MARZOCCHI 55 RC3 TI Review #37

Previously, I’d never owned a bike with a Marzocchi fork on it. But after riding the 55 RC3 Ti for the last four months, my prejudice towards the Larry Flynt of the fork market has been swayed.
As the name indicates, the 55 RC3 Ti fork features rebound adjustment (R) and compression adjustment (C). It also has air and coil preload adjustability, a titanium spring (Ti) and, new for 2010, Marzocchi’s 20 mm quick release thru-axle, which performed flawlessly throughout our test.
I’m used to an air sprung 36 mm fork, so the extra
400 gm was noticeable straight out of the box. Even though this model is a good 400 gm lighter than its predecessor, it’s still the heaviest in its class by just under 100 gm. But once you get this fork on the trail that weight penalty is, well, not a penalty at all. In fact, I’d say it adds to the fork’s impressive ride characteristics.
The fork arrived from the distributor tuned for my weight and riding style. I think my pie eating abilities must have been exaggerated though, because for the first few rides I struggled to use full travel. Letting a bit of air out of the preload made a discernable difference, enabling full use of all 160 mm of relatively frictionless travel.
Out on the trail the 55 RC3 Ti seemed to have more sag than other forks I’ve used recently. Sag is the neutral travel position of the fork when you sit on your bike. This position determines how much positive and negative travel the fork has. In my opinion, this is what sets the 55 apart. The travel characteristics allow you to run with more sag while not compromising pedalling or bottom out performance. Traction is constant and inspires confidence. I was able to ride harder and with more vigour than usual, my front wheel rolling effortlessly over rocks and roots and barely leaving the ground. This allowed me to take faster and more inventive lines, which made challenging trails a tonne of fun. Add to that the lateral and torsional stiffness offered by these forks and my bike quickly became an all-mountain trail-eating machine.
Although this fork is incredibly tuneable it’s not the easiest to adjust. With around 30 clicks of adjustment on the preload leg and something similar on the rebound, it would be pretty easy to start fiddling and find yourself well and truly lost. But if this fork is, as it’s touted to be, a step back to Marzocchi’s golden days, once you’ve got it dialled you should never need to change it. And with a three year warranty, there’s nothing to worry about. Highly recommended. CALEB SMITH