MRP Hazzard Shock Teardown

Dudes of Hazzard

Around here, it seems that our ethos dictates that running a product to failure is proper testing; finding the intended use case and hammering it so we can stand behind our inevitably biassed (but hopefully entertaining) opinions. We don't set out to break things or intentionally make them underperform, but the amount of riding we do and the unkind terrain we play on has an air of brutality.

I like a well-performing bike and heck, so do you; suspension that is supple and gear that changes with each click. Forgetting about it all, while focusing on the raw beauty around us, is impossible without well-oiled equipment

Sometimes overlook a component that has been working hard for us. And then we have to pull out all stops to rescue a failing relationship, and show we care.

The MRP Hazzard coil shock mounted to my Orbea Rallon is one of those products. For the past 2 seasons, I ignored the passing of the 150 hour interval when service was first necessary. After 300 hours, I did nothing to it. Not out of laziness or ignorance even; the damn thing just kept working flawlessly and consistently. After the addition of the Sprindex coil, I was just fine with how my bike rode trail after trail. The Orbea Rallon is a split pivot, link and yoke driven suspension platform. That means the rear-end of the bike is stiff but not immune to side loading the shock to some degree. That said, the rocker links are burly and supported well against the frame and the yoke is short and designed to allow the shock to rotate if there is extreme flex at the seat stays.

The Hazzard is a burly shock designed to take the abuse a long travel bike can dish out. The heart of the shock is the massive 14mm shaft that keeps the internals on the inside, where they belong. We, and by we, I mean Guillaume of S4 Suspension, grabbed the Knipex Pliers (famous amongst the wrenches of the world) and removed the IFP from the shock. Disgusting black sludge pours out onto the liquid tray as Guillaume spurts out sounds of disappointment in me.

"Hey man! That's why we are here, to document and celebrate the resilience of this piece of equipment" is my response.

He is not impressed. Guillaume is a pro. He genuinely loves making suspension work better. He hasn't had the opportunity to dive into many Hazards but within minutes of turning wrenches, he is right at home. The heart of the shock is actually an Elka Stage 5. When MRP acquired Elka's bicycle division, the tooling and all the patents were included in the sale. This acquisition only meant good things for the users, as Elka wanted to shift their focus to the motor racing and offroad sectors. This was in 2013 and I imagine they may be regretting that decision. Mountain biking seems to have caught on.

The Hazzard is built like a moto shock. The oil flow, the damper construction, the hardware and the sheer size of the shaft, all indicate simple goals; reliability and long term durability. With the damper out of the shock body, we see a self contained shim stack. This means if one is just servicing the shock to change o-rings and oil, you don't have to mess with separating the shim stack in the process. It can be put aside without worry. We wanted to dive a little deeper though so Guillaume took this one apart. Some of the parts that need to be unthreaded needed a little convincing from our friend the torch but overall it was trouble free.

The Hazzard was free of leaks when we embarked on this teardown. Which is another reason it was neglected. If there wasn't an obvious problem, there didn't need to be an intervention either. The Shaft had minor scoring that could be felt with fingernails but the lack of oil on it was a great sign. 30 seconds on the lathe with an emery cloth later, the score-free, shiny shaft was ready to go back into the shock body.

MRP's Hazzard manual is a little vague but the construction is simple enough for anyone who has opened a shock before. The IFP chamber is the most difficult one to decipher as far as removal and IFP depth goes, but Guillaume had zero trouble figuring out the right way. A strap wrench broke the IFP chamber free and we were on our way deeper into the teardown.

The Compression circuit at the base of the IFP chamber also required a hit from heat, proving these little propane torches are one of the most useful tools in one's arsenal. They make quick work of removing stubborn fasteners and save you a ton of headaches from stripped wrench flats.

The o-ring sizer came in handy in figuring out the right replacements and everything was of standard size which made it extremely easy to source with no preparation on our end. The shop is only as good as the diligence of the people running it and the layout of the S4 is compact and efficient without sacrificing inventory or tools.

Once the compression circuit was in the vice, it was cool to see a simple solution to a problem that I didn't know existed. There is a sliding, keyed button that keeps the compression knobs at a constant height no matter how far you turn them from open to closed. This isn't how it works on other shocks and afterwards I began noticing this. The compression dials on the Fox VVC dampers move in and out depending on how far they are turned. Despite causing no drawbacks whatsoever, they annoy me now.

Guillaume went back and forth from his parts bin in the back while we chatted about shocks and bike technology in general. The greasy hands of the bike world will always have strong opinions about the construction of mechanical parts and the way they are serviced. The serviceability of bike parts varies immensely from brand to brand. From full rebuild kits available at any bike shop to, "let's go through the dark web to find the correct IFP height during bleeding" kind of ambiguity. There are no benchmarks for servicing.

With most shops charging a flat rate to bleed brakes, how does it even out when a Shimano bleed can take 15 minutes while it may be an hour on Hopes or even Hayes.

Suspension centers like S4 take great pride in doing things fast to get you back on the trails. Their appointment-based system is aimed at getting your stuff back to you the same day, or a couple of days later at the worst.

Your fox CSU may be creaking and in need of a warranty part from the manufacturer but S4 seems to stock most spare parts and can even press stanchions into crown arches for you; tooling that is not cheap. You'd think a place like Whistler, that shifts from summer to winter sports in a matter of weeks, would be a tricky market. Miriam tells me that winter is the busiest time for S4's Whistler facility, when people hang up their bikes for their skis and sleds. Summer is quiet with the suspension of the locals being slowly demolished by bike park laps. Only emergency repairs are injected into the daily hustle.

Digging deeper into the shim stacks, Guillaume doesn't see anything alarming so a cleanup and re-lube is all that is necessary. Then comes the bleeding of the IFP for an air free damping experience. There are a few oils to choose from in the tanks. The Fox shocks mostly get their own fluids depending on if they are being warrantied or are an older shock getting a refresh. The MRP got a healthy splash of Motorex and Guillaume seems to prefer this oil. The bleed takes no time and is painless judging by G's facial expression. The IFP on the Hazzard is at low pressure which helps a lot with reliability. 150psi is all it needs.

The shock was mounted on the hand dyno and there were no surprises. It was a great exercise to see the inner workings of the Hazzard and to check out S4 Suspension in Whistler. It's now one of my top places to get suspension work done in the Sea 2 Sky. The attention to detail and the passion behind the name is evident in every shipment that comes in and out. You may even get treats with your suspension when it arrives home; maybe a special air cap or a hand-written note from your tech. Miriam tells me people will often send in beers and treats with their destroyed equipment to soften the blow.

This place runs like clockwork but also like family. They bicker and joke and overall enjoy their time in their space in Whistler's Function Junction. S4 headquarters are in St. Jerome, Quebec while Whistler is a satellite shop, leaving the country well-covered by their expertise. Guillaume and Miriam spend a lot of time in each location throughout the year, making sure everything is running as smoothly as possible. Not an easy task I imagine.

The Hazzard we tore apart went back on the Rallon the next day and it was a stark difference in plushness and feel. The bike is significantly more composed and has more rear wheel traction after the teardown. Degradation happens so gradually that you don't notice how bad it has gotten over time. Take those bits apart before the best riding of the year kicks off, at least around here that is.

Make sure you swing by S4's Whistler location next time you are in town. Bonus points: The Pure Bread bake shop is just a couple of doors down.

Win win..

S4 Suspension Center

MRP Hazzard Shock Service Manual