Hi,

Has anyone got one of these? any model really, i’m considering the Pro model.

How do you find it? where do you use it? any issues to be aware of?

Thanks

Monarch Shock, loads of issues if you look – I’m on my third!

What issues? Mine’s only a month or so old but enjoying it so far.

Roam wheels a bit flexy but I swapped the front. I’ve also got lyriks on instead of pikes.

Can you expand on the issues cyclelife? or is it just the shock thats the issue?

ChrisL has one, maybe he’ll be along. I testrode one a couple of times when he was trying to decide what to get, it’s a beast tbh, I loved it. Prefer my Remedy but it’s in the same ballpark. It’s got the magic touch that I was instantly comfortable chucking it down dh trails but it was also still decent fun on red routes- not many big bikes manage that.

The standard spec is a wee bit odd in places but I felt like at the price I wouldn’t mind- you could spend a bit to change parts and it’d still be doing OK. Only negative I really have is maybe reliability- Chris’s one ate half its bearings in just a few months and the demo fleet had similar issues, all knocking and grinding. The bearings are a bit wee, but I think also just a bit cheap- I put skf in it and I think it’s holding up better. and it’s a nice frame to work on. (crc sell a bearing kit now which looks like good value though it may be the same shortlived parts…)

Oh, and Nobby Nics can **** off.

Just the shock, change it out Coil DBIL sooooo much better.

Northwind – Member
ChrisL has one, maybe he’ll be along.

I do, and I am.

I got mine last June. No problems with the shock yet, the only problems I’ve had are the BB wearing out surprisingly quickly and some of the pivot bearings doing the same.

My Mega probably gets ridden most at Glentress (red/black/enduro trails) but it’s also been on trips further afield, including a week in south Wales and another week in the Alps with Bike Village. It’s a big thing and it handled the Alps, the FoD downhill trails and Bike Park Wales fine but it’s still fun on some stuff which initially I was worried would be flattened out by a big wheeled, big travel bike. I like that the XL frame has a decent reach to it and the bike feels confident to me.

You should be fine with a Pro, or a normal size, but the availability of 2016 Teams in XL was very limited and I had a bit of a wait to get mine. I am however glad I waited for it. 🙂

Edit: I put a bunch of those red rubber band volume adjusters into the rear shock. This seems to be recommended in almost every review. It wasn’t a big job to do, though. To be honest I’m not so sensitive to that sort of thing, but reportedly it goes through its travel a bit too rapidly otherwise.

Love mine. Had it 8 months. Been to Les Gets, four passes in the Lakes, BPW, and all the regular riding that we do in the Peak. I needed a Really Big Bike as I’m 6′ 7″ with a massive reach. Plenty of room, can even use a “normal” 50mm stem.

I added 2 tokens to the Pike, and a cut inner tube to the inside of the monarch plus – which improved both. Also put the narrow 28 spoke Roam wheelset (odd choice for this bike I thought) on my light weight hard tail and put Flows on front and rear (was using those on the hardtail). Swapped Nobby Nic rear for a Hans Dampff, kept the Mary on the front.

Problems – on my 2nd shock bushing after 5 month – that’s just wear and tear though. Rest of bearings are fine so far (1500km). Reverb stealth went back and got replaced as I couldn’t get it up. Otherwise everything is fine.

So normal stuff really, slightly dodgy bearings that can be replaced with better (par for the course) and dodgy SRAM wheels (which i’d flog off and replace)
I’ve had a few issues with the monarch plus before on other bikes, damping and wear on the shaft issues. all warranty issues.
I’m after an XL as well as i like the reach/stack figures on that frame. Also worried it might be a bit much for regular riding, but got my hardtail for that.

I guess I should say I also have a XL, 6’4″.

I don’t use it for “regular” riding though, I have a singlespeed hardtail for local stuff in the woods, and a 100mm XC full sus for spanking it.

“regular” could mean so much though, depending on where it is, your fitness, experience and riding style. I’m reasonably fit, and when I take it to a trail centre I find I’m passing lots of folk on climbs etc. yet it feels slow to me and there’s no way I’d take it to an XC race or long distance event.

Changed the front end to a boost/arch mk3 on lyriks, I’m big and this is a bike for ragging, I wanted more up front, wider to support the tyre.

Still got the sram rear on as I figure I may as well run it till I kill it, it seems surprisingly resilient though. It does sound like I’m being chased by someone strumming a banjo when firing through harsh compressions/berms mind.

i’m 6’2″, been riding MTBs for nearly 30 years and worked in the industry for many years now. i’d class my regular riding as cruise up and spank down, not afraid to hit BIG drops or gap jumps. as such i’m after something
that will last, be fun and not be too much of a drag as i’ve now gone past 40… Going to have a go at some Enduro racing this year as well, seeing as that is sort of like an official version of my normal riding..
I know my stuff, what works for me and the local areas to me, just not had any experience of Nukeproof. Always good to mine the collective mind for info..

IA – Member
I guess I should say I also have a XL, 6’4″.

That’s pretty much me too.

It sounds like the Mega will be fine for what you consider regular riding. It handles most of my riding well, though I don’t take it into the largely gentle Pentland Hills.

Also considering a Kona Process 111, but not sure that is going to have enough travel given i’ve spent the last decade on more than 150mm travel.. maybe its just me stuck in my ways.

See also: BMC Trailfox, Trek Fuel Ex (bit less) and Slash 29 (pretty similar) or old Remedy (bit less but potential to bring into same ballpark), Orange Alpine Five (best Orange ever), Spesh Enduro (not as good imo, ymmv). Probably some others too but these to me are the Big **** Off 29ers Of Note. There’s others like the geometron, pole, evil and the like but they’re mostly less common/more expensive/more mad

I love my Remedy but I think the Fuel Ex is going to be the right answer for a lot of folks now- proper geometry but not as burly. I’m avoiding riding one, just in case.

Another i’m considering is the Hightower..

Also considering a Kona Process 111, but not sure that is going to have enough travel given i’ve spent the last decade on more than 150mm travel.. maybe its just me stuck in my ways.

It’s an amazing bike and can handle a lot more than people expect, but it does have its limits compared to 160mm enduro bikes.

More of a downhiller’s trail bike than an enduro weapon IMO.

Sort of what im thinking with the Kona and its whats stopping me buying one and making me look at alternatives with more travel.