R.Cunningham
Specialized unveiled its 2004 bike line-up at its 30th birthday celebration. Their entire mountain bike lineup has been completely redesigned, except for Epic XC, which is still available.
INFORMATION ABOUT THESE BIKES
S-works Epic has had its weight lowered by using lighter components. It also comes with the Fox F80 Terra-Logic intertia fork to match its BRAIN Shock.
Stumpjumper frames have a twin-tube seat tower which allows for better shock placement. Fox makes the air shock. It can be changed from lockout to stable platform, or normal damping. To increase stand-over clearance, and strength, the top and bottom tubes are flared. The Stumpjumper frames, which are estimated to weigh 25 kg and have four inches of suspension travel, are meant to bridge the gap between the Enduro and racing Epic series. The Stumpys’ head angle has been slashed to 70.5 degrees for a more stable steering.
Enduro S-Works is its name, and tuneability is the key. Although the front section of stamped sheet metal is preserved, the suspension is all-stable-platform. It features a Fox TALAS 80-125mm adjustable travel fork and a Fox inertia valve Brain Shock rear. The « Brain » reservoir is located near the rear dropout. The reservoir is located near to the rear dropout. It is connected via a tube to the shock. The reservoir has a clicker that allows you to adjust firmness.
The?Demo-9?downhiller is perhaps the most controversial design from the 2004 bike range. The rear suspension is composed of a single-pivot monoshock swingarm and an additional Horst Link dropout. The Horst link arrangement keeps the rear disc brake active, while the monoshock swingarm supports torsional forces. The clamp-on thru axle supports a 150mm wide hub and an Shimano-style pinch bolt derailleur mount. The shock will come with a Manitou SPV coil/over, and the Marzocchis 888 dual crown fork. The Demo is a good candidate for big-drop freeeriders because the seat tube leaves enough space to mount a front derailleur. There will actually be two « Big Hit? » versions. Two?Big Hit? versions will be made using the chassis. The Demo seems to be more complicated than a good gravity bicycle needs, but it will be interesting to see if this innovative system is successful.
ABOUT
Specialized has come up with a few clever names to match its new suspension. The « Triad » The?Triad? shock is a Fox propedal air damper with lockout and stable-platform modes. Brain Shocks come in Race Tuned (original Epic XC firmness), and?Trail Tuned. (softer stable platform threshold). The?IQ? feature is a blue-anodized threshold clicker on the Brains reservoir. The?IQ? feature is a blue anodized threshold clicker located on the Brains reservoir and below Terra-logic (Foxs’ name for the inertia valve) fork slider. This adjusts the pedaling platform and small bump sensitivity. Specialized claims that IQ can adjust to respond to a minimum.5 G input to a more firm 1.5 G input. Specialized refers to its anti-bob inertia systems Brain and other types as?Pedal Platform? systems.
