Monarch requires very high pressure

declan1

Hi everyone.

Haven't been around for a while but thought I'd ask for some help!

I have a 2014 Giant Anthem with a Monarch R shock, however to get 20% sag I need to have 250psi in the shock. I'm only 73KG so I think something is wrong here! Also at 20% sag I really struggle to get anywhere near full travel.

Any thoughts?

Thanks

nicklouse

Is it new? Run a bit softer till it beds in.

Nothing wrong with 250 if that is what the suspension design needs to have.

declan1

nicklouse wrote:

Is it new? Run a bit softer till it beds in.

Nothing wrong with 250 if that is what the suspension design needs to have.

It's not that new, probably about 200 miles old. I've been running it at 30% sag to get full travel (180psi) but it's really bad for climbing!

poah

try running 25% lol

lostboysaint

A couple of my comments already answered! But my comments would be:

1. Why on earth would you only run 20% sag? You really want between 25 and 30% to get the most effective use of the rear suspension.
2. Define "really bad for climbing"! Do you mean that it bobs a lot or are you confusing the bike just responding to roots/rocks/trail debris etc. and providing you with a tyre contact patch regardless? Can you lock the shock out?
3. If you don't like an active rear end (fnarrr fnarrr) then why ride full sus?

declan1

lostboysaint wrote:

A couple of my comments already answered! But my comments would be:

1. Why on earth would you only run 20% sag? You really want between 25 and 30% to get the most effective use of the rear suspension.
2. Define "really bad for climbing"! Do you mean that it bobs a lot or are you confusing the bike just responding to roots/rocks/trail debris etc. and providing you with a tyre contact patch regardless? Can you lock the shock out?
3. If you don't like an active rear end (fnarrr fnarrr) then why ride full sus?

Thanks for the reply!

1. 20% is the recommended sag for the Anthem as it is the optimum 'anti-bob' level for the Maestro system. It's an XC bike don't forget

2. At 30% sag the bike feels like it's sinking very low into its travel and it bobs like crazy!

3. That's the reason why I'm asking for help, I 'need' 20% sag but I would also like full travel

jakesurf

20 - 30 % is the recommended sag for the Anthem (direct from the owners manual).

lostboysaint

Sorry Jake but the Anthem sag is recommended between 15 & 25%. 6-10mm of the 38mm travel.

Declan - that's sorted why on 30% it feels very soft and saggy. Now we come to:

1. Does the shock have a lock out lever?
2. When you say "it doesn't achieve full travel" do you actually do anything on the bike that would warrant using all that travel? A decent sized jump/big drop off?

declan1

lostboysaint wrote:

Sorry Jake but the Anthem sag is recommended between 15 & 25%. 6-10mm of the 38mm travel.

Declan - that's sorted why on 30% it feels very soft and saggy. Now we come to:

1. Does the shock have a lock out lever?
2. When you say "it doesn't achieve full travel" do you actually do anything on the bike that would warrant using all that travel? A decent sized jump/big drop off?

It's a Monarch R so it only has a rebound dial.

I ride very technical, rooty trails with some occasional rocky tracks. I often do large hops over obstacles which I would expect to use full travel for. The shock has never gone past about 85% travel (I have checked the travel by taking all air out) but it reaches that quite often at 30% sag. 20-25% sag only uses around 60% of the available travel.

lostboysaint

That's a "no" then! Large hops over obstacles are not the same as a decent drop off or a fair sized jump. That's why you're not seeing anything like full travel.

I don't expect to see full travel on my Bandit unless I'm riding a trail that has significant jumps or drops and that's with 25-30% sag.

So in summary - get out there and ride it, enjoy it for what it is - a very quick full sus XC bike which allows you more comfort and grip and is well within it's limits for what you do on it.

declan1

lostboysaint wrote:

That's a "no" then! Large hops over obstacles are not the same as a decent drop off or a fair sized jump. That's why you're not seeing anything like full travel.

I don't expect to see full travel on my Bandit unless I'm riding a trail that has significant jumps or drops and that's with 25-30% sag.

So in summary - get out there and ride it, enjoy it for what it is - a very quick full sus XC bike which allows you more comfort and grip and is well within it's limits for what you do on it.

Ah, that's good to hear! I literally have no idea with suspension and just keep messing around with it hoping it will feel better

Just to be awkward, the fork on this bike feels either very harsh, or very squishy - I can't seem to find settings which are supportive but 'plush'. I've extended the fork to 120mm but is this just what happens with short travel forks?

lostboysaint

What's the fork?

Extending the fork just gets you more travel, it rarely changes the characteristics of the travel.

declan1

lostboysaint wrote:

What's the fork?

Extending the fork just gets you more travel, it rarely changes the characteristics of the travel.

It's a Recon Gold RL. I really struggle to set sag as there is a lot of stiction which prevents me from getting a repeatable reading. If I set it so it's about 25% I can blow through the travel just by braking!

lostboysaint

Ok, that's where I'm out I'm afraid, I know nothing about the Recon Gold, beyond the fact that it's quite well regarded. Supersonic is pretty good with Recon forks I believe - if you can get him over to this thread.

declan1

lostboysaint wrote:

Ok, that's where I'm out I'm afraid, I know nothing about the Recon Gold, beyond the fact that it's quite well regarded. Supersonic is pretty good with Recon forks I believe - if you can get him over to this thread.

Hopefully he will see it Thanks very much for your help!

Chunkers1980

Last post was last year!

cooldad

SS is gone.

declan1

Damn, shows how long it is since I was last here :?

lostboysaint

cooldad wrote:

SS is gone.

I hadn't seen him for a while but didn't realise he'd gone. Was it a flounce or was he just too busy recycling old Zaskars (and other scrapyard fodder) and testing kit?

Chunkers1980

Think it was the new guv

lostboysaint

Ah, a flounce then!

poah

have you got the rebound set up right on the forks?

declan1

POAH wrote:

have you got the rebound set up right on the forks?

I'm not sure. I set it by bunny hopping and slowing it down until the forks didn't pogo. I thought it might have been packing down yesterday as my hands were really painful after a short descent!

larkim

Is that the best way to set rebound? A bunny hop will be a slow action compared with rapid sets of bumps over roots and stones, surely?

declan1

larkim wrote:

Is that the best way to set rebound? A bunny hop will be a slow action compared with rapid sets of bumps over roots and stones, surely?

I have no idea!

Just a thought - I don't remember having issues with the rear shock when the fork was at 100mm. Is it possible that setting the fork at 120mm has messed up the geometry somehow? I've pushed my saddle forward to compensate but perhaps the angles are causing it.

poah

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9vgrNqjwOA

jakesurf

lostboysaint wrote:

Sorry Jake but the Anthem sag is recommended between 15 & 25%. 6-10mm of the 38mm travel.

So the Giant handbook that came with my anthem and states the recommended sag for the anthem is between 20 and 30% is wrong then?

bob6397

Just ride it and change when it doesn't feel right - a bit of trial and error maybe??

I have a Recon Gold TK - almost the same - and I basically just set the rebound half way and the pressure to what seemed about right and have worked from there.. A little less rebound, oops too much, add some more, bit more pressure, etc.

Just ride the bike

declan1

bob6397 wrote:

Just ride it and change when it doesn't feel right - a bit of trial and error maybe??

I have a Recon Gold TK - almost the same - and I basically just set the rebound half way and the pressure to what seemed about right and have worked from there.. A little less rebound, oops too much, add some more, bit more pressure, etc.

Just ride the bike

That's part of my problem I think - I love suspension that feels firmer but also like it to be nice and smooth!

I am riding the bike every day, don't worry