Marzocchi Bomber DJ Fork

When Marzocchi reintroduced the Bomber DJ in 2020, we were pretty excited to get our hands on one. While dirt jumping never died, it is certainly on the rise. The rebirth of the Bomber DJ is a testament to the industry paying attention. Our Bomber DJ saw plenty of days at the local parks, boosting lips and flying around the skatepark. Is it a worthy upgrade for your trusty ride? Let's dig in.

Marzocchi Bomber DJ Highlights

• 100mm travel
• Grip Damper
• 1.5-inch Tapered steerer
• 20x110 non-Boost
• 26-inch Wheel Optimized
• 37mm offset
• Gloss Red and Matte Black
• 2095g
• MSRP: $729 USD
• 15x100 Axle Conversion Kit MSRP: $60USD

Initial Impressions

Despite sharing the same damper and uppers, the Marzocchi Bomber DJ is more than just a 100mm version of the beloved Z1. The arch brace design is (very) familiar but the DJ uses a 20x110 hub with a 4-bolt clamping system. The interface is much the same as what is found on your downhill bike. The focus here is on strength and durability. Marzocchi does offer a conversion kit for those using a newer, 15x100 front hub.

Setup

The Bomber DJ comes stock with eight volume reducers installed and is capable of having ten. There is an air pressure chart on the leg, just as with most any fork but the guide reads more like that of a trail fork. In fact, the pressure guide on our Bomber DJ matches the guide on the Z1. Regardless, we took it in good faith and used Marzocchi's air pressure to weight guide.

After the first day of riding at the recommended psi, we began to steadily increase the pressure. When hitting larger jump lines, we like to run a very stiff fork in order to more easily carry speed. We finally maxed out the pressure at 120psi with all 10 volume reducers and found that to work well.

On The Trail

Right away we noticed very little to no flex or movement coming from the front end. The Bomber DJ felt super stout and fast at the higher psi. At the other end, it was just buttery smooth on the lower psi. Our Bomber DJ had a very usable stroke. We actually felt ourselves using all the travel at the lower psi which we haven't felt with other dirt jump forks. The 36 trail heritage was alive here.

Though the softer setup made it a bit better on the wrists while hitting big jumps or skatepark hits to flat, that softer setup also absorbed the lip on steeper jumps. The whole front end of the bike almost had a heavier feel to it. The payoff is that it felt super planted when coming down from jumps or railing berms. The Bomber DJ simply went wherever we put it.

Unique Features

There was nothing too crazy that jumped out at us. The exterior of the fork will be familiar to anyone with a Marzocchi Z1 or who has laid eyes upon an older set of FOX 36 lowers. There are no new knobs or foreign technologies here. Side by side with our much cheaper fork (which we have not had good luck with) the overall build quality stood out. All of the knobs and caps are alloy, with a robust feel and plenty of threads to help them stay in place.

Things That Could Be Improved

At the recommended psi, the fork lacked pop off steep lips. The Bomber DJ wanted to absorb and push through the lip, rather than go high. We noticed that we had to pump really hard to get it to get some height. This was fixed by cranking up the psi, but running a fork at the max is a bit much.

Something we noticed as more of a personal preference for our particular riding style was the rebound knob on the bottom right side of the fork. Especially with its cap, it hangs down a good couple of inches. While nothing happened within our testing window, we think missing a ledge or hitting it on some coping could possibly ruin your day and the fork.

The GRIP damper on the top of the fork did not feel like it was doing anything until about 80-90% locked out. Running lower pressure on day one, we tried messing with the lever but had to run it at 90% locked out to get it to make a noticeable difference.

Long Term Durability

We don't think the fork would have any issues, even after some years of the toughest situations. We definitely put it through some big hucks to flat as well as casing and overshooting dirt jumps. Not once did the Marzocchi DJ flinch or flex. Compared to our stock fork, which we feel flexing all the time, the Bomber was impressive.

The 36mm chassis gave the reassurance of a big bike, limiting the flex, but also giving us some confidence to go bigger. The finish quality of this fork is second to none, sporting all of the refinements any top-shelf fork should.

What's The Bottom Line?

Die-hard dirt jumpers will find increased confidence and durability with the new Bomber DJ. Casual park goers will enjoy the more supple nature and forgiveness that comes with the Grip damper. Either way you slice it, the Marzocchi Bomber DJ will deliver top-notch performance for your dirt jumper.

Learn more at Marzocchi.com.

About The Tester

Logan Brown- Age: 21 // Years Riding: 2 // Height: 5'11" (1.8m) // Weight: 155-pounds (70.3kg)

Logan is a fresh face to MTB, but has been on wheels his entire life. Logan has been riding BMX and Moto for 18 of the 21 years he's been breathing on this planet. He has spent the the past year glued to the MTB and DJ and a lot of skills have proven transferrable, which has made it a blast. Logan loves going fast and lapping any jump-lined trail he can find. He's also a familiar face at the local bike parks. Logan has been able to put miles on a lot of bikes lately. This exposure has allowed him to explore what he likes and what may not fit for his kind of riding.