Marzocchi Roco RC World Cup review

Simlpe but great rear shock with world championship pedigree

Our rating

4.0

299.00

Published: March 23, 2008 at 11:00 am

Our review
Great-riding and well priced shock. Shows keeping it simple really works

Marzocchi is known for its suspension forks, but the company's top of the line rear unit, the Roco RC World Cup is a remarkably good rear shock, with a super-supple ride. It really livens up whatever bike you’ve fitted it to. It dances over rocks and roots, while at the same time giving you the confidence to try to grab a bit of airtime off whatever little tree stump or rock you may see.

It’s an odd expression to use in relation to a coil shock, but the Marzocchi really puts a smile on your face. We like the fact that simplicity still works and that you don’t have to have all the knobs and whistles – all you need is to get out there and ride. Simply put, this shock has blown us away.

The only downsides we’ve found are that you do get a bit of pedal bob, and the red anodised finish isn’t to all tastes. Another major disadvantage is that the Roco WC is currently only available in 222mm and 241mm eye-to-eye lengths. We hope that’s something Marzocchi will soon rectify, to make this superb shock available to a wider range of bikes.

With the Roco, Marzocchi has kept adjustment simple. Featuring just rebound and compression adjusters, along with an air input valve, this shock is the simplest we've tested lately. Effectively, Marzocchi is asking buyers to stop worrying about having every adjustment feature under the sun – this shock, it reckons, has all that you really need.

Shocks like the Roco are helping Marzocchi build a strong reputation for its rear shocks, and development from Marzocchi team riders Cedric Gracia and Brian Lopes has been a big factor. This close cooperation with the top downhill and four-cross riders is reflected in the quality of the shock.

Marzocchi is proud of the fact that riders can service the Roco themselves, so long as they’re a half-decent home mechanic. There are no ultra-high-pressure charged parts, and all you need to do is download the instructions from Marzocchi’s website and spend an afternoon taking it apart and cleaning it.

If you don’t fancy getting your hands dirty, or aren’t confident about your grease-monkey skills, then Windwave – the UK importer for Marzocchi – will do it for you for a mere £55.

Another great thing about being able to take it apart yourself is that you can put custom shim stacks in to increase the performance. However, Windwave told us that both Gracia and Lopes tried the custom settings and went back to the standard version – which shows that Marzocchi really did listen to them when creating the production version of this shock.

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