Fork getting stuck down in travel

Hi chaps,

I’ve got a MRP Stage fork, which sinks into its travel, and doesn’t return back up.

To get it to extend you need to pull the crown and lowers apart.

It stays up, until you compress the fork, and it goes lower and lower into the fork travel.

It’s been to a service center twice for repair, and it’s come back still broken. The guys had the fork for 3 months last time! So I’m reticent to send it back to them, and there’s only one other MRP service centre.

My only thoughts are that the air shaft that equalises the chambers is getting gummed up somehow, maybe with grease and not letting air back into the positive. Not sure if that makes sense though…

Cheers

Ricks

My only thoughts are that the air shaft that equalises the chambers is getting gummed up somehow, maybe with grease and not letting air back into the positive. Not sure if that makes sense though…

That’s one of the causes of similar problem in Rockshox forks.

How long have you had the thing? If you’ve sent it back twice and it’s not fixed, I’d say you’ve given them a reasonable opportunity to repair it and you should be getting a refund or replacement.

There’s a little blow-off needle I think on a tiny spring at the end of the air shaft that lets the air one way into the lowers, if there’s grease or a bit of something that is stopping this from sealing that might cause it. I’d email MRP, they’re very good at support. Or default response – ring pedals! Maybe worth checking the mtbr forums too.

Noah from MRP has pointed me at a tech guy, hopefully he’ll be able to shed some light.

Is it still under warranty ? If so just get a refund rather than continue messing around with it. It’s clearly broken.

No, it’s probably close to 3 years old.

I used to have this with a set of rockshox domains. Turns out one hard landing too many had banana’d the actual stanchions – once seen you couldn’t unsee it – the bottom of the fork was about 2cm further forwards of where it should be, and so the fork was binding on the bushings at full travel. Could it be that?

I don’t think so, it feels more like an air leak

Noah is a dude! I love MRP

Airspring fully stripped down, looks like it may be the damper that’s screwed. Possibly the rebound circuit causing it to pack down.

On the plus side, very easy fork to work on.

Alternatively it could have a slightly bent fork leg.

This used to happen when we landed a motocross bike badly back in the days when they ran skinny forks.