Banzai

waters60

sirkaos

I don't notice it at all in/out of the saddle climbing the hills in SoCal. I don't feel like the FS takes energy away from me to reduce hill climbing efficiency. Take a test drive, and see how you feel.
As far as the longevity of the FS, that is hard to say. I have not seen any wear or had any issues with mine, and I regularly service mine and it is not hard at all.

one4smoke

Anyone know if Specialized has done any changes to the FS from 2018 to 2019 models?

twowheelsonecam

I am finding these threads today, I have the 2018 carbon comp model. I purchased mine mid summer, with no tune up but weekly care. I have put around 2k miles on and going to get a tune up. My only issue so far has been a creek in my headset. I rode probably 60% dirt. I have noticed my sprint has softened, but to a comfortable suit for a guy 130lbs lol. I have taken some hard knocks in its use so far as well lol. I would like to pick up two or three cartridges. If it keeps this thing moving for the next three years I'm sure alternatives will be there then. They appear hard for me to find new. Thanks for the hope they exist lol!

bikera

I've ridden my '18 Roubaix for about 300hrs. and figured it might be a good idea to get a spare FS cartridge given that the 1.0 version is not what's used on the latest Roubaix (and who knows how long Specialized will have these available). However, unlike the $55 cost I originally read about and the $85 reported earlier in this thread, my LBS quoted me $330 (which they said came directly from Specialized). Has anyone else recently attempted to buy one of these and what was the cost?

Chi_Z

there is a reason lauf fork was invented, no moving parts = no service

Sy Reene

$1/hour seems fair

Kapusta

There is a term for a suspension fork with service interval of 500 hours requiring a $55-$85 part and $30 worth of shop labor:

“Low maintenance”

noodle soup

A suspension fork, with no moving parts?

Chi_Z

the suspension is created by flexing of glassfiber but you only get 30mm of travel

noodle soup

I know the fork. It’s a joke.

bikera

Don't disagree. I'm just trying to understand these wildly varying cost quotes for the same part (which were all sourced from Specialized).

Don't disagree other than I was quoted $330 for the part alone and I'm just trying to see if anybody else has bought a replacement FS cartridge and what they paid for it (my next step will be to call Specialized about this though in the past they would not quote part prices to me).

Sapperc

3 versions of the future shock already exist. They are not interchangeable according to Specialized, although one forum member said in a previous thread that his LBS swapped out a 1.5 for a 2 which was Indeed provided and authorized by Specialized. So there is no no official upgrade path. Others have stated that they have extended the life with maintenance alone (disassembly, lube, rebuild), although that may not be the official position at Specialized for worn parts.

There are brands that don’t use proprietary parts, but Specialized never had been one of them. Obviously, parts will not be available at some point in the future.

To that end, Future shock is a misstep by Specialized.

bikera

Understood and before I bought the bike I was aware that this proprietary system might be an issue and was also aware of the supposed 500hr. replacement schedule (though at that time the cost of a new FS cartridge was supposedly $55). I have the '18 Roubaix which uses the original FS 1.0 and all I want to get is a replacement 1.0 shock cartridge...I'm not trying to do any upgrades (though, near as I can tell, the 1.5 version uses the same undamped design of the 1.0 and, for all I know, it will work just fine in my '18 Roubaix). Will call Specialized soon to see if they will tell me anything useful (my previous experiences are that they generally don't like to talk to John Q. Public directly).

CliffordK

I think the $1 per hour was meant to be a joke. But, one should point out that cycling isn't entirely free. Especially as one gets into the high-end stuff.

So, say 5000 miles and one replaces > $100 worth of tires. Maybe a few tubes. 1000 to 3000 miles and a new chain. A bit more and a new cassette... etc

As far as actually finding the part... I see quite a few interchangeable springs, but the actual full shock kits seem to be exceedingly rare online.

I did find this one:
https://www.amaincycling.com/special...500034/p754277

Listed price of $255, with a note saying "Discontinued Online" (which may be a way of saying that Specialized will only sell a common proprietary repair part through their distributor network).

I am seeing 3 of the kits in E-Bay's sold listings, so I presume they pop up once a month or so. Not bad if you're looking to stock up on parts for preventative maintenance.

Keep in mind that shops may have a 100% markup on any part that they sell. So, if a shop is selling a part for $330, it could well have cost them $150. Perhaps even less. And, of course, the manufacturer makes big bucks on replacement parts.

