The Monarch is a classic for good reason. Sag markings and simple, intuitive controls make it a cinch to get set up. This RC3 Debonair version uses a huge negative chamber, giving (almost) coil-spring levels of sensitivity in the beginning stroke, before ramping up smoothly after sag to prevent wallow.
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Combined with volume spacer bands, this means mid-end stroke support is easy to tune to your needs, so the lack of compression fine-tuning is no barrier to performance if you choose the right base setting.
The ‘Rapid Recovery’ rebound tune means a more flexible shim stack, which recovers faster from deep in the stroke before slowing down to avoid shooting too far past sag.
This works a treat with most frames, though aggressive riders who want to fill it full of volume spacers will benefit from the firmer ‘Medium’ rebound tune, as we chose, or it can come up too fast after hard landings.
Rebound consistency on long DH runs is mid-pack and it feels slightly less sensitive than the DVO or Float X2 under direct comparison.
