Suspension school · Brand-Specific Technology

Marzocchi: Fox Internals, Fewer Decisions

Z1, Z2 and Super Z, and when they are the honest choice

Marzocchi has been part of Fox since late 2015, and modern Marzocchi forks are built on Fox architecture with simpler adjusters and lower prices. That makes them one of the smartest buys in suspension, provided you are honest about how much adjustment you actually use.

The Current Range

• Z1: 140 to 170mm enduro fork, air or coil sprung
• Z2: 100 to 150mm trail fork, air sprung
• Super Z: new for 2025, a 38mm-stanchion freeride fork
• Bomber 58: dual-crown downhill fork, 40mm stanchions, 200mm travel
• Bomber CR: a deliberately minimal coil shock with no climb switch

The Sweep Adjuster

Marzocchi uses sweep-style compression rather than a click matrix. The previous generation Z1 ran Fox's GRIP damper, and the 2025 Z1 and Z2 both use RAIL 2.0, a GRIP-derived design: one continuous sweep from open to firm on the top cap plus a rebound dial at the bottom of the leg. There is no click chart to memorise. Set the sweep where the fork feels supported without harshness and get on with riding.

Weight-Keyed Setup Tables

Marzocchi publishes official tuning guides with air pressure tables keyed to rider weight, and the calculator uses them as its baseline. They are worth trusting: the tables are conservative in the right way and get most riders to a good setup with nothing but a shock pump.

• The Z2 tuning guide includes dedicated E-Bike+ columns with higher pressures for the same rider, for example 65psi instead of 58psi for a rider around 55 to 59kg
• The E-Bike+ maximum pressure is higher too, 140psi against 120psi
• There is a separate E-Bike+ rebound click column
• If your Z2 is on an eMTB, use those columns, because the standard columns will leave the fork under-sprung for the extra bike weight

When a Z1 Is the Honest Choice

If you would buy a Fox 36, run the recommended settings and never touch the high-speed adjusters again, a Z1 gives you a similarly stout chassis and Fox-derived damping for considerably less money. What you give up is fine adjustment that many riders never use. On an eMTB in particular, where the bike's weight dominates the ride feel, a set-and-forget Z1 or Z1 Coil is a rational pick rather than a compromise.

• Choose Marzocchi if you want set-and-forget reliability, a coil option or maximum value
• Choose Fox if you genuinely tune 4-way damping, race, or want the latest damper generations
• Either way, service intervals matter more than brand: a fresh Z1 outperforms a neglected anything