In one form or another, MRP has always been a staple in the chain retention market.Their classic orange rollers were at one point synonymous with downhill, and they were everywhere. Eventually a small company by the name of E13 stepped in, and stole a lot of the market share that once was MRP’s. Fast forward to 2010, and MRP once again has one of the most complete and forward thinking line ups of chain guides, bash guards and chainrings.
Single, double, triple ring setups, you name it MRP has a system that will work with your rings. With the exception of frames that have a pressfit BB, a weird seat tube, and no ISCG tabs, MRP has guides for just about every frame on the market. For 2011, a large amount of their line got overhauled including offering new takes on previous designs and introducing completely new models as well. Perhaps the intriguing of the new models are these little beauties, which are sure to entice MTB and cross racers alike.
Get the scoop on the new 1Xs and the other new models after the break!
Whatever the reason, more and more riders are looking into the options of a single front ring coupled with 8, 9, 10 or any number of gears in the back. However, not everyone who wants a single ring up front needs or wants the full on protection of a complete chain guide. Last year MRP introduced the 1x which is a single ring guide that sits up top like the cage on a derailleur. Until now the only option was a bottom bracket mount where the back plate extends down and has a ring that you install the BB through, so that when you tighten the BB it tightens the 1X. As I mentioned earlier though, more and more frames are getting away from threaded bottom brackets meaning the BB mount is no longer compatible.
To fix this issue MRP is releasing their seat tube clamp 1x guides, which as you may guess, clamp onto the seat tube like a traditional front derailleur. There will be two versions of the clamp on 1X, a 50mm chainline offering for mountain bikes, and a 42mm chainline version perfect for cyclocross bikes. The clamp on models will be available in white and black in 34.9 clamp diameter only for now, and will retail for $99.95.
So what if your bike has a press fit bottom bracket and a funky seat tube that isn’t round? Chances are good then, that you bike is equipped with a direct mount front derailleur, and MRP has got you covered there as well. The Direct mount 1X pictured above will also be available in black or white, and will retail between $55 and $70 depending on the model. All of the 1X guides are extremely light with most of them between 55 and 58 grams, with the heaviest MTB clamp on coming in a 70 grams.
While this S4 prototype may look like MRP is going back in time and technology there is a lot of refinement to the new model that should make it a contender once again. Based on MRP’s original, patented dual roller system, the new S4 will feature a lot of modern touches like captive hardware. Not having to search for lost nuts and bolts, and the fact that you can remove the crank and bash guard without having to adjust the chainguide will guarantee that the S4 will be one of the easiest chainguides on the market to adjust and use.
While the prototype is shown here with their current bash guard, the final version will feature the new weight optimized bash guard. Like most of MRP’s guides, the S4 will be available in 32-36t and 36-40t capacity guides, and will be offered in BB, ISCG, and ISCG-05 mounting versions and will retail for $150.
Speaking of ISCG-05, I am extremely excited to say that one of my favorite MRP products, the XCG triple guard, will soon be offered in an ISCG-05 version! If you’re not familiar with the XCG, it is a brilliant guard for any bike that you still want a triple, but need some sort of bash protection. It goes even further by offering the fin up top that prevents your chain from dropping to the inside. Better still, is the fact that rather than bolting a bash guard to your crank, impact is deflected through the frame, and not your cranks spider which I have seen cranks ruined due to this very thing.
It seems that manufacturers can’t come to an agreement about which ISCG standard to use, which in turn makes it difficult for chain guide makers to decide which model to produce and how many of each. I was very disappointed recently when I wanted to bolt up an XCG to our demo Rallon and found out that they did not offer it in a ISCG-05 version. Problem solved!
