New frame for new forks

[1337 Trials]

Hello.

I currently have some marzocchi bomber forks 150mm on my da bomb grenade.

My mate has a pair of Rockshox domains 160mm but they have the bigger steerer tube, 1 1/5 is it I think? Hes only asking for £100 as ive known him a long time but im aware ile need a new frame.

I want to keep it hardtail as 1.money 2.im a big lad with a bodybuilding hobby.

Any recommendations on frames up to £200 with support the larger steerer tube and 160mm forks?

Thanks

[dezmtber]

the da bomb has a regular 1.1/8 headset and wont run the 1.5 forks

you can run those forks on bike that have an integral 44mm headtube or bikes with a proper 1.5 headtube 49.95mm

if you use the 44mm headtube you need adaptor cups too.

[1337 Trials]

the da bomb has a regular 1.1/8 headset and wont run the 1.5 forks

you can run those forks on bike that have an integral 44mm headtube or bikes with a proper 1.5 headtube 49.95mm

if you use the 44mm headtube you need adaptor cups too.

Yeah I know bud. I was asking for recommendations on frames

I might just look second hand on the internet instead I think for forks because im going to need a new frame, stem and front wheel as its a bolt through axle.

Edited April 23, 2013 by 1337 Trials

[dezmtber]

Cannondale Chase frame uses 1.5

Giant stp uses 44mm

Or any frame using a taper headtube

[1337 Trials]

Thinking of servicing my marzocchi bomber drop offs to stop the hardh re bound but ive just seen a few videos on youtube and they all seem to rebound very harshly

[forteh]

As long as you're not too bothered about all the adjustments/tuning/damping circuits on modern forks I would keep the bombers, as dez said they're bombproof and mostly maintenance free; they're also super simple internally so servicing is a doddle. Download the manual from the marzocchi website, they have them for all forks dating back to 2000, they have all the information you need to service and adjust the fork. If the seals aren't weeping and there is no play in the bushings then a simple oil change will be sufficient.

You might find that something as simple as setting them up well will make a world of difference to them, I use Z3QR20 bombers (130mm adjustable spring preload and rebound damping - probably what your forks have) and they work spot on for what I want, they plow through everything I chuck at them without any harsh damping or rebound. To begin setup wind all damping and preload settings to minimum (you will have preload and rebound damping, later models of the Z1 bombers had a form of compression damping as well). IMHO the worst attribute of the old bombers (apart from weight) is that they dive a lot under braking (no slow speed compression damping) and can cause bobbing when climbing but if you're smooth when pedalling this isn't too much of an issue.

First of all set the sag on the forks by adjusting the preload - you want about 20% of the travel for xc and 25-30% for downhill (30mm sag for xc and 37-45mm sag for downhill), this means the forks ride part way into the travel and follow bumps without topping out. Put a ziptie round one of the sliders, push it down to the dust seal and get on the bike in the attack position (lean against a wall with your elbow and try not to bounce on the forks), get off and measure how much the ziptie has moved - this is your sag. Adjust the spring preload till you achieve the correct sag for your weight, because you're heavy you may need to swap the springs for a heavier set, you might not get enough adjustment out of the preload adjusters. If they are air forks you will just need to pump them up a bit more to set the sag properly.

Once you have the correct sag set set the rebound damping, it's personal choice how fast you have it but a general starting point should be that the bars should follow just slightly slower than your hands after a quick push down on the forks. Some Z1 bombers only had internally adjustable dampers (particularly the later models), you need to take the top cap off and use a very long 3mm allen key (I have one welded to the end of a welding rod) to adjust the damper. Its a faff but once set you shouldn't need to adjust it. Check the manual for how to adjust the rebound damping.

Setting the compression damping (if you have it) will depend on what damping circuits are in there, best to read up on them when you come to it.

My fork used to be quite harsh when riding, super plush at a standstill but when it came to actual use it wasn't that good at actually smoothing out bumps. I changed the oil (put 5wt in because I couldn't put my hands on the recommended 7.5wt) and adjusted the preload/rebound as above (in the end I increased preload and reduced rebound damping) and the difference is night and day; the forks are much more responsive over small stuff and still suck out big square edged hits without any issues.

Tl : DR spend some time getting to know your forks, service them and set them up accordingly and you might be pleasantly surprised

Edited April 24, 2013 by forteh

[1337 Trials]

Thanks man, very informative.

I did a youtube search last night for my forks and I did see two videos and the forks also had a very harsh re-bound too.

