If you’re interested in running a coil shock but not quite stoked on dropping 5 or 600 bucks for one, well we might just have your golden ticket. I’m Mike from The Lost Co, and in this blog I’m going to talk about our favorite affordable coil shock; the Marzocchi Bomber CR.

Marzocchi as a brand aims to create simple and affordable suspension that's straight up ready to take a beating, and their Bomber CR rear shock matches those exact principles. Now there’s 3 major selling points to this shock:

Simplicity, rideability and affordability.

First, let’s talk about the simplicity of the CR

This is an easy to setup and easy to live with shock. It has a straightforward set of adjustments with just low speed compression and low speed rebound. This shock is going to be waaaaay easier to setup than another shock with a more complex set of adjustments like the Fox DHX2 and Cane Creek DB which have adjustable low speed compression, high speed compression, low speed rebound and high speed rebound.

Yeah... that's a lot of knobs to adjust.

Simply install the Bomber CR on your bike, adjust the spring’s preload to adjust your sag, set the rebound halfway and the compression wide open and you’re on your way. Then just ride the bike, figure out your ideal rebound speed and then add compression one click at a time to firm things to where you like it and boom, setup is done!

It will probably take just take 2 or 3 rides to setup this shock, while you might be fiddling with a DHX2 for several weeks to get it dialed in.

There’s no climb switch, but adding low speed compression will stiffen the shock up enough to give you a decent pedaling platform. This isn’t really a negative factor these days, since modern bikes pedal so well and I barely ever use a lockout switch when I have one anyways.

Performance wise, the Bomber CR is a smooth running shock which offers a consistent, plush feeling sure to make most riders very happy.

Will a super expensive shock feel slightly more accurate and overall better? Maybe? But that depends on how much of a bike nerd you are.

A high end shock with a complex set of adjustments has a larger room for error in setup. If you’re not super in tune with suspension settings, there’s a huge chance that your setup will hinder the performance of your shock. The Bomber CR, creates less room for error in the setup.

I’d rather have a properly setup Bomber CR than a poorly setup Fox DHX2 any day.

Overall, the Bomber CR rides pretty freaking good and will certainly leave most riders satisfied. Especially after they see how much money they saved. If your bike’s stock shock is an inline design and doesn’t have a piggyback “or reservoir” then just moving up to a piggyback shock alone is going to make a huge difference in performance due to the heat management and oil flow that a piggyback provides.

Coil shocks in general will offer better sensitivity and small bump compliance than air shocks.

If you’re switching from an air shock, you’ll immediately notice how much traction your rear tire will gain since the rear end of the bike will feel more like its glued to the ground instead of skipping over little bumps. Also, your bike will feel more plush since coil shocks have less seals and less stiction than air shocks. The Bomber CR offers all of those characteristics at a low price, and offers enough adjustment to adapt to whatever type of terrain you’re riding.

I have the Bomber CR on a Devinci Troy and have set it up perfectly for the kind of riding we do here in Bellingham, WA; a bit of added compression and a decently fast rebound.

Bellingham trails are high speed but aren’t super rough; therefore, this setup helps me pump, carry speed, ride higher in the travel and retain that poppy lively feeling.

However, if you live in a place with more chunky rocks, like Colorado or Southern California, you can open up the compression and slow down the rebound to make the rear suspension super active and absorb every little bump for maximum traction.

Also coil shocks offer better consistency over air shocks. So if you’re riding long descents, the Bomber CR should feel the exact same from the top of the mountain as it does at the bottom with little to no fade in performance.

Ok we get it, the Bomber CR is simple and rides good, but how much does this thing cost?

The Bomber CR is much more affordable than the other popular rear coil shocks.

The Cane Creek DB Inline Coil is $460 plus a spring, the RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate Coil is $549 plus a spring, the DVO Jade X is $550 plus a spring, the Fox DHX2 is $639 plus a spring and the PUSH ELEVENSIX is a whopping $1,200.

The Marzocchi Bomber CR however, is $299. Finish it off with the spring of your choice and you’ve got a rear coil shock that costs less than half as much as some of the other popular options.

The standard steel spring is $30. You can also go with the Fox SLS spring, a progressive MRP or Cane Creek progressive spring, all of which are $130.

We always recommend starting with a standard steel spring to make sure your spring weight is correct. After you have dialed in your spring weight, you can confidently upgrade to a lighter or progressive spring that is on par with your bike and riding style.

For $329 out the door, this is a super common upgrade for riders who come into the shop with a blown out shock, which might cost $200 to repair. So, instead of investing into an old shock, with a questionable future, you can slap on a brand new Bomber CR. This is also a great option if you’re on the road traveling, having trouble with your rear shock and can’t find anybody to service your shock quickly. Simply grab one of these Bomber CR’s and fix your other shock later.

Got a trip to the bike park planned? Throw a Bomber CR on the bike, save your trail shock from blowing up and have insanely better performance while doing so.

The Bomber CR is actually about 15% lighter than the Fox DHX2 without a spring, so if you do go a lightweight spring like the Fox SLS then you’ll have a lighter shock.

Also worth mentioning is that Fox does own Marzocchi and manufacturers all of their components, so you get the quality control and customer service of Fox, but the burly freeride spirit of Marzocchi. This shock would also be a great match with the Marzocchi Bomber Z1 fork up front which has the same simple adjustments and affordable price point.

Well there you have it, that was all about the Marzocchi Bomber CR. What do you guys think about a $299 coil shock? Is this something you would ride? Let us know in the comments below!

Bomber CR’s are available in most imperial, metric and trunnion sizes to fit most bikes. If you’re certain that this is the shock for you, check out the links below to go check out an amazing shock that won't fail you when you need it most.

Until next time, happy trails!

(360) 306-8827

sales@thelostco.com