EssenTTial Gravel Damper
FullFill Gravel
Modular Dropouts
Your gravel bike was supposed to allow you to get away from it all, so why does it confine you to roads and well-worn trails? Escape and explore further with the MRP Baxter suspension fork.
The Baxter greatly expands the capability, comfort, and speed of your gravel bike. 40 or 60mm of supple, but progressive travel erases washboards, removes the sting from embedded rocks, and makes descending fun again. Whether you’re racing, exploring the unknown, or long-distance bikepacking, the Baxter makes for a better adventure.
Decal Options:
STANCHION SIZE:
32mm
TRAVEL:
40 or 60mm. NOTE: Not internally adjustable.
WEIGHT:
40mm version: 3.1 lbs. / 1,420 g
60mm version: 3.25 lbs. / 1,472 g
SPRING SYSTEM:
FulFill™ Air
Independent positive and negative spring chambers.
EXTERNAL ADJUSTMENTS:
3-position compression damping (open, mid, and firm)
20-position rebound damping
INTERNAL ADJUSTMENTS:
Spring Volume, Tire Clearance
STEERER OPTIONS:
Tapered (1.125 - 1.5"), 280mm length.
OFFSET:
40mm version: 40.5, 44, or 47.5mm, 60mm version: 41.4, 45, or 48.4mm. Adjustable offset versions will come pre-set in the longest offset option.
BRAKE MOUNT:
Modular flat-mount adapter for 160 or 180mm rotor
12x100mm models come with 160mm rotor adapters by default. 12x110mm (Boost) models come with 180mm rotor adapters by default.
TIRE CLEARANCE:
40mm version 700x45c default (50c / 29x2.00” optional)
60mm version 700x50c (29x2.00”)
All models clear up to 27.5 x 2.4"
AXLE:
Bolt-on for 12x100 or 12x110mm (Boost) Hubs
Requires different dropout chips and brake adapter to swap between 100 or 110 spacing.
ACCESSORY MOUNTS:
3 lb/1.36 kg max load per side
AXLE-TO-CROWN (length):
40mm version: 430mm* (*with 700x45c clearance, +5mm for 50c clearance option)
60mm version: 456mm (700x50c / 29x2.00” tire clearance standard)
EssenTTial Gravel Damper
EssenTTial gives you consistent and controlled damping. The damper features twin-tube architecture and a low-friction, low-pressure floating piston design for long-lasting performance. The damper has been tuned for a firm, supportive ride and external adjustability gives you broad control of low-speed compression, tunable from open to locked-out
FullFill Gravel
The FullFill air-spring features independent positive and negative air chambers, providing more tuning opportunities than self-equalizing systems. The unique ability to run slightly higher negative spring pressure provides riders with a supremely supple initial stroke that’s unmatched by any other air-spring system. Huck Puck volume spacers can be added or removed to tune baseline spring progression.
Modular Dropouts
Baxter forks feature our modular dropout system, giving you the opportunity to change fork offset and hub compatibility (12x100 or 12x110 Boost). Four sets of dropouts are available: 12x100 “Flippable”, 12x100 “Fixed”, 12x110 “Flippable”, and 12x110 “Fixed”. “Flippable” dropout chips give two offset positions, whereas “Fixed” versions only provide one.
I was about to give up and sell my Fox 36 grip 2. However, I saw this damper and decided to pull the trigger as I really wanted to love the fork and saw good reviews. On the first ride, I was able to get it dialed in where I could never with the grip 2. I love the simplicity of only two adjustments and the Tunes by weight range. I’m sure the grip 2 is great if you get it dialed, but I unfortunately don’t get to ride that often so it’s important I don’t have to spend all my time messing with knobs when I get to. Find myself loving my fork the way I should now. Thanks for fixing my fork MRP!
Easy to install, adds another level of rock protection to the low hanging cage.
Purchased to try as an alt to the Charger 3 in my 150mm Lyrik on my Stumpy 15. I'm 224#'s and went with the Blue tune. Advanced/expert level rider. My local trail network is loamy, doesn't have much in the way of rocks or roots - Though we do have a lot of big well built berms, medium size mandatory gaps and up to 4' drops. We also build holes & compressions into most of our trails just for some added spice.
TLDR the rest - Basically my review below is a whole bunch of blah blah blah to say, the Lift is a great damper, it works really well for me and I'm stoked!
