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Unleash your Specialized Enduro with a Bike Yoke to upgrade its shock

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Bike-Yoke_Specialized-Enduro-suspension-upgrade_shock-options_preseries-black-ano

From the same German engineer that developed the tech in most travel adjust forks, many dropper posts, several oval chainrings, and several other suspension systems floating around the market these days comes a new solution for riders tooling around on Specialized Enduros. No longer stuck with the proprietary shocks with a suspension yoke incorporated into it, this new company BikeYoke has an aftermarket solution that lets you run any number of standard 1/2″ eyelet shocks so you can better tune the suspension performance of the bike to your riding style. The first run will be shipping by the end of next month, so slide past the break with us to find out how to upgrade in time for hitting the trails this spring…

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So until now, many Specialized Owners have been limited to that unique shock layout above, with a limited number of shocks fitting Specialized’s proprietary interface. But BikeYoke opens up the potential for lots of upgrades like this Monarch Plus DebonAir with its piggy back chamber.  Designed in Germany and made in Taiwan, with partners that BikeYoke’s founder has been working with for more than a decade, this simple, black anodized machined 6061 shock extender should offer more after market flexibility to many riders.

Bike-Yoke_Specialized-Enduro-suspension-upgrade_shock-options_Enduro-EVO Bike-Yoke_Specialized-Enduro-suspension-upgrade_shock-options_Enduro-29

Bike-Yoke_Specialized-Enduro-suspension-upgrade_shock-options_compatibility-chart

In this first fun, BikeYoke is supporting every 2010 or newer Enduro model, including 26″ bikes, 29ers, and the newer 650B bikes. Depending on which model you ride might limit your options a little bit, but more adjustability over the stock shocks is the key. The replacement yoke simply bolts onto a standard 1/2″ (12.7mm) shock eyelet and then bolts in place on the FSR link with the standard Specialized hardware. No other hardware is required, just a new standard shock that is the right length and stroke for your bike.

The BikeYoke package sells for 106€ inside of the EU (including VAT) and for 89€ for customers outside the EU. Shipping is direct from BikeYoke and is free worldwide, but outside of the EU buyers will be responsible for paying all applicable customs fees and taxes. Currently sales are being handled as a pre-order, with shipping of this first batch planned for the beginning of March. Each BikeYoke comes with one BikeYoke shock extension to fit your specific Enduro, a bushing reducer, a 1/2″ DU bushing, and the one required M8 bolt. Customers pre-ordering in February will get a free upgrade to a titanium M8 mounting bolt, vs. the standard stainless one.

Bike-Yoke_Specialized-Enduro-suspension-upgrade_shock-options_prototype-front Bike-Yoke_Specialized-Enduro-suspension-upgrade_shock-options_prototype-rear

BikeYoke offers a 10 year warranty on their product, although they do warn that Specialized may not honor their frame warranty if you make the upgrade.

As of now, BikeYokes are only available for the Enduro, but owner Stefan Sack promises new models are in development and on the way. We’ve heard unofficially that the Stumpjumpers and Cambers are next in line. Plus other unique products are already in the pipeline from the young company, so we’ll be keeping our eyes open.

BikeYoke.com

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Eric Hansen
Eric Hansen
8 years ago

For some meaning of the word “upgrade” where “upgrade” means any other shock. Engineered systems are universally better than ones you can bash together from a parts bin.

TheFunkyMonkey
TheFunkyMonkey
8 years ago

@Eric Hansen – engineered systems are universally better in the MTB world when they use decent shocks. Sorry but the Big S has been putting garbage shocks on all but their highest level frames thus a need for this type of solution. And it’s great that someone is flipping Big S the bird to their proprietary crap.

Patrick Cavender
8 years ago
Reply to  TheFunkyMonkey

I quite liked the Fox RP2 that came on my low end 2010 Enduro. It handled bike parks, alpine and flat trails well. I was the limiting factor, not the shock. I did add volume spacers for more ramp up. If I didn’t like the shock feel, I could have sent it to Push to have it customized to my riding style. Which is a much better solution than off-the-shelf shock guessing – which I have done before with limited success on my 2006 Enduro.

