Marzocchi BOMBER Z1 Air to Coil Conversion (Coil Kit Installation) I like the Fox a little more because it feels better off the beginning of its stroke. Install new foam rings from kit during dust wiper service. Smashpot - Fork Coil Conversion System. Bike Magazine. Continual evolution means the latest Factory options come in FIT GRIP2 or FIT4 damper options with travel up to 180mm in 27.5-inch or 170mm in 29-inch. If i can sell the bike for like 800 dollars then id gladly add another 500 to 700 but that seems to still get me a budget full sus. Great news then that the structural topend-plus seals, air-spring and volume spacers of the Z2 are the same as the Rhythm. Asolo. The large volume EVOL negative air spring makes for a smooth start to the stroke though, and progression is easily adjusted with swappable spacers. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. Includes brand new seals pre-installed, plus a new foot nut and crush washer. I smile every time I look at this fork. Once dialled though and itll happily chase down significantly more expensive Fox siblings or RockShox competition particularly where precision steering is key. The lower legs are also hollowed out more than normal, but theres still enough bushing overlap and top-end stiffness to keep them acceptably accurate. Retailing at $499, less than their flagship Z1. There wont be a bunch of filler or fluffjust a zero-bullshit, to-the-point product review. Focus on whats important having fun on your bike. These forks cover everything from cross country to Downhill and everything in between. Copyright a360media 2023. So you will probably also need a new front wheel. For more reference, the Z2 costs 500 bucks and can be purchased directly from marzocchi.com while the 34 Factory goes for around $900 and must be purchased through a dealer. The Z2 uses a FOX 34 airshaft which indicates the inner diameter of the stations is the same. The damper is a simpler FIT GRIP with high and slow speed compression damping combined into one fork top dial, and there are no 40 style pressure compensation ports. X. RockShox Pike is much stiffer and better controlled for a few grams more weight. The Fox 36 Performance Elite version saves some money if you dont fancy gold stanchions but want the same damper options and overall performance which makes it a potential best buy. Honestly, I would take that money and apply it to a new bike. A fresh set of lowers using an M shaped brace completes an impressively stiff and tough fork structure. Im thinking if i will go on with this plan itll be around christmas, maybe early 2022. That means fewer clicky dials, but all the on-trail performance of a stiff chassis and butter-smooth damper, from top to bottom. Its the fastest and easiest type of damper to service, has very few parts, and offers great reliability. It seems fitting that Fox chooses to list price but not weight for the Bombers, and weight but not price on for the Fox Factory forks. Marzocchi's air-volume spacers may be green, but they, and the Z-2's air spring are identical to those found in Fox 34 forks. A new fork can only do so much. Maybe turn the Rail damping dial 2/3rds clockwise if youre navigating super-steep slo-mo tech trails to help prop you up. I think the last time I saw one of those was on the back of a 26-inch wheel Trek Fuel. It definitely rewards riders who actually know what the dials do and are happy to spend time tuning, and ironically, GRIP2 forks are now the most expensive option. The most recent comeback fork from Marzocchi is a properly affordable fit and forget performer in true Bomber style. 2020 Grip Remote Topcap Interface Part Installation. Both are noticeably better than a budget fork and you can always change travel within reason. Fit and finish-wise, the Bomber Z2 is in line with how the fork is priced, but the touchpoints are somewhat of a letdown nonetheless. The Bomber Z1 shares the chassis design and air spring with the Fox 36, but its a heavier aluminum than Fox uses in their forks, so its not as if Fox just put Marzocchi stickers on unbranded 36 forks right off the boat. It was too clearly a cut-price dumbed-down version of a Fox 36 (Marzocchis new owners) with a poorly designed axle clamp. Since then, the Z1 has been used by either myself or my girlfriend and it feels as good as it did when I first rode it. Long live fun. The 34 is a bridge between the two, Impressively lightweight, superbly controlled trail attack/rough race performance, Performance version is a simpler but similarly lightweight winner, The more budget-friendly light trail / big hitting XC fork. The difficulty, however, is that you'll have to search the interwebs to find one - and you'll have to live with the Grip damper's simplistic low-speed adjustments. Its still a smoothly consistent fork though and a valid alternative to the current RockShox SID for affordable race and light trail duties. It seems fitting that Fox chooses to list price but not weight for the Bombers, and weight but not price on for the Fox Factory forks. Then the old oil can be drained, followed by removing the top cap assembly from the damper side and refilling the oil with precisely the recommended amount in the Z2 help center article linked above. BOMBER Z1 Coil. The full-legged 32 still exists, but its clearly being phased out in favor of the lighter Step Cast forks. Simple rebound adjustment for the set-and-forget rider. In the other leg youve got Marzocchis own RAIL damper, which offers adjustable rebound damping via a single dial at the bottom, with an adjustable compression/lockout dial