Viewing 16 posts - 1 through 16 (of 16 total)
  • Megas with DB Air – anyone have or tried?
  • dirtbiker100
    Free Member

    Last week I bought a mega frame as a bit of an impulse, its getting on for 2lbs lighter than my Last Herb FR and its lovely and efficient on the pedalling but that rear shock isn’t the best. I’ve gone from a plush progressive design to a firmer tune that blows through its travel.

    Wondering whether to get a DB Air or sell the mega and go back to the Last Herbs (can get a new 160 version at half price).

    Is there is a way to keep the weight and strong pedalling of the mega while gaining the trail smoothing and progressive feel of the Last?

    freeman
    Free Member

    If its still got the Rockshox can on it, get it swapped out pronto, they are pants, im currently bouncing the crap out of a fox van RC with a ti coil, transformed the way it rolled immediately plus its not too bad on the ups as its got Propedal, have also toyed with the idea of the DB air but funds cant quite push to it yet

    zangolin
    Free Member

    Rock Shox Monarch Plus shock
    What I have one on my Mega – few grams heavier than the standard Monarch. But a very different shock.
    Has the RS equivalent of Pro-pedal – not quite as “locked out” for climbing as the standard Monarch but still not bad.Point it downhill and it really does come into its own.

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    dirtbiker100
    Free Member

    Can you tell me any more about the differences zangolin? would rather not splash more cash to find its not quite what I want.

    If I go to a coil which a lot of people have done then I think I’d be just as well off with the Last, at least weight wise

    zangolin
    Free Member

    Had the standard Monarch for a few months – good for general xc but found it just did not cope well on fast rough downhills – basically hammering DH tracks.

    Tried a Fox DHX 5.0 coil for a few weeks – as you would expect great going down but not so good for uphill and general riding.

    Thought about CCDB coil or air – too heavy as I wanted to keep the bike as light as possible + I have a DH bike for full on hooning about.

    Decided on the Monarch Plus after a couple of recommendations from a couple of people in the know who spendtheir working lives testing bikes. One of which had a Plus on his Mega. Good compromise between the Fox coil and the standard Monarch.

    Tom_W1987
    Free Member

    I had my shock pushed my TF Tuned…. they are doing push tunes for Monarchs again.

    It will replace the piston with a high flow push piston that reduces stiction….and they will custom shim the shock to give whatever range of low speed/high speed and mid stroke damping you desire.

    The shock on my mega is completely different now, TF tuned had the maximum about of compression damping tuned in before they felt it compromised grip, I got more midstroke support and I also had them increase the end stroke rebound a bit….as the monarchs tend to pack down….this nicely emulates the new Rock SHox rapid recovery tune so that the shock stays higher in it’s travel without having to resort to beggining stroke rebound settings that buck you around.

    They also supplied me with a load of air can volume reducer shims so I could play around with the progressiveness of the spring rate.

    It feels like it’s a completely different shock. It doesn’t feel that much different to my friends pushed DHX5 coil shock…. :mrgreen: it was about 90 quid for a service and 40 quid for the push upgrade+tune.

    You’ll spend 500 odd quid on a DB air (and maybe get 80 quid for your shock)….and what you’ll get is a shock with so many dials you’ll go OCD trying to get it to feel right and will probably end up with something that feels like crap. The guys over at TF tuned know what they are doing and you’ll get a shock back with 95 percent of the performance that you won’t be tempted to screw around with.

    gravity-slave
    Free Member

    Reducing the air can volume is also a simple tweak that yields good results.

    The high volume was too linear for me so it was either too stiff or blew through the travel.

    Release the pressure, remove the high volume sleeve and pack the gap in the air can. I stretched some inner tube over, let me drop the pressure for increased grip but it ramps up more so less bottom out.

    Mugboo
    Full Member

    Loco tuned my Monarch for a small fee and it’s stopped blowing through its travel. Although I’m not hammering DH tracks 🙂

    He suggested I buy the Plus if I needed more.

    Deveron53
    Free Member

    I had a Mega (1st edition) that came with the Monarch Plus. It felt as plush and capable as my Fox RP23 on my 575.

    dirtbiker100
    Free Member

    gravity-slave, Checked the SRAM manuals and see what you mean, gonna try that tomorrow morning I think, see how I get on.

    larrythelathe
    Free Member

    Hi have a ccdb air on my mega.
    Its like night and day not alot more to say really.

    Where are you? Your welcome to have a go if your local, as its alot of cash to drop but well worth it.

    The main reason I got it was for the rebound I hate shocks kicking and its the only shock that let’s you set YOUR shock how you want it.

    mundiesmiester
    Free Member

    As has been suggested your head will be pickled trying to get it dialled in with a DBAC – get the Monarch tuned and it will fundementaly alter the back end of the Mega for the better.

    Nukeproof originally specced the Mega with an off the shelf Monarch tune which provided the frame with a dead feeling. Unlike this years frame which has been specifically tuned and has transformed it with everything that it called out for.

    jedimindtricks
    Free Member

    CCDB is amazing (coil or air) but needs patience to set it up. Cheap option TF tune your current shock, or get the Monarch PLUS, I can vouch for this shock (not ridden the ccdb air although I have got a coil ccdb) and it’s close to a coil feel and lighter.

    Can sometimes get one for around £200, sell your current shock for 80 and you’ll probably spend as much as a TF tune for the plus shock in the end.

    Depends if the OP can wait for when the shock needs a service…then the push tune is worth it.

    Better yet buy the plus with the push tune.

    Nukeproof originally specced the Mega with an off the shelf Monarch tune which provided the frame with a dead feeling. Unlike this years frame which has been specifically tuned and has transformed it with everything that it called out for.

    have you ridden the mark 2 then?

    dirtbiker100
    Free Member

    Well with an innertube inside it didn’t bottom out over this little jump I went past on monday http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99HmDne_8cI so thats a pretty good sign. Still feels pretty crap though!
    Still thinking about the feel that the Last’s have though – more miniDH feel. Need to ride mega more and consider what a new shock could do to it i think.

    Seriously just get it pushed by tf tuned. They swap out a load of the internals and custom shim it for you.

    Here’s what I’d suggest for you (I personally like aggressive compression damping), have the compression backed off and the end stroke rebound sped up. Then keep cranking up the amount of spacers until you’re only bottoming out where you want to.

    The push piston will give you less stiction, the lower compression rate will make it feel more lively and the faster end stroke rebound will keep it up in it’s travel.

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