Specialized EPIC introduction
On smooth ground, Brain technology keeps your Epic hardtail-firm. And hardtail-efficient. But when the going gets bumpy, Brain knows that too. And instantly delivers the fully active/fully independent benefits of FSR suspension.
Epic bikes have an FSR suspension system that's completely locked out until bump forces are detected, but so sensitive it can "read" less than 1G of input. Then the shock responds instantly. Once activated, the Epic's FSR suspension is fully active and independent...and remains that way until the terrain becomes smooth, the inertia valve closes, and the shock is locked out again. It's that simple. And that effective.
FSR: The Next Generation
Specialized engineers began working with suspension guru Horst Leitner more than a decade ago to create the technological breakthrough that became the patented FSR four-bar linkage suspension system. Since that time, FSR has become the most successful system in bicycle suspension history...so much so that more than a dozen of our competitors now license it for use on their own bikes.
About the only disadvantage to FSR was that the system sometimes responded when you didn't want it to...specifically when pedaling out of the saddle on smooth surfaces.
An Epic Achievement
That's where Brain technology comes in. On smooth terrain, Brain locks the suspension out so the Epic is unaffected by rider input. But the same system instantly becomes fully active/fully independent in response to bumps and dips, delivering the full benefits of FSR suspension. Epic bikes, FSR suspension, Brain technology. Mountain Bike Action calls it "a very big moment in the history of the mountain bike." And they ought to know.
Inside the Brain
How does the Epic work? Very well, thank you. But the secret's in the Brain. Brain technology consists of an inertia valve mounted inside a near-vertical cylinder near the Epic's rear axle. The inertia valve controls the shock's ability to compress; the result is a system that responds to terrain input (bumps and dips), but not to rider input (you, pedaling the bike) until the going gets bumpy.
The technology works because forces from the ground activate the inertia valve inside the Brain, which opens and allows the shock to compress in response to the bump. The rebound circuit is left open. With purely negative input (a dip without an accompanying bump, like a pothole in an otherwise smooth road), the shock moves in response to gravity, taking up sag initially put into the system by the rider's weight and allowing the rear wheel to track with the dip. Brain technology literally ignores rider input but detects bumps, allowing the suspension to engage whenever it's needed.
Still starving for more info?
Download the White Paper in PDF format.
Also head on over to the Specialized web site www.specialized.com and check out some VIDEO.
Epic bikes with Brain technology. Patented suspension technology that knows. Available exclusively at select Specialized Dealers, summer 2002.
