2012 Marzocchi 55 Micro Switch TA vs. Fox TALAS 36 RLC Kashima

A straw?



shitty

 

ok i did it and there was too much oil in the fork. now thefork feels more plush and i gained about 5mm travel from just riding it in front of the house. ill do some drops tomorrow to see exactly how much travel i gained. thanks a lot salespunk

 

So is all this the same for the 2012 32 150mm Talas,
I must be lame / Maybe just used to the non small bump compliance
If you take out a little oil doesnt that mean it is missing from somewhere else
I thought you guys said some fixes are comIng with low oil
Also does this model have the foam wiper issue

BTW seems to ride great / little stiff still dialing but set a pr at the luge today BUT certainly doesn't mean I am an expert

Not real educated on fork internals .... Duh

 

works on the floats i think the talas is different....made my float more linear thats for sure....also not sure about the foam ring issue but it sound like a more in depth process. ill test the fork tomorrow and report back. btw what time were you at the luge? we rolled at 9am

 

I have a 2009 32 TALAS r 150 and it's great! I don't know if the 2011s and 2012s 32s are better or not. My 32 is far better than my 2011 36 TALAS ever was.

 

I thinking about getting Marz 55 micro switch TA too. I have read reliability issues though. Is this still the best fork you've ridden? Thanks.

 

Yes, absolutely. I have over 50 good rides on this fork now. I had it serviced just recently (I'm not very skilled or motivated at doing those types of things myself). The fork is amazing. I find I don't reduce the travel very often anymore - only for extremely steep extended climbs. I run the micro adjuster (gold knob) all the way clockwise to give the most pronounced effect when using the four position LSC adjuster (blue lever) and found that the four-position blue lever works very well at dialing in the amount of suppleness vs dive.

If the trail is steep with bigger holes and slower speeds (5-Oaks, Car Wreck, Stairs at Aliso), I use the 2nd or 3rd position to provide more push back and less dive. If it's flatter and faster (Rock-It, Luge), I will run the lever in position one for the most supple ride. I use the fourth position (lock out) only when riding pavement. I keep the air pressure around 105 which allows for about 90% of the travel on a good run down Rock-It (the ultimate fork test track IMO).

Others who have tried this fork say it feels as supple as coil. I love being able to point, shoot and bomb. Kashima coated Fox forks might feel smoother than the nickel-stanchioned Marzocchis in a parking lot, but on the trail, there is no comparison between the forks - the Marz blows the 36 air sprung Fox out of the water into the next county.

My only concern is whether or not Marzocchi will exist next year (at least in the U.S.). But that's a whole other story.

 

I hear they got someone to manufacture for them now....so I guess they'll be around. I think the 44 29er forks are pretty good also.
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im happy to say i dumped the fox 36 on my bike and bought a rockshox totem and its night and day difference in plushness

 

I've read the FOX FIT RLC cartridge has quite a bit of stiction and that's why FOX brought back the RC2 dampener on the 36 series forks. My friend's 2007 140mm Talas RLC fork is more plush than my 2011 150mm Talas FIT RLC Kashima. I wonder how the 2013 Fox Talas 36 160mm RC2 will compare to the Marzocchi Micro Switch TA.

 

Reviews on the 2013 Fox lineup still complain of a very narrow window between too firm and too much dive. I had a 2008 Fox 36 TALAS RC2 - it was better than the 2011 Kashima 36 RLC for sure, but the Marz still beats it, IMO.

 

I love my 66 marzoch spring not air fork it has 180 mil travel on my nomad.

 

Spoke with Fox at Dville and they had some interesting things to say. New Float has even less stiction (mine has almost zero anyways), but they greatly increased the volume of the air spring to make it much more linear. Not sure if anyone has actually ridden a new Float yet or even seen any reviews. Overall Fox has done a horrible job of letting us know about the changes.

 

I rode the 2013 Fox Float 34 DTC (or is it CTD?) Kashima on a Knolly Endorphin. It was better than the 2011 36 TALAS RLC for sure. Very plush without a lot of dive. It's a promising fork. I tested it on my favorite fork test runs (Rock-It, Lynx and 5 Oaks at Aliso). It was noticeably less of a point and shoot snowplow than the Marz 55 or older Fox 36 - maybe the difference between the 15mm axle vs the 20mm, or just the lighter, thinner stanchions or a combo of the two. The new 34 felt like a slightly stiffer version of my 2009 Fox TALAS 32r (150mm) - and that's a good thing. If Fox had spec'd a 20mm axle on the thing it would be a true contender for all-mountain uberfork. I have read reports that say it still has a very narrow window of air pressure to get it plush without diving, but the one I tested felt very good.

