2019 SuperDeluxe MegNeg Review and Setup Thoughts

Heres my thoughts on the Rockshox MegNeg air can upgrade for the Deluxe and Superdeluxe rear shocks. I've fitted this to my 2019 Transition Patrol in place of the Fox DPX2 and its an excellent upgrade.

[@twistedneck]

Just an FYI- try running the MegNeg with zero bands and zero tokens at first so you can feel the full effects of it. (You will have to run a higher PSI than normal to get the proper sag tho) Then if you feel like you’re not getting the feel you are looking for, start by adding a band or two. Then see what that’s like. If you’re bottoming out, add a token or two. I ended up with zero bands and zero tokens. It’s almost like a coil shock. That’s what i wanted it to feel like. It’s well worth the money and probably the best upgrade I’ve done to my 2019 NukeProof Mega

[@mcruben12]

Thanks for the review. I just bought a megneg for my 2017 NS snabb because I wasnt getting the support through rollers and compressing jump lips. Just tested it out today and man what a difference. I went from running 4.5 tokens and about 210 psi, to just a gnar dog and 2 tuning bands at roughly 250 psi. At first it felt a bit too firm, but once I started getting used to it the difference was night and day. I still have a good 10mm + of travel which is where I want to be for the trails I rode. Thanks again for the insight, definitely pushed me to try this out.

[@mtbtelly5522]

Tyler Ginet nice I’m glad it turned out good.

[@michaelgoodwin593]

Cheers for this, just got my meg neg, starting with no spacers, no bands. then later Ill be using your recommendation and tuning from there

[@Guineson]

man, i really wish i had the knowledge and ability to feel my suspension like you do. i can say if the bike feels like shit or nit and if i hit bottom out, but no clue on how to fix my complaints or to process the feedback through the bike. so it's fun to hear your thought process and how you work through it 👍

[@mtbtelly5522]

Guineson I’ll keep putting my thoughts into videos and hopefully I can eventually make it all a little easier to make sense of, and you’ll have a reference to go to when you’re looking to solve a certain setup issue

[@blranch8]

Enjoying your videos on the Transition Patrol and your progress on it. I moved on from my Patrol. Could only get the suspension and the bike to about 85% of what I wanted it to be. I did a demo on a Kona Process 153 carbon in 27.5 and it was really exactly what I was looking for. I had it dialed in very quickly and suspension and bike are at 100% of what I was looking for for Enduro riding. Climbs and descends better than the patrol. Would love to see you review a Kona Process 153 if you can get a hold of one.

[@mtbtelly5522]

blranch8 yeah nice man. I’m gonna try find a Reign 29 to demo, and I’ll get on the hunt for a Kona process. Is that a 27.5 or 29?

[@blranch8]

@@mtbtelly5522 27.5 carbon. bike is a ripper.

[@Marcus37M]

Thanks for the tips! I'm currently trying to balance my RS SD with megneg- fitted in from new on my 2020 Sight, and then got a vorpsrung tune done in 2021 out of curiosity. And THEN fitted a cascade link this year (christmas present) and now my settings are all over the shop (2 bands, 290 psi, 30% sag) and i'm trying to align the three.

[@mtbtelly5522]

If you have the cascade take the megneg off and run 2-3 tokens in the standard can, see how that feels. Without the cascade I’d run either standard can with 4.5 tokens (gnardog plus 2) or with the megneg 3 bands and 2 tokens. With megneg and cascade I’d run 4 bands and none or 1 token

[@Marcus37M]

@@mtbtelly5522 I'll give it a run and get back to you. Its currently feeling pretty sluggish in the rear with 2 bands/0 tokens @90kg ride weight. Will slip the extra bands in and see what happens.

[@mtbtelly5522]

@@Marcus37M aim for 32% sag

[@itsallmathematics]

Nice review. I've been following your channel for a while. I've got a Marzocchi Bomber CR coil that I'm willing to let go of cheap, but unfortunately I'm in the US. It wont fit my carbon patrol frame due to piggyback clearance issues, but will work on an alloy patrol no problem. It's pretty much a van RC and can be tuned easier than the new twin tube stuff for the more linear kinematics of the patrol. I haven't had much success with the DHX2 or the Float X2. The float X2 has been the best thus far, however. I have an EXT Storia on the way, which I'm told is the best solution for the patrol.

