I've never felt literally nauseous looking at a bike before but that 29er full sus is pug fugly.......I think a little bit just came up.
sorry

29er in "ugly" shocker! ;-)

The whole unique 1.125/1.5 headset isn't really a huge issue anyway, as all the Spesh frames with integrated headsets use a totally unique one anyway, so you already have to use their rather crap offerings!

I do like the S-Works one, very shiny!

There's been a huge debate over at Singletrack about this new design. I'm sure it will sell in bucket loads, though, even though I don't like it very much. And someone will bring out a head tube adapter so you can run other forks on it, I'm sure.

The picture of the Pro has a Fox Fork, does this mean if you get one of the pre-built models i.e Comp, Expert or Pro, you can fit what ever fork you want?

The only thing that is stopping me going to the bike shop and pre-ordering one is the "Specialized fork only" issue.

You were right Mike, it's the colours!
I've had to just nibble on some dry bread all morning

I noticed in my Bionicon catalogue that they license some of their technology to specialized, so I wonder if some of this in house suspension is leading the way up to a point where they will incorporate that big orange button.

The picture of the Pro has a Fox Fork, does this mean if you get one of the pre-built models i.e Comp, Expert or Pro, you can fit what ever fork you want?

As the article says, the aluminium-framed models have conventional head tubes. The carbon ones (whether frames or full bikes) have the 1.5/1.125in setup.

I may be a cynic, but you've got to question the logic and motive of the tapering headset. Do we reckon it's: -

a) based on sound engineering principles to create the lightest, stiffest and strongest solution;

or;

b) based on sound marketing principles of doing it differently so you can shout about it until everyone believes you.

I know which I think it is.

And why oh why oh (spells yo-yo) would you put all the suspension gubbins in one leg of a standard telescopic fork? I can see absolutely no reason why you would do this and have what is basically an empty leg on the other side. Surely it makes the engineering more complex and makes the weight distrubution strange?

The Spesh fork looks great IMO, 3lbs, carbon crown/steerer, if they did a 100mm travel version for the Epic (and a frame to suit!), I'd order one today!

The bending moment at the base of the steerer will be at lot more than at the top, so you can probably save that extra material from the upper headset. It will also create a conical shell shape on the frame which would be probably quite a bit stiffer in carbon than a tube.

But overall I would say a) & b)!

The whole different headset thing is heavily used in the road market. I had a 2002 Trek 5900 with a 1.25" lower headset bearing, Kleins did the same. Now most major manufacturers are doing it. It's change, yes the whole 1.125 thing was good, but this seems to be reckoned to be better.

And the vast majority of forks only have stuff in 1 leg, they have to move together, why complicate things by having 2 of everything?

You mistunderstand me Nick. Most forks have the damping assembly in one leg and spring medium in the other. If it's air, then you get a bigger volume chamber making it more tuneable. By having the damping and the spring in one leg and nothing in the other you reduce available air volume and have to make the damping components smaller to accomodate the air spring. Can't see why you'd do that TBH. If air volume is too low it spikes horribly.

4AM... its probably cheaper to assemble one complex leg than two.

Apologies 4Assed.

I'd take a guess at there being a weight related thing going on too. That's a fooking light fork, and that goes some way to explain why.

4assed, B B B B :)

I want a 29er FS, so role on these being out available and testable :)

29er HT is more likely cash wise though, and I've got a FS.

Just price in a respray Dylan :sic

It's not just the colour on the 29er. I think it looks ike a cartoon clown bike with a beer gut in any colour.

Nah just cover it in mud :)

Function over Form people!!

4 Assed, I see your point re: positioning of internals on forks, but on long travel forks, the air variants get too linear through the midstroke, and this design may serve to make them more progressive.
I don't agree with using this method on short travel units though, as it serves no discernable purpose, nor does it offer any performance advantage.
Spiking is damping related though, and has nothing to do with spring rates.
So I fail to see how decreasing the volume of an air spring and making it more progressive could produce "spiking". Spiking is a term used for a compression circuit that can't manage the oil flow, and hydraulically locks. This is a rare occurrence on modern forks, and the term is used rather loosely by the MTB press to convey a harsh feeling fork.
However, a reduction in size of the damper components, could result in spiking if the oil weight were to be incorrect.