MRP Noken - thoughts?
- Thread starter Andeh
- Start date
I removed the divider between the 2 positive chambers on both Marzocchi forks I had with this system. I like one big positive chamber. Then if I need to add progression it's easy to take up volume in it.
That's why you put a 3rd chamber like a RUNT in there; more mid support due to the decrease in volume similar to packing it full of spacers. But then reduced progression as the volume then increases once the main chamber reaches the same pressure as the RUNT and the RUNT piston starts moving.
And drag
The Noken thing is interesting, but I agree with everyone that say "what's the point of buying an expensive fork when you have to buy upgrades right away?"
- I've tried the RUNT on a 38. It's pretty neat. It makes you feel like you have a flat tire that's how sensitive it makes it. But there's a lot of ramp up to the point where you have to deviate from the 2 to 1 psi ratio.
- I've tried the SECUS on a 40. Not bad. Didn't make a huge difference but I was warned it wouldn't do much. Overall the 40 with a SECUS and Fluid Focus valving was good.
The Ohlins forks are tricky to fine tune but once you find where you want to be, they're great. Write your settings down!
- I've tried the RUNT on a 38. It's pretty neat. It makes you feel like you have a flat tire that's how sensitive it makes it. But there's a lot of ramp up to the point where you have to deviate from the 2 to 1 psi ratio.
- I've tried the SECUS on a 40. Not bad. Didn't make a huge difference but I was warned it wouldn't do much. Overall the 40 with a SECUS and Fluid Focus valving was good.
The Ohlins forks are tricky to fine tune but once you find where you want to be, they're great. Write your settings down!
I've got one of these for sale. I used MRP's clearance test prior to buying and it looked like it was going to fit, but reality is a cruel mistress.
$50 and it's yours. It's the version for the Zeb.
FWIW I was installing it on a 2020 Specialized Enduro. Chris King DropSet 3 headset means I can't use the MRP riser crown race.
$50 and it's yours. It's the version for the Zeb.
FWIW I was installing it on a 2020 Specialized Enduro. Chris King DropSet 3 headset means I can't use the MRP riser crown race.
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Would you ship to Canaderp?
I've got a couple rides on mine, and it does what it says on the tin. No clearance issues on a size M Nomad 6 with a Zeb. I'm still not riding full intensity but it felt really good to me - using more travel, less ramp at the end. I am running my bike with a bit less sag currently (~15% front, 25% rear), so extrapolating if I was running a normal amount (18F/30R), I'd probably try adding 2-3 psi or more damping from a zero token setup for mid support. Still, this feels more tuneable, as even at those higher pressures, I had excellent grip over wet rocks.
I did an experiment along the lines of a Noken.
I run a DIY Runt in my fork and wanted to negate the volume that the runt takes up. Proof of concept is pretty rough and ready, but it definitely allows more travel to be used and less ramp up.
As above the grip was better too.
I run a DIY Runt in my fork and wanted to negate the volume that the runt takes up. Proof of concept is pretty rough and ready, but it definitely allows more travel to be used and less ramp up.
As above the grip was better too.
One day a manufacturer will work out that they can use a hollow crown as an extended air chamber.
That really looks like something that could be incorporated into the steerer by a good engineer.
Use the steerer itself as the body? No need to weaken the crown structure.
Use the steerer itself as the body? No need to weaken the crown structure.
I was thinking the same thing. If you installed a Oneup EDC top cap / threaded steerer and re-purposed the bottom cap you could probably fit a EDC tool sized air cylinder in the steerer.
But I weigh 60 Pounds and I want to use all of my Zeb's 180mm on a XC ride.
Thought about making this as a dual air job
Then thought about doing it in the steer
then never got to it.
Then thought about doing it in the steer
then never got to it.
I still reckon a lot of the progressiveness comes from the lowers as well hey. I reckon there's only so much good extending the positive air spring volume will do before the lowers are ramping it up anyway. The Secus does something for the lowers volume doesn't it?
Yeah it's a kind of volume expander (super simplistic take), had one on a Fox36.... made the start of the stroke mega butter smooth.... mid stroke was slightly softer and couldn't tell much difference personally when you went deep into the travel or bottomed it out due to a dumb line.
Some progressiveness yes.
The air spring is still the most progressive part of the equation.
There are coil forks out there, they don't seem to be that popular. I also seem to remember 20 years ago a large number of threads about people doing some weird shit to their coil z1s to get more adjustability and progression out of them. Neither configuration will be ideal for everyone but the adjustability of an air spring will be better for more people.
Been along time since I had a coil fork, I remember it bottoming out too much or being harsh. Almost like you need a reasonable amount of progression like has long been determined as ideal from a rear suspension linkage.
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I put my second Zeb (this one 160) on my eeb last night, and moved the Noken over to try it there. Same experience as on my other bike, much less harshness on deep travel events but still wasn't bottoming out running the same pressure I did before. The reduced ramp let me add a click of HSC, which I prefer because it calms the fork down throughout the travel as opposed to spiking towards the bottom. Anyways, really happy with this little mod, enough that I ordered a second one so both bikes get one. The Zeb 160 air spring with a Noken feels comparable or still a little bit more supportive than a Lyrik 160, both set to the suggested pressures on the RS chart, and same damper settings.
This is my opinion. I haven't checked into the MX world's air fork experiment in a while. Has air taken over for this reason or have some gone back to coil?
I think most production bikes are back to coil
Ktm still offers air.
Im not really sure what pros are racing on.
I think heat induced pressure change is a much larger problem for a mx bike
That was also an oil bath fork. So progression and bottom out could be fine tuned pretty easily by just messing around with oil heights/volume.
This is my only problem with MTB suspension. On all of my fleet's forks & shocks I've arrived at tunes where I'm genuinely happy with the springs. Getting to that point though has made me sensitive to changes and my XC race bike might be the only one that I don't feel changing during a ride. When I'm in places with big temperature swings I have to put some effort into setting the pressures to be correct.