Brain Fade . . . any good?

[jimd]

I'm looking at two bikes. '06 Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Expert vs. FSR Pro. Is the the Brain Fade any good or just a maintenance headach?

[Zeena]

I've got an '06 Expert and I love it to death. The Brain definitely works. It stiffens up noticable under heavy pedalling. So if you're climbing a short, steep hill, you can stand and not lose any power. If it's a long hill, you can gear down and sit without bobbing all over place. My last bike was a Heckler and I think the FSR is 1000 times better. I've only had it since October, and it's not my only ride, and I'm relatively light and don't huck much, so I can't speak toward any maintenance issues.

[Redsars]

I have the 06 FSR Pro and think the rear shock works really well. Stiff on th smooth stuff, but very compliant on bumps and when you hit bumps or roots when climbing. I am amazed how the bike floats over the rough stuff and how it climbs.

I did hit one problem though, in Feb when riding on snow packed trail in very cold conditions, the air spring seal gave up and the shock collapsed. It was rebuilt under warranty, and is fine again. I think this was not a function of the brain, could have happened to the regular shock as well.

For 07, the brain is now manufactured by Specialized, not Fox, and they are supposed to have improved the brain valve, making it more responsive to bumps, so you should go for an 07 if it is an option.

[Slappy]

I did hit one problem though, in Feb when riding on snow packed trail in very cold conditions, the air spring seal gave up and the shock collapsed. It was rebuilt under warranty, and is fine again. I think this was not a function of the brain, could have happened to the regular shock as well.


Pretty sure this is somewhat common w/ Fox air shocks. Mine (not a 'brain' model) also got 'stuck down' in the cold. I was able to rebuild the shock at home in an hour or so with a $12 seal kit from the LBS and the aid of some really good video and .pdf instructions on the Fox website.

[xcslowpoke]

For 07, the brain is now manufactured by Specialized, not Fox, and they are supposed to have improved the brain valve, making it more responsive to bumps, so you should go for an 07 if it is an option.

I would give it a year or so for Specialized to work out the bugs. Not sure I'd trust Specialized as a shock/fork manufacturer in their first year. I like Specialized bikes (own two) but trust Fox Racing Shox.

As for the brain, I have this on my Epic, its a bit interesting. Yes it is awesome when climbing but it hesitates on the initial bump. So you give up a little compliance in exchange for stiffness. This would be the same in any setup of a shock (air pressure, oil weight, spring weight are different ways of accomplishing the same goal). The advantage to the brain is it only happens at the top end of the stroke vs all the way through the stroke.

A lot has been done in shock technology over the past few years. There was a forum discussion earlier on PUSH. The same can be said about ProPedal, ... I had a Superlight a few years ago and saw a big difference when I bought my Epic and Blur. The person who bought my SL purchased a new RP3 w/PP and it was amazing the difference in the ride of that bike.