Specialized Future Shock Technology
The Future Shock is a revolution in smoothness, delivering 20mm of travel without degrading speed, handling, or comfort. In fact, it does quite the opposite. Through a focus on axial compliance, it breaks the mold of what we thought was possible in bicycle design. Find out how we did it.
Smoother is Faster
For years, cycling has treated smoothness as interchangeable with comfort—a nice-to-have rather than a critical factor in speed. Traditionally, riders were made to choose: a bike could be fast or comfortable, but rarely both. Specialized challenged that assumption with the Future Shock system, aiming to uncover what truly happens when smoothness is treated as a performance component rather than a compromise.After extensive testing, Specialized proved a clear truth: smoother really is faster.
Future Shock equipped Bikes
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THE TESTING
McLaren Rolling Efficiency Model
Unlike weight or aerodynamic drag, compliance is notoriously difficult to quantify. To truly understand what “smooth” means, Specialized partnered with McLaren Applied Technologies. Together, they developed a comprehensive approach to measure how riders and road surfaces interact—because, as Specialized emphasizes, engineers can’t optimize what they don’t fully understand.
Using lab protocols and fully instrumented bikes, McLaren translated their advanced testing models to cycling, allowing Specialized to finally quantify smoothness. By treating the bike as a complete system, they determined that the most tangible expression of smoothness is vertical excitation and acceleration across the frame and rider.
With precise, data-backed measurements of smoothness in hand, Specialized was able to push the concept to new performance heights, redefining what it means to create a bike that is not only comfortable but undeniably fast.
THE DISCOVERY
Not All Compliance is Created Equal
When it comes to bike compliance, there are two primary schools of thought: splay and axial compliance. Splay refers to the fore-and-aft movement of the front axle relative to the frame, caused by the bending of the frame and fork. Axial, or vertical compliance, is the movement of the handlebars relative to the front axle, resulting from the combined compliance of the fork, frame, and stem.
Specialized conducted extensive testing on both approaches across all critical performance metrics. The results showed that while splay performs well in terms of comfort, it is neither the smoothest nor the fastest. Vertical compliance, on the other hand, significantly outperformed in every key category. This breakthrough provided the foundation for a revolution in compliance: the all-new Future Shock.
THE SOLUTION
Future Shock
The Future Shock system delivers up to 20mm of travel, strategically positioned above the head tube to move in a vertical path. When the front wheel meets rough terrain, the frame rises toward the rider’s hands, maintaining forward momentum without sacrificing speed.
Another key advantage comes from its placement beneath the stem. This design allows the bike’s wheels to remain rigidly connected through the frame, keeping the wheelbase consistent throughout the suspension’s travel. Unlike traditional systems where the wheelbase shifts, Future Shock provides exceptionally predictable, stable handling on any surface.
Why Springs?
The Future Shock is engineered specifically for road riding rather than off-road trails, which means the system must remain highly active. Specialized found that springs provide the most effective solution for absorbing the vibrations and frequencies encountered on pavement.
Traditional suspension systems that rely on damping are often too heavy for road use. In addition, stiction in these systems requires significant force to begin moving, making them ineffective at smoothing out the subtle road chatter that fatigues riders over time. Future Shock’s spring-based design delivers a responsive, efficient solution without the drawbacks of traditional damping systems.