 

the funny thing is i actually did the air shaft mod to my float to make it more linear (bigger air chamber mod from mtbr) and my totem is still a lot plusher

 

@herzalot

I installed the Marz 55 Micro Switch TA and went on the 1st ride on a local trail I'm very familiar with. I used the recommend PSI for my geared up weight. I only adjusted the rebound. The lockout-adjust lever was wide open, or as you say position 1. The Micro adjust gold knob was set 5 complete turn in from soft to hard. It'll take a few more runs to get the fork dialed. I measured sag after the ride, which was about 15%. Didn't setup sag b4 ride because it was 4:45pm already, just wanted to hit the trail.

I have a questions in regard to fork setup since there is little info compared to Fox.

1. Are you running recommended PSI for your body weight.
2. How much sag are you running?
3. With ZERO air in fork, does it compress 160mm?

 

Sorry - didn't see this until today.

I am running slightly less than recommended for my weight - maybe 5lbs less.
I don't know how much sag I am running. I never measure it. I would guess 30%. I do like to use almost all of my suspension on any trail that has foot deep holes or two-three foot drops (Rock-It, 5 Oaks, Car Wreck in Aliso).
With zero air in the fork, I think I got a measured 158 mm.

I still love this fork. It is still the best fork I've owned. I have only had it serviced once (oil and seal change).

 

Bumping an old post,

I recently picked up a 44 Micro Switch TA from 2012. Its in real good shape. To replace an aging Fox Float R.

Anywhoo...are there any suggestions on where to start with the setup? I found a user manual...but it doesn't tell me much on setting it up.

I found an air pressure guide. The range seems pretty wide too. I'm about 150 all geared up and at the suggested 115psi...its pretty firm. I rode it at Mt Wilson over the weekend and the fork got maybe 3/4 travel.

My question is about the knobs on the left side of the fork. The black lever has four or five detents of adjustment. I can't feel much of a difference from open to closed. If the gold knob is at full soft...there is no lockout when the lever is at the closed position. The gold dial seems to have quite a bit of adjustment. It takes alot of turns to go from full soft to full hard. It just free turns...no clicks.

Is there a "median" starting point to start from?:?:

Thanks!:beer:

 

I'm 230 and ride my 2010 @ 50-55. Great fork. Looks like the recommended psi is much higher for your year.
You'll have to play a bit to get an idea on what the knobs do.
I mostly use the left just for lock-out.
There some good info here:
http://forums.mtbr.com/29er-components/marzocchi-44-revisited-625743.html

I just did my oil - inverting it and removing the lowers is much easier.

 

Turn the gold knob on the left side fully clockwise and the black lever will have pronounced differences between the settings. they will still be imperceptible in a "parking lot" test, but each detent provides more mid stroke support - good for slow, deep, steep compressions where slow endos are likely. Putting the black lever all the way to the 5th detent (or is it 4?) fully clockwise should now provide you a "lockout" with a blowoff.

As far as air pressure, I have the 55, so I am not sure it's comparable. I weigh 210 unkitted and ride it at 110. I get wonderfully plush, beautiful travel at that setting, as long as the fork has been freshly serviced. I get about 35 rides on it before it starts to noticeably deteriorate. That's a very expensive proposition if you are not doing the work yourself. I have been fortunate that Marzocchi has serviced my fork twice for free under warranty. I just got it back today for it's second trip to Marz since 2012. I still think this is the best fork I've ever ridden (and I have now ridden more) while it is fresh. Even when it starts to deteriorate, it's better than most forks. The confidence in wheel placement is unparalleled - think about where you want it to go, and it goes there, and soaks up everything in its way. It is supple on small chatter, stays up in its travel on slow, deep compressions (like braking) and handles high speed holes and chunder like no other.

I am anxious to put my refreshed fork back on my Endorphin and see if it lasts a little longer this time before needing attention. It's worth it! I am running an X-Fusion Slant (DLA 160) as my back-up fork, and while it is a good fork, it's not as plush nor as precise. Rattles my hands a lot more too.