Am I right in thinking that the frame can take up to a 160mm fork like the trance sx?
What are the Bottom brackets like? Are they a DIY swap or is it a shop job?
Frame is designed around 140-160 forks, no difference to the frame throughout the model range from the standard 140mm Trances to the 160mm SX version.
BB is a standard Shimano Pressfit for general ease but you can fit whatever BB you prefer…i’ve heard of some people being able to push these BBs in by hand, i couldnt manage it and had the shop do it for me, i bought the BB from them so they fitted it for free…i think most LBS operate like this…some people on here have fabricated home made BB presses from steel threaded rod and some large washers, i have managed headset cups with a C-clamp but didnt fancy trying the BB on my new frame!
How is the monarch?
Wrong person to ask, i’ve been out of the FS game since 2013, my last full-susser had a Fox-RP23 that i thought was good but now gets slated on here…progress eh?!…it has 3 settings that all seem to work (locked, unlocked/open and a firm setting that creates a platform to pedal against)…used them on the first ride and then left it open, the DW/Maestro design doesnt seem too bad for pedal bob even with a ‘budget’ shock on there.
I was playing with hardtails (456-evo, Ragley Piglet-2 and 45650b) when the Canecreek shocks became all the rage and they sort of passed me by…i tend to run a hard rear end anyway as i like my FS to ride almost like a HT if that makes sense, cant stand wallowing around in the middle of the travel, i like both forks and shocks to ride high in their travel, to achieve this i always end up putting more air in the can than recommended and usually run the minimum of sag, barely touching 20% on previous bikes.
Before ditching the shock immediately, and i see no reason to in my opinion, you’d do far worse than spend £100 and have it fettled by a company like TFtuned (or mojo, loco, j-tech etc) and have it custom tuned for your weight, the bike/suspension design and the type of riding you do…some basic shocks dont allow this but most do these days….and you’ll end up with a far better shock than an ‘out of the box’ £500 item which will have a ‘one size fits all’ method of action that may or may not fit in with you weight, the riding you do, the bike its fitted to etc etc…they’ve worked wonders on forks i’ve sent them in the past and i’m almost itching to send a shock their way to see how it comes back but like i said earlier i’m a luddite with rear shocks and so far the standard Monarch seems fine.
HTH
