Specialized rear shock "Brain" rebuild with pictures & now forks too

link1896

Mr Greenfield
Specialized rear shock "Brain" rebuild with pictures & now forks too

Started working out how to make schrader valves from scratch. I've the taps and dies but can't for the life of me find a tool for cutting the valve seats.

Going to file/turn a drill bit into a form tool for the 16 degree valve seat.




 

pink poodle

気が狂っている男
Why do you need to worry about all this legal stuff and patent lawyers to service your own shocks?
There is no legal/patent risk in what Link is doing. If he was gaining g a commercial advantage by replicating patent controlled technology, perhaps so. But even then not necessarily.

All the mucking around is for the sake of knowledge...


Link: does a schrader valve require an outside thread to be a schrader valve? I know you need one to screw in a shock pump.
 

link1896

Mr Greenfield
Yep, the whole purpose of this project was to unlock the knowledge that had been held close and allow people to service/repair their own bikes, I'm a firm believer in the "right to repair" ethos.

If you remove the outer thread from a Schrader valve I guess it's then just a valve core inside a Pink Poodle tube?
 

link1896

Mr Greenfield
Specialized rear shock "Brain" rebuild with pictures & now forks too

And listing the patents was a way of demonstrating my understanding where everyone stands. The average joe's understanding of IP law is weak at best, when I started this project, many people said it couldn't be done not for technical reasons, but for patent reasons. As it stands under Australian law (forget USA/Aus free trade complications) a design patent granted here in Australia by "IP Australia" provides exclusive rights to the patent holder(s) but also allows analysis, reverse engineering, critique by anyone for educational purposes. Of course the primary objection of a patent is to prevent others from obtain financial advantage by stealing someone else's hard work.

Having a patent on a design does not allow a manufacturer to insist only they can service the product. The ACCC looks very dimly on this, but as a perfect representation of a bureaucracy, I gave up trying to get them to appreciate this and chose to publish this thread instead.

During this lovely project, a possibly novel approach to MTB suspension technology dawned on me. It will take me a good 1-2 years to get working.
 
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Flow-Rider

Burner
And listing the patents was a way of demonstrating my understanding where everyone stands. The average joe's understanding of IP law is weak at best, when I started this project, many people said it couldn't be done not for technical reasons, but for patent reasons. As it stands under Australian law (forget USA/Aus free trade complications) a design patent granted here in Australia by "IP Australia" provides exclusive rights to the patent holder(s) but also allows analysis, reverse engineering, critique by anyone for educational purposes. Of course the primary objection of a patent is to prevent others from obtain financial advantage by stealing someone else's hard work.

Having a patent on a design does not allow a manufacturer to insist only they can service the product. The ACCC looks very dimly on this, but as a perfect representation of a bureaucracy, I gave up trying to get them to appreciate this and chose to publish this thread instead.

During this lovely project, a possibly novel approach to MTB suspension technology dawned on me. It will take me a good 1-2 years to get working.
It's actually illegal for someone to say that no one but them can service their product.
 
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slimjim1

Fat boomers cloggin' ma leaderboard
During this lovely project, a possibly novel approach to MTB suspension technology dawned on me. It will take me a good 1-2 years to get working.
Following...

Have you had a chance to play with the later 'position sensitive' brain shocks on the 2016 cambers yet Link??
 

Flow-Rider

Burner
Yeah but they can withhold technical info, parts, tools etc. which essentially does the same
Automotive dealerships tried this all on years ago in Australia and they had to put out OEM workshop manuals for the public but they can charge an absorbent price for them, as for tools you can get them made up or make them yourself. I bet if push came to shove they would have to hand the info over and may also go up the lines of the health and safety issue, it could mean that bikes are not suitable for sale in Australia.
 

slimjim1

Fat boomers cloggin' ma leaderboard
Not yet. Riding one?
Yep. Feels quite a bit different to the previous brain shocks on the old stumpjumper. Less on/off and stuttery and more like a normal shock??? Had it serviced recently with Spesh and they offered to put in a racier epic style tune which was interesting...passed on the offer though.
 

link1896

Mr Greenfield
Yep. Feels quite a bit different to the previous brain shocks on the old stumpjumper. Less on/off and stuttery and more like a normal shock??? Had it serviced recently with Spesh and they offered to put in a racier epic style tune which was interesting...passed on the offer though.
Interesting.

Bikemag said:

"it’s positions sensitive. Basically, the first 25 percent of the travel is not affected by the inertia valve, so travel off the top is nice and smooth. The blue knob on the Brain itself, which is located near the rear axle for the best resolution of trail impacts, adjusts how firm the shock is on smooth trail, after the 25-percent sag is achieved."


I wonder if the IFP is linked to the shim stack and pulling or pushing on it with a connecting rod.

Hmm.
 

redbruce

Eats Squid
Interesting.

Bikemag said:

"it’s positions sensitive. Basically, the first 25 percent of the travel is not affected by the inertia valve, so travel off the top is nice and smooth. The blue knob on the Brain itself, which is located near the rear axle for the best resolution of trail impacts, adjusts how firm the shock is on smooth trail, after the 25-percent sag is achieved."


I wonder if the IFP is linked to the shim stack and pulling or pushing on it with a connecting rod.

Hmm.
Or is it simply effectively the same as earlier versions set a few clicks out from locked as new baseline?
 

link1896

Mr Greenfield
Or is it simply effectively the same as earlier versions set a few clicks out from locked as new baseline?

Ruling out air in the damper system. While it achieves this 25% free stoke, it's not legit.

Brain fade adjusters are just a free bleed bypass adjustment.

Inertia mass' characteristics are non adjustable in every Epic variant I've ever touched or seen, Camber is an unknown atm. I can only come up with one variation that incorporates position sensitivity and that's to use the IFP movement to adjust the inertia mass' characteristics "somehow"

Actually can think of a second way of doing this. A expansion chamber in line between main body and reservoir. But photos of the Camber's system don't show this.
 
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