When Rock Shox presented a small can with the name DebonAir last year, our expectations were rather muted. Available as an upgrade kit, the damper sleeve is supposed to give Rock Shox Monarch and Monarch Plus dampers more sensitivity and an overall "plusher" feel, as they like to say at presentations. Instead of the conventional damper sleeve, a new sleeve with an increased air volume is simply fitted. In addition to the slightly larger positive air chamber, the negative chamber in particular is significantly larger. The negative chamber works against the breakaway force and thus supports the damper during compression, which is noticeable in the finer response behaviour. In addition, the larger negative spring can act over a longer range, whereby the characteristic curve in this area is perfectly linear and the compression force in the first third is reduced by around 30 per cent. In addition to Rock Shox, Fox now also offers a larger damper sleeve called EVOL (Extra Volume) for Float and Float-X dampers. A larger negative chamber is also used here.
Small can, big effect: In tests with fullys from different suspension travel classes, the DebonAir sleeve had a positive effect and noticeably improved the function of the rear suspension.
What is different?
To upgrade, simply unscrew the old damper housing and replace it with the more voluminous DebonAir housing, which has a larger positive and negative air chamber.
What does the Rock Shox DebonAir sleeve do?
- Less breakaway force: The larger negative chamber means that between 25-30 per cent less force is required to use the first third of the suspension travel.
- More traction and comfort: You feel more sensitivity on the trail, which also has a positive effect on traction and comfort.
- Less sagging: In the initial range, where the negative chamber provides support, the characteristic curve is perfectly linear. The volume of the positive chamber can be reduced using the enclosed Air-Can rings, allowing the desired final progression to be set.
Which dampers can DebonAir be retrofitted to?
The DebonAir sleeve can be retrofitted to all Rock-Shox Monarch and Monarch Plus dampers from model year 2014 and Monarch RT3 dampers from model year 2013. The housing is available for the following damper installation lengths: 165 x 38, 184 x 44, 190/200 x 51, 200 x 57, 216 x 63 mm.
Price
Including all seals and a new rubber stop, the DebonAir sleeve costs approx. 102.67 euros. Here is the information on the DebonAir Kit from Rock Shox.
This is how the DebonAir conversion works:
The conversion only takes 10 to 20 minutes, but requires prior knowledge of bolting. Apart from a vice with protective jaws and an oil filter strap spanner (if the damper housing cannot be opened by hand), no special tools are required. Attention: deflate the damper completely before opening it!