up top. Like the Z1, the Z2 is also an air-sprung fork, and you can adjust both spring pressure and volume. They call it the Rail damper. Join Singletrack From Only 12.50 1/2 . The Bomber DJ is the 100mm cousin of the Bomber Z1. Well be riding the 2020 Marzocchi Bomber Z2 fork over the coming months to see how its performance compares to the Fox 34, and to find out just how the new RAIL damper will fare in the long run. Marzocchi Z2 vs Rockshox Revelation RC. The design for the Z1 as a whole though, was not completely original. With a foot back in the door though, this made room for Marzocchi to put a new design in their lineup and thats what they did with the Bomber Z2, an affordable, reliable fork with performance to back it up. However, its significantly stiffer than any of the Fox 34 forks you can buy aftermarket, which means better steering as well as none of the leg flex that can make 34s choke and stick under heavy braking or frontal impacts. You can still fine-adjust low-speed compression in open mode too if you want more support. Fitting the third spacer stopped it blowing through travel as easily and meant we could run the recommended pressures but left it slightly numb. Terms | Privacy. When Fox bought the Marzocchi brand in 2015 there was a hope theyd revive the open bath damper, sloshing oil forks of the Italian firms glory days. There have been many, many friends and other mountain bikers who have asked about the fork out on rides out of curiosity, and many who laughed it off as a re-branded Fox 36. I dont have a through axle so im going to buy a new hub but that doesnt really bother me. Now THIS is a fork that makes sense. Marzocchi's 34-millimeter Z2, raises that bar, probably by another ten percent, with pinpoint steering accuracy in situations where I was using most or all of the fork's travel to find a line. BA1 1UA. However, Fox says that the construction of the Rail damper is actually pretty similar in construction to the Grip damper. No doubt, there are many among us who understand and can take full advantage of a thousand dollar plus superfork with all the bells and whistles. Your Marzocchi Warranty Technician will evaluate the failed product and consider factors such as age, riding hours, intended use of product and use environment when determining a warranty claim. I had the z2 and now a 36 performance. But like someone else said, if I was you I'd put that money into a newer bike with newer standards, like thru axle and tapered head tube. Or just leave it alone. Not just a fork for old Bomber fans. Pricing is still slightly higher than the RockShox Lyrik but both forks feeling similarly superb on the trail. Heres how it works. Thank you for signing up. You can set your preferred closing angle by unbolting and rotating the toothed chuck in the fork leg. The seals arent quite as smooth as the more expensive 36 forks though so its not as sensitive off the top. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: The Real Bike Weights from PB Editors, Shimano Consolidates Entry- to Mid-Level Groupsets With New CUES Drivetrains, Porsche Takes Complete Ownership of Greyp, First Look: Reeb's New Steel Enduro Racer is Partly 3D-Printed, GT Becomes a "Stand-alone Business" as it Returns to Southern California, [Updated] Revenue Round Up: Shimano Breaks Sales Records & More from Q4 Reports, www.pinkbike.com/news/marzocchis-z2-bomber-returns.html. Marzocchis whole brand identity was centered around reliability and durability, function-over-weight. You can hit anything as hard as you want. Aiming to simplify the internals while also making maintenance easier, the RAIL damper completely separates the compression and rebound piston assemblies. Rather than relying on expensive materials and offering up a zillion different adjustments, the Z2 instead strips things back to basics, with a keen focus on reliability and ease of use. The Z2 also gets one-piece magnesium lowers, but theyre treated to their own unique M-arch design. Downsides? Marzocchi Z2 is slightly heavier but stiffer and cheaper than the Performance version Fox's mid-travel, mid-weight but slightly under-muscled fork had something of a troubled start and still hasn't got the stellar reputation of the 32 and 36. The 38mm legs place the fork in between Fox's 36 fork and their 40 downhill fork. Bomber Z2. The Rail damping adjuster is plastic and has no indexing. Under braking or hard cornering, the Z2 leaves other 34 and 35mm stanchion forks found wanting. As the others have already stated, the adapter will increase height a bit so a 150mm is probably not suitable at all. Rather than chunky 36mm stanchions and 130-180mm of travel, the Z2 sizes down to 34mm stanchions and 100-150mm of travel. Quality>quantity for overall ride feel. Fox 36 Float NA2 Air Shaft Assembly - 2019+. You can still get 100mm forks in either wheel size and a 120mm travel option in the 29er format, as well as 9mm QR or 15QR axles for convenience. Marzocchi Bomber 58 27.5 Fork $1,049.00 (3) Fox 34 Float SC Factory FIT4 29 2022 $1,019.00 (3) Ohlins RXF36 m.2 Trail Air 29 Fork $1,099.00 SAVE 19 % MSRP $1,350.00 (4) Fox 34 FLOAT Performance Elite FIT4 29 2022 $869.00 Fox 40 FLOAT Factory Grip 2 27.5 2022 $1,819.00 (2) Fox 38 Float Performance GRIP 29 2022 $989.00 Ohlins RXF38 m.2 Air TTX18 Fork A simple sweep adjuster can lock out for the climbs, open up for the descents and easily adjust to every type of terrain in between. The chassis is based upon the popular Fox 34 Float fork, with both forks utilising 34mm diameter stanchions. 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