Monarch shock service

What you need

Consumables

Instructions

Tools - basic air can service

Very few specialist tools are required. If the air can is too tight to remove by hand, then a strap wrench can come in handy:


Strap wrench for removing stubborn air can

Tools - revalve

You should also make yourself a tool to remove the IFP fill port cover.  I made one by grinding a slot in the end of a 5mm allen key:


Slot ground in 5mm allen key

You will also need an IFP fill adapter.  You can buy these from SRAM.  In my case, one came with my SKS UFP shock pump.  The plastic rod is something I added to enable the shock pump to open the schrader valve when attached.


IFP fill adapter close up

Basic air can service

  • remove shock from bike;
  • give shock a thorough external clean;
  • release all air from the shock;
  • clamp shock end in vice with soft jaws and unscrew air can;
  • once air can is unscrewed, give it a quick firm yank to get it off the shock;
  • remove green top out bumper, teflon rings and main quad ring;

Monarch R shock service
  • remove wiper seal, telflon ring and quad ring from air can;
  • remove o-ring from air can threads;

Revalving the Monarch shock

Continue on from basic air can service:

  • release air pressure from IFP: after removing the IFP fill port cover, there is a schrader valve underneath.  In the pic you can see the IFP fill port adapter I am using.  This particular adapter came with my SKS UFP shock pump; I have modified it by inserting a plastic rod down the centre which is just the right length to open the schrader valve when the shock pump is screwed on the end.

IFP fill adapter
  • attach the shock pump and release the pressure.  Take a note of how much pressure was in the IFP before you release it;

Shock pump attached to IFP fill adapter
  • clamp the lower shock mount in the vice and use a 17mm spanner to unscrew the damper seal head;

Unscrew seal head
  • once you've got the damper off you can do whatever tuning you wish to the shim stack;

Monarch shock damper removed

Shim stack


Monarch R shim stack

This shock is a L rebound tune / M compression tune.  It has the following shims:

Item
Shim detailsNotes
Outside diameter
ThicknessQuantity
Shim
8mm
0.2mm3These shims add length to the overall shim stack so that the clamp bolt can tighten against the shim stack.
Valve plate
15mm
1.25mm1This valve plate provides the low speed rebound oil flow path .
Shim15mm
0.1mm1This shim is a checkplate for the rebound low speed adjuster which operates on an oil bypass / bleed circuit through the center of the damping rod.
Shim8mm
0.2mm3
Shim14mm
0.1mm5These shims form the rebound stack.
Piston

1The piston is dished on both the compression and rebound faces.  The dishing results in the high-speed and rebound shim stacks having preload and consequently a digressive damping curve.
Shim22mm
0.1mm
4These shims form the high-speed compression shim stack.
Shim22mm
0.2mm
1
Valve plate

1
Shim20mm
0.1mm
1These shims form the low-speed compression shim stack.  Oil flow through these shims is through the centre of the damping rod and out into the valve plate through holes in the damping rod.

Shim13mm
0.1mm
1
Shim10mm
0.2mm
1
Shim10mm
0.3mm
1

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