On the right bike we’ve always liked the feel of the Monarch Plus, but there were always suspension designs that it worked well with and others that it didn’t.
RockShox seems to have sorted that with the latest version of the shock, which uses a new, larger ‘DebonAir’ air sleeve to give a more linear spring curve in the first third of travel. This increases sensitivity dramatically, giving astonishing grip and feel on virtually every bike we’ve ridden with the shock, and even masking issues with some suspension designs. Mid-stroke support is better too, keeping the bike up in its travel and improving cornering and ride feel.
The top-end RC3 model offers a three-position low-speed compression damping lever and a rebound dial. The compression adjustment is easy to operate and we like the nearly-locked-out setting for climbs, though the large lever can contact knees on certain bike designs. The Rapid Recovery rebound damping is impressive too – sensitive over small bumps, giving amazing grip and response, but with plenty in reserve for bigger hits. Reliability has been excellent to date.
Price
Shock: £380 / €444-483 / US$499-536
Upgrade: £100 / €104 / US$115
This article was originally published in Mountain Biking UK magazine, available on Apple Newsstand and Zinio.
