While all the new Rockshox forks and internal tech will make the front end of your lighter and squishier, the other half of the equation brings up the rear quite nicely.
Shown above, the new Monarch Carbon takes a page from DT Swiss and adds a carbon-bodied air canister to their XC shock lineup. For the gravity set, there’s an all new Kage coil shock that’s pegged as a budget performer that’s been getting plenty of race testing under their sponsored riders as proof of concept.
And sitting directly between you and your shock is the revised Reverb with new features and a shorter 100mm travel option, too. Make the jump to see it all…
The carbon air can is half the weight of the aluminum one, putting the Monarch Carbon in at 200g for the RCT3, 15g lighter than the standard version.
OPTIONS
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REVERB
For 2012, Reverb gets a shorter 100mm travel option (original is 125mm and is still available). It also gets the Enduro Collar, that silver clamp on the ones above, which lets you preset how far it’ll drop if you need a shorter stopping point. There’s also a new hose/head fitting that improves durability, faster action at the quickest setting and an all black option that makes everything chrome above ano black. We’ve had a little time on a Reverb and it’s definitely one of the smoothest rides out there.
MONARCH and MONARCH PLUS
The Monarch (left) and Monarch Plus remain relatively unchanged save for the new white color option. Both have a high volume air can option. Claimed weight is 215g for the Monarch RT3 and 325g for the Monarch Plus RC3. The Plus gets the external oil volume and same damping as their bigger Vivid air shocks.
KAGE
The Kage is an entirely new rear shock RS marketing man Tyler Morland says has received quite a bit of time on the race circuit. It’s a budget shock – pricing is not set yet, but it’s meant to be “entry level” – with many of the higher end features like Dual Flow rebound and external oil reservoir. It’s designed to match up with the Domain and Domain Dual Crown forks.
Two models will be available – R and RC – with external Rebound and Rebound/Compression controls respectively.
WEIGHTS AND SPECS
Click to enlarge the chart for full weights and specs on each model option.
