MRP Ribbon Coil 29 first ride

Discussion in 'Suspension' started by rossage, Oct 24, 2019.


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  1. rossage

    rossage iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    East Sacramento
    Name:
    Ross Lawson
    Current Bike:
    Highball
    First ride impressions on the MRP Ribbon Coil are an enthusiastic two thumbs up! :thumbsup::thumbsup:
    Ordered over the phone and talked to a real person. Always a plus. The fork arrived as ordered, finish and detail are great. The "Army green" stickers are a little less Army than I recall, but if I dwelled on looks I wouldn't have bought a fork with a forward-facing brace.
    I took the fork for a test ride down the overly familiar Brown-El P so I could judge the performance against known features.
    This fork is a beast. Fully an inch or more longer than my Fox 32, which is dwarfed by the 35mm stanchions and boost-sized crown. The 46mm offset puts the wheel out in front, making the bike into a Raiders QB, Stabler.
    The initial smoothness was matched by the stiffness and my climb up to the saddle was an adventure of rock-smashing and rut crossing.
    Once the downhill started, the real fun began. The suppleness though the small to mid sized junk is impressive. Rebound is set fast and predictable. Backed off a little on the Ramp control and the LSC stayed at + 4 clicks.
    Didn't get the full 140mm today but 130 ain't bad...
    IMG_20191024_101241.jpg
    Settings from the factory.
    IMG_20191024_102215.jpg

    I'm currently at +5 Ramp, +4 LSC, +10 rebound, no preload

    IMG_20191024_073331.jpg

    Finished the ride with a hit-and-run, forearm shiver into an oak tree. Didn't crash, didn't stop, didn't exchange insurance.
    Don't judge me.... :whistling:
    IMG_20191024_091745.jpg
    No watches were hurt during this excursion.
     
    Redman, herzalot, Danimal and 15 others like this.
  2. sir crashalot

    sir crashalot iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    laguna beach
    Name:
    gary fishman
    Current Bike:
    2018 banshee rune
    I also ride one and am stoked on it. 160 mm, almost never use full travel either. Only thing I don’t like is I’m kinda between springs; I run the firm with no preload, just a tad oversprung but that’s good when charging downhill.
     
    herzalot, mike, DangerDirtyD and 4 others like this.
  3. CBone

    CBone iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Antelope Valley
    Name:
    Tucker
    Current Bike:
    Intense Primer
    Watch out for them trees - I should know :( :thumbsdown:
    Good news on the Ribbon. Have for with it.
     
    herzalot, mike, rossage and 1 other person like this.
  4. mike

    mike iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Western US
    Name:
    Mike O
    Current Bike:
    HT, FS
    TFPU! Great run down. Glad it's measuring up! :thumbsup:


    @sir crashalot, I also would be between springs. It sounds like you'd reco going up in firmness. Hmm...
     
    rossage and DangerDirtyD like this.
  5. sir crashalot

    sir crashalot iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    laguna beach
    Name:
    gary fishman
    Current Bike:
    2018 banshee rune
    The med felt great, until things got steep and it rode low in travel even with preload cranked. IMO there should be more overlap for coil forks, there’s too much difference between springs. Like shocks, There should be 7-8 different springs, not just 5. Which I suggested to mrp several times. I might try the med with travel bumped to 170
     
  6. Voodoo Tom

    Voodoo Tom MTB Addict

    Location:
    Castaic
    Name:
    Tom Kokkinakis
    Current Bike:
    Mango one, black one, Ti one
    Had I have done just a tad more research when I built up the Hightower I would have gone with the ribbon. So many unique features and a great reputation for customer service plus it’s just different the zillion fox & pikes.
     
  7. rossage

    rossage iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    East Sacramento
    Name:
    Ross Lawson
    Current Bike:
    Highball
    So, after a couple of weeks of hard riding, I need to make a change. I put in the softer spring.
    I'm just wasn't getting full travel from the medium spring, even though I am right in the middle on the MRP charts. Ramp control is open all the way. Rebound is very light.
    I took some big hits, and nose wheeleed quite a few jumps trying to get 140mm but never got there. Average was about 110-120mm
    Pretty straightforward install using common tools. Messy with lots of thick grease because you have to drop the lowers. Still an easy and quick job.
    I was averaging 18% sag with the medium, put in the soft spring and the garage test shows 26% sag. We'll see how it goes next ride.
    Still has the same buttery smoothness, probably need to add some Rebound, LSC and a couple clicks of Ramp.
    :thumbsup:
     
  8. rossage

    rossage iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    East Sacramento
    Name:
    Ross Lawson
    Current Bike:
    Highball
    Bombing down Palm Canyon and what was once a quick dip turned into a square-edged stream cut. Thought I was going over
    Prepare to bail
    Heave that wheelie, hit the edge, compress, squish-clunk, and I'm over, rolling... Finally bottomed out the fork!
    Been using the soft spring but now I'm sure it was my riding technique, and not the fork, that was keeping me from getting all the travel.
    Armed with my empirical evidence I am going to go back to medium spring, mostly to mitigate the brake dive of the soft spring.
    Still loving this fork.
     
    Tom the Bomb, scan, mike and 6 others like this.
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As a former Amazon Associate I continue to get screwed trying to stay qualified as an Amazon Affiliate. So I quit!


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