Weight: 1,642g (3.62lb) / Axle to crown: 475mm / 100 or 80mm travel / TST Micro Adjust with lockout / Compression and rebound damping / SFA air spring / Contact: www.windwave.co.uk [right-hand pic]

Compared to the 2007 Corsa we tested back in December 2006, the 2008 model is a bit more bling. The 32mm nickel-coated and tapered stanchions are identical, but they stand out a bit more with the white lowers. With the slippery stanchions and some new internal tolerances, Marzocchi has managed to eliminate the ‘bed in’ time common with most of its air forks. Marzocchi doesn’t offer separate lowers for disc and V-brakes but rather uses a neater hybrid design — a hose guide comes fitted to the fork but bolt-in brake bosses are included in the box if you want to go old skool.

Also different this year are the faced-off post mounts —Marzocchi has got rid of those silly stickers over the bolt holes. Weight-wise, the Corsa is marginally heavier than the Fox F100 and RockShox SID, but there’s not much in it.

In the past, some Marzocchi air forks had three air chambers, but the single-function air (SFA) system simplifies that, so a standard shock pump is all that’s need to adjust the dual (positive and negative) air spring. You’ll still need to switch to the adapter when tuning the bottom-out resistance but there’s no messing about with the compression adjuster. Like most race forks, the Corsa comes with a remote lockout, but by turning the gold knob on top of the left leg, in the centre of the red cap, you can access the TST (Terrain Selection Technology) micro damping. There are five settings, from fully open (DS) to a CL setting which does lock the fork out. Since the remote is essential to the system, Marzocchi pre-fits it so you don’t have to.

>>> Click here to find out more about geometry with our handy guide

The only issue we have is with the lever on the hinged clamp. It’s like this to make fitting quicker, but it’s very easy to strip the threads in the clamp. The only solution is to remove the controls first and then push the clamp onto the bar pre-tightened. Unlike the rebound adjuster on the SID, which is a bit ‘on or off’, the Corsa has a wide range with several turns being required to get from one one to the other, so you can be more precise when tuning.
Compared to the Fox F100, the Corsa is less supple but it feels better than the SID on kerb-sized rocks and square edges. It only reached 85mm of travel but it was not alone in this respect. Stiffness-wise, there’s a marginal difference between the three race forks, but we
had to really work the fork hard to notice the difference. We’ve upped the score since last time because the Corsa doesn’t take as long to bed in, is a third of a pound lighter and, in its present company, looks like better value for money.

Mbr rating:8