My forks have two valves at the top of the forks. Not sure which valve im meant to mess with :/

[forteh]

Which forks are they and which year? It should say on the stickers as to what model they are and there is usually a year somewhere on the stickers. If there isn't a year on the stickers then there should be a date cast into the legs (inside at the bottom I think), this is the year they were actually cast and generally precede the actual model year by one i.e. 2002 forks with have 01 cast onto the lowers.

Once you know what forks they are get on the marzocchi website, filter forks by year and find the manual for them. Most of the manuals are pretty basic and often semi generic for the year but all of the information is there.

Generally on older bombers the knobs at the top of the forks increase spring preload and a small slotted screw adjusts the rebound damping (if you have externally adjustable cartridges).

Some models of the Z1 used a 5mm allen screw underneath a plastic cap to adjust the preload rather than having a proper knob; this was on the cheaper models that didn't have externally adjustable cartridges.

If you have air forks there will be no preload knobs as this is dealt with by air pressure (altered using a shock pump). If the forks have externally adjustable cartridges then there should be a little screw adjuster as well as the schrader valve to attaching the pump.

Can you get a photo of the forks and the top caps? Might help identify them.

Worst case scenario is take them apart*, they're really simple, in some cases nothing more than a spring in a tube with some oil sloshing about

*Just make sure you know how they go back together

edit: also you say they're 150mm travel, are you sure about this or are they the more common 130mm travel?

edit: having looked at the photos on your flikr, I'm not sure what they are, they look to have steel stanchions are they from the DJ range of forks?

Edited April 24, 2013 by forteh

[1337 Trials]

Will get a photo shortly just going to grab to some (just finished work).

I bought them off ebay a few years ago. Only cost me £100/£110 (cant remember exactly). They told me they're 150.

These are the same as mine but mine arn't bolt through

My forks don't have any knobs/twisters at the top just two valves.

Edited April 24, 2013 by 1337 Trials

[forteh]

I guess they're air forks then, pop the plastic top caps off (probably lever off with a small screw driver) and you should have a schrader valve under there which is used to adjust the sag (more air = less sag).

If you let the air out and unscrew the top caps then the forks will compress (to full travel) and you should be able to use the aforementioned damper adjuster tool to adjust the rebound damping. The top of the pumping rod (where the 3mm hex key goes) should be below the oil level and depending on how clean the oil is it might be visible. IIRC you turn it clockwise to increase the rebound damping and counter clockwise to decrease, set it in the middle somewhere, close the forks up, pump up to the correct pressure to give the right sag and see how the damping feels. Its a ball ache to have to keep stripping the top of the forks but once set they should be sorted.

Leave the damper adjuster tool to drip any oil off into the forks as any that comes out will alter the oil height which in turn will affect how the fork performs. To much oil and the spring rate will ramp up a lot towards the end of the travel, this will resist bottoming but will make the spring very progressive becoming stiffer as it goes through the travel; less oil and the forks will bottom out easier but the spring rate will be more linear. The oil level is measured from the top of the stanchions when they are completely compressed and with the coil springs (if you have them) removed, the correct levels for each fork model is given in the manual. The oil height can be altered to a degree (I think marzocchi recommend no more than plus/minus 10% variation) to affect how the fork behaves.

[1337 Trials]

I need to get one of those rods I think then.

Any idea on where to get them from?

These are mine...

Edited April 24, 2013 by 1337 Trials

[forteh]

You should be able to buy one from a marzocchi dealer, much cheaper to buy a length of 3mm hex bar or get a 3mm Allen key welded to a rod. At a pinch you could use an Allen key bit on a flexible screwdriver extension

Edited April 24, 2013 by forteh

[1337 Trials]

You should be able to buy one from a marzocchi dealer, much cheaper to buy a length of 3mm hex bar or get a 3mm Allen key welded to a rod. At a pinch you could use an Allen key bit on a flexible screwdriver extension

I have one of those flexible screwdrivers

Will I need new oil too?

Edited April 24, 2013 by 1337 Trials

[dezmtber]

They look Like a 2005 dropoff fork

They should just need oil in both legs and tighten up the energizer springs on the seals.

To retension the seals lift the spring of the seal find the join and unscrew the spring then chop of the male end around 8mm or more if needed then put it back on.

Nice tight like new seals

[1337 Trials]

Tempted to just sell them to be honest and hope to get 80-100 for them and put £100 and get new forks. Something like Pikes

[dezmtber]

Pm me if you sell them

[1337 Trials]

Pm me if you sell them

You interested in them?