Flatbiller
Flatbiller
8 years ago

@Eric Hansen: So you’re saying armchair engineers on the internets know better than the engineers who actually made the bike? That’s a bold claim.

You better watch out, lest these weekend warriors come out of the woodwork, suffering from the nocebo effect, where if you tell them that you tweaked this or that, they’ll swear to god they feel a difference!

I did a test a few years ago on some know-it-all buddies in which I had them ride a section of trail. I then told them I was going to improve the heck out of their ride. I then had them go get some beers out of my truck, then added one click faster on the rebound, three clicks firmer on the compression, then added 14 psi to the main air spring, and asked them to ride the section again. They all said the bike felt a lot “smoother, with more brake dive control, and a more progressive rear shock feeling. It didn’t pack down as much on the stutter bumps, and blah blah blah.”

I didn’t adjust a thing.

These bros just need to make everyone think they know what they’re talking about. Of course, “getting rid of the shock yoke engineered for the bike by a dozen or so engineers is not as good as the fine-tuning I can make with my engineering degree from Heald.”

fartsmellow
fartsmellow
8 years ago
Reply to  Flatbiller

The situation you described sounds like a placebo effect, not a nocebo effect.

Eric Hansen
Eric Hansen
8 years ago

The best part about this shock yoke is it removes lateral rigidity from a key part of the suspension system. The two sides of the seat-stays can’t move independently *very much*, but they do move independently. Before they augmented the rigidity of the 12mm TA with the non-pivoting nature of the shock yoke. Now, that intersection is free to pivot. Bet it results in rapid wear and possibly fatigue cracking at the shock mount points on the frame. Millimeters of wiggle over thousands of mountain miles. It is significant.

Tyler Durden
Tyler Durden
8 years ago
Reply to  Eric Hansen

So what you’re saying is that the lateral load should be passed through the shock? Riiiigggghhht…

WaffleRampage
WaffleRampage
8 years ago
Reply to  Eric Hansen

You mean the interface is now free to wiggle instead of the shaft body of the shock? Seems like a good idea to me. Not like Specialized has seen a rash of shock failures because of their stupid proprietary mount system… oh wait, they have. The stiffness is still there, it’s just moved to the shock body instead of the the mount. I’d much rather have to replace a wear item than tear down my whole shock.

Tim Watson
Tim Watson
8 years ago

Please make one for Stumpjumpers too

SB
SB
8 years ago

It’s nice when someone helps to do away with proprietariness.

jwintermyre
8 years ago

Actually, the suspension *should* be removed from the lateral rigidity equation. If it is having to support stress from side load, it is less free to do its job. This is why the Ohlins TTX has a sperical bearing in the front mount where it attaches to the frame. However, even that doesn’t solve the problem with the original design, which is that any side loading at the seatstays places a slight twisting stress on the yoke attachment to the shock shaft. This is why you see many people complaining about the yoke mount actually breaking off the shock shaft (it was a big problem for Demos, somewhat of an issue for Enduro Evo with coil shock, and likely less of an issue for regular Enduro with an air shock since the air shock shaft has a much larger diameter). I know, I’m riding an Enduro Evo with this design and just recently had to send in my TTX for this very issue.

I’m interested in this not because I want to upgrade my shock (Ohlins TTX is pretty much the best I’ve ever ridden), but because I’d like to get rid of that stress point and avoid it breaking again there in the future! Ironically, this would require putting a regular DU bushing mount back on the end of the shock shaft instead of the proprietary Specialized one…

that guy
that guy
8 years ago

poo poo on you guys.
dont knockit till you try it.
there anti troll.

Kenneth Perras
8 years ago

^ because relying on your shock for lateral rigidity is always a good idea.

