Think bikeradar did a review no?

Yeah, seen a couple of reviews, but first look and quick ride. Nothing longterm

Ah that was you jimmyh

Pop back tomorrow, you'll be able to try them out on the bike! Frame arrived this morning, and been building the bike up today! 😀

Indeed it was. I'll prob call back in once my backs better. Still got a tree shaped bruise across it atm

I have the 29er Stage, they are very good. Had Pikes before and the Stage is much better over small bumps, the initial stroke is really plush, good for my aching hands. The ramp control is very useful, though even fully undone there is quite a bit of ramp up at the very end of the stroke, I've not bottomed mine out yet in about 20 odd rides. The only negative I've had so far is a slight air leak, I seem to lose about 10 psi between rides, not sure where from.

MRP say they don't have the budget to advertise like the other fork companies, so don't expect to see them reviewed in the big magazines. Having said that wideopen mag had a pair on a test Banshee and liked them and said they would be doing a full review soon, but it hasn't come out yet, maybe because MRP don't advertise with them.

Cheers bigjim. Was thinking pikes, or maybe fox, but seeing these the other day threw them into mix. I do like something different! What sort of money are they mboy??

WMB had some MRP's on test a few months ago, along with all the other brands. They seemed to like them.

I think it's a shame we've been conditioned in to thinking the only option is Fox or RS. Best set of forks I ever had were DT Swiss and heard good thinks about some current Maguras.

Cheers, I'll take a look. Just read vital mtb review. They rated them, compared to pikes. Just want a decent product really. Happy for something different. Guess the only issue with forks is spare parts. You do know with the big brands spares are available, and you can easily send them off for service. I used to like pace forks

Happy for something different.

Yeah same here, been using RS for years, not very keen on Fisher's warranty service and quite like supporting the non mainstream brands. Really like the way the MRP stuff is made in a small factory in Colorado and you get a signed dyno test form with the fork.

RRP is £750. A bit lower than Pikes but same ballpark.

The WMTB review was glowing, and iirc they raved about them in the review but then gave a 4/5 score. The Pikes on test they didn't seem as enthusiastic about, but scored them 4.5/5! Hey ho. Product familiarity I guess.

Haven't ridden them yet but bunged them on the bike quickly last night, initial impression is that they're going to be much more sensitive than Pikes! They seem to have a lot less stiction in the seals.

Bike should be fully setup and ready to rock and roll later today if you wanna pop over and have a play...

As for warranty/backup/spare parts...

Too early to tell really, but the forks have been on the market a little while and I've not heard any horror stories. Ison Distribution say they've invested heavily in the brand, and the guys there seem to know and understand the products well.

Before I agreed to sell them, I thought it prudent to try and do a little more research. Emailed the guys at MRP in Colorado asking for a bit of help setting a fork up, and they emailed me back inside a few hours with loads of information, technical diagrams, instruction manuals, and told me how happy they were that Ison are doing a good job with the brand in the UK. Can't say much fairer than that really!

Bikeradar review here: http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/category/components/forks-suspension/product/review-mrp-stage-29er-fork-15-49035/

Ok cool. May well call in and take a look.
Nice one

I think magazine reviews are largely balls because of the advertiser bias. I found these when I was considering the Stage:

http://www.vitalmtb.com/product/guide/Forks,33/MRP/Stage,14877
http://www.pinkbike.com/news/mrp-stage-fork-review-2014.html
http://twentynineinches.com/2014/08/28/mrp-stage-29-fork-final-review/

Enduro mag included the Stage in their recent endoooro fork test but seem to have misunderstood what the bleed valve is for so not sure if they really got it so to speak.

I've been riding a 130mm 29er Stage for 10 months and I think it is a brilliant fork. No reliability issues and it feels very well made (all metal construction). No stiction from new. It matches the ccdb inline on my Phantom perfectly. I must admit that I haven't ridden a pike or new 36 though.

The ramp control is a brilliant bit of innovation and allows you to change your fork feel for different bits of trail (basically an on the fly version of rockshox bottomless tokens, it also acts a bit like having adjustable high speed compression damping. By balancing air pressure and ramp control I can have an excellent fork for smooth trail to high speed chatter to chunky tech with a few twists of 1 dial). Each of the other adjustments have a noticable effect on performance. It is also a bit shorter in axle to crown for a given travel so you can usually run a stage with ~10mm more travel than RS or Fox. My 130mm stage is 2mm longer than a 120mm pike.

The thru axle is one of the best I've come across (some reviews seem to slate it for some reason, I can only assume they don't have opposable thumbs or double digit IQs). I've seen a few comments about how you could accidentally hit the air release valve (and enduro mag do seem to have do idea what it is for). Having tried to deliberately press it I can confidently say that they are talking out of their arse! I had to use a 2.5mm allen key to press inside the hole. No chance of it depressurizing by accident.

EDT - looking at that enduro mag review I have no idea how they assessed the forks and came to those conclusions and grades. Seems to be almost entirely random!

EDT - looking at that enduro mag review I have no idea how they assessed the forks and came to those conclusions and grades. Seems to be almost entirely random!

It all seems to make sense until the final comparison table and conclusion then goes quite random.

I have a set of the 29er ones and think they're brilliant. Easy to set up, I think the ramp control is very good and they've been flawless so far. Prefer them to pikes I've ridden.

Cheers for the feedback guys! I'll pop in to have a look at yours mboy then might bite the bullet. Always like something different. Provided it's good and different

£749? Is that the cheapest price?

I think I'd risk a 350CR at half the price tbh.

I paid less than that, but have a good friendly LBS.

The bike is built jimmyh

Initial impressions exactly along the lines of Shackleton's post...

Shorter A2C length than RS Pike is an added bonus!

Shackleton, if you don't mind me asking where did you get yours? My pikes are continually needing fettled to feel good. They are starting to be a pain in the ars@.

I am really interested in smaller brands that offer good products and support but its the support side that bothers me a wee bit. Who in the UK offers the servicing side as well.

Thanks 🙂

I believe ison offer servicing. Anyone with an ison account can get hold of them.

Mac - I got them from pedals in Edinburgh. Recommend them as a shop.

Not sure about servicing to be honest. I'm hoping they won't need a professional service for a while.

Excellent, thanks shackleton. Not too far from me in Dundee. Ill ask my local shop if he can sort me out first before getting in touch with pedals.

Mac - I'm in Dundee (liff) too if you fancy touching a pair in the flesh before you commit to anything. I don't know how tall you are but if you can fit a large phantom you are welcome to have a quick spin in the local woods.

Shackleton, that would be ace. Im a bit on the stumpy side at 5 foot 7 but would really like to have a gander at these.

email is in my profile. free all this week.

Just to echo the above...miles better on small bumps than rockshox. A tad heavier than the equivalent Pike, but that's about the only negative. I've had a 29er 130mm one since January, totally reliable, really plush and stiff. I've begged them to make a 1600g XC fork that performs like the Stage...

Mboy I'll try to call in at some in the week. Am I best to call ahead to make sure bikes there??

These sound interesting, I've been looking at the manitou mattocks and x fusions. How do you think they all compare? My old manitou minutes wiped the floor with my current fox,32s

I haven't seen any reviews that say the MRP's high speed damping is better than the Pikes, I've seen plenty of reviews and user reviews that say that about the Mattoc.

I reckon they are less spikey, the Mattocs have a hydraulic bottom out control - which may make for a better controlled rebound stroke in comparison to a fork that's had the spring rate altered but not the shimstack?