MY27 ROCKSHOX ZEB FIRST RIDE REVIEW

April 7, 2026

The Zeb is one of four new RockShox products launching today for MY27, joining the Lyrik, Vivid Air, and Super Deluxe in their trail suspension lineup. Aiming to bring the capability of the new Boxxer to a single-crown platform, the Zeb features a host of new features and upgrades, and we’ve been logging some preliminary miles to see how it performs.

THE WOLF’S FIRST IMPRESSION

Testing The RockShox Zeb | I have spent a solid amount of time on the new RockShox Zeb, fitted to my Atherton S170 long-term test rig and paired with the new Vivid Air rear shock.

I felt comfortable on the new Zeb from the get-go, following the suggested starting setup by the RockShox engineers. This setup was on the reasonably racey end of the spectrum, giving healthy levels of support in bigger impacts. I was already impressed by the performance of the previous generation Zeb, but the new model felt a little more consistent and calm right away.

At the maximum of my ability, I can’t say that the new Zeb offered an appreciable level of extra capability to the previous generation from my preliminary testing. Both of these forks exhibit excellent composure and control, with a good setup letting you push as hard as downhill bike suspension from just a handful of years ago.

However, when dialling back a little, the smoothness and comfort of this new fork impressed. If you can be more comfortable – whether it be on a long day of enduro racing or towards the end of a day lapping the bike park – chances are that you will be happier and safer. And you may just be able to push that little bit harder if you’re going against the clock. I believe the new technologies and lubricants RockShox has used for the Zeb will keep things running smoothly for longer, so I’m excited to keep on testing over the long haul to see how it continues to perform.

Much like the RockShox Boxxer and Vivid Coil, pairing the Zeb to the new Vivid Air offered excellent tuning possibilities. Rather than finding a distinct setup where each unit felt optimized, I was able to modify the character of the bike using the highly adjustable dampers. Regardless of where I was in the tuning range, I didn’t suffer with pronounced harshness or excessive wallowing as a consequence. A useful tuning ability stemmed from the consistency between the forks and rear shock adjustments, where the balance of the bike was retained if damping adjustments were matched front to rear.

THE NEW ROCKSHOX ZEB IN THE LAB

RockShox designed the Zeb to bring Boxxer-level capabilities in a 38mm stanchion single crown package. Available in travel options from 150mm to 180mm, the Zeb is the big-hitting enduro fork in the RockShox lineup.

LINEAR XL AIR SPRING

The Linear XL Air Spring is a system, combining a new cartridge-based air spring and the lower legs as one spring system. RockShox aimed to deliver predictability through a consistent and linear air spring curve, hence the Linear XL name. Further measures were implemented to reduce friction and hysteresis, ensuring the air spring handles spring duties, and the damper does all of the damping.

RockShox worked to lessen the effect of lower leg air ramp-up, with some new and innovative features. The new cartridge air spring system reduced the air volume in the air side lower leg, which would have delivered a progressive response. Adding the Air Annex allowed the air volume of this lower leg to be increased sufficiently to deliver a suitably linear spring curve. It is only featured on the air spring side, since the damper side features a larger air volume, so RockShox balanced the volumes of each side for the best consistency.

The upper tubes now feature recesses to allow air to easily transfer between the lower leg bushings, reducing isolated pressure buildups.

ADJUSTABLE BOTTOM OUT

An Adjustable Bottom Out (ABO) system is fitted to the Zeb, providing tunable support for the final portion of the travel. The Adjustable Bottom-Out system is mechanical, with a height-adjustable jounce bumper that allows the rider to choose where the bottom-out system takes effect. With an adjustment range between the final 17mm to 7mm of the travel, riders can tweak the handling of the fork in its final stages, without compromising on the ability to reach full travel.

UPGRADED CHASSIS

RockShox overhauled the chassis of the new Zeb to increase its stiffness without increasing weight. The fork arch stiffness was increased without sacrificing tire clearance, and the cutout was added to reduce the load on the upper bushing and reduce friction under the hardest loads. RockShox also worked on a new fender mounting system, delivering a sleek look whether a fender is fitted or not.

The bleeder valves were relocated from the lower legs to the back of the fork crown, improving  access and providing cleaner looks.

The TorqueCap front hub interface is still offered, delivering an increase in front axle stiffness without adding the weight of a larger 20mm axle.

BUTTER ON BUTTER

There are two butter-inspired technologies in the new Zeb. RockShox developed the ButterWagon technology, which is also featured on the new Boxxer and Lyrik. Dimples are machined on the fork stanchions below the dust seals, which transfer lubricating oil up the lower legs to actively lubricate the bushings.

And at the bottom of the air spring and damper shafts, the ButterCup elastomers are fitted. These are designed to reduce the transmission of high-frequency, low-amplitude vibrations, improving comfort for the rider.

FURTHER FRICTION REDUCTION

RockShox moved to a new 15w Maxima lubricating bath oil to reduce the friction present. Inside the fork, Maxima SG-920 assembly grease is also used on sliding surfaces, further chasing friction reduction to improve sensitivity.

RockShox and SKF collaborated to develop a new seal design, targeted to reduce the pressure-induced “squeeze” that can occur on a conventional fork seal. This aims to improve the sensitivity of the fork deeper in the travel, boosting consistency.

CHARGER 3.2

RockShox tuned the new Charger 3.2 damper to work best with their Linear XL air spring. With the friction reduction efforts in place, more support is demanded from the damper, so it was tuned to keep the fork up in its travel. With this approach, the support is more tuneable and more consistent, boosting performance.

RockShox has updated the graphics on its Charger 3.2 damper to make adjustments easier to read. Using a numbered system, a rider can quickly glance at the dial to see where they are in the range.

SPEC OPTIONS

• RockShox Zeb Ultimate | The RockShox Zeb Ultimate is the highest level spec, featuring the most adjustability thanks to the Charger 3.2 damper with ButterCups. The retail price is $1,299 / €1,415 / £ 1,265.
• RockShox Zeb Ultimate Flight Attendant | The RockShox Zeb Ultimate Flight Attendant features the Charger 3.2 Flight Attendant damper. This uses an electronically-controlled damper to read rider input and the terrain and adjust the compression damping to improve efficiency where desired. The retail price is $1,799, €1,965, £1,750.
• RockShox Zeb SELECT + | Available OEM only, the RockShox Zeb Select+ loses the Buttercups featured in the Ultimate level forks, but retains the full adjustability of the Charger 3.2 damper and Linear XL air spring with ABO.
• RockShox Zeb SELECT | The Delta RC damper on the RockShox Zeb Select fork offers only a single compression damping adjustment, and there is no ABO. It retains the same chassis, friction reduction measures, and Linear XL air spring. Retail price is $989, €1,080, £965.
• RockShox Zeb Base | The OEM-only RockShox Zeb Base fork features the same Delta RC damper found on the Select level fork, but uses the previous generation Zeb chassis with the Debonair+ air spring.