Specialized Future Shock: Worthwhile or Gimmick?
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Now that the Specialized Future Shock as found on the new Roubaix and Diverge has been out for a year, what are your thoughts? It struck me as a gimmick but perhaps I'm overly skeptical. Do you have a bike with Future Shock, and if so, what do you think of it?
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I bought a Roubaix after a fairly brief test not long after they were released, liked it a lot so purchased and I still think it's a very comfortable bike. It was between the Roubaix and a Domane, which was also very good. I decided on newer tech. It's an endurance bike you can take on bad surfaces and feel able to carry speed and not get fatigued, bit of a do it all steed.
Obvious answer I guess is find one to test and see what you think. Good luck
Obvious answer I guess is find one to test and see what you think. Good luck
I just sold my diverge to get an exploro. If i was even considering a bike with future shock I would wait to see if the lockout came out. I didnt like the feel of the front end on the road and to be honest I think for a gravel bike correct tyre volume and pressure is more important than the futureshock.
I rented a 2017 Roubaix for some riding around Northern California including a ride up Mount Diablo. I thought the future shock was great and provided not only comfort, but increased stability on the rough descent from Diablo down North Gate. I've previously done this descent with a SuperSix (which I think is a great bike), and the pothole and patch-ridden surface upset the SuperSix during braking and cornering. The Roubaix was significantly more stable as the future shock acted as a suspension and absorbed the impacts. Between that and the disc brakes, it was probably the best descending bike I've ever ridden (and I've ridden quite a few). Othewise, it took me very little time to get used to the subtle movement of the bars during general riding and I quickly forgot the future shock was there.
In terms of negatives, I do find it aesthetically lacking - it looks like a giraffe in a turtleneck, and I'm sure it adds 120-150 grams of weight (I wouldn't care, but this is WW). Also I suppose if you're doing standing sprints it's not ideal, but it really didn't bother me when I did a few or when I attacked the final "wall" at the top of Diablo.
In terms of negatives, I do find it aesthetically lacking - it looks like a giraffe in a turtleneck, and I'm sure it adds 120-150 grams of weight (I wouldn't care, but this is WW). Also I suppose if you're doing standing sprints it's not ideal, but it really didn't bother me when I did a few or when I attacked the final "wall" at the top of Diablo.
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I bought a used '17 Roubaix Expert and am in the process of lightening it from 19 to 16/17 pounds. I already built carbon rims, Compass tires, latex tubes. I don't really care about the attempts at suspension on the Roubaix, so I replaced the CG-R seat tube with a carbon Easton and want to eliminate the Future Shock. My question to this forum is whether anyone knows of a source for a carbon or aluminum plug to replace the entire Future Shock cartridge.johnsonmoog wrote: ↑Wed May 23, 2018 12:23 pmI bought a Roubaix after a fairly brief test not long after they were released, liked it a lot so purchased and I still think it's a very comfortable bike. It was between the Roubaix and a Domane, which was also very good. I decided on newer tech. It's an endurance bike you can take on bad surfaces and feel able to carry speed and not get fatigued, bit of a do it all steed.
Obvious answer I guess is find one to test and see what you think. Good luck
Thanks in advance....
Thought this was very gimmicky when it was released. Then I tried an extended ride on one. I upgraded to the diverge specifically for the future shock from a crux, it has saved my neck. I don't notice it on the gravel (run 35mm tires) so much, assume its doing something in those conditions, but really notice it on back roads (oil/chip where I mostly ride) where there are a lot of brake bumps and other road imperfections. I thought it would need to be damped, but after riding it, like that it is not. The other thing I really like is that the bike is still rigid...meaning the frame is not suspended, you are. Still handles corners like you would expect (head angle stays the same) and when you mash the pedals, the frame doesn't bob and rob of power. My neck pain has disappeared even with a similar fit to my road bike and gravel.
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Specialized did it for Niki Terpstra's bike in the 2017 Paris Roubaix as they tried to pull a fast one on the gullible public by pretending that Terpstra was racing on a future shock when in fact it was modified to be rigid and slyly covered up with the rubber boot. It did not turn out well, and when he crashed after it broke the Specialized Spin Cycle went into overdrive, after the fact of course... Major embarrassment, from so many angles, not the least of which was Terpstra's safety, but due to the lie that they were hoping to get away with... but didn't. Although, you could call it marketing, which makes it all ok.
So.... modify at your own risk.
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