Another story of trickle down and consolidation rather than anything
revolutionary from the Big S of Silicon Valley. Essentially light bikes get lighter again and the heavily patented 4 bar FSRxc layout is retained.Here’s the main points:
S-Works FSRxc is now complete super butted and many profiled M4 pipework gets two interchangeable linkages to give 76 or 90 mm of travel depending on course requirements, as well as cartridge bearings all round.

S-Works Road is now available in a “2lb frame” SL version built from ultralight Specialized / Columbus E5 tubing – as used by Wurst, Moreau and chums of the Festina team.

Double World Champion Marga Fullana and a series of “women’s focus weekends” have inspired the production of a specific women’s version of the Stumpjumper, with XT kit and Manitou MARS elite fork and fully tweaked fittings for that perfect femme fit. It’s not in pink either.
There’s a flowery “Queen Cobra” version of their top spec. King Cobra helmet as well as women’s race level Road and MTB shoes.

The Enduro FSR bikes lose a bit of weight and get a square ‘chip’ in the linkage that alters geometry (69 or 70.5 head angle) and travel (96 or 112mm).Nothing’s been done about the low bottom bracket though so pedals still smack the ground regularly.

The P3 jump bike with the folded “just like an Orange down tube” top tube now gets a disc’ed up brother and a very similar looking frame is used on the two new Enduro hardtails.

All mountain bikes from Stumpjumper up are disc compatible rather than
relying on ugly bolt-on arms. All Stumpjumpers will use a full M4 frameset that’s lighter than this years world championship winning S-Works bikes.

There are now two Rockhopper FSRxc bikes that use the same layout as the S-Works and Stumpy FSR’s. Specialized are also bringing out a relatively lightweight 2Bliss tubeless system, which includes specific tread patterns to match tubeless carcass deformation, and the new S-Works range of traditional tyres now includes several sub 400g boots.

Everything gets Body Geometry saddles in various weights and depths of padding to keep plums from going numb. The new shoe range also gets the Body Geometry treatment with all sorts of exciting lumps and curves to spread pressure and reduce “hot spots” thanks to the work of Andy Pruitt – Medical head of US cycling.

And finally, for those of you still searching for the ultimate mud plugging weapon there’s an S-Works M4 framed cyclo-cross bike – lead us not into temptation…