I had no idea that I loved myself so much!
Specialized crushes Stratos *Unconfirmed*
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I had no idea people still used shocks on their bike, what with all the complications of having to rebuild the damping confabulatrix regulation valve all the time..
I had no idea Fraser's keyboard smells just like his riding gear and bike...fresh, clean, new, unused....
OR maybe it was the other wya around, but hey, who knows. All in the past now I guess.
Stratos S8: Still one of the most fun Mr. Plow forks ever, when it wasn't leaking.
Ok and why do you feel that way? Risse Lowering Crowns are Cheap and Kick ass. And name another Co. that used to make sneak a toke bar ends.
Or are you talking about REESE Penut Butter Cups. Because they are pretty dam good.
those were pretty trick
Not as trick as the Stratos double chamber CNC'd bongs. Heat sinks on the bowl, couldn't spill water. That thing was bad ass.
They should have marketed that instead of lockout cartridges, might still be in business!
Stratos has been screwed up for a LONG time.
Basically it comes down to Mike, the owner, being a good engineer with bad business skills. They've lost many great employees that were making the whole thing actually work, to his stupidity. Randolph could really lay the smack down about the company.
Its kinda too bad. They had some great ideas and some industry firsts.
They had large air volume air shocks that didn't feel like poo.
They had the first lockout rear shock, even a remote for it.
The S8 was a bad ass fork. Plow anything over. Just too tall and heavy.
maybe if they got off the pipe and made forks that worked?
back to the point, I'm not saying specialized shouldn't protect their patents, but that's part of my beef...THEIR patents...the FSR link was originally the horst link, which came from AMP research. The inertia valve came from a smaller company, (i think) which was bought or used by fox, and then implemented by special ed. It's not necessarily illegal, but it just seems wrong to patent or screw over other companies using something that isn't really yours.
If they were to patent, say, a BB system that THEY developed, or a fork that THEY designed, and wanted to protect those patents, that's fine. The way they protect what they "took"with more powerful attorney's, etc., is what bothers me. Honestly, how does the ID cartridge affect specialized? They only use the "brain" shock on one bike, and that shock isn't available for any other use. How is stratos really hurting specialized's business?
back to the point, I'm not saying specialized shouldn't protect their patents, but that's part of my beef...THEIR patents...the FSR link was originally the horst link, which came from AMP research. The inertia valve came from a smaller company, (i think) which was bought or used by fox, and then implemented by special ed. It's not necessarily illegal, but it just seems wrong to patent or screw over other companies using something that isn't really yours.
If they were to patent, say, a BB system that THEY developed, or a fork that THEY designed, and wanted to protect those patents, that's fine. The way they protect what they "took"with more powerful attorney's, etc., is what bothers me. Honestly, how does the ID cartridge affect specialized? They only use the "brain" shock on one bike, and that shock isn't available for any other use. How is stratos really hurting specialized's business?
I think Catherine had a lot to do with the company going down. I tried dealing with her twice, and both times she made me scared she would turn me into a newt. Evil woman with some serious attitude.
Stratos could have been good, but wasn't.
Stratos could have been good, but wasn't.
Well to be fair, you can't patent something and then sue the original manufactuer of this. They can claim prior art and be exempt from it, or completely in validate your patent. There has to be SOMETHING new about the patent or it won't fly.
no, specialized sued rockshox because the name was too similar to rockhopper. they forced rockshox to make forks with S on them.
Please provide evidence that Specialized "took" the patents instead of buying them or having agreements with the companies that developed them that it would be Specialized's patented technology.
I don't buy the old, tired, "big bad corporation" routine. People are greedy and/or short sighted. That's how many corporations acquire patents - someone sells out for small money before the patent is put into widespread use. Or the development of it is funded by the corporation with the agreement that the result will belong to them.
ooