Marzocchi Bomber CR Coil Shock 2019
Reviews / Rear Shocks
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At A Glance
Last year Marzocchi launched their newly updated Bomber Z1 fork, offering riders the original Marzocchi style but brought up-to-date with some Fox internals. Top of their list was strength, reliability, and cost, with weight being less of a concern for them. The result was a stiff and responsive fork at a highly competitive price.
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Perhaps not surprisingly, Marzocchi decided to expand their suspension line up with a coil shock. Sharing DNA with the Fox Vanilla coil shocks of old, the Bomber CR Coil gives affordable coil bounce to the masses. And I say masses as it's available in a multitude of sizes and fittings, including trunnion, metric and non-metric. That's right, it's compatible with older bikes. Whatever happened to built-in obsolescence?
So, it's a coil shock, with rebound adjustment only via a small dial, the coils need to be correct for rider weight and are available to purchase separately. For $299 you have a coil shock ready to revitalise your old bike or give a cost-effective upgrade.
On The Trail
Fitting the shock is simple, and with the many different sizes on offer, getting one to fit your bike is almost guaranteed. The only thing to ensure is the correct coil for your weight and you're ready to go. It's also worth noting that not all suspension designs play happily with coil suspension so it's a good idea to double check. Adjustment is made by pre-loading the coil to fine-tune it to your weight, and it’s then ready to ride. The rebound adjustment allows a small amount of tweaking to calm down the bounce, but other than that it's good to go!
Swapping from an air shock the first thing to notice is the weight. While swapping them over and holding one in each hand, it's clear that there is a penalty to be had on the scales. Once installed, however, the overall weight becomes less of an issue.
Most noticeable is how well behaved the shock was on my Marin Alpine Trail, and despite not have a lockout or compression lever, the bike continued to pedal well. The level of traction also felt great, with the super soft sensitivity of the initial stroke of the coil.
Once things get faster the coil comes into its own and really offers a ground-hugging experience, gluing the back wheel to the ground through rough terrain and rock gardens. This is where I found the Bomber to work best, where I could run it soft and let the bike sit into it's travel and smash through the terrain.
Essentially the Bomber is a simple being and provided you are heading for gravity fed riding, then it performs great. On more flowing or lower speed trails, it can feel a little wallowy, or keen to stay on the ground, where an air shock would 'pop' a little more over the trail features.
Ultimately, it's hard to complain about anything on the Bomber given the price. Sure it's heavy, and it does do best on big hits, yet I can't help but love it because of the price, simplicity and solid build quality. There have been no issues with it during testing, and I doubt there would be any need to touch it for years to come!
Overall
Likely to fit any bike you can find, the Marzocchi Bomber CR Coil is no featherweight, but is a bargain coil shock for those who want simplicity, reliability and bit hit performance.
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This review was in Issue 59 of IMB.
For more information visit MarzocchiRelated
By Ewen Turner
Ewen Turner is a self-confessed bike geek from Kendal in the Lake District of England. He runs a coaching and guiding business up there and has a plethora of knowledge about bikes with an analytical approach to testing. His passion for bicycles is infectious, and he’s a ripper on the trails who prefers to fit his working life around his time on the bike.