[@mtbtelly5522]

itsallmathematics ah thats a shame. Yeah I’ve had a few people mention the Storia to me, I’m very interested to see how that works out, let me know how you get along with it!

[@gettin-sendy]

Just setting up my new rig, 205x65 Superdeluxe with MegNeg, i have one token and two bands, was looking for a little more bottom out support at the end of travel and was considering fitting the 3rd band in the neg. Currently running 240psi for the large ass 99kg i am and think i'm almost on the sweet spot, great vid mate. 👌

[@mtbtelly5522]

Put another pos token in before you touch the neg

[@mtbtelly5522]

Also what bike are you on?

[@gettin-sendy]

The Privateer

[@mtbtelly5522]

@@gettin-sendy ah of course!

[@thegriff9425]

I've followed you setup with your MegNeg and it sounds like you have had some trouble, finally have settling on a good set up. Interestingly I've just put one on my 2019 Slash. When I received the bike from new, it was already maxed out with spacers and a Gnar Dog would not fit. Upping the air pressure made the rear end feel both harsh and choppy, and definitely not as supple as my Remedy - and I was still using full travel with a relatively harsh bottom out. Enter the MegNeg. All tokens were removed and I initially ran 0 bands. The shock became incredibly progressive and I could not use full travel. I then fit two bands with 0 tokens. Bang - Straight on the money - it was the exact setup I was after (after adding approximately 20% extra pressure). For me the MegNeg did improve the suppleness off the top, with a much smoother entry into the stroke, and with two bands, it gave me the bottom out resistance I was looking for. The rear of the bike is now so much smoother, and with much better bottom out resistance. It tracks over consistent bumps without the skipping and popping that was present on the original can. Short story - less bands = more progression. More Tokens = more progression, but finding the combo of the two is perhaps the Trick. When in doubt, go with RockShox starting setup recommendation of running two less tokens and two bands. For anyone searching for bottom out resistance and more suppleness in the first part of the stroke, I would say get a MegNeg - especially if you are maxed out on tokens. Interestingly, comparing the 2018 Remedy to the 2019 Slash - the Slash has significantly more pop!

[@mtbtelly5522]

Lee Griffith nice description dude you’re right on the money with the setup. Good job getting to your optimal setup as well, thats killer. Megneg definitely creates a massive improvement in the right application

[@luckyguy19]

I'm looking forward to playing around with the MegNeg for my Trek Slash 8. I've got both the stock thru shaft shock and a Super Deluxe RCT to try it out on. On the stock shock I had the same problem as you, it would either bottom out or is was harsh in the chatter. With the Super Deluxe I'm looking for more mid stroke support, this shock does not really bottom out with two tokens but it feels like it blows through the stroke too fast.

[@willbennett7107]

I have a remedy with a deluxe and I’m struggling if I put in the pressure I need to not bottom out constantly but it’s solid my megneg should be coming soon

[@sharpy182]

Will Bennett have you got any tokens in your shock currently? one or two tokens should stop it from bottoming out.

[@andrewcoates2660]

Hey what’s your weight ? Have you tried a second token ?

[@dyremtb27.5]

My dad just got the patrol today! I was wondering how it feels on the trails and how fun it is around features?

[@camwells9726]

You still running the megneg? I’m on a 2020 nuke proof mega on 29 inch wheels , lyric and super deluxe , I had similar suspension on a remedy , but this feels way different . Only have 2 tokens in the super deluxe ( needed more on the remedy ) and small bump sensitivity is great , feels really supple , supportive and progressive, don’t bottom out , I think the geo on the bike is what’s making it feel so different to the remedy but I might be wrong . This bike just soaks up rough terrain like it’s nothing . I guess I like making upgrades , and have been thinking about the megneg , but in this case there is a feeling why try fixing something that isn’t broke .

