Sport And Biking Talk: MRP adds Fox 36 Ramp Control Cartridge

Saturday, May 13, 2017

MRP adds Fox 36 Ramp Control Cartridge

MRP’s Ramp Control Cartridge line-up now includes options RockShox Pike, Lyrik, Yari, and Boxxer (solo-air only), and Fox 32, 34 and 36.

Colorado’s MRP continues to add to its ever-growing product line-up with a yet another tuning option for suspension forks. Joining its expansive line of after market Ramp Control Cartridges is a new Fox 36 option. Price is $ 180 and install is a 20-minute job that takes just a few basic tools. Just note that this is the lone MRP Ramp Control Cartridge that does require lower leg removal.

“The reason being is that in addition to the cartridge, the kit includes parts to covert the air-spring from a self-equalizing positive and negative system, to two independent chambers,” explained MRP’s Noah Sears. “The additional parts include a blocker to replace the transfer port on the piston and a valve on the air shaft (that replaces a stud) that’s used to fill the negative chamber. Once installed, the upgrade allows to control over both the ending stroke (by the ability to tune the negative chamber pressure) and ending stroke (via the adjustment on the Ramp Control cartridge itself). It’s a sweet upgrade for sure.”

The end result is an alternative to volume spaces that adds a high performance speed sensitive adjustment, where you can tune big hit characteristics independent of other air spring and damper settings. This velocity-dependent damping allows you to have a fork that’s supple and comfortable at low and moderate speeds, but supportive and composed when the trail gets truly rowdy. And it’s adjustable on-the-fly on the trail without tools or a shock pump.

Ramp Control affects the fork’s ending stroke spring curve, giving you more support for big drops or when plowing through rock gardens at high speed.

Weight is 55 grams, which is lighter than most air spring assemblies with two or more tokens added. Other cartridge options include RockShox Pike, Lyrik, Yari, and Boxxer (solo-air only), and Fox 32 and 34.

“The key is that this allows you to externally adjust your ending stroke for your compression but not affect the initial or mid-stroke,” explained MRP’s Nick Simcik. “It’s a speed sensitive adjustment where if you hit something really hard this will really activate. But under initial strike it will not have a huge effect, so it provides support where you need it but not across the board. You have a good plush stroke until the end, but you don’t have gnarly bottom out.”

Press play to learn the basics of MRP Ramp Control installation.

Click here to view the embedded video.

MRP also has a new lightweight upper chainguide, the 1x CS (short for Cores Series), which is a more budget friendly version of the popular MRP 1x V3 for 1×10, 1×11 and 1×12 drivetrains.

For $ 40 (versus $ 75 for the V3 model) you get a 33-gram guide that works with single chainrings from 28t-34t (or oval to 32t), and requires no crank or chainring removal for installation. The 1x CS uses a composite backplate and a more basic nylon upper guide. There is no trade-off in performance, just fewer features and more basic materials and construction, and perhaps a little additional noise.