The radically redesigned RockShox ZEB is so good I'd buy it

RockShox has overhauled its big-hitting, single-crown fork, claiming the only part that remains the same is the axle.

The new ZEB gets a completely new chassis, an updated air spring and damper, as well as a host of new features intended to make it smoother and more predictable on the trail.

Revised damping ranges, along with new adjustments, make it a seriously tuneable fork, too.

On the hill, riding it back-to-back with the previous-generation ZEB, there’s certainly a difference to be felt between the two.

While both feel incredibly supple and smooth, the latest iteration handles bigger impacts with more composure, especially when you’re deep into its travel, recovering quickly, and always feeling predictable and consistent.

When you factor in the price, which starts at £965 / $989 / €1,080 for the Select-level fork, the new ZEB could well be the big-travel, single-crown fork to beat this year.

I tested the new fork at a RockShox launch event in New Zealand, and I was seriously impressed. Read on to get my initial ride impressions.

Read more: RockShox boosts all-important sensitivity and control on new Vivid Air and Super Deluxe shocks

Perfectly poised

Rider in full face helmet jumping between trees on Santa Cruz Bronson with new RockShox ZEB fork. — During back-to-back tests, Rob could feel the difference between the older and new ZEB forks. Callum Wood / SRAM

Having spent three days lapping the trails of Queenstown, New Zealand, along with a number of rides on my local trails, riding it back-to-back with the previous-generation ZEB, I feel I’ve got a decent handle on how the new fork performs.

Staring with setup, although RockShox has since updated its air-pressure guide slightly, I stuck with the suggested setting, which felt spot-on.

Like the recently updated Boxxer, the ZEB uses the new LinearXL air spring, paired with the AirAnnex. The bulge in the lower-leg casting, just in front of the brake caliper, is there to add volume to the lower legs – it’s only on the spring side so it can match the already greater volume of the damper leg. It's designed to help prevent unwanted pressure build-up as the fork compresses.

Limited pressure building in the lower legs creates a smoother ramp-up when you’re close to the end of the fork’s stroke. This helps the ZEB feel smoother through the last part of it travel and, as I felt in New Zealand, especially on longer runs, more comfortable.

RockShox ZEB LinearAir Annex. — This additional section on the lower-leg casting adds volume, creating a smoother ramp-up towards the end of the travel. Sven Martin / SRAM

Breather holes on the upper tubes enable the lower-leg volume to increase as the fork compresses, helping to create a more linear, predictable feel, no matter how fast the fork is cycling through its travel.

What’s more, though, this new spring and damper make this generation of the ZEB feel as if it sits a little higher in its travel than the older fork.

When I first jumped on the previous ZEB, one of the first things I noticed was how smooth it was. It felt as though it rode a little deeper into its travel than the fork it replaced – so much so, in fact, that as well as upping the spring pressure to nearly 15psi above what was recommended, I also increased the bar height by 5mm to compensate.

The new ZEB feels as if it sits up a little more and gives back more in terms of support when you load it up, but without ever feeling harsh. That, for me, is a real positive.

However, it’s not only that feeling that makes it better than the outgoing model. The new ZEB feels more controlled and consistent deep into its stroke.

The change in the way the spring works makes the fork feel as though there’s more of a buffer deep into the stroke, as if there’s a little extra travel to tap into. With a less abrupt ramp-up and an incredibly quick and smooth recovery, rapid hits that keep the fork sitting low in its travel deliver more composure and comfort.

This felt particularly noticeable when smashing through a lengthy, matted root spread, where the fork was working hard to transition continually from compression to rebound. In this situation, while both forks felt smooth, the new ZEB seemed more comfortable with more consistent front-end grip.

Smoothing things out

Rider in full face helmet turn around fallen tree on descent, riding a Santa Cruz Bronson with RockShox ZEB fork. — RockShox has reduced friction in the ZEB, meaning it needed to increase the damping as a result. Callum Wood / SRAM

The improvements over the old fork aren’t all down to the changes to the air-spring, though.

ButterWagonTech essentially consists of divots placed in a strategic pattern around the upper tubes, below the wiper seals.

As the fork compresses, these divots fill with lubricating oil from the lower legs, and transport up and over the bushings – which have been cut to improve the flow of oil – and wiper seals. Doing this leaves a thin film of lubrication for the lower tubes to flutter smoothly over the upper tubes.

That oil has changed, too, with RockShox moving to a medium-weight Maxima offering and a new SG920 grease. On top of that, there’s now more oil in the lowers, too.

New SKF ‘low grab’ wiper seals reduce friction further.