How different is the first gen parts from the second gen parts? Interchangeable? Perhaps same head tube, and new fork & shock?

Keep in mind, Cannondale went down this same path with the "silk road/path headshok". And new replacement parts are just not available anywhere.

Kapusta

Yeah, $330 is pretty outrageous. If that is the case, this would be a non-starter for me. That's like having to replace an entire rear shock on a MTB every 500 hrs.

However, to put this maintenance into perspective, here is are the recommended fork service intervals for Fox and Rock Shox.

Keep in mind that the recommended damper and spring services (every 100 hrs for all Fox, and 100 hrs for some RS, 200 for others) involve new seals and wipers, and the last time I bought one for my RS fork it was $40. And every lower leg service (30 hs for Fox, 50 for RS) takes oil, and every so often a new crush washer.

It really comes down to what they will charge for the replacement cartridges and how long they support them. The latter is hard to know. My past experience with suspension products is a mixed bag. I can still get full re-build kits for my 2004 Pike, 2007 Reba, and 2013 Lyrik (all RS). On the other hand, Manitou stopped supporting my 2001 X-vert Super a year after I bought it new.

I am going to guess that Specialized is smart enough to know that if they crap the bed on supporting these FSs, they are going to lose a lot of sales in a couple years when people start to need to service them. We'll see. They have a long history of using screwy proprietary rear shock sizes, I may be worth asking around MTBR to see how long they supplied re-build kits for those.

bikera

Understood and I bought the bike expecting to replace the FS cartridge every 2-3yrs. (which at the time was supposedly gonna cost me $55 for the part). What's bugging me is the ever-increasing and wildly varying prices for this item without any published info from Specialized about the "list price" of this item. Perhaps the AMain $255 price is a good starting point but that leads me to wonder why folks have found these for $85 or less from their LBS's (or so it would seem). I will call Specialized to see if they can give me some helpful information about this since I certainly won't spend $330 on an item that others were quoted between $55 to $125 for this item from their LBS's.

I searched eBay and can only find the FS springs (not the cartridge). What did you use as the search text?

OldTryGuy

Owner of a 2018 Expert here and never having had an issue I took bike to my LBS to service the HS at a time well beyond the 500hr suggestion. Will be watching for an UP-DATE by you.

badger1

FWIW, I think (I do not know) that the $350ish (US) amount for a new FS cartridge may refer to the FS 2.0 one, which is entirely different as many here will know, with proper full-hydraulic damping.

My FS 1.0 cartridge on my new (June) bike was defective from the get-go, and replaced under warranty. To my great good fortune, Specialized sent my LBS a 2.0 cartridge (which is fantastic). My LBS folks mentioned, in passing, that this was a $500 (Cdn) retail replacement part.

Witterings

Hate to say it but some people suggested there may be problems / cost issues with this months back and the service intervals required .... along with replacement part cost and availability in the future as it was an untested product.

Those that did question it got jumped all over by those that had probably dived in blind ... be interesting to see how it pans out but it's the sole thing that stopped me buying what on the surface looked great product .... but with Specialized's service schedule just looked like a train crash waiting to happen.

Good luck to anyone that has one and I genuinely hope the replacement parts don't cost you anywhere near that .... unless you were one of the ones that jumped on anyone that dared to questioned other peoples reservations it in the 1st place as there were quite a few that were very "strong" with their opinions.

Sy Reene

Yes it was.. sorry I shoulda used an emoji but I'm not japanese.

one4smoke

So upgrading from a 1.0 to a 2.0 is indeed doable? What about from the 1.5 to 2.0?

badger1

'I don't know' re. other Specialized bikes is my general answer. What I do know is this: my '19 Sirrus X Comp (flat bar road bike) came stock with a FS 1.0 cartridge; it was/is the Diverge version (progressive spring rate) of the 1.0, and was defective.

It was replaced under warranty with a FS 2.0 (not 1.5, not 1.0) cartridge, as seen e.g. on the top-end 2020 Roubaix. According to my LBS, it was an unproblematic straight swap. I believe there was one small spacer (or something) that couldn't be used, but that had more to do with the dedicated stems that the new Roubaix come with. Other than that, no issues. It looks as if the bike came stock with it.

What I can say: the FS 2.0 is superb. It works exactly as advertised in my bike, is utterly silent and smooth in operation.

bikera

I actually thought it was a good and insightful joke....