rouxtjie Posted February 1, 2016 Posted February 1, 2016 Even though I am super happy with my Pike and Monarch suspension kitted on my pascoe I thought I would chase a unicorn and try and make it even better. So after much reading and part sourcing(these things are like hen's teeth, most bikes shop meets your request with "you want a witchy-ma-whaten") I settled on the following considering my hefty 94kg On my 27.5 pike RCT3 I went with two bottemless tokensOn my Monarch RC3 plus with debonair air can I added an extra three spacer bands So what is the big deal here, well the bike has been totally transformed, in a good way...the pascoe has never blown through its travel its just that the top end of both the fork and shock's progression felt a bit dead. Also there is now a noticable pop which I love at the back when hitting lips, in short I feel its more predictable...both front and back. Considering the price of these goodies its without a doubt the best "tuning" you can do, I almost think the pike should come standard with the tokens in them and you can remove, not the other way around. Top tip, take down your current PSI numbers and after fitting the tokens and bands fill the shock with 10 PSI less per token or band(remember you have less volume now so things will ramp quicker). If you run the same pressure as before things become super harsh. Anybody had a simliar experience with these...?
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted February 1, 2016 Posted February 1, 2016 Absolutely, on the rear. I didn't use the bands, I used electrical tape on my Monarch plus deboner. Made a huuuuuuuge difference to the mid-stroke support. Far poppier now, for my heft. I still need to adapt my token for my Pike DP. Just need to drill the hole out to 10mm and install it. That should wield some good results and allow me to run lower pressure up front...
goatman Posted February 1, 2016 Posted February 1, 2016 Pardon my ignorance but are the Monarch shock reducer bands available in Cape Town (I did ask LBS before and didn't know)I also feel that i need some mid-stroke support; might have something to do with carrying a mobile workshop in my Camelbak and some spare weight on the midriff...Otherwise I guess a few wraps of tape will do?
rouxtjie Posted February 1, 2016 Author Posted February 1, 2016 Pardon my ignorance but are the Monarch shock reducer bands available in Cape Town (I did ask LBS before and didn't know)I also feel that i need some mid-stroke support; might have something to do with carrying a mobile workshop in my Camelbak and some spare weight on the midriff...Otherwise I guess a few wraps of tape will do?yo goatman, I think they actually get distributed from Cape Town to everywhere else. You will have to phone around, put the phone down when the mechanic doesnt know what you are talking about(You don't want him opening your shock if he doesnt know what they are). The fork tokens you can do yourself, 2min job. The shock needs dismantling of shock and canister so rather leave it to someone that knows what they are doing. Otherwise there is a pretty good video on mbr channel on youtube.
Duane_Bosch Posted February 1, 2016 Posted February 1, 2016 Pardon my ignorance but are the Monarch shock reducer bands available in Cape Town (I did ask LBS before and didn't know)I also feel that i need some mid-stroke support; might have something to do with carrying a mobile workshop in my Camelbak and some spare weight on the midriff...Otherwise I guess a few wraps of tape will do?Recycles in Durbanville will be able to source them. Or any shop that isn't just a pusher of product. You can do the electrical tape trick. there are youtube vids on how to do it yourself. Be careful on removing that O-ring unless you want to have a whooole lot of frustration. No sir. We can't source that 5c O-Ring. I'm afraid you have to buy a whole new shock. The benefit of going the electrical tape route (on a Reign) is that you don't have to remove the shock. I THINK the reducer bands come in a pack of 9. I run 3 reducer rings in the rear and one token up front. I'm keen to try another token but the bike is being used primarily by my girlfriend as a road bike at the mo. She can hardly figure out the gears let alone the feel from the front end.
droo Posted February 1, 2016 Posted February 1, 2016 Pardon my ignorance but are the Monarch shock reducer bands available in Cape Town (I did ask LBS before and didn't know)I also feel that i need some mid-stroke support; might have something to do with carrying a mobile workshop in my Camelbak and some spare weight on the midriff...Otherwise I guess a few wraps of tape will do? I have in stock and can install while you wait, PM me if you're interested.
