Marzocchi Dirt Jumper 2 fork

[Superstar Punani]

Spats had this on his demo bike (Specialized Big Hit) and he was stoked with it, so was Arty.

Found them on eBay for $170.

Any of you guys use it? I figure anything's better than the POS stock CockShox Judy SL u turn shit I have now.

Thanks! Pu

[White Chocolate]

for $170 it would be a good deal. and you will refer to your judy as "that piece of shit fork that used to be on my bike."
I assume it's brand new? if used, you may want to pass. No need to pay almost $200 for a used oem fork when you could get the dj 1 with much better internals for $300 or even a bit less.

[phUnk]

How's the travel # compare to the amount of travel you have now?

[scoober]

it will for sure be stiffer and heavier than your Judy, but you will be getting Marzocchi quality that is inherent throughout their lineup. the DJ series are really as simple as suspension gets, with very primative damping. the spring rate feels very linear to me. they were designed for what they are named, and are therefore just a durable fork for thrashing about.

i haven't ridden any of the later model judy's with u-turn, so i can't really give a direct comparison. although knowing the Judy's price-point, and place in rock shox line up these forks are kind of an apples/oranges thing to compare.

these are very popular forks on mid-range dirt jump bikes (kona, marin or specialized hardtails for example) so it should be easy to find one on a bike in a shop to test out. if it feels good to you, why not, its pretty cheap, i'd go for it.

what bike is this going on?

[Superstar Punani]

Thanks guys!

My rig is an entry level Iron Horse Sinister Comp ($600, supergo).

The current fork has been broken since day 1- the dial that adjusts travel is toast (known issue mentioned in the mtbr reviews) so it's stuck at 70mm (max range 100mm) and it's super stiff and non-plush.

The DJ 2 I'm looking at has 130mm and is $170 NIB ebay, $350 retail.

(edit- I know its built for dirt jumps, which is not my bag, baby.. Mainly do aggro XC)

[White Chocolate]

stuck at 70mm? i get that much travel out of my rear end, and i ride a hardtail


do it!

[Arty50]

So your current fork has adjustable travel from 70-100. The DJ 2 goes from 110-130. Isn't that too much shock for his bike? In other words, won't that kill the head angle of his bike by making it too slack?

[scoober]

i think that at 110mm the fork really won't affect the Sinister comp's angles that much. i would say that with the exception of dedicated XC hardtails these days, most bikes will take a 100mm fork no problem. i think the Sinister is being badged as an entry-level trail bike, so i'm sure 110mm would be no problem for it.

although, looking a 'Zocchis website i noticed what may be a compatability issue. it looks like the aftermarket DJII is 20mm through-axel compatible only, while the OEM model offers a standard dropout version.

SP... is the one you're looking at the 20mm through axel version? if there is a pic it will look like it has a big ass tube where the hub for the wheel would go down in the dropouts. if so, this will require a new hub and/or wheel.

also, it looks like the OEM comes stock set at 130mm travel. if so, i would have it taken in and adjusted down to 110mm. while 110mm may be fine, i think 130mm might make this bike a little slack, and would probably lose some climbing ability.

[Dromond]

Originally posted by scoober
.....you will be getting Marzocchi quality that is inherent throughout their lineup.

It seems that Marzocchi quality control has really taken a nosedive in the past few years. I have seen several DJ forks with cracked crowns and with the crown/stantion press fit coming loose and creaking like nobody's bussiness. Plus the new DJ fprks are heavy as shite. Like more than my Boxxer. Yikes! All I'm saying is "Marzocchi quality" is NOT a no-brainer. Something to consider.

[scoober]

Originally posted by Dromond
It seems that Marzocchi quality control has really taken a nosedive in the past few years. I have seen several DJ forks with cracked crowns and with the crown/stantion press fit coming loose and creaking like nobody's bussiness. Plus the new DJ fprks are heavy as shite. Like more than my Boxxer. Yikes! All I'm saying is "Marzocchi quality" is NOT a no-brainer. Something to consider.

yeah i have heard about some of those issues as well, but i am willing to chalk it up to a bunch of urban/park rats completely abusing their equipment. if used for trail riding, etc, i don't think there should be any problems. also, i think that even with the recent decrease in QC, this fork will still have a better fit and finish than Rock Shox's bottom of the barrel Judy.

the weight will always be an issue comparing this fork to any more xc-oriented fork.

[Superstar Punani]

Hi Scoober,

Thanks for the detailed info. The one I'm looking at is the '03 modelDJ 2

The auction specifies that they're selling the OEM variety.

first link says its adjustable to 110mm...I hope so...I hate climbs

Time to pull some triggers!

[lph]

what does all this mean and will it affect pu being able to put it on his bike?

