[Closed] 2000ish Marzocchi Bomber info

Marzocchi Bomber Z5 I think was original on them.

And here be a rebuild on them with a link to the manual.

If they are Z.3s which say they are then they'll be coil like my Z.3 QR20

If Z.5s then air

Actually, it does look like Z3 on the sticker.

If you look on the enduroforkseal site in the link above I think they are 99 z3 long travel.

Dual disc mount lowers! Nice.

Double IS brake lugs?

Edit nixie beat me to it, I was owned with bombers

Deffo 99's MY

The double mount isn't IS iirc. My old 98 z1s had already moved to single IS. Double was 96/7 I think.

Just off hunting it, ive the catelog here from 1999.
This doesnt have a long travel, just lists the Z3 light, at 70mm +5mm adjustment
but listing it as pro wind coil springs, oil bath etc.
Single preload adjuster ?. damping is on oil viscosity, height etc, little rebound adjustment.

Double IS brake lugs?

The caliper for the right side is a c2, but its very different in shape.

There was one for sale in the US, the full 3 caliper system from the first trade show as per pic. Missed a chance for the collection, but it would have been crazily expensive for the entire thing at about £500.

If it's a number 4 then that's a Formula 41mm mount IIRC, I have a table of all the numbers on the computer.

@boombang we need some more pics, seems to be an odd fork, like has been said above the 96 z1 had the duel disc mounts like your forks but they where NOT “IS”, but then like nixie has said by 98 they had moved to a single IS mount. I have some 99 junior t’s with the singe IS mount also. But if you look at the enduroforkseal site Jordan linked to it shows the z3 long travel as a 99 fork. So is there any way you could get A pic with a ruler or something to measure the space between the holes on The disc mount. 51mm center to Center is IS (international standard) 41mm (I think) is formula mount (hope number 4 caliper)

I wish I hadn’t sold my old hardtail with z1 wedges on it. Those forks worked really well and were so simple to service. They moved from the CNC alloy arch to the cast alloy one shortly after that model, mine was the cast arch which was connected to the lowers by the v brake mount from memory. It didn’t look anywhere near as nice as those forks though. I look forward to seeing those on a bike.

Deffo a oem Kona 99 fork ime

Wouldn't be surprised if they reused older castings for OEM models that were being specified with v brakes.

Never mind the fork is that a Ritchey front hub?

Think they're Z5 airs by the way, stanchions sound be chromed steel simple air topcaps will be retained by a wire ring in a groove (not threaded) let all the air out, hold the valve in compress fork, release valve then pull fork to extend, the slight vacuum should pull them it a smidge exposing the retaining ring.

Footnut is 12mm IIRC but needs a slim socket to get at, 1/4" drive worked for me.

It's a very simple fork, fixed open bath damping in both legs, dual air springs so all you can really play with is oil weight and level and pressure, pretty reliable though.

Right so I used my eyes and it clearly says Z3 Long Travel on the sticker (which I assume is original), has 98 stamped on the stanchions and with preload adjusters on both sides must be sprung.

Then I used a ruler and my eyes, dangerous sometimes, but can now see dual disc mounts with 51mm spacing.

Front hub is indeed Ritchey. Most of the rest of the bike looks original, even has the original BB, headset bearings, maybe even original chain.
Stem wasn't on the spec back then and probably wins an award for most overkill stem, looks cnc'd out of a piece of billet.

Managed to get it running as 1x5, rear shifter has lost the rest of the gears somehow, but new cable and outers and changes pretty well. Front mech cable is rusted into the outer but I'm out of spare cables for the moment.

Brakes are surprisingly good, pretty shocked about that, and after the bike being terrifying for the first 10 mins it actually rides quite nicely.

Does need:
Fork overhaul
BB
Pedals (tightened/replaced, not sure if these are cup and cone or just bushed and worn out)
Rear shifter
Front mech cables replaced
Headset bearings (cleaned and reused old ones but lower should really be changed)
Chain
Brake cables (these seem fine but might as well swap)
Front and rear hubs looking at (both seem to have a touch of play, front is definitely cartridge bearing, rear hub looks Shimano so could be cup/cone)
Rear wheel tension (some spoke tension might help!).
Seatpost out and properly clean inside frame again.

As an aside it is hefty but seems pretty well balanced and can lift front end pretty well. Jumping back on a modern bike does make you realise how lucky we are though.

I do like an old bike overhaul.

New cables, flush the shifters with a gallon of wd40 and cycle them up and down 100 odd times and you might get all the clicks back...

You know he's not going to ride it, it's only been handed to you to keep you occupied right 😉

It's actually been passed to my wife now my son has started riding faster and further.

Brother in law doesn't know yet but seeing as it was shoved behind a shed for 10+ years I am sure he won't mind (until he knows she has it of course).

But of further play today and front mech is bent out of shape, front shifter too only has 2 of the 3 positions.

I might be slapping a new BB and a set of pedals on, have a look at the wheels, then letting the wife loose with 2 X 5.

In other news I was generous with the silicon lube, wound off preload and then smashed the forks about a load. They weren't frozen before but certainly moving a lot better now. Stanchions look like new still, guess seals probably gone hard and some oil/lube letting them glide again.

cookeaa thanks for the tip - one quick squirt of whatever smelly paraffin in a rattle can I had on the shelf and a few clicks have released the shifters totally. Think with the bent FD and slack rear mech we have 8.2 x 2.5. I haven't even swapped the front cable (as didn't have one!) although dripped some lube down the cables and pulled them in and lot.

Have chucked a new BB in, new chain ready to go on (although no idea how to size an MTB chain on a triple so it is googling time), but had no luck with the Rob Warner shin smashers - they are cup and cone but the cups are knackered.