omac
Likes Dirt
Has anyone got one & are they available in oz ?
http://www.sram.com/rockshox/products/monarch-plus-rc3
http://www.sram.com/rockshox/products/monarch-plus-rc3
Rock Shox Monarch RC3
- Thread starter omac
- Start date
Yarrahappinni
Likes Dirt
I run one on my Trance SX (alloy). Came from SRAM oz, so should be available at a lbs. Definitely a better shock than the stock fox ctd. Pikes are next on the shopping list.
D_Nine
Senior Member
Would def recommend getting this shock.Have one on the Satori and the difference over the 2013 CTD is amazing ! The other day I put it on max comp to handle a big climb,belted down some rutted single track with a couple small drops.Reached down to put back into max for another climb only to realised it was still on max ! Never missed a beat !An excellent match to the Pike on the front.
Running one on my SB66 at the moment, highly recommend it over the Fox RP23.
Only thing to bear in mind is they seem to only come in medium compression & medium rebound as their default, off the shelf tunes and air can size is dependant on the stroke of the shock. Check your suspension characteristics (average leverage ratio and the spring curve (linear/progressive/degressive/all over the place)) and it might be worth speaking to the distributor/LBS to get the right damping tune and air can for your bike.
I know you can get different tuned shim stack assemblies off Ebay and (for a large volume air can) the air can volume can be tuned with rubber o rings. However, I haven't had the need to do some DIY tuning yet so can't comment on how easy all this is to do.
Only thing to bear in mind is they seem to only come in medium compression & medium rebound as their default, off the shelf tunes and air can size is dependant on the stroke of the shock. Check your suspension characteristics (average leverage ratio and the spring curve (linear/progressive/degressive/all over the place)) and it might be worth speaking to the distributor/LBS to get the right damping tune and air can for your bike.
I know you can get different tuned shim stack assemblies off Ebay and (for a large volume air can) the air can volume can be tuned with rubber o rings. However, I haven't had the need to do some DIY tuning yet so can't comment on how easy all this is to do.
shake_rattle_and_ roll
Pumpin'
Changed out the RP23 on my Turner RFX to a Monarch 5-6mths ago. Have never looked back. The improvement of both the compression & rebound characteristics was worlds apart on the Fox unit. About the only thing that I think RockShox could've done to make the RC3 slightly better is an ability to slow the rebound down by another couple of clicks, but then suspension setup is a personal thing.
I actually had to source mine from OS as there were none available in Oz for the eye-to-eye length I needed.
EDIT: And as dug8713 has pointed out, you will need to make sure you get the right valved RC3 for your platform. There are a few funny & unfortunate stories on the interweb about people who've ordered the right length without considering the valving for the RC3 & subsequently, for all good intentions, turn their bike into a dog of a ride or ruined their shock.
I actually had to source mine from OS as there were none available in Oz for the eye-to-eye length I needed.
EDIT: And as dug8713 has pointed out, you will need to make sure you get the right valved RC3 for your platform. There are a few funny & unfortunate stories on the interweb about people who've ordered the right length without considering the valving for the RC3 & subsequently, for all good intentions, turn their bike into a dog of a ride or ruined their shock.
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ChopSticks
Banned
hows the monarch holding up?
and more importantly... how are you getting along with the M/M tune? have you had the need to play with DIY tuning?
Rider_of_Bikes
Likes Dirt
On topic but off topic
Had anyone's Monarch RC3+ had an oil seeping problem?
After about 10h on mine it was still seeping a reasonable amount of oil. I sent it back to RS for them to inspect it and they said it was fine.
I have only put an hour on it since then and it seems to be seeping still.
Anyone else suffer from this?
Had anyone's Monarch RC3+ had an oil seeping problem?
After about 10h on mine it was still seeping a reasonable amount of oil. I sent it back to RS for them to inspect it and they said it was fine.
I have only put an hour on it since then and it seems to be seeping still.
Anyone else suffer from this?
re: oil seep
I've had mine on my Reign for about the same riding time as yours. At the end of every ride I have a dirty ring of oil and dirt on the shaft.
From what I found on mtbr it's normal (?) apparently means the seals are still wet whereas fox dry out (?). Haven't felt the shock get any worse performance wise - just seems to get better if that makes sense. Either way it's been leaps and bounds better than the Fox ctd it replaced.
cheers,
Gav
Hi rider,
I've had mine on my Reign for about the same riding time as yours. At the end of every ride I have a dirty ring of oil and dirt on the shaft.
