How did you find those marzocchis? I have a pair and am tempted to try them - not too heavy, enough travel for trails but I'm a bit concerned with them being air suspension. I understand they need more maintenance to stop the seals wearing.
Originally Posted by
wasabi
After having used road bikes for touring for several years, I thought that MTB's would cause less trouble on bad roads. To try the idea I just put a rack and a low rider on my first MTB I owned. It was built on an italian custom made CroMo frameset and had a Marzocchi suspension fork with about 35-40 mm travel back in the mid 90's. But this bike was originally built for sport, and its geometry forced me in a position with my back nearly horizontal, causing back and neck aches. So after one trip I had to decide for something else.
The next touring MTB was a Specialized Rockhopper with steel frame. Unfortunately the frame was too weak for travelling with panniers, resulting in nervous shaking of the whole rig from about 25 km/h - dangerous and very scary
The third approach was a Cannondale F-800 in 1998, which finally worked. I did a lot of trips with that one and also used it to go to work every day. The Headshock suspension fork is as stiff as a rigid fork and was one of the first to provide a lock-out. IMO the best suspension fork for touring (with coil springs, not air)
. However, last spring I decided to let my hard working mule enjoy its well-earned retirement. The bike is still in use regularly, but not for loaded touring any more.
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