Being on the heavier side and also a fairly hard charging rider, fork setup with stock dampers is a game of compromise, and I've always wondered about a custom/weight specific tuned fork damper. I found the charger 3 to be an ok damper. In stock form, I ran my lyrik with the RS Trailhead recommended PSI and rebound - on the compression side, I ran HSC at +1 from middle (neutral for the Ch3 & 3.1 dampers) and LSC at +2 to +3 from middle depending on the trail. Always felt I'd like even more damping/support, but going further on the Ch3 = harsh & spikey IMO.
Lift setup:
Performed a lowers service while installing the lift - extremely straightforward install process if you're even remotely familiar with a lowers service. My only complaint would be the 1.5mm set screw on the rebound knob - I personally wish it was a 2 or 2.5mm...only because I didn't have a 1.5mm and had to run to the HW store to grab one LOL.
PSI - Stuck with the trailhead recommended PSI for my weight in the lyrik. I really don't understand the folks that feel they have to drop a bunch of pressure when installing the lift...I'm a firm believer in running proper PSI for a target static sag around 20%. Running less = spending more time in a "harsher" portion of the spring curve where you (well, I) don't want to be. It's my opinion that folks that go this route are obsessing over and tuning for two things, which I believe to be the wrong way to go: Small bump/off the top sensitivity, and use of full travel (seems like a lot of people stress over not using full travel on EVERY ride) at the expense of an ideal overall setup.
On the lift:
LSC - Started out at 6 clicks from closed, wound up at 5 clicks from closed
LSR - started out at 6 clicks from closed, wound up one faster at 7 from closed
I don't agree with anyone that says you "need" to run less pressure than normal with the lift, nor do I agree at all with anyone claiming it's overdamped.
Ride feel - Fantastic. As compared to the stock damper - felt both more supportive and much less feedback at the bars/my hands when riding at my normal pace on my go to trails. On the same trails/features I ride ALL the time, I used a little bit less travel than usual, which is TOTALLY acceptable to me (see above). The lift is fairly quiet - not overall as quiet as the Ch3 as you do hear the HSC blow-off (not sure that's the proper way to describe) when hitting square edge bumps or landing flat. Overall, after the first couple runs with a click here and there fine tuning, feeling things out, the damper kinda disappeared under me, and I didn't really think too much about it and rode my trails at my normal pace - Which is all an overwhelmingly good thing IMO. After a couple days riding the lift on my stumpy, I went for an ebike ride on the Levo. I have a Zeb on that bike with the stock Ch3 damper. While the lift pretty quickly disappeared and just plain worked as noted previously...getting back on the Ch3 really opened my eyes as to how good the lift works (for me) as compared to the Ch3. Normally swapping between these two bikes/forks is a seamless transition...On the levo after spending time on the stumpy/lift, I felt out of sorts on my normal trails. The fork felt harsh, and I felt like I wasn't getting the same front end feel/traction as usual. I was uncomfortable and riding hesitant on trails I know like the back of my hand. So much so, I really wasn't having much fun, and cut my ride short. What I'm saying is, while the lift worked well for me straightaway - it wasn't some mind blowing experience. It just worked, and worked well. Where my mind was blown was when jumping back to the stock damper - then I really noticed the differences (for me) between the two - the Lift, for me, is overwhelmingly better.
Anyway...that was a lot of rambling...so yeah like I said above...TLDR - In summary, the lift is awesome in my opinion. It just works.
My biggest issue now is that I probably need to spend some more $$$ and grab another lift for the Levo. Maybe this review will earn me a discount code to lessen the blow to my wallet...wink wink MRP ;-)
My basic Fox 38 Grip had good initial stroke sensitivity but lacked a lot of mid-travel support and blowed through its travel way too easily, leading to harsh landings on rough drops and rocky sections. The MRP Lift damper absolutely solved all the issues I had with the original damper. The green tune is absolutely spot on for my weight/riding style. The support is absolutely perfect, it just uses the travel it really needs without packing. The adjustment range is more than enough and each click is noticeable. Installing was a breeze, the instructions were clear and easy to follow. This was absolutely worth the money, it turned my 38 into a top-performing fork. It's just a shame it was impossible to get this in Europe, there was no support at all from the distributors. So I had to buy directly from MRP and pay the hefty importing fees.