Marzocchi Bomber Z1 Fork / CR Coil Rear Shock: Employee Review (Better Suspension for Half the Cost!)

Marzocchi will be forever known in the MTB and Moto Industries for their incredibly proven performance. When Marzocchi was acquired by Fox Shox back in 2016, we knew it was only a matter of time before some really cool stuff was brought to the table. Fast forward a few years and Fox relaunched Marzocchi as the suspension brand for those of us with a much smaller amount of disposable income but a will to shred as hard as anyone else. Marzocchi would become the brand riders could trust, backed with Fox’s Engineering and reliability but at a much lower cost than Fox and many other competitors like RockShox, DVO, and Ohlins.

Bomber CR Rear Shock

Just around a year from the original re-launch of the Bomber Fork line in 2018, Marzocchi decided to launch a coil shock that would be unbeatable in price and was proven to be the ultimate replacement shock for older bikes for weekend warriors that didn’t need a $1200 Push ElevenSix Rear Shock. We had the opportunity to hop on not only the Bomber Z1 right after its release, but we hopped on the Bomber CR Rear Shock just days after it’s release a few weeks ago to see if it was everything they claimed it was. To our surprise, the shock exceeded our expectations! As many people have pointed out, the shock is pretty much an updated Vanilla RC Shock which was offered by Fox many years ago. As many can protest as others complain, whether or not it is based on an older shock, the Vanilla RC was relatively bulletproof to most riders including those riding in RedBull Rampage and many World Cup Downhill Races before the Fox DHX2 (coil) and X2 (air) took over completely.

The Bomber CR Rear Shock offers a very plush feeling and is very consistent no matter how long your ride is. Something I personally look for in a shock and also something I was skeptical about having never run a coil on one of my personal bikes before. Although I prefer to jump around trails more often, I found that the Bomber CR had a very planted feel on most trails right out of the box and on the bike. After a few rides and 2 clicks to slow down the rebound I was dialed in with a shock that performed exactly how I wanted it to. It is important to note that this shock only has 2 adjustments, to first being rebound which can be found at the base of the shock and easily identified by it’s red color of course and the second being low-speed compression which cannot be missed as it is a large gold knob on the top of the piggyback.

The cost of this shock is the greatest selling point. Retailing for $299 (without a spring) the Bomber CR is one of, if not the cheapest coil shock available on the market right now that you can trust and is offered in more sizes then we know what to do with. Ranging anywhere from 130mm of travel to over 200mm, you can find the Bomber CR for just about any bike that is tough enough to run a coil. A normal Fox Coil Spring will run you about $30 unless you want to shed some grams and install an orange Fox SLS Spring for a price tag of $130.

Sizes:
• Standard: 7.5 x 2.0”, 7.7875 x 2.0”, 7.7875 x 2.25”, 8.5 x 2.5”, 8.75 x 2.75”
• Metric: 210 x 50mm, 210 x 55mm, 230 x 60mm, 230 x 65mm, 250 x 75mm
• Trunnion: 185 x 52.5mm, 185 x 55mm, 205 x 60mm, 205 x 65mm, 225 x 75mm

The Bomber we tested was installed on a 2017 Canfield Brothers Toir (formerly known as the Riot) which seemed like a great test for the "Revive The Ride" campaign Marzocchi is running. You may be thinking 2017 isn’t even old and you are right. However, the geometry design of the Canfield Toir is very outdated in comparison to the rest of the bikes we carry. Not to mention I didn’t want to cough up a bunch of dough to test out a coil, having never ridden one before. Once installed and set up, you never have to touch it again. The performance has stayed consistent over the past couple weeks since my final adjustment and I truly enjoy never having to mess with it or constantly check air pressure as I did with other shocks on past bikes. Having fewer things to worry about makes for more fun and more time on the bike.

