While at Interbike, I spent some time talking to Chris Matthews of Specialized's Global Marketing division. This is one innovative company! Chris told me about Specialized's new carbon fiber frame building technology/technique called Az1 and described the design behind the new line of cycling specific eyewear. We also learned first hand about the benefits of Specialized's Body Geometry design for cycling shoes at the Outdoor Demo. (More about the eyewear and shoes in subsequent posts).
The S-Works division at Specialized is "where goals like lighter and faster are pursued without regard to effort, expense, or tradition." While you may see the S-Works name on frames or components across various product lines, it is only reserved for the most innovative of products in that particular line. This cross-functional R&D team has been hard at work doing amazing things with carbon fiber across both it's 2006 road and mountain bike lines.
For 2006 Specialized has added S-Works Carbon to both the Epic (full suspension and hardtail) and 
Stumpjumper FSR. For those that are less familiar with these lines; the Epic is Specialized's competitive cross-country race line, while the Stumpjumper FSR is considered a "trail" bike that fits in the lineup between the Epic and the all-mountain Enduro. I picked up some demo frames of both the Stumpjumper FSR and the hardtail. Let me tell you...these things were as light as a feather. The hardtail felt like it could have been a road bike. Fully spec'ed, the Specialized Epic is one of the lightest cross-country bikes available. (Ned Overend rode one this summer that 
weighed in at 22.6 pounds.)
Through its work in building one of the lightest frames in the world for Levi Leipheimer and Team Gerolsteiner, Specialized developed a manufacturing technique for carbon they call Az1 (as-one). Most carbon fiber frames are developed by fusing together two monocoque molds. The Az1 technique is more like traditional frame building in that the carbon fiber is made in to tubes which are then bonded together to form the frame. According to Matthews this allows the engineers to better control the shape of the tubes and the overall geometry of the frame through the increased precision the technique affords.
Both the Epic and the Stumpjumper FSR get an updated Brain shock which includes a new feature called Brain Fade. Brain Fade allows the rider to customize the right balance between compliance and efficiency. Because the rear shock on the Stumpjumper FSR is integrated into the main triangle on the frame it was impractical to house the brain so close to the seat tube. As a result, a special remote Brain was developed that allows it to be placed along the seat stays near the rear wheel hub. The Brain on the Stumpjumper FSR provides for 130 millimeters of travel, while the Epic yields 100 mm.
The top of the line Epic Disc is spec'ed out with full Shimano XTR componentry in all of its dual-control glory, while the Stumpjumper FSR Carbon includes a mix of Shimano and SRAM componentry. So how much does all this carbon goodness cost? A lot! Each is priced at an MSRP of...gulp...$7,100.
While the price on these bikes puts it out of the range of most of us, it is good to see that investments are still being made in cross-country style riding. Here's hoping this technology will trickle down to the rest of us.
