The slick-performing 55ATA is Marzocchi's answer to the RockShox Lyric and the Fox 36. The question was 'How do we do a swallows-everything, stiff, adjustable fork at a sane weight?' and the answer is, 'Like this.'
The air action is very close to that of a coil-sprung fork, and the lockout/compression is adjusted in a similar fashion to the RockShox Floodgate system - the amount of lockout depends on the amount of compression wound on. Bedding in time does apply to the 55, but once bedded in and dialled in, performance is fantastic.
Available in a few guises, the top of the range ATA features external rebound and compression adjustment, and lockout features.
The air-sprung fork utilises a twin valve set-up - one for the positive and negative spring and the other to add progression. There's also 40mm (1.5in) of travel adjustment at the twist of a dial from 125-165mm (4.9-6.4in).
With an alloy steerer tube, the 55ATA weighs just 2.2kg (4.86lbs) and features Marzocchi's new QR through-axle system - as well as a three-year warranty, which is due to the forks now being manufactured in Taiwan.
Getting them set up correctly is essential, as we found our ideal air pressure to be nearly double in the progression chamber to the main valve. Taking your time over set-up is essential, and once the bushings have eased up, slight alteration will be necessary.