[Leafy]

I bought a Z1 coz Marzocchi brah! And all the reviews said it was good, but that damper was a bag of shit and only the supposed morons on forums seemed to notice how shit it was.

isn’t the z1 just a 36 grip 1 damper in a slightly heavier chassis?

 

[Sandwich]

The LC & L1 have a two-stage stack, which indeed makes it more progressive. Less LSC, more HSC. First the weak first stage starts to open, until it passes the crossover shims, adding more damping in that range. This stuff is incredibly difficult to design as a hobbyist, but it seems that RS can make it work.
Evil Bikes has the tendency to use these softer tunes for their frames, which would explain why a lot of reviews call their bikes more shorttravel trailbikes than XC/responsive. However IMHO for a 100-120mm platform with modern antisquat and modern air springs, compression damping is not that very important anymore.
My buddy is riding the same frame as me with a Deluxe-B1 with L1 tune from an Evil Following. He loves that bike.


You are completely correct

can't tell you enough how much I appreciate the help. I'll grab that shock and get this bike going.

 

[UnusualBread]

Don't think it's a bad move to go with the new RS stuff but for added context, on two separate bikes I went from a DHX2/X2 to a mara pro and both times it was a massive improvement. The damper on the mara pro is solid IMO and you can get support without harshness which I could not get out of the fox stuff. I did eventually go EXT though. Air spring on mara is a little weird right off the top.

 

[two-one]

Don't think it's a bad move to go with the new RS stuff but for added context, on two separate bikes I went from a DHX2/X2 to a mara pro and both times it was a massive improvement. The damper on the mara pro is solid IMO and you can get support without harshness which I could not get out of the fox stuff. I did eventually go EXT though. Air spring on mara is a little weird right off the top.

Yeah, it's too bad they can't fix that airspring, there must be some good reason for them, but what...

 

[Sandwich]

Don't think it's a bad move to go with the new RS stuff but for added context, on two separate bikes I went from a DHX2/X2 to a mara pro and both times it was a massive improvement. The damper on the mara pro is solid IMO and you can get support without harshness which I could not get out of the fox stuff. I did eventually go EXT though. Air spring on mara is a little weird right off the top.

I ended up moving away from the mara mostly out of practicality- not sure the pro would fit, and the inline comes with a compact can which I don't think would work well on my bike. Everything i've heard suggests the damper is good, but the air spring is "a little wonky". seems like RS has the best springs but perhaps the most gimmicks- I'm hoping the 4 way adjustable LSC will suffice for a "trail switch" as I like having different modes on my fork.

 

[Sandwich]

Just to close the loop, I ended up very happy with my RS deluxe ultimate or whatever I have. The damper tune works pretty well and the spring curve is awesome, maybe a little too progressive but I virtually never bottom and the bike feels nice and spritely. Wouldn't mind more compression doodads, but for now it works very well.