Marzocchi Superfly or X-fly?

dmaraglia

Hello,

Sort of a crazy inquiry here, but perhaps someone can lend advice on the topic.

I plan to update the forks on my '97 Bontrager Race. I currently run 1999 Marzocchi Atom Bombs which have proven to be excellent performing forks, and have the added bonus of a short axle-to-crown height (430mm) and thus do not adversely affect the Bontrager's geometry. My goal is the lighten up the front end of the bike a bit...

I was planning to buy a 1999 Marzocchi Superfly, but I have not heard the best reports about this fork -- problems with seals, etc...but I am not sure how valid those complaints are. The nice thing about the Superfly is that it is pretty light and, like the '99 Atom Bomb, has a short axle-to-crown height (433mm).

My other thought was to, perhaps, purchase a 2001/02 Z2 X-fly 80mm as I have heard fairly positive reviews about this fork. Unfortunately, it has a taller axle-to-crown height (450mm) and I beleive this would upset the handling of the Bontrager. However, I have heard of people adding spacers to these (and other) forks so as to lower the fork's height, although this does sacrafice some travel.

So, go with the Superfly or try the X-Fly and modify the travel?

Any thoughts on the topic are greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
Dominic