First Look - Marzocchi 380 C2R2 Titanium forks and Moto C2R Shock

Published: 13th June 2013 | By AngusMcIntosh

Check out this great super technical First Look at the brand new 380 C2R2 Titanium forks from Marzocchi and the Moto CR2 shock! Marzocchi are back with a bang!

380 C2R2 Titanium

New design, new name, plush and top performing as only a Marzocchi can be and it weighs only 2.795 grams/6,16 lbs

After ten years of racing and breathtaking results, the most successful fork made by Marzocchi, the 888 is ready for a new evolution, the 380 C2R2 Titanium. Completely redesigned from crown to axle, this is the most advanced coil fork ever made. Every single detail shows the passion and the knowledge of the Italian engineers in working the raw materials to create the lightest, stiffest and most reliable platform ever designed for a dual crown fork. Thanks to the perfect balance of geometry and the flat arch design, the 380 C2R2 is the only fork on the market, yet, that is 100% compatible with both wheel sizes 26” and 27,5” making the switch as easy as changing the wheel.

The lower crown features, for the first time on a Marzocchi, a hollow design in order to reduce 40g of weight, while increasing stiffness. As the market request, two steering tube sizes will be available: tapered 1-1/2” to 1-1/8” as standard and 1-1/8” as option. The thirty-eight millimeter light CNC tapered aluminum stanchion tubes are Nickel coated for a super smooth riding feel and a structural strength that before only steel tubes could have. The redesigned magnesium lowers are now 100 grams lighter compared to the current one used for the 888. The lowers are matched with a new Taperwall axle that offers less wall thickness in the middle saving 30 more grams. The wheel mount is made easier using only one hex key, the axle-dropout on the left side is keyed to match the axle, once tightened; it becomes one with the lowers thanks to the four titanium pinch bolts. To increase riding precision the bushing distance has been increased. Sliding performance has been increased thanks to a new seals compound specially developed for the Nickel coated tubes. On the inside, the 380 comes with a 5.5 N/mm titanium spring coil with external preload on the left, while located on the right is the revolutionary DBC damping system. The Dynamic Bleed Cartridge is the most efficient riding control solution which takes all the advantages of the most popular damping systems on the market: open bath and sealed cartridge. Based on a hybrid system inspired by the same technology we find on rear shocks, the DBC cartridge is a low pressure system with a compensation reservoir controlled by a coil spring instead of an air pressurized chamber.

The oil will flow through two different circuits that in the case of extreme riding will allow to the fluid to rush out the cartridge when the system gets under too high pressure. The oil will then be sucked by the cartridge inside again through a one way seal avoiding air to get mixed with the fluid, keeping the sliders always lubricated and each single damping tuning step effective and consistent in the roughest riding sessions. Every rider will be able to find the perfect setting with the High and Low speed control for both compression and rebound with the option of self-tuning the compression shims by easily removing the stack from the top of the right stanchion tube. This Marzocchi patented feature allows riders to customize the setting for their personal riding style and skills, controlling the mid compression speed without the need of disassembling the complete fork or to bleed the oil cartridge. This works thanks to a three way oil flow circuit in the compression unit; a main circuit for the low speed damping controlled by a needle, and two different concentric circuits on the piston controlled by the shim stack. The first works on the mid speed compression and is managed by the flex of the shim, the second, for the high speed, moves the complete sack away allowing the oil to flow with minimum resistance. High speed can be tuned with the outer knob on the top of the right stanchion, preloading the spring that keeps the stack in position, mid speed is tunable by changing the shim thickness, and controlling the progression between high and low speed damping.

The 380 is a World Cup ready, user friendly, high performance downhill fork. The most amazing coil spring race platform in a super lightweight package: 2,795 grams/ 6,16 lbs, this is more than 200 gr. less weight compared with the previous 888 World cup RC3 Evo.

Talk about plush! Look at little force the 380 C2R2's take to get moving. This should translate on the race track into some of the best small bump sensitivity out there!

380 C2R2 Titanium - Highlights:

Moto C2R

Light as air, smooth as coil

An amazing improvement on the front fork needed a matching upgrade on the rear with a similar performing shock. Starting from a blank sheet the R&D department in Bologna redefined the high end standard. Going from a 12,7mm shaft to a 14mm allowed increasing the damping efficiency, compared to the Roco, making each single tuning click perform better and increasing the structural stiffness. Again the goal was to reduce as much weight possible, so the eyelet/shaft assembly now comes as one single piece, the main body and the reservoir have been massively CNC machined like the spring plates and the main eyelet.

Tunable in the rebound low speed, the now Moto offers now a precise compression control in both High and Low speed. As it happened with the 380 also in the Moto shock the shim stack is removable from the outside in order to fine tune the compression shims according to the racing track and riding style without the need to disassemble the complete shock or to bleed the system. Three more interesting features need to be mentioned starting from the small screw with a Teflon edge in the upper spring plate that keeps the plate in position also with very little preload, the composite body protection and the optional Volume Adjuster that can be fitted on the reservoir replacing the air valve and offering four volume positions to control the final stroke progression and operating through three different air chambers in order to be easily tuned on the go without tools. Last but not least, the new design of the rebound knob offers a better sealing against mud and dirt. Not enough? Putting the complete shock without spring on the scale you will get the astonishing weight of only 369 gr/0,81 lbs.

The Moto C2R is a World Cup ready, user friendly, high performing downhill shock. The most amazing coil spring rear race platform in a super lightweight package that performs at his best when coupled with the new 380 C2R2 Titanium Fork.

MOTO C2R - Highlights

Adjustability:

Availability: September 2013

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