From what I found on mtbr it's normal (?) apparently means the seals are still wet whereas fox dry out (?). Haven't felt the shock get any worse performance wise - just seems to get better if that makes sense. Either way it's been leaps and bounds better than the Fox ctd it replaced.
cheers,
Gav
Chopsticks, Monarch was going good, found the M/M tune good and didn't have a need to do much fettling with it. I did run the compression on minimum most of the time and the rebound towards the faster end of the rebound range.
I have since upgraded to a CCDB air - highly recommend them on the SB66! You should look into the new CCDB Inline as they're not much more expensive than the Monarch Plus RC3.
ChopSticks
Banned
Awesome stuff!
ill def get a new shock in the future.... But I think the inline might be too much shock for my needs?
cheapest monarch debonair I found was about $390, whereas the inline is around $500~
Will see see how people get along with the inline in their 66's first, tunes/settings etc and make a decision soon!!
thanks for heads up
edit: dug, what shock bushing sizes did you use?
yeti manual states 8x22mm.....
but none of the bushings I've found seem to be 22mm...... Either 22.2mm or 21.84mm
Yes I'm pretty keen to see if anyone else is running the inline on their SBs too. If its anything like the CCDB, it's a winner!
I originally tried using 8 x 22mm Rockshox bushes - didn't fit that well. I think the actual gaps for the shock mounts measured out to be approx. 21.8mm on the frame side and 21.2mm on the rocker side. Will reconfirm tonight. I'm getting some offset bushes made up at work so I took the measurements last week, but I've forgot to record the actual dimensions. Fingers crossed the dimensions are correct..
ChopSticks
Banned
I know Frosty on here has an inline in his 66. But he's still playing with settings.
I was reading abit, and apparently the stock CCDBA (without the large air can upgrade?) doesnt suit well with the linear travel of the SB.... and so it was hard to reach full travel without setting sag at 33%~...... Zaf is the guy you should talk to on here. He made a few posts on MTBR and seems to know his suspension/CCDBA/sb66 (whereas I got no idea lol)
dont forget to loosen the switch dog bone axle when measuring the rocker side.... will give a more correct reading!
thanks
Chopsticks, I dunno how you figured out that loosening the switch dog bone axle would make a difference in the mounting width, but it does!
Frame mount was bang on 22.00mm.
Rocker mount was 21.33mm when axle was tightened, 21.72mm when loose.
I've been running the stock/smaller air can on my SB for a while now and quite like it. Running 28% sag, regularly use up most of my travel on larger drops and g-outs, feels bottomless.
Back on topic, get the Rockshox Monarch Plus RC3 if you want set & forget simplicity. CCDB for endless tune-ability.
ChopSticks
Banned
Thanks Dug
I service the bike that often I know which axles do what :behindsofa:
simpliest way to replicate it is to try installing the bottom shock eyelet by hand.... It won't fit if your axle is still done up, but once loosened it will slide in!
i think the monarch plus debonair (piggy back) would be the go if I get a new shock!!
really won't use the extra adjustments with my ability.... And when I can get a debonair for $390 it's hard to beat!
what sort of bushing/spacers are you using?
trying to get my hands on the fox polymer bushings but, Jensons in the states don't ship fox to aud ($13 a set) whereas than charge a whopping $46 a set!!!!
Yeah that price is hard to beat. The extra volume of the debonair canister should let you play around with the spring curve too.
At the moment I'm playing around with custom made stainless steel offset bushes and using the stock Cane Creek DU bushes. Previous to that, I was using Rockshox 3 piece shock hardware. It should fit the Monarch fine.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/au/en/rockshox-rear-shock-mount-hardware-1-2-x-1-2-/rp-prod54654
I haven't tried the Fox polymer bushings so can't comment on if they'll make a noticeable difference.
Chops where did you find one for $390? They're closer to $420 including post from bikediscount / bike24 etc?
Bike addict
Likes Bikes
Getting one of these second-hand new on Friday for $280 :Banane42:
It's the grey stanchion one, think the Debonair has the black which looks the nuts (and has a more linear tune I think).
Pretty sure you can get volume reducing internal bands to affect the volume/compression/tune etc. Although i'd be personally loathe to fettle with mine personally given I have zero knowledge of what actually occurs inside.
If your in Bris Aiden Leffman has just opened a suspension service shop called Cyclinic MTB.
It's the grey stanchion one, think the Debonair has the black which looks the nuts (and has a more linear tune I think).
Pretty sure you can get volume reducing internal bands to affect the volume/compression/tune etc. Although i'd be personally loathe to fettle with mine personally given I have zero knowledge of what actually occurs inside.
If your in Bris Aiden Leffman has just opened a suspension service shop called Cyclinic MTB.