[@nathankennedy4556]

probably going to buy one of these for my patrol because my float x2 feels like crap no matter what I do to it, only things I'm concerned about is not being able to put enough pressure in it because I'm 100kg and also oil volume and the shock heating up because my x2 heats up enough to blow a seal with fully open compression and nearly fully closed rebound for the setup I've got now. in trying to find oil volumes for both shocks but its pretty hard to find

[@mtbtelly5522]

Nathan kennedy sorry I wrote a message to you unrelated to the megneg, I got confused. The superdeluxe plus megneg is absolutely the superior setup on this bike from my testing. I’ve just finished testing the cascade link with both air and coil shocks as well and it still comes out on top with SD and megneg on the standard link

[@plmtb3694]

Did you ever try a dvo topaz? Think you would like with the bladder pressure adjustement

[@mtbtelly5522]

Pier-Luc Lalonde yeah I rode a Topaz on the 2019 Norco Range 29. I don’t remember it being great but it was a while ago. Hopefully get on a bike with some fresh dvo gear sometime in the future for a demo

[@FamilymoirGoogleAccount]

What did you end up with, with the low speed compression and rebound clicks as the best balance with the 1 token and 3 bands?

[@mtbtelly5522]

Familymoir-Google Account 4 clicks of compression from open, and rebound 2 clicks from full fast. 3 if the weather is a bit hotter 👌🏽

[@voyageur011]

Thanks for your demonstration. I’m interested, but it would be possible to tell me the outer diameter of this Megneg ? Thank you very much...

[@mtbtelly5522]

Erwan S I’m not sure of the outer diameter sorry bud, it may be on the sram website somewhere

[@TheKundera88]

Hey, quick question: Did you have to increase the air pressure a lot with the megneg mounted to achieve sag height? (I had to go from 220 with the standard air can to 300 psi with the megneg to achieve 30% sag). Thanks, your videos are excellent.

[@mtbtelly5522]

Joy Ride yeah it was a fair increase for me. Did you try tuning with the gnardog token before the megneg? What bike are you on?

[@deangraham9025]

I just purchased Norco sight with a megneg already installed and I'm up at 300psi to get the 30%sag. Came here to see if something is wrong, glad I'm not the only one

[@eslampar]

Hey mate, good info there. Do you know if these MegNegs's work with the Trek ReActive shocks (2019 Slash 8)? Cheers

[@mtbtelly5522]

Ed from SA if its a standard air can which I think it is, it should work. Wouldn’t hurt to call sram australia and double check

[@adamt3289]

it worked on my 2017 remedy 9 rsl but since gone a super deluxe which is crazy better, my reactive shock felt good early days then just got average...no bottom out resistance no matter what i did, i did have a thought that the ifp psi was low on the reactiv shock but haven't looked into it.

[@anttiharing]

I'm running the gnardog in the positive and 2 bands. I want a little less progression and increased small bump. If decreasing the amount of bands makes the shock more progressive, and increasing the amount tokens in the positive side -also makes it more progressive, what if I just removed the tokens from both sides all together?

[@justind5262]

You'll blow through the very last 3rd of your travel.

[@romand123]

Heyo, are you finding that you have to run your rebound close to fully open? I’v been running the MegNeg, @ 95kilos: 3 bands, 1 token, 260PSI, 32%sag...rebound @ fully open!? Thanks for all your sharing, definitely helped me out!

[@mtbtelly5522]

Waterburyfixit yeah for my setups, the rebound on the SD is always within 2 clicks of full open. Some bikes its full open but its rarely more than 2 clicks in from open

[@Haters390]

Great content as always , i have a trek remedy exactly the same as you had before , do you think the meg neg will fit without touching the frame ???its looks like it will be very close

[@mtbtelly5522]

Andrew Talbot hey man thanks. Yeah it should get on there without an issue, definitely a good candidate for the megneg. Sick bike

[@Haters390]

@@mtbtelly5522 thanks for the advice man you helped me loads over the last 2 years with tips and advice on the remedy .... great you tube channel

[@mtbtelly5522]

Andrew Talbot thanks dude ✌🏼

[@yurysun4727]

@Mtb Telly, may i know what tires size are you on?

