Few forks are as iconic as the 1997 Marzocchi Bomber Z1. Well, it’s back! This time as more affordable fork for riders who prize durability.

>>> 13 of the best mountain bike suspension forks: a buyer’s guide

2019 Marzocchi Z1 need to know

• 36mm stanchions
• 15mm axle
• Boost only
• 130-170mm travel in 29in/27.5+
• 150-180mm travel in 27.5in
• FIT GRIP damper from Fox
• EVOL air spring, also from Fox
• Clip-on volume spacers
• Gloss red or matte black (wot no orange?!)
• SRP $699 (UK £ TBC)

It seems new owners Fox are marketing Marzocchi as a cheaper option of high-performance fork that carries a bit more weight, ditches some adjustability but adds in more fit-and-forget reliability and more realistic service interval times.

Fox > Marzocchi trickle-down tech

And much like how Shimano and SRAM trickle down their tech from high end groupsets to their lower end groupsets over time, we expect Marzocchi forks to run ‘old’ fork tech from Fox forks that new Fox forks now have newer versions of ie. the Marozcchi Bomber Z1 has FIT GRIP damper now that the 2019 Fox 36 has moved to the new GRIP2 damper.

The key phrase from the accompanying press release reads “willing to give up some external adjustability and accept some added weight in favor of price and durability.”

As Marzocchi (who are now actually Fox, let’s face it) put it, they are bothered about two things: 1) Moto-inspired suspension performance and ride quality, and 2) Durability. Weight comes a distant third and “never as a compromise” to the aforementioned 1) and 2).

Marzocchi Bomber Z1 press release

The iconic Marzocchi brand is back in a big way for the 2019 season with two new Bomber suspension fork models. These forks bring FIT GRIP damping and the FLOAT EVOL air spring to more riders through new high-value Marzocchi designs.

On the trail side, the legendary Bomber Z1 is back to fit both 29/27.5+-inch and 27.5-inch wheels with travel ranging from 130mm to 170mm for the 29” model and 150mm to 180mm for the 27.5” variant.

Marzocchi’s original Bomber fork was founded on the idea of providing moto-inspired suspension performance and ride quality to mountain bikers. The original fork was super plush, super durable and eschewed the ‘weight wars’ of the time.

The new Marzocchi remains true to these guiding principles. We’re not all racers and Marzocchi built these robust suspension forks for trail rides, shuttle runs, bike park laps and those gravity competitors who need performance to break through, but can’t afford to break the bank in their quest for glory.

Simply put, Marzocchi recognizes that we all need our suspension to work great lap-after-lap, day-in-day out and that many riders are willing to give up some external adjustability and accept some added weight in favor of better suspension performance, price and durability.

CLIP-ON VOLUME SPACERS

Changing volume spacers in the BOMBER Z1 fork is an easy internal adjustment that allows you to change the amount of mid stroke and bottom out resistance.

Grip compression adjust

The 2-Position Sweep Adjust lever is useful to make on-the-fly adjustments to control fork performance. Use the positions between OPEN and FIRM modes to fine-tune your compression damping.

MARZOCCHI MY2019 BOMBER Z1

In 1997, the Marzocchi Bomber Z1 burst onto the scene and bucked all contemporary trends. The flavors of that decade included rubber springs and feathery weights. The Z1 brought oil, coils and massive stanchions—it unapologetically prioritized grip and ride quality over just about everything else. The return of Z1 brings back these same priorities in a robust 6000-series alloy 36mm chassis with a super plush air spring and proven GRIP damper.