Marzocchi Z2 1997

[Wichi850262]

Hi all!

I'm new to this forum so go easy on me!

I've just bought a second (or third) hand Marzocchi Z2 Bomber (wine red) for about 50 pounds. The steerer tube has been cut to 18.5cm and my broken Rockshox fork measures in at19.5cm.
I've done "a bit" of research on these forks and evidently the tubes are replaceable and the RST ones are a match. There are similar threads on here which confirm some of these forks do this but I couldn't find the Z2 from 1997.

Edit: I've just received photos of the back of the fork and there are no clamp bolts to remove the steerer tube, so I have to find another solution.
Could I simply replace the stem I have now (clamp height = 40mm) for one that is slimmer to win back the 10mm difference in tube length? There are ones on the market that are 32mm.

Thanks

 

[sam_white]

Yes if you exchange the stem, that'd be a quick win. I take it you're not running any aheadset spacers?

Alternatively, it may be possible to press out the steerer in the crown and fit a replacement, this used to be possible in the past but not sure if anyone is offering that now. Windwave used to do it iirc....
Finally, the crowns are removable and mostly interchangeable (with a few issues). Your fork can run pretty much any crown, find and buy one with a longer steerer, or complete fork.

 

[Wichi850262]

Yes if you exchange the stem, that'd be a quick win. I take it you're not running any aheadset spacers?

Alternatively, it may be possible to press out the steerer in the crown and fit a replacement, this used to be possible in the past but not sure if anyone is offering that now. Windwave used to do it iirc....
Finally, the crowns are removable and mostly interchangeable (with a few issues). Your fork can run pretty much any crown, find and buy one with a longer steerer, or complete fork.

Thanks for the valuable tips. I've just managed to grab me a Sunine V1 stem with a stem stack height of just over 3cm. If that's not enough, I could change the upper or lower headset for a couple more mm gain, but I don't think that'll be necessary. No, there are no spacers! I'll save the last option for when everything else fails, but I think the Marzocchi Z2 Bomber forks are great and would like to make it work on the CD V500 frame.

While I'm here, what weight of suspension oil would I need when I do a service on it? Can't find a manual for that specific year...yet!

 

[jimo746]

its 7.5wt oil as standard.

 

[Wichi850262]

 

[Dr-Zocchi]

Just to let you know: I'm doing repressing for older Marzocchi XC-Serien and older Bombers.

 

[Wichi850262]

So, the bike is now taking shape and I've installed the Z2 Bomber. The wine red dots look nice against the polished aluminium and the geometry hasn't suffered.
I took the fork apart, cleaned it up and replaced the oil, so far so good....until I went to align the handlebar with the wheel and saw that the wheel was misaligned. The fork didn't look bent - only after Googling possible causes did I realise that the left and right hand side weren't parallel or the same height. So I loosened the bolts on the arch, pushed/pulled the two fork arms into a place that centred the wheel and tightened it back up. Now it's spot on.
I hope that was the right thing to do and wasn't a botched job.

Oh, and the stack height is slightly too high. A DMR Defy has been ordered and this will make everything fit nicely

 

[Dr-Zocchi]

The brace screws are missing??

 

[Wichi850262]

No, all there. Until you tighten them up, there is some play and slight changes in height and twist are possible. I must have attached the brace when the fork arms were a bit off/not aligned correctly. I'm glad I found the issue and could easily rectify it

 

[Wichi850262]

So the bike is assembled and just waiting for the decals now then it's project done!

The only issue is the stack height still. The Sunline V1 stem feels so good on the bike and the geometry's lovely with the Marzocchi fork. The only issue is I've got about 7mm from the top of the steerer tube to the top of the stem. I did a test by unscrewing the bottom stem bolt to see if the stem shifts and it doesn't, so I think I can get away with it. The top bolt is just above the steerer tube. There's a DMR Defy 35mm on the way but that would ruin the ride.

I plan on only doing gentle stuff with the bike - non-bumpy trails and back roads, so what do you think - am I safe?