[@mtbtelly5522]

Yury sun 2.5 DHF maxx grip at the front and currently dhf DD 2.3 at the rear or 2.5 aggressor DD when its dry

[@Mesa3077Boogie]

So many people say the DPX2 was not supple enough. I got the Super Deluxe Ultimate but installed yet.

[@mtbtelly5522]

Superdeluxe plus megneg makes this thing an absolute mauler

[@camwells9726]

Interesting so do you think there are particular bikes where the meg neg is of little benefit ? I remember riding my remedy and was always looking for improvement suspension wise, felt like I was pushing it to its limits , on the nuke proof mega I never get that feeling .

[@mtbtelly5522]

Cam Wells yeah definitely. The suspension design of the bike plays a big part in how much work the shock has to do to create resistance. Saying that, I’ve evolved my setup a little since then and learned a little more. I believe it can help improve the ride on most bikes, but the increase in negative size only needs to be minimal. All 4 bands in the neg is plenty enough increase to not throw the curve out of whack. Making the neg bigger than that introduces other characteristics that are hard to tune around. I feel with all the tokens out its too soft off the top and creates an odd soft spot before the spring comes on overly hard. Keeping it at 4 bands gives you ample neg volume relative to the pos and keeps the tuning process from there very simple. I have the Patrol at an excellent setup now at 4 neg bands, 2 pos tokens. At that setup I have speed, control, efficient use of travel, and excellent compliance. Its right on 30% where the Patrol handles best.

[@th_js]

Your videos are so good that I think you should invest in a wireless mic so the audio is a bit more better quality.

[@mtbtelly5522]

Tomi Saaranen thanks man. I’ve just ordered one online so hopefully no more dodgy audio haha

[@th_js]

@@mtbtelly5522 Nice man!

[@sham8723]

I ran a cane creek db coil on my Patrol for a while, it worked... I wouldn't say that you couldn't get a good setup on a patrol with a coil.... that being said, i'd probably only want to ride dh, park, or gnarly enduro with it. I'd say that the Cane Creek DB Air IL would feel somewhere between a coil and a super deluxe without a meg neg... when I had one, the air spring was one of the best i'd felt, a very linear feel.... less mushy than the first 30% of the rockshox and similar on the back end but with a more even ramp up... less of an S curve.

[@mtbtelly5522]

sham8723 nice one, I reckon I’ll end up getting a coil for it purely to see for myself what the go is. You reckon it worked, and another fella I know reckons his Patrols way better with the coil so it’ll be interesting to nut it out and see if I can make it rad and still versatile. Cheers for the feedback!

[@sham8723]

@@mtbtelly5522 On the coil subject... currently have a Marzocchi Bomber Cr coil for my Kona Process. Wait... ok, let me rewind and backstory, I had a Patrol with a cane creek DB coil IL (inline)... and it did work. However, based on the way the Bomber Cr is working in my Process (which is slightly less progressive than the Patrol) I would bet it would be an excellent candidate for the Patrol. I recently rode a black trail with some massive g-out compressions into valleys and was able to maintain perfect control and support without that hammock-ing into the travel and then bouncing back out feeling.... I was able to dial enough low speed in without getting harshness. I think 2 things: 1. Fox nailed the tune. 2. The tune was excellent for my linkage. Based on having ridden (rode?) both the Patrol and the Kona, I bet you could find a good setup with a Marz bomber. Also, they're cheap. I was hoping this would be the case because if the shim tune matches... then that's better than a 4 way adjust shock that adds preload to shims rather than changing the shim stiffness because then if you get too far out of range they might blow off in with a non-linear or undesirable curve. The ride where I noticed that the shock was doing its job well was here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pIKql2Nmr6uricU

[@mtbtelly5522]

sham8723 nice one thats good to know dude. I’ll suss them out

[@georgiyonevski3894]

Hey man, thanks for all the information and feedback ! I am currently riding my YT Capra with superdeluxe shock and I don’t have any complaints, I never bottom out so far and I’m 95kg fully geared up. Anyhow do you think the megneg, could improve my ride in anyway on the 29er YT Capra ?