"These forks have been prepared for OEM assembly. The steerer tube has been cut to length (197mm), star nut installed and a crown race pressed on. We have removed the crown race but fork will show signs of having one pressed on. The star nut is still installed in the fork."

It doesn't look like it has any sort of external travel adjustment. so you will be stuck climbing with it at 130mm unless you can have it taken in and brought down to 110. however, you should try it at 130 first and see how it goes.

certainly going to be a lot better than that POS that is on your bike now. couldn't you get that rock shox warrantied??

[scoober]

the steerer tube length could effect how much tube is available to stick up through the head tube and allow the stem to clamp on. best way to find out if it will fit is to measure the current steerer tube, or just measure and get an idea of how tall the stack is from the fork crown to the top cap of the stem. you can space out or cut a longer steerer tube, but if its too short, no dice.

the crown race is the little washer that is pressed on to every fork to allow the bearings from the bottom portion of the headset to sit on. the race from SuPu's current headset will have to be tapped off the old Judy and pressed onto the DJII. the star nut is fine to have, you wont have to install one later. (its the pressed in nut/washer at the top of the steerer tube that allows the top cap of the stem to screw down)

so, if the steerer tube length checks out OK, it should be fine. you're right, the travel adjust is internal (reordering of some spacers in the spring stack). it can be done at home, but its quicker/easier/cleaner to take it in. i agree about running it at 130 first to see how it feels.

[Superstar Punani]

Measured my current set up at about 195mm...close enough!

Man I didn't know how technical stuff is in the bike world. What have I gotten myself into?

[Dromond]

Originally posted by scoober
yeah i have heard about some of those issues as well, but i am willing to chalk it up to a bunch of urban/park rats completely abusing their equipment. if used for trail riding, etc, i don't think there should be any problems. also, i think that even with the recent decrease in QC, this fork will still have a better fit and finish than Rock Shox's bottom of the barrel Judy.

the weight will always be an issue comparing this fork to any more xc-oriented fork.

The new dirtjumper forks are like 7 pounds. That's absolutely ludicrous. That's about 2 pounds more than similar forks, (not xc forks.) Especially when they're still breaking. Granted at the dj2 pricepoint there's not much other choice. Oh and the loosening crown thing was happening to forks right out of the box; not just after being beat into submission. Yeah it's probably an upgrade from the Judy's (which are pretty cheap now, it seems.) But maybe not as much as you think.

[UTdave]

I would blame the quality issues on Marzocchi having their lower end forks made in Malayasia (I think) and the quality is still great on their higher end forks made in Italy.

[hev]

yeah, there not the greatest but for the price they're a good longer travel single crown. i have personally witenessed them nose-case from a good ten feet up and the crown was fine (beside some creaking wich they all seem to develop).

[CantDog]

Poon, if you decide to wait or the auction price shoots up, I'll be picking up a Specialized P bike at the end of the summer and swapping the DJ out for something nicer. I'd probably be looking for a 100 bucks or so(or trade for something ski related)

[milkman]

Originally posted by Dromond
The new dirtjumper forks are like 7 pounds. That's absolutely ludicrous. That's about 2 pounds more than similar forks, (not xc forks.) Especially when they're still breaking. Granted at the dj2 pricepoint there's not much other choice. Oh and the loosening crown thing was happening to forks right out of the box; not just after being beat into submission. Yeah it's probably an upgrade from the Judy's (which are pretty cheap now, it seems.) But maybe not as much as you think.

The new DJ line ('04) has steel stanchions, making them almost 7lbs. They are, however, stronger and more able to take DJ abuse. The '03 models still had aluminum stanchions and weigh a lot less....I had a creaking '02 Z1 for a while and apperantly the creaking crown issue was (for the most part) taken care of in '03 single crown forks. If it's a new fork and it starts to creak, contact Marz and they will take care of you.

[Spats]

The shop I rented the Big Hit from at Downieville said that the stock springs are usually too stiff, so they just pulled the spring from one side and gave it a little more air. Felt great to me, and you know people aren't being nice to those rental bikes.

Yes, Punani, it's the QR version, the headtube is the right length, and it won't fuck up your bike. I told you that already, but go ahead and ask everyone else first

[Superstar Punani]

I believe you man! Wanted to find out if anyone else used it as an everyday fork.

You gonna buy the big hit or what?

Might be Skegging it this Thursday.

[Superstar Punani]

Originally posted by CantDog
Poon, if you decide to wait or the auction price shoots up, I'll be picking up a Specialized P bike at the end of the summer and swapping the DJ out for something nicer. I'd probably be looking for a 100 bucks or so(or trade for something ski related)

^ Yo Cant Dog! Did you get that bike?

[CantDog]

Looks like I'm not, getting a soul cycles frame. But they have spancership deals on marzocchi shocks, I'll get some prices for ya.