Marzocchi Bomber Air - The New Freeride Air Shock

Words by: Liam Woods

Slightly Off For The Slightly Off..

The all-new Marzocchi Bomber Air shock is a versatile rear shock that takes design cues from their sister brand Fox and their amazing trail air shocks, but with Marzocchi’s own twist. With a slightly asymmetric shock reservoir, not only does the Bomber Air have that unique Marzocchi look but it also helps create more clearance to fit in more frames. The compression adjustments are infinite allowing you to make easy and quick changes. There is also an easy to use external rebound adjustment to help tune it to your preferences. 

The large volume shock reservoir helps increase oil flow and circulation to give you consistent top-end performance no matter how long or rough the downhill might be. Conveniently, it’s also available in a wide range of sizes and mounts to fit bikes from short travel dirt jumpers to your full-on DH freeride bikes and anything in between. 

Features:

• Asymmetric reservoir position for improved compression lever ergonomics and versatile frame fitment
• Air valve location offers improved frame clearance and pump access
• Easy to adjust for all rider weights and riding styles
• DH-rated shock pairs well with all Marzocchi forks, from DJ to Z2 to 58
• 2-position, non-indexed compression sweep adjust means you can set it and forget it
• Innovative tunable sweep to adjust the stop to a narrower window
• Comes in metric and trunnion configurations
• Compatible with FOX bearing mounts on both ends (excluding trunnion)
• Has travel reducing spacers like most modern shocks
• Unique air volume spacers, available in 0.1 C.I. increments.

Specs:

•   40 to 75 mm stroke
•   Trunnion and standard eyelet options
•   Adjustable compression and rebound
•   All adjusters are tool-free
•   Compatible with FOX bearing mounts on both ends (excluding trunnion)  
•   484 grams (205x65)
•   Sizes:

• Metric: 190x45, 210x50, 210x52.5, 210x55, 230x57.5, 230x60, 230x65, 250x75
•  Trunnion: 185x52.5, 185x55, 205x60, 205x62.5, 225x75
• MSRP: $479 USD

On Trail Performance:

We were lucky enough to enjoy the Marzocchi Bomber Air for the past month or so which allowed us to thoroughly test and get a feel for the shock. As far as aesthetics go, it definitely has that quintessential Marzocchi look to it and really made our test bike, a Revel Rascal, look great.

Set up wise, the Bomber Air was a breeze. Our test bike called for 30% sag which only took a matter of minutes to dial in, and we then made some minor adjustments to the rebound which also only took a couple of clicks before we found our sweet spot. Marzocchi certainly tried to make things a bit more simple on the setup side when compared to Fox’s high-end fork and shock models, and they definitely succeeded in that regard.

On the trail, the shock rode great. The Bomber Air provided a very familiar feeling having just ridden the Fox Float X that was installed on our Rascal prior to our testing. The shock felt smooth throughout its travel and had enough ramp-up to prevent the bike from bottoming out. 

What's Worldwide's Takeaway?

Marzocchi has definitely made a comeback, and it’s awesome to see them return to their former glory. They’ve been making great products for the past few years and the new Bomber Air is no different. Even with a more digestible retail price compared to some of its competitors, the performance we get from this shock is top-notch and is everything you would expect from a Marzocchi product. Coming in a wide range of sizes to fit nearly any modern bike out there, the Marzocchi Bomber Air is a great option to save a few bucks without sacrificing performance.

This article was written / authored by Liam Woods. Liam has been in the bicycle industry for over 10 years as a racer, professional mechanic, service manager and as of late, media and content creator. Liam has ridden thousands of different bikes, ridden countless components, tested endless MTB apparel of all kinds and written reviews on it all. He's a key piece to the Worldwide Cyclery "All Things MTB" content creation puzzle. He also makes consistent appearances on the Worldwide Cyclery YouTube channel and Instagram.