Rockshox Monarch RL... Doesn't fully extend?

[Gionnirocket]

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I'm a fugazi!

The issue returned. I got a few rides and that's it... so I swapped it out again with my spare. In doing so I noticed something.... With no air in the shock if I lean on it.. it doesn't budge. When doing the same with the spare I get some movement. It hadn't done this before.
My hypothesis now is the damper is intermittently binding... So a full rebuild is in order.
This is recommended annually or every 100 miles so again still on borrowed time.. but still annoying. I can make the vice gigs out of wood so that is a big savings but I need to purchase a new RockShox pump as mine is rated at 300psi and the damper rebuild requires 500psi. Also need a $10 air adapter for the damper.
So first rebuild will still be over $100. I'll double check but I believe an LBS charges near $200 for the service. The shock new is <$300.

Is there any other vehicle shock that requires this level of maintenance?
I've purchased Bilstein struts for my car for less which are tasked with a much more demanding load, the build is regulated, the performance and ride are better and last 10x longer without issue.
This seems like planned failure and a built in revenue steam for Sram. I fuckin hate higher_end proprietary s*it! Yes it's a decent shock but there's absolutely no reason for this much required maintenance.

So to rebuild or not to rebuild... That is the question.

I'm seriously contemplating downgrading to a similar DNM shock like @PCeBiker posted just to see the difference and then to have a spare to my spare. A friend has one on his bike and it ain't that bad. He likes it and I don't hear any bangs and rattles when we ride over rough road.
For me it might be worth $100 bucks and it's more than a reasonable price for a bicycle shock when compared to what you pay for a shock for every other vehicle on the planet.

I'm just curious,..

If you don't have the bandwidth for a detailed rebuild thread, is that a speed or data thing?

Is your connection too slow for pictures, or would you use up your data?

Put another way,..
Is it like a maximum Watts thing or a maximum Watt-Hours kinda thing?

The bandwidth comment refers to my patience and state of mind at the moment. I have a full plate at home and there's not much left to dick around with.

 

[PCeBiker]

Well that sucks.
I'm hoping that greasing up my shock might help it last longer but my shock might be half used up?

It still feels like a new ebike to me.

 

[Gionnirocket]

My shock was working fine until I let all the air out. Not sure why that would cause something to fail, but it did. Might have pulled dirt into itself somehow. But like I said the shock is well protected in the frame and I often wipe it off with a wet rag.... smh...

 

[PCeBiker]

My shock was working fine until I let all the air out. Not sure why that would cause something to fail, but it did.

And then a grease job fixed it but it didn't last?

Might have pulled dirt into itself somehow.

So the dirt was moved out of the way, then got back in the way again after a test ride?
Something doesn't add up?

But like I said the shock is well protected in the frame and I often wipe it off with a wet rag.... smh...

What about just opening it up again, dump the fork oil and fill it with a big ole' Slickoleum air puck?
Not much to lose now?

So first rebuild will still be over $100. I'll double check but I believe an LBS charges near $200 for the service. The shock new is <$300.


So to rebuild or not to rebuild... That is the question.

~$60 will buy a new damper.
Thats cheaper than rebuilding it, and you probably won't need the 500 psi to replace it?

 

[Gionnirocket]

No I don't think the grease job fixed it... But just fiddling with it did. It is starting to bind, intermittently at first and is slowly worsening. The grease may have made everything else work a little better masking the issue for a short while.

Those new pieces need to be assembled into the damper body with oil and then charged to 500psi. So just more added cost.

 

[PCeBiker]

The only way that spending more money fixing it than replacing it would make any sense, would be to learn how to do it so you can rebuild them for $200 a pop for other people.

You could start a Monarch repair business showing Everything that needs to be purchased and a complete How-To video, then say at the end that you'll do for $200.

I remember breaking my carafe for my coffee maker.
A new carafe was more money than a new coffee maker, so I bought the new coffee maker just for the carafe and threw the new coffee maker in the garbage.

I liked my original coffee maker so I tossed the new one.



I've let the air out of my shock a couple times already, but I'm kinda nervous about doing that now.

So I'm thinking that I'm just gonna reduce the pressure a bit, thread on my grease gun and pump in the Slickoleum through the Schrader valve.
I'll use the valve like a zerk fitting on an old-school vehicle that was still maintainable.
I'll have a dedicated Slickoleum grease gun with a Schrader zerk fitting.

Maybe I'll make a Presta and Click Pop versions too, so I can grease the Hell outta anything.

 

[PCeBiker]

No I don't think the grease job fixed it...

I don't think that you would Puck it up any worse than it already is if you install a Big Ole Slickoleum Air Puck?

Easy to do, and good for research purposes.
Helps you locate the problem.

Maybe the fancy expensive fork oil is washing away the Slickoleum?


I remember when my laptop screwed-up for the third time, so I broke it in half so I would waste any more time fixing it.
I tend to stop at nothing when I try to fix something, so I had to make damn sure it was too dead to revive.

