Marzocchi is Back
This time last year, iconic Italian suspension manufacturer Marzocchi was acquired by the US baded suspension giant, Fox Factory Inc. This move caught many by surprise left Marzocchi fans wondering what the future held.
Things have been quiet for a while but now we have some news; Sola Sport, the Australian distributor for Fox Racing Shox has just announced that they’ve been appointed as the official distributor for Marzocchi Suspension in Australia.
Sola will be stocking a full lineup of Marzocchi forks (already available) as well as rear shocks and acting as the official service centre for Marzocchi in Australia. The full 2017 range is currently listed on the Marzocchi site and about the only item that won’t be offered is the dropper post (it’s identical to the Fox Transfer anyway).
While Marzocchi has a new owner, the products retain their own unique design. Fox has only made a couple of small changes to improve the production process but they are still produced in the same Taiwanese factory as before. Perhaps the most visually obvious change for 2017 is the use of black inner legs on some models – this is now the same coating as you’ll find on the Performance Series Fox suspension products. Additionally, there’s no more gold ‘espresso’ coating on the Marzocchi products; it’s either silver or black for 2017.
So where does Marzocchi fit in? Now they’re under the Fox banner, the aim is to offer models that slot in between the current Fox offerings and in many cases the Marzocchi product will be presented as a more value oriented option.
As an example, the Marzocchi 350 CR will sell for $1,035 in Australia – that’s a 140/160/170mm travel 35mm leg fork with external rebound and compression adjustments. A comparable Fox Float 34 is $1,169 for the Performance level fork while the Factory version is $1,329.
Drop down to the 350 R, which is still a high quality fork with 35mm stanchions, and you’ll be paying $729. It may lack the external compression adjuster but it’s still a high quality fork at a very good price.
Click here to see the full 2017 Marzocchi lineup.
