Carbon fiber is again the name of the game for Specialized's new S-Works mountain bikes. Some may...
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New carbon front triangle
Just add a few wraps
Lots of carbon fiber
Heavily reinforced front end
The new Brain Fade feature
Who says hardtails are dead?
Cross season
S-bend seatstays
Lots of carbon fiber
Asymmetric chainstays
As with the Epic
Heavily reinforced front end
It almost looks too pretty
The Brain unit
Cross season
The flattened underside
S-bend seatstays
Massive fork crown
New carbon front triangle and asymmetric M5 aluminum rear triangle are lighter and stiffer than last year’s all-aluminum model. All 2006 Epics also gain 10mm of rear wheel travel for a total of 100mm.(Image credit: James Huang)
Just add a few wraps of carbon fiber, apply a little heat…(Image credit: James Huang)
Lots of carbon fiber reinforces the bottom bracket area to insure immediate pedaling response.(Image credit: James Huang)
Heavily reinforced front end provides excellent lateral and torsional frame rigidity when cranking on the bars. 2006 marks the first instance of integrated headsets for Specialized’s mountain frames.(Image credit: James Huang)
Asymmetric chainstays reduce weight by allowing the non-driveside stay to take a more direct path to the rear axle.(Image credit: James Huang)
US consumers may opt for a rim brake-equipped Carbon Epic. The braking obviously isn’t as good as disc-equipped models, but few will deny the weight savings of rim brakes.(Image credit: James Huang)
Specialized uses carbon fiber for one of the suspension linkages as well. Face it, you can never have too much carbon!(Image credit: James Huang)
It almost looks too pretty to beat up on an all-day epic or 24 hour event…. note that I said “almost”.(Image credit: James Huang)
As with the Epic the asymmetric rear end of the Stumpjumper makes for a lighter and stiff rear end.(Image credit: James Huang)
The Brain unit on the Stumpjumper FSR is remotely connected to the main shock. In order to function properly, the Brain needs to be mounted nearly vertical and as close to the rear wheel axle as possible. Mission accomplished.(Image credit: James Huang)
Apparently nothing was deemed over the top for Specialized premier full-suspension XC/Endurance bike. Check out the carbon fiber mount for the Brain unit.(Image credit: James Huang)
The Stumpjumper linkage is forged from magnesium as opposed to the carbon unit on the Epic. Dramatically swoopy carbon fiber design work is evident just about everywhere. Hydraulic hose running from the main shock routes oil out back to the remote Brain unit.(Image credit: James Huang)
The new Brain Fade feature softens the “on-off” feel of previous Epics. Adjustments are easily performed using the large machined and anodized aluminum dial.(Image credit: James Huang)
Who says hardtails are dead? Sure, they may not be the best tool for the job all the time, but there are certainly still times when only the lightest and most efficient will do.(Image credit: James Huang)
Externally-bonded dropouts make for better stress distribution to the seatstay. Plus they look cool!(Image credit: James Huang)
And who says aluminum hardtails are dead! Aluminum still makes for efficient, lightweight structures that usually won’t (totally) break the bank. Specialized certainly hasn’t given up on these, and neither should you.(Image credit: James Huang)
This definitely goes into the “why didn’t anyone think of this before?” category. Asymmetric seatstay design reduces weight and complexity of symmetric designs.(Image credit: James Huang)
Cross season is coming sooner than you think…(Image credit: James Huang)
The flattened underside of the Tricross top tube adds a bit of vertical compliance to the frame but also makes for comfortable shouldering during runups.(Image credit: James Huang)
S-bend seatstays on the Tricross have plenty of mud clearance and just a little bit of vertical give.(Image credit: James Huang)
Massive fork crown isn’t quite as visibly offensive as it appears in the picture, but it does make for tons of mud clearance. Zertz units just around the cantilever bosses smooth out the ride and kill brake chatter that can sometimes be found with lightweight carbon cross forks.(Image credit: James Huang)
no copy in legacy cms
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