Conclusion on Shock

The Marzocchi Bomber CR Shock has been quite noticeable on recent rides and I trust it more for those huck to flats we always do to test rear shocks. I never really experience any bottom outs, even when doing something really stupid...There has never been a dead feeling to the shock and it responds very well to both small and large drops as well as keeping me very planted in the corners (my weak spot). I do recommend this shock to anyone looking to not only upgrade their old-outdated bike with reliable suspension but anyone who is willing to give this coil thing a try. I do not recommend this shock to anyone who is super picky about their set up and needs every little adjustment known to man. At that point, I would recommend the Fox DHX2 given the immense amount of adjustments a rider can play with. I will be sticking to a coil for a while now after riding this shock for so long and am excited to even test it out on other suspension designs rather than just the CBF I am currently riding.

PS. I am leaving this video of Wade Simmons shredding the Bomber CR here. He has been riding for Marzocchi since the year I was born and played a big part in helping develop this shock!

Bomber Z1 Fork

Being a Fox guy, I was stoked to see a new offering from Marzocchi. I have been known to upgrade to the Fox 36 Fork on previous bikes even though they weren’t the types of bikes to need such an aggressive fork. First on my 2017 Yeti SB5 and then on my 2018 Yeti SB4.5 which I swapped the Kashima stanchion to black with the factory orange lowers that you can see here. The reason I was always a Fox guy was that the front end was so stiff and sturdy, I felt as though Rockshox and DVO had too much flex for comfort. Coming from a freestyle BMX Background (not racing) I wasn’t a big fan of the full squish feeling and wanted to have my mountain bikes feel as similar to the BMX as possible. Fox allowed me to do this with their naturally sturdy 36mm stanchions and some easy adjustments from volume spacers.

When the Marzocchi Bomber Z1 came out, we had some shop riders test it out. To my surprise, a bunch of those guys didn’t really like the fork because of how stiff the fork felt all together. A lot of these guys usually went with RockShox Suspension because the chassis had more flex to it and they preferred that. On the other hand, I wanted to get the stiffest chassis I possibly could so naturally I hopped on the Bomber Z1 to see what It was all about.

Bottom line, it was exactly the fork I was looking for and it didn’t even require any adjustments with volume spacers. I wanted to find out exactly what made the fork so much sturdier than the 36 and upon investigating found out that the Bomber Z1 was stiffer for 2 reasons. The first being the M shape of the bridge on the lowers. It looks super aggressive but naturally has support than the typical U shape you see on the 36. The second reason had to do with the crown which is completely solid on the Bomber Z1 as opposed to the 36 which has a hollowed out crown for weight savings.

After months of riding the fork, the performance has stayed as consistent as when it was first installed. From big drops to huck to flats the fork has held up with no bends or dents. The proven FIT GRIP Damper from Fox has held up with no loss in performance as well. Now after being installed on 4 different bikes between 3 different riders, I have yet found the need to rebuild the fork which is quite surprising given the abuse it has experienced. The Bomber Z1 feels very alive for the lack of a better term. My personal take is that the fork is just a stiffer version of the trusted and proven Fox 36 for a fraction of the cost and without the Fox logo behind it.

For a whopping $699, you get a fork that has been proven to take any and all abuse and can perform as well as, and outlast some other higher end suspension forks found on the market. My only complaint about the fork was the QR thru axle installed on the fork out of the box. To axle is super cheap looking and at times a pain in the a** to take on and off. I simply replaced this with a Fox Kabolt Axle to clean up the front end and ensure I would never struggle to get the axle back on the fork.

Final Thoughts on the Bomber Z1 Fork

Being that I have a very different preference in suspension than most riders, it makes sense for me to enjoy a fork as aggressive as the Bomber Z1. That being said I see this Fork being a great option for a variety of riders that are either seeking a stiffer fork or need on based off their body weight or aggressive riding style. The Bomber Z1 does not replace the Fox 36 in my heart but sits side by side with it based on its advantages in the way I personally want my suspension to feel. Being a cheaper option than other forks on the market it makes perfect sense for this to be a go-to replacement option for many riders no looking to break the bank but still looking for top of the line performance. The next test will include installing the Fox GRIP2 Damper in the Bomber Z1 to see if we can create the greatest fork on the market for a fraction of the cost you would normally spend or a high-performance Fork.