When it comes to gravel suspension forks, you’d think there’s not a lot of opportunity to make 40mm of travel that different from the next brand.
Turns out, you can, and the MRP Baxter makes the most of it while also packaging it in a more versatile, adjustable, and functional chassis than anything else out there.
Here’s everything you need to know, including specs, actual weights, and my ride review…
MRP Baxter specs & features
There’s a lot that sets this fork apart. For starters, it comes in 40mm and 60mm travel options, the latter being more travel than most competitors. That makes it one of the only options for aggressive “monster gravel” builds.
I tested the 40mm travel option because I’m no monster, and I wanted to maintain a racier feel. It still added about 20mm of axle-to-crown height compared to the stock fork, which did make the front end feel a little taller, but not so much it bothered me. In fact, I’ve come to appreciate a taller stack height and more upright riding position anyway, so it was great. And…
…thanks to their flip-chip dropout system, you can adjust the effective fork offset (and, thus, trail) to maintain the handling you’re accustomed to. There are two axle insert options per fork travel:
- 40mm Travel
- 44mm fixed
- 40.5mm / 47.5mm
- 60mm Travel
- 45mm fixed
- 41.4mm / 48.4mm
It’s also one of the only gravel suspension forks with a 12×110 Boost option. Both fixed offset dropouts come in standard 100mm front axle spacing, but you can get the offset dropouts in either 12x100mm or 12x110mm Boost axle spacing.
The only downside to these dropouts is that they have no hooked grooves at the top, so the wheel can slide right past them during installs. It’s not a big deal when cruising around, but if you’re frantically changing a flat during a race, it can be a little frustrating trying to line it up under pressure.
For the 40mm travel option, they also offer a spacer for running larger tires. Claimed clearance is 700x45mm tires, but add an optional 5mm spacer (which will increase axle-to-crown height 5mm) and it fits 700×50 (29×2.0) tires. 60mm travel forks will clear larger tires without the adapter.
That said, while I have those spacers sitting here in a drawer, I was able to run 700×50 Panaracer Gravelking SK+ tires without needing to add them. So, at least on this Niner RLT RDO, I felt fine running it as it came out of the box. I imagine running less offset (pushing the tire backward) and with some downtube designs, you may want to use them, though.
There’s plenty of tire clearance inside the arch for 700x50mm tires (more on that below), and the arch itself is robust. It’s also shapely, with a lot of little shaping details flowing throughout the rest of the fork, too. Look closely and you’ll see small indents, bulges, curves, and bumps throughout.
Those details make the fork look simultaneously muscular and svelte, tough and smooth. Which is exactly how it feels riding…stiff and structured, but soaks up the bumps like I wanted.
Three other things that set this fork apart:
Dual Air Springs
Fill the positive chamber first, then the negative. While most forks have gone to a single air chuck system, relying on a check valve to fill both chambers and keep their pressures equalized at sag, MRP’s design lets you fine tune the beginning stroke feel by dialing in the negative air pressure separately. Add a little less air for a firmer feel, or a little more for a softer feel. You can also adjust positive air volume with spacers.
Accessory Mounts
Bikepacking? it has mounts for a lightweight rack or bottle cages. The latter is only for standard two-bolt cages, making it a great way to carry a little extra water or smaller stuff (jacket, first aid kit, etc.,,.3lb max per side). They’re not meant to be loaded with heavy stuff or larger “anything cages”, but it’s still extra storage.
Rear Covers
Not really a performance feature, but these rear cover plates hide the trussed lower sections from accumulating crud. But they also hide the rebound knob, so I’d recommend getting it where you like it on a few rides, then reinstalling them. Or not.
The fork comes standard in black, but you can get their custom SHREDkote (Cerakote) finish for a small upcharge. Choose separate colors for the crown (+$50) and lowers (+$100), with 16 color options for each. Then choose from one of six decal colors.
While the color options might have changed since I got mine a couple of years ago (this was a looooooong term test), I was able to match mine almost perfectly to the Niner. Even the logo matched up to the green on the bike pretty well!
The only thing that bothered me about the fork was the brake installation. The brake line runs behind the arch, along the inside edge. This looks very clean, very aesthetically pleasing, but it requires you to disconnect your brake caliper from the hose. Neither the caliper or the lever will fit between the fork’s arch and crown.
Which means bleeding your brakes. If you’re not equipped to do that, get it on the bike, allow time to take it to your local bike shop to get the front brake installed.
MRP Baxter Actual Weights
My 40mm travel fork, with axle installed, came in at 1,420g, matching their claimed weight exactly. The 60mm travel forks weigh 52g more.
For comparison, the stock carbon fork (with steerer tube already trimmed) weighed 660g.
I trimmed 9g of steerer tube off the fork, and you can save 12g by removing the rear cover plates.
Depending on your axle width, MRP ships the fork with brake mounts for either 100mm (160mm rotor default) or 110mm (180mm rotor default) axle spacing. You can use spacers or other adapters to go bigger (or smaller), just make sure to choose the right parts for your build…and then add or remove the requisite spacers to match the dropout’s offset.
MRP Baxter Ride Review
I’ve ridden the Baxter everywhere from soaked-clay Jeep trails in Uwharrie to dry desert roads in Arizona. And I’ve ridden 42mm to 50mm tires on it. And it’s performed very well on and with all of that. Sure, 50mm tires will add more comfort, but even then it’s obvious the fork is doing its job.
Desert roads are often hardpacked and smooth, but suffer from the occasional surprise pothole that can jar you. Or sections of washboard that’ll rattle your teeth. I hit both, many times, sometimes on purpose just to see what the fork would do.
Compared to other gravel forks I’ve ridden, and I’ve ridden most of them, the MRP Baxter sits somewhere in the middle in terms of support. It rides very well in the upper middle of its travel, and reacts quick enough to soak up the stuff it should and maintain traction in rutted corners.
It’s probably the heaviest gravel suspension fork out there, but it justifies those extra grams with extra features. This isn’t a weight-weenie race fork. It’s an adventure fork and makes no apologies for it.
If you’re looking for things like bottle cage mounts, adjustable offset, fine-tunable independent air springs, custom colors, and longer travel, then it’s the only game in town. Thanks for making it this far, but you can stop reading now and just go buy it.
If you’re still on the fence, I’ll add this to your internal debate: It doesn’t really feel heavy on the bike, but it’s burly enough to handle mountain bike trails. If you ride the chunk more often than not, it’s a good option for that, too.
Lastly, it has a lot of tire clearance. Likely because it’s designed to fit wider 110mm hubs, the legs sit a bit wider, making lots of room for days like this:
Which is great if you ride in a lot of crud, too. Or want to reduce the number of times you might need to unpack that tire in a bad year at Unbound.
Overall, I’ve really enjoyed my times on the Baxter. It’s the fork I take on the big rides when I’m not quite sure what we’ll be getting into, and it’s never let me down. If you want a gravel suspension fork that’s up for anything, the MRP Baxter is it.