NotSoBigBen Posted February 1, 2016 Posted February 1, 2016 At the risk of derailing Rouxtjies thread (I have more than 1000 posts so I SHOULD be OK ) - Is it only me that is not sensitive enough to what the bike is doing, suspension wise, to even begin to describe it? I just pump to the recommended pressure (albeit to the lower pressure of the 'range') and put the rebound in the middle then ride .....
goatman Posted February 1, 2016 Posted February 1, 2016 Recycles in Durbanville will be able to source them. Or any shop that isn't just a pusher of product. You can do the electrical tape trick. there are youtube vids on how to do it yourself. Be careful on removing that O-ring unless you want to have a whooole lot of frustration. No sir. We can't source that 5c O-Ring. I'm afraid you have to buy a whole new shock. The benefit of going the electrical tape route (on a Reign) is that you don't have to remove the shock. I THINK the reducer bands come in a pack of 9. I run 3 reducer rings in the rear and one token up front. I'm keen to try another token but the bike is being used primarily by my girlfriend as a road bike at the mo. She can hardly figure out the gears let alone the feel from the front end.Thanks Duane!Will use dental pick to remove said o-ringI'm not even going to ask which front end...
droo Posted February 1, 2016 Posted February 1, 2016 At the risk of derailing Rouxtjies thread (I have more than 1000 posts so I SHOULD be OK ) - Is it only me that is not sensitive enough to what the bike is doing, suspension wise, to even begin to describe it? I just pump to the recommended pressure (albeit to the lower pressure of the 'range') and put the rebound in the middle then ride ..... The more travel you have, the more important the setup becomes. On a marathon bike with 100mm of travel you'll get away with doing as you say, but try that on a 140mm trail rig and you'll end up in the bushes.
Duane_Bosch Posted February 1, 2016 Posted February 1, 2016 At the risk of derailing Rouxtjies thread (I have more than 1000 posts so I SHOULD be OK ) - Is it only me that is not sensitive enough to what the bike is doing, suspension wise, to even begin to describe it? I just pump to the recommended pressure (albeit to the lower pressure of the 'range') and put the rebound in the middle then ride .....Haha. Most of the "experts" on this forum know fokkol about suspension setup. Myself included. I get a mate who actually knows what he's doing to set mine up then claim it.
NotSoBigBen Posted February 1, 2016 Posted February 1, 2016 The more travel you have, the more important the setup becomes. On a marathon bike with 100mm of travel you'll get away with doing as you say, but try that on a 140mm trail rig and you'll end up in the bushes. Sjoo all my bikes have 100mm of travel (or even less at 80 on my Flash ) so it would seem I'll be OK plus my wheels do not leave the ground voluntarily
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted February 1, 2016 Posted February 1, 2016 Haha. Most of the "experts" on this forum know fokkol about suspension setup. Myself included. I get a mate who actually knows what he's doing to set mine up then claim it.I'm still playing...
Brawler Posted February 1, 2016 Posted February 1, 2016 yeah these tokens and bands are that good.I also weigh about 90KG and before the tokens and bands I would bottom out on medium to large size jumps even if I landed decently which made me hold back a lot. Since getting them installed I don't even think about it - the suspension just does its job.
droo Posted February 1, 2016 Posted February 1, 2016 Sjoo all my bikes have 100mm of travel (or even less at 80 on my Flash ) so it would seem I'll be OK plus my wheels do not leave the ground voluntarily You'll still notice an improvement from a proper setup though.
droo Posted February 1, 2016 Posted February 1, 2016 Haha. Most of the "experts" on this forum know fokkol about suspension setup. Myself included. I get a mate who actually knows what he's doing to set mine up then claim it. There are not many who know what all the knobs and dials on your RC2 / R2C2 combo do, so don't feel too bad...
rouxtjie Posted February 1, 2016 Author Posted February 1, 2016 Sjoo all my bikes have 100mm of travel (or even less at 80 on my Flash ) so it would seem I'll be OK plus my wheels do not leave the ground voluntarily Droo hit the nail on the head ben, it sort of becomes "lomp" in the middle. Its a weird sensation, so you add a bit more air and then the first part of the suspension stroke is harsh and defies the point of having all that travel, then you remove lots but blast through your travel. Now if you light, you will feel it less. But if you are two toilet visits behind schedule(85-100kg range I guess) you can feel it. So all that these spacers and tokens do is make the ramp curve a bit steeper at the end, so you still have lekker butter for small *** but when you hit bigger stuff its still sparks at the end there is my take on it
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