[@mtbtelly5522]

Georgi Yonevski hard to say but it wouldn’t hurt to try if you’re curious. If you’re happy as is I’d leave it and just play with what you’ve got. If you never bottom out you could take a token out and adjust the pressure to suit. Should give you a more consistent stroke and less choppy on the hard hits

[@georgiyonevski3894]

MTB Telly thanks for the advise! Sounds like just what I wanted to try! Cheers!

[@straycat5581]

Hi Telly. I own a Norco Sight VLT2 with a Superdeluxe ultimate. I weight 200lb and bottoming out too easily,don't know if the system is progressive enough. Running 2-3 tokens and wondering if the Meg Neg would be a good solution. What do you think?

[@mtbtelly5522]

Stray Cat try the gnardog spacer plus 2 standard spacers to bring it to 4 and a half and see where that gets you. If that doesn’t work then the megneg will definitely make it feel stronger, but you’ll be running a fair bit higher pressure with the megneg

[@straycat5581]

MTB Telly Thanks.if I increase air pressure, the feeling could be too harsh. I ‘ll try with another token I know, you demoed Norco Sight VLT. Do you think a coil shock, will work ? Do you think the system is progressive? No info from Norco on this matter

[@mtbtelly5522]

Stray Cat yeah its definitely suitable for a coil. In the standard deluxe shock I ran 2 spacers as 3 was a little too much on the spring curve

[@straycat5581]

MTB Telly Hi there. I am going to buy a Super deluxe coil ultimate with M/M tune and a 550 lb spring for 200lb weight,hope it works well. I was considering Cane Creek DB coil but is quite expensive. Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks for your advise Cheers

[@mtbtelly5522]

Stray Cat whats the rebound/compression tune on your current shock? M/M as well?

[@SP-ss4uo]

When your at the 170 psi what sag % does that put you at?

[@mtbtelly5522]

Sefton Paske its right on 30% I’ve since had it at 2 neg bands 1 pos token 175psi, which is great, and 3 neg bands 2 pos tokens 165psi. I’m stil experimenting but I definitely like it to be at around 30% sag in whatever configuration. The deeper sag setups are good handling wise but they always seem too choppy.

[@MonsterChuck]

Running into some similar tuning difficulties on my new Sentinel. Was strongly considering picking up a Push Elevensix but want to give the DPX2 some more time and maybe a custom tune. The SuperDeluxe is on my radar as a possibility as I had it on my 2019 Remedy and loved it. Also eyeing the DVO Topaz if the Fox doesn't workout. Thanks for the in-depth info on what you have experienced with the SuperDeluxe. I have heard that the MegNeg isn't ideal for heavier riders. I am about 250lbs riding weight... you think it would benefit if I decided to go that route?

[@mtbtelly5522]

MonsterChuck I’d say definitely go for a coil shock with an mrp progressive coil. I reckon anyone over about 210 pounds should use a coil. The air shocks work excellent for lighter riders but are put under way too much stress at the higher pressures to support a bigger rider. The ohlins ttx seems like a killer option. I wouldn’t spend any money chasing a custom tune on the dpx2, i don’t think you’ll find what you’re looking for. Progressive coil at 30% sag should have it purring

[@ross_rusher0243]

Why don't you rely on the damper a tiny bit more? The damper is meant to support the air spring, with the air spring holding itself up. Also why not give a coil a shot? Marzhocci bomber cr?

[@mtbtelly5522]

ross_ rusher02 i do use the damper, but to increase it more becomes excessively dead, on the shock I range between 4 and 7 clicks. At 7 I’m leaning on the compression too much to fix what can be better addressed through improved spring rate and curve

[@ross_rusher0243]

@@mtbtelly5522 ah okay, fair enough.

[@mtbtelly5522]

ross_ rusher02 I’m definitely keen to try a coil on here, but I’m not willing to buy one as I’m almost sure it will be a poor investment

[@ross_rusher0243]

@@mtbtelly5522 true, I'm also thinking of getting a coil, but it's 400 bucks

[@elliotmarzo2419]

@@mtbtelly5522 I run a Super Deluxe coil in my patrol and its amazing. Couldn't get on with my DPX2 either

[@dji10619]

Ocd lad

[@mtbtelly5522]

Haha yep, the curse