It seems appropriate for a company named Mountain Racing Products to reside at the base of the Grand Mesa, and just down the road from some of Colorado’s most famous mountain bike trails. And while the company’s name is trademark to MRP chain guides, it also umbrellas White Brothers, Kreitler, Powergrips and Tamer suspension posts - all of which are designed and manufactured to some degree in-house.
BikeRadar visited MRP for a look at new products and how they’re made.
MRP
The entire line of MRP guides gets updated for 2013. All top guides in the line now split apart like a clamshell, making it easy to get the chain out of the way for drastically improved chainring and crank access. And, all the nylon bits are said to be made of a new and improved material, which is supposed to be stiffer, and hold up better to shop chemicals like oils and degreasers.
Two prototypes, and the final version (at right) of the new G3
Replacing MRP’s G2 SL for 2013 is the G3, which is a much more mechanic-friendly evolution of its predecessor, if not a bit lighter, too. The new “Swingset” design allows access to chainrings and/or crank removal by removing a couple of bolts and essentially splitting the top guide and swinging the bash guard out of the way. Also included with the G3 is a slider block that can replace the guide’s pulley on muddy, mucky days that tend to render a perfectly good pulley useless.
The G3 weighs in at 194g for the $149 alloy ISCG-05 version, and 167g for a $199 carbon-plated version. Both are available in a Mini (32-36-tooth) and Mega (36-40-tooth), are offered in an assortment of colors, and should be available by December.
The AMG (all-mountain guide) is essentially a top-only guide for single-ring setups, but comes with an integrated bash guard, too. Also available in December, the AMG will come in a 28-32-tooth or 32-38-tooth version, and retail for $149 (carbon) or $99 (aluminum). Weight for the aluminum ISCG-05 version is 121-grams, but exact weight of the carbon version isn’t currently available.
One of MRP's 19 employees operates the vertical CNC mill
If the AMG doesn’t offer enough chain-guiding insurance, the new Micro should be a good option. Compatible with 28-32-tooth rings, the guide comes with a lower pulley to take chain security duties on the opposing end of the upper guide. With the removable bashguard in place, the aluminum ISCG-05 version weighs in at 165-grams, and will be available by the end of this year for $149.
As far as manufacturing goes, the aluminum and carbon pieces of all aftermarket MRP guides are made in Grand Junction, while the plastic pieces and complete OEM guides are made in Taiwan.
White Brothers
While there wasn’t anything new from White Brothers on display at MRP, there is a 34mm-stanchioned fork in the works that will fit into the all-mountain/enduro market. The fork will come in 27.5in/650B and 29in versions, and should be on display at Sea Otter this spring.
Up until just a couple of years ago, the entirety of White Brothers forks were made in-house at the MRP facility in Grand Junction, Colorado. Only having a few parts now manufactured in Taiwan, most of the fork crowns, all of the DH forks, and almost all of the small parts are still made at MRP.