Croglet Posted July 10, 2017 Share Hey guys, Here's my long, sad story... 2 years ago I bought my first dual sus, a used Fuji Outland 1.0 which came with a Monarch RT3, I have no idea how much mileage the bike had done but judging from the condition of the bike, probably not too many.The shock has given me all kinds of hassles - bottoming out, buzzing my tyre against the frame and leaking air. I've done about 6500km with it, sent it in for a few services and had it rebuilt last year which meant I only had to pump it up again every 2 weeks or so instead of twice a week. I weigh 75kg and have to pump it to about 190psi just to stop it bobbing too much or bottoming out, quite high for someone my weight, and yet last weekend I still had my tyre buzzing the frame on landing a small jump. Not even a jump really, my wheels just left the ground for a bit.I'm a cross country noob and don't do anything too outrageous in terms of dropoffs, jumps etc. but I still very much prefer a dual sus to a hardtail. Does any of this sound normal? Should I just go and get it serviced again or am I chasing my tail? What would be a reasonable replacement that wouldn't cost too much and it is buying a used one just asking for more grief?Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocket-Boy Posted July 10, 2017 Share Im sure Droo will be along shortly with some sage advice. Croglet 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted July 10, 2017 Share Wait for Droo, but you could also consider the following: http://enduro-mtb.com/en/how-to-adjust-the-air-volume-of-the-rockshox-monarch-shock/ I also found with mine, that the shock was rather harsh .... looked at the RS site and they recommend running the air out, cycle the shock, inflate to 100psi, cycle, then inflate to your required sag. Did this last night, and first impressions are awesome. RE air loss .... not had an issue, though I know a guy on a PYGA that is having that exact same issue RE loss of air....he is also a light weight (said with respect) Croglet and JasonS 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
droo Posted July 10, 2017 Share Somebody called? So, first up - there are services and there are services. The first level is an air sleeve rebuild, which can be done in about 10 minutes on your coffee table. Including seals this will probably set you back about R 400. A proper rebuild is a bit more complicated, requires some more geeky looking tooling, and will set you back about a grand. Some mechanics will do the air sleeve and leave out the damper, giving you the warm and fuzzies but not really achieving much. Next up - how often are you servicing? You should be doing a full rebuild every 100 - 150 hours of riding. If you run longer than this, expect air leaks and internal damage to the air sleeve and damper body. RS shock seals aren't as durable as some others. The last point is that while pressure washing is bad for bikes in general, it's particularly bad for RS shocks because the air sleeve seals aren't that great. I can't say what yours has or hasn't seen without looking at it, but Postnet is only R 99 each way, which is well cheaper than a new shock. Wannabe, Rocket-Boy, Croglet and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaGearA Posted July 10, 2017 Share Somebody called? So, first up - there are services and there are services. The first level is an air sleeve rebuild, which can be done in about 10 minutes on your coffee table. Including seals this will probably set you back about R 400. A proper rebuild is a bit more complicated, requires some more geeky looking tooling, and will set you back about a grand. Some mechanics will do the air sleeve and leave out the damper, giving you the warm and fuzzies but not really achieving much. Next up - how often are you servicing? You should be doing a full rebuild every 100 - 150 hours of riding. If you run longer than this, expect air leaks and internal damage to the air sleeve and damper body. RS shock seals aren't as durable as some others. The last point is that while pressure washing is bad for bikes in general, it's particularly bad for RS shocks because the air sleeve seals aren't that great. I can't say what yours has or hasn't seen without looking at it, but Postnet is only R 99 each way, which is well cheaper than a new shock.Send it to this man ! BlackSnow and Croglet 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croglet Posted July 10, 2017 Share Thanks for all the responses and the advice! I was warned about pressure washing and have always steered well clear but I'm sure I'm overdue for a rebuild. Still reckon I landed myself a lemon though. Good to know who the resident shock guru is, might have to send it droo's way when the bicycle repair fund is looking a bit healthier. Hairy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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