Tightly cropped shot of clear suspension fork showing dimples and holes in the upper tubes. These are known as RockShox ButterWagon Tech and breather holes. — The small dimples in the upper tubes help to transport oil, and keep the bushings and wiper seals well lubricated. SRAM

But a smoother fork and improved air spring would mean nothing without control. In this case, that comes from the new speed-sensitive Charger 3.2 damper.

To match the suppler fork feel, RockShox had to adjust the damping range slightly, upping it to keep it more closely in line with what was on offer previously.

When testing the forks back-to-back, as well as riding in my preferred settings, I also rode laps testing the extremes of each dial.

Maxing out the low-speed compression adjuster on each fork had a dramatic effect, causing the fork to ride much higher in its travel. This felt more pronounced on the newest ZEB. With the old fork, due to how deep it sat into its travel, I tended to run quite a lot of low-speed compression damping to keep it propped up, which may explain the differences I felt.

Running the high-speed compression fully closed was different, though. Both forks felt better supported through the harshest of hits without feeling harsh, although the new ZEB felt smoother. And while on the older fork I didn’t run any high-speed compression damping as standard, I was using a couple of clicks of it on the new ZEB.

RockShox is still using its ButterCups assembly at the base of each leg, too, which helps to mute high-frequency vibrations.

Dialling it in

Rider dropping off over fallen tree in full face helmet and riding a Santa Cruz Bronson with RockShox ZEB fork. — Getting the settings right didn't take long, but more importantly, making changes is quick and easy, and very noticeable on the trail. Sven Martin / SRAM

As well as the new damper adjusters being numbered in a bid to help riders keep tabs on their settings, RockShox has added a new tuning feature.

There’s still scope to add volume spacers to the spring leg to alter how the spring curve behaves, but there’s also the new Adjustable Bottom Out to play around with.

Person holding multi-tool and adjusting the Adjustable Bottom Out feature at the base of the RockShox ZEB fork. — A new feature for the ZEB is the Adjustable Bottom Out, which can be tweaked externally and makes a notable difference on the trail. SRAM

By turning a 5mm hex key at the base of the spring leg, you can move the bottom-out bumper position by 10mm, altering how the final 7-17mm of travel will feel. There are seven clicks to choose from, and it makes tuning the final part of the travel quicker and easier than using spacers.

RockShox ZEB damper dials — Number-compression damping dials help riders keep track of their settings more easily. SRAM

This is a setting I played with a lot while in New Zealand. Although it only alters the final part of the travel, it feels as though it has a marked effect on the ride.

After tinkering quite a bit, I settled on using four out of the seven clicks from fully closed, which gave the fork a really controlled final ramp-up at the end of its travel, and never felt harsh or as though it lacked support.

Details, details

Close-up shot showing the RockShox ZEB fork arch and new integrated mudguard. — A new integrated mudguard bolts directly onto the revised, reshaped fork arch. Sven Martin / SRAM

Of course, there’s more when it comes to the final touches.

A revised lower-leg arch now features removable caps. The integrated blank cap can be removed and replaced with two fender options that screw neatly into the back of the arch.

While there’s no doubt how neat this solution is, fixing a fender in place with the small bolts is a little fiddly.

Cutouts either side of the arch are said to help reduce pressure on the upper fork bushings, improving sensitivity further.

RockShox has also moved the air-bleeder buttons up and onto the back of the new, wider crown, which it claims improves steering precision. The bleeder buttons were moved to make them easier to reach and to improve the overall look of the fork.

RockShox ZEB bleed button. — The ZEB now features bleed buttons on the back of the fork crowns, which are easier to reach. Sven Martin / SRAM

These buttons help relieve pressure build-up within the fork, often caused by a change in altitude or temperature, causing the fork to have a more pronounced ramp-up through the final part of the travel.

Previously, these were situated on the back of the lowers, below the seat of the wiper seals and went from push buttons to threaded caps during legal back and forth between RockShox and its competitor, Fox, which uses a similar design on its forks.

My initial verdict on the new RockShox ZEB

Rider descending on a ridgeline trail, surrounded by grass and yellow flowers, riding a Santa Cruz Bronson with a RockShox ZEB fork. — Rob needs to do more testing, but he's been mightily impressed by the latest RockShox ZEB. Callum Wood / SRAM

Compared to the old ZEB, this new model is an improvement, especially in those situations where you’re really hammering through bumps that keep the fork deep in its travel.

The ride dynamic also suits me better. I realise this is a very subjective matter, but if you like a livelier, better-supported front end on your enduro or trail bike, the new ZEB delivers exactly that.

RockShox has done a great job and delivered an incredibly good fork. Compared to the new Fox 38 Factory (£1,439) and Podium (£2,199 Factory version), the ZEB – even in the top-tier Ultimate version – is cheaper. Considering the performance on offer, this could well be the MTB fork to beat this year.