Marzocchi 888 RC3 TI

Having had several rough years, Marzocchi have thankfully since had several highly successful years and are now well and truly back to their roots – their infamous reliability combined with no-fuss construction and unrivalled buttery smooth travel.

Early incarnations of 888’s came in on the heavy side for a downhill race fork, but this version with its titanium spring weighs less than most of its competitors yet retains that suppleness that no other suspension manufacturer seems able to mimic. The heritage involved in Marzocchi as a brand, with decades of experience in making suspension for motorbikes, should explain their ability to produce bang-on solid forks with minimal fuss, and their Italian roots should explain the attention to styling.

Nickel coated stanchions do more than simply add to the sleek looks – they add to the superbly supple feel, which combined with easily controllable damping result in Marzocchi’s best ever offering. This is probably as close as we’re ever going to get to a ‘fit and forget’ DH fork.

Windwave 02392 521912

Price: £1399.95