Dave Weagle gets a patent; we get a Spooky full-squish

[acotts]

Dave Weagle?s SPLIT PIVOT suspension system awarded patent

Spooky and Seven are the first two companies to be using the SPLIT PIVOT system.

[spopepro]

That's pretty cool. Can someone explain to me the engineering differences between this and Trek's similar design (ABP, I think they call it)? Also, I remember some team members having trouble with their Treks where if they were on the brakes at all when the wheel came in contact with the ground after being airborne it broke the pivot. Would this have the same issue? I know and understand next to nothing about rear suspension tech.

[shorelocal]

I think Weagle applied for his patent before Trek so they will likely now have to pay DW. Not sure if there's much diff b/w this and ABP.

[edoz]

$5 says someone loses pivot hardware while changing a flat. It looks great, though.

[steve garro]

$5 says someone loses pivot hardware while changing a flat. It looks great, though.

what a fuckin' 23-piece hammer! - Garro.

[suspectdevice]

Suspension is suspension, and real variations in performance between bikes with various bits and bobs and links and shit have almost nothing to do with how the shock is actuated or a bunch of bearings in some place-. It's wheel rate that you feel in your ass, and mass-transfer that you feel in your inner-ear. A parallel linkage system, ala the DW link only offers one thing that we can't offer with a linkage-activated single pivot bike, a dual-progressive leverage ratio. I won't bore y'all with the specifics of all that, but we can achieve something incredibly similar with a single pivot bike with the various leverage-generating bits in the right place.

The most important selling feature of an FS bikes these days is patented-acronym-based suspension system. We work with Dave because he is the best at making bikes that the have grip and chasis stability that I want, and because we've known each other for years and years. He is also a relentless self-promoter- adding his name to a bike automatically insures that you can sell a lot of bikes off the bat.
Ask anyone who has ever spoken to either of us or worse yet, both of us at once, we're both hyper-active opinionated nut jobs, and that allows us to communicate extremely well and tune the geometry and handling to be exactly what we want it to be very quickly, and very precisely.

Decoupling braking forces from pedaling and mass-transfer forces, and adding one more element we can use to tune the handling and attitude of the bike is sweet, for sure. The big benefit of Split-Pivot is working with Dave, the braking characteristics are, for me, a lot further down my list....

[0nelove]

Doesn't look mechanically any different from the rear triangle on a bunch of Titus models. I know my Racer X has it. It's bushings instead of bearings, but that seems like the only difference. What am I missing?

[suspectdevice]

Doesn't look mechanically any different from the rear triangle on a bunch of Titus models. I know my Racer X has it. It's bushings instead of bearings, but that seems like the only difference. What am I missing?

The pivot that connects the chainstay with the shockstay is concentric with the axle. That decouples braking forces from the suspension system. What that means is that the brakes always work the same whether you are on them or not. Decoupling the braking forces from the aspects of the bike that determine grip is extremely benefical, as it gives us more leeway to modify things like pedaling characteristics or wheel path for optimal bumb-absorption. This is considered a desirable trait as the wheel continues to follow the ground the same on or off the brakes. That means predictability and shorter stopping distances.

[Larry]

Mickey...i look forward to what you guys bring to the table. it seems like you've been working on this for some time. i thought Dave's design was dead or near dead with Treks design, but i was wrong...