Charlie Best
Charlie Best
8 years ago

Rotate that lower shock mount 90 degrees and you’ll eliminate that lateral flex issue, though I suspect premature bushing wear would be a more likely symptom than cracked shock mounts.

Parts choice is a good thing, and the Triad on my Camber is a POS, though no yoke on the 2012s fortunately.

Stefan
8 years ago

The bushing wear will actually not be an issue, since it does not rotate and the bushing reducer has slight oversize dimensions for more press-fit in the bushing. All the bushings, that I have worn ver the past years, are the ones that rotate.
I have used similar design in Bionicon edison EVO, to compensate the length of the Bionicon adapter when using a standard shock:
http://evo.bionicon.com/bionicon-system-2/

(deleted)
cheers

Matt
Matt
8 years ago

While I’m sure that we’re all impressed by you professional and armchair engineers, you’re leaving out a critical variable. Product Managers can undo great engineering faster than you can change a flat tire. Whether it’s in an effort to cut costs, maintain a good relationship with a vendor, or they got into a fight with their wife and are grumpy, we’ve all seen some seriously head scratching spec choices. There is, therefore, NO reason to assume that the shock specified as OE is the best possible option.

I like this product. I also like bikes that are designed not to need stuff like this in the first place.

Caseyq
Caseyq
8 years ago

1st off, the monarch plus debonair is already made for the specialized link on the SJ evo and the enduro. 2nd, many shocks on Spesh bikes are made in eye-to-eye and stroke lengths nobody makes aftermarket. Not so much these days but 2010-2012 more so. And now the fox float X2 is available for the enduro

Stefan
8 years ago

@ Caseyq:
Actually, the eye to eye length of standard shocks does not matter. Stroke is the important dimension and this is standard (57mm respectively 63mm) for all models from 2013 and newer.
The difference in “E2E” length (anyway, naturally S defines the shock length differently, since they don´t have two eyelets) is compensated by the length of the Yoke.
Length of standard shock + BikeYoke = Length of original shock + clevis.
Plus availability and price of standard shocks will always be beneficial to the customer than proprietary S versions.

I think I have to make something else clear:
We wouldn’t force anyone to adopt this. Specialized is doing a great job and I highly value their bikes, their design and most of all their customer support.
We just want to offer more options to the customer. I do not want to flip off the big S. It’s just a tuning part, that we do not force anyone to buy. But everyone is welcome to try it out.

missedthepoint
missedthepoint
8 years ago

I actually had the idea to make these, but decided not to invest. Could’ve come up with a much stiffer design that’s no heavier than that. The kind of loads that go through it is not hard to figure out.

Maybe someone can fulfill the other idea I had but didn’t invest in: tubeless conversion strips for rim cavities like road rims and old Enve rims (rounded and smooth, no bead shelf). Didn’t want to anger Trek/Bontrager by basically taking their idea and applying it to other rims.

Fabián Rojas
Fabián Rojas
8 years ago

Soy de Colombia, tengo una stumpjompers carbono 2012, la cual se partió el camber trasero y no en encuentro el repuesto; no sé si tiene garantía, ustedes podrían informarme al respecto?

marek
marek
7 years ago

what kind of this clevis sholud fit for Specialized stumpjumper 2011? 26″,140mm travel. My Fox is leaking….I want to change it

kimz
kimz
7 years ago

Is it suitable for 2012 enduro evo??

O.J.L.
O.J.L.
7 years ago

Does anyone know if this yoke fits on an Epic? Or if there are yokes availible for Epic? Epic 2014. That is the same frame as the present one.

Ian McCulloch
Ian McCulloch
7 years ago

My enduro has the fox rp23 mounted the other way around. Thick end to the linkage. Can I use the yoke that way around?

Alex Demetrios Kontoulis
Alex Demetrios Kontoulis
3 years ago

Where can you purchase one of them? I am currently running an ohlins stx22 air and ttx coil because of my yoke size. Unfortunately I had to pay the premium of OHLINS because of my yoke size and the frustration of limited brands. (deleted)

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