart 2 was better for FR DH than the 66"s
they have stanchions that are only 28mm wide and are designed for XC, yet i took them of 4 foot drops to flat, trashed them down hill and on jumps and they have never had one single problem at all
Marzocchi, get your act together

Honestly, if there is another problem with these forks, im going straight to Consumer Affairs......
 
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#2 ·
Well my friend.... I hate to say this but, join the club. I am sorry to hear that you fork was crap right out of the box, but that seems to be the way Marz is playing the game lately.

I gave up on them, and try to encourage other riders to do the same. For a company who makes that much annual profit, they should have their act together. Only time will tell, but no more Mraz products for me and my fellow riders here.

In my eyes, the mighty M has fallen awhile ago, now their are just digging their graves.
 
#5 ·
I would not buy a new Zoke fork if my life depended on it...

And I have 4 FR/DH/DJ fork in my garage right now. Its amazing how a company can go form top dog to dead dog in only a small amount of time.

Have you contacted Kona??? They may help or at least back you up.

Good luck with you dilemma. i agree, you should contact consumer affairs and get your situation recorded with them. Also, and I am a huge believer in the fact...

YOU CANT WARRANTY OR REFUND LOST RIDING TIME.

Good luck bro. looks like you will need it.
 
G
#6 ·
Yeah, it continues to get worse here too. My LBS had a customer who bought a brand new custom built Dirtbag last week, complete with 66RC3 up front.

This particular 66 had the "Red Dot" on the lowers, signifying that it was a later run 66 supposedly with the new lowers. Shop got the bike built, customer picked it up, took it on its maiden voyage and the fork broke.

Customer brings the bike back, the mechanic at the shop tears it open to find that the C-Clip that holds the damper in the leg had popped out. Mechanic replaces said C-Clip, reassembles fork. Compresses the fork and it pops out again. 3rd time's a charm right? Nope, same problem.

Call Zoke. "Did you put the beveled side of the C-Clip in the right way?" WTF? There is no bevel on the C-Clip. "Oh, then thats the problem, you need to send it in"

So my LBS's owner gets on the phone with Zoke to see what they are going to do to rectify the situation for the customer and asks if they would just send a new fork.

Nope.

How about a loaner fork so this customer with a brand new bike he just dropped thousands of dollars on can at least ride.

Nope.

How about Marzocchi reimburses the shop for the 5 hours or work they did on a brand new fork fixing issues that should have been QC'd at the factory.

Not a chance.

Good job Zoke, not only are you losing end user customers, you're now starting to lose the shops which sell and service and support your warez because they are going to be unwilling to lose time and money trying to deal with the crap.:thumbsup:
 
G
#8 ·
KavuRider said:
Its just comical at this point.

To the OP, sorry to hear about your troubles, I hope everything works out and you can start riding again soon!
Yup its sad and comical, and thanks to you I just bought the best Marzocchi fork DH ever produced:thumbsup:

Oh, and that thing is 10lbs, not 9:p
 
#13 ·
Yes it sucks, The mighty M has for sure taken a bit of a sh!t kicking this year quality wise. When their product is working it is still amongst the best, just a matter of keeping it working.

Good news is it looks like their product line is not changing much for next year. What this means for us is they are going to work on the durability problems and not as much on the development of new product. I honestly do not think they will drop the ball two years in a row.

If, for whatever reason they do strike out with next years product I will be taking a real serious look at Fox/Rock Shox product to replace my still going sstrong 2007 Z1 and 888RC2X (I cant ride forks more then two seasons old right?)
 
#16 ·
Marzocchi Tech Department said:
Designed in Italy
Manufactuered in Taiwan
Fixed in the USA.

I'm ****ed pissed off too!

I have nothing else to say other than I am fixing forks...all day.

Tom
I feel for you guys.
Definitely sucks to have to be the scapegoat in this situation, and have to make excuses for something that isn't your fault at all.
Keep doing what you're doing, your support is much appreciated, and will go a long way to help Marzocchi retain it's customer base.

My 888 is functioning perfect so far... if/when it blows up, as long as you get it fixed for me, I really don't see a reason to ditch Marzocchi for something else. I'd rather stick with the big M, and try to weather this troubled year in their production. My hope is that they will only come back stronger next year.

The ball is in their court now, and it's time to step up.
 
#18 ·
igotbanned said:
Hey Tom!! whats the new way of fixing the fork.

I was told that there is a better way now to fix the creak in the crown. How?

PS. I think I heard you in the background about 10 minutes ago on my phone call to Zoke
I have made my own tools that presses the stanchions out of the crown and then I clean and loc-tite the legs into the crown...like it should have been done in the first place. :rolleyes: It seems to be working on the test parts I have in Whistler right now.

Keep'n it pinned at work and on my bike....just not enough on the bike right now.
 
#21 ·
Some have said that mtb'n peaked in the late 90's and early 00's and seems to have hit a plateau. While these yrs have produced some awesome and innovative bikes and components, it seems some of those who "were at the top" during these yrs and bringing these innovations to us, are resting on their laurels while the economy takes it's bite out of everything, further weakening their position in the market. We have and have had companies that have delved into the mtb world and tried their hand at suspension, i.e. Progressive, Ohlins...and some others, but it seems the mtb market is tougher to build for than off road buggies, 4 wheelers, motorcycles, desert racers, etc. Is it because we need lighter components due to the human powered element and the components can't stand the rigors of hard riding or what ?? You can put a high dollar shock on a 4 wheel drive truck jacked up to high heaven and the shock will out last most of the rest of the truck, but stick a high dollar shock/fork on a mtb and wait for the shyte to hit the fan so you can sit for weeks waiting for them to figure out how wiggle out of any warranty issues.

Marzocchi, and the rest of the market, need to get back to the fundamentals that made them the market leader and innovator. Simple adjustments, oil-bath buttery smooth plushness, bomb proof use that got your ass out of trouble when your riding was falling short every weekend, none of the needless bells and whistles that draw us into purchases of forks that spend more time getting thrown and bounced around and shipped all over the country more than they do getting ridden by the people who have counted on them in the past and have learned to trust them. The "trust" is what Marzocchi is loosing, and to the point that no one will be willing throw money away just to take a chance on them.
The longer these forks are allowed to languish in the riding community; the more damage Marzocchi is incurring day by day.

I have ridden Marzocchi forks for 7rs now and I wouldn't sell any of my present forks, 05 66rc and 06 66sl, for twice their original cost...unless I was getting something other than what Marzocchi is offering now.

Are the big wheels listening to this stuff Tom ???? Are they aware of the image Marzocchi is building for itself right now ??? More importantly...do they care and if so, are they acting like it or are they just nodding as they walk away from the complaints ???

I'm really sick and tired of hearing of issue after issue after issue, etc......
 
#22 ·
Its good to see Tom is working to help us here. I really appreciate the effort and its the only reason that there is still some tiny consideration of getting a Marz 66RC3. I know he will work to get it right and once its working right it should be better than anything.

However, the price should reflect this in the 2009 models. Both Marz USA and the customers know that 2008 forks are generally turds. So how do they expect to sell 2009 forks for the same price? We do pay a premium for Marzocchi forks and its no longer justified since there is a large gamble that it may not work. Lets see Marz drop the prices a bit as a token of good faith to restore our trust.

But money is just money. The HUGE problem that is keeping me from getting one right now is time. Around here, the DH riding season is 4-5 months. Losing a month or without a fork because its for warrenty repairs is unacceptable to me. I'd really like to see a loaner program while new forks are in for warrenty. I don't see how its possible but it would be nice.
 
#23 ·
Oh shiza, My fork is creaking, my rc3 cartridge has already been replaced and my 20mm qr doesn't latch right either, I've only ridden it five times! I was feeling like there was light at the end of the tunnel but now I'm not so sure. Hey Marz Tech Guy, these problems are covered under warranty so what do you think I should do? Send it in, or wait for a full on recall? I'm really not trying to pester you or talk down Marz, I've loved everything else from you guys I've ever had 06 66 sl, 06 888 rc, 01 x-fly etc, AWESOME! This fork feels great when it works and I'm confident when all this junk gets worked out my 08 66 rc3 will join my Marz hall of fame, thanks.

Allen
 
#25 ·
sixsixtysix said:
There is really only 1 answer....

ITS TIME TO BRING BACK THE MONSTER T!!!
:rockon: :rockon: :rockon: :band: :rockon: :rockon:
How about a 35mm 888 RC2X?

I have one Super Monster behind my desk I can sell you....12" of pure love. 13.5lbs locked and loaded

I'll work on the pricing too....maybe a loaner program.....not goona happen but sounds good.

Cheers!
 
#26 ·
Marzocchi Tech Department said:
How about a 35mm 888 RC2X?

I have one Super Monster behind my desk I can sell you....12" of pure love. 13.5lbs locked and loaded

I'll work on the pricing too....maybe a loaner program.....not goona happen but sounds good.

Cheers!
How about forks that work straight out of the box ??? Lets focus on the problems we already have and get them fixed before we create any more. :skep:
 
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