Whats the main differences between the two?
would the later be worth a £30 upgrade over the former?
Depends what your riding style is...
What about for a heavier rider?
More oil volume on the plus, so better for long descents. Important part is to get the shock valved for your bike, riding style and weight, rather than buying an off the shelf tune.
Cheers Sir HC so do you think the plus is worth the extra £30 ?
If you do fast, rocky descents that last more than 8 minutes or so, then yes.
By rocky, I mean you get to the end of the descent and your shock is hot to the touch.
The oil stops working well, more oil = better heat diserpation.
All depends if you need it or not.
If you don't, you'll be carrying extra weight for no real gain.
I don't think the internals are different, they are between the standard Fox CTD and Float X. But I think the damper is the same between the monarchs.
Some one will be able to confirm.
If you on a short travel bike you won't benefit from from the plus.
Read the reviews on the upgrade can kit for the rt3, should give you idea.
Get it Avalanched 😉
Cheers Sir HC so do you think the plus is worth the extra £30
Yeah, this is from Avalanche.
"The larger the reservoir the less pressure increase during full compression, this pressure effects the midstroke harshness for rising rate linkages.
Also the longer the run the hotter the shock gets, and with small reservoir volumes this could double the pressure in the shock at the beginning of the stroke and make it feel topped out or over preloaded."
So it's not just about heat. 30 quid is naff all in the scheme of things.
For £30 its a good price upgrade, RRP diff is more like £100. That said maybe you need it, maybe not. The damping adjustments work quite differently between the two, with the RC3 offering 3 compression settings while the RT3 has pedal platform and lockout. Personally I think the standard platform on the monarch was too harsh in all but the L3 format, but thats just changed for new RT3s although Ive not tested anything other than an L3. There's also a revised internals on the new RT3s making them more like that of the pius in terms of the way some of the valving works and the range of adjustment as well, but again I couldn't say whether you could actually tell the difference as yet. That said, since the new RT3s only started production this month you're likely getting the old one, not that this was a bad shock in any way! The new one is just incrementally better (allegedly 😉 )