 

[Gionnirocket]

I didn't use the fork oil... I used the rockshox oil that came in the 50hr rebuild kit.
And I'm leaning towards the issue being in the damper assembly that I didn't open. That's the 100 hr rebuild.
All I did was the 50hr re_lube which is just the air can
Anywho.. I'm gonna think on it

 

[PCeBiker]

Parts in...
View attachment 191353
... now in search of ambition.

I've had my parts in for months and finally found some ambition.

I found more crap leaking out of my shock, so I knew I better Git Er' Done,..

No.
Absolutely No
... and No f'n way.
Believe me you don't want to attempt it on the bike for many reasons.

I decided to be reckless and try to service the shock on the bike.

It Worked !!!

I used the bike like a vice and the air can cleared the bushing,..




I just grabbed the air can with both hands and unscrewed it.



I noticed that the can has a dimple/dedent,..





There was No Oil in the can, and this was the Only Grease !!!,..

I Greased Er Up Good !!

I got it back together without too much fuss, but I couldn't push the can back on, so I installed the shock, then compressed it by pushing down on the frame so I could reach the threads when I pushed the can on.

Everything is fine except for one minor detail,..

I'm sagging to about 16% with no load, and I can't get it apart further ??

I took it out for a ride and everything felt OK.
It was kinda hard to tell, because I just installed a softer spring in my NCX seatpost, and I swapped back to my original spring seat with a gel seat cover on top. I've got a pretty cushy ride

I did reach down and turn the damping up and down, and I could feel the difference.
I'm not sure about pedal clearance yet, but I assume they're closer to the ground?

I have yet to check my preload with the O-ring, to see where it's at.

After the ride I pumped it up and got a little more clearance,..

This is the clearance that I used to have,..

 

[Gionnirocket]

Well that's kinda the issue my shock had and after a few rides it progressively would extend less and less.
Though you were able to do it on the bike... I'm not sure what you saved as it was only one more easily removed bolt to remove. And I wouldn't want to put turning forces on the bushings and linkage when my vice is 2 feet away. But hey.. wtf do I know as I still haven't fixed mine.
I'm still riding my spare and as a second back up I bought the better of the DNM shocks. I'm feeling very little ambition lately and the bit of free time I do have I just want to ride.
Did you change any rubber?
Let me know what happens going forward.

And yeah... The stock spring in the Suntour seat post is way too stiff... no matter what they describe as the weight range for the S - M - F versions

 

[PCeBiker]

Well that's kinda the issue my shock had and after a few rides it progressively would extend less and less.

I only went for the one ride for about ½ hour and the shock stayed the same.
It didn't sag any further, and I honestly wouldn't have noticed anything wrong if I hadn't checked the clearance before I rode the bike. (But I did a bunch of recent suspension changes, so I didn't know what I was feeling or what to think? )

Though you were able to do it on the bike... I'm not sure what you saved as it was only one more easily removed bolt to remove.

What I saved was probably about 6-10 months of further procrastination caused by the Enormity of doing Microsurgery on a Fricken E-bike shock absorber.

I'd rather wreck it trying to fix it than simply replace it when it craps out.

And then there was this,..

Instead of a little bit, I used a whole crap load too.

I didn't buy fork oil. I didn't spend hundreds of hours researching and planning the intricate nuances of micro surgery on a Fricken shock absorber. I didn't get my degree in shock maintenance from a qualified Rock Shok Guru. I didn't buy hundreds of dollars worth of special tools.

I just took the damn thing apart.

And I wouldn't want to put turning forces on the bushings and linkage

I did have twisting force in mind, when I grabbed the can With My Hands, and twisted it.
If I'm actually going to break the bushings or any parts connected to it by simply twisting the can with my bare 's, Then I'd rather snap the damn thing off the bike.

If I'm strong enough to break my e-bike with my bare hands, then my ebike isn't strong enough for me.

But hey.. wtf do I know as I still haven't fixed mine.

Well, mine isn't completely broken, so I ain't giving up yet,..

I still riding my spare and as a second back up I bought the better of the DNM shocks.

I've got nothing against DNM.
I have a shiny new DNM freewheel that must have at least 2 or three dozen rotations on it,..

I'm feeling very little ambition lately and the bit of free time I do have I just want to ride.

I've got all the time in the world, but I still don't wanna do nuthin.

I've still got a brand new Tektro Rotor and Pads with spacers to install,..

Did you change any rubber?

Nope. Just cleaned everything up.

Let me know what happens going forward.

I noticed this about the shock,..
This is where the can was after I unscrewed it,..

It was fully unthreated but it was sitting at about 15%

This is where the can sits now,..

When I push the can up towards the threads to screw it together, I can start lifting the bike off the ground, and this is all I can get,..

When the plunger enters the can, it starts compressing the air, so instead of sliding on, the inner stanchion starts compressing.

I think that I need to find a way to let the pressure out of the can so I can slide it on ??

And yeah... The stock spring in the Suntour seat post is way too stiff... no matter what they describe as the weight range for the S - M - F versions

I had the stock spring loosened as far as it would go without hearing it clunk, and it was still too stiff.

I had to crank the snott outta the blue one to not squash it.

PS,.. It's not a blue spring with a black sleeve.
It's a regular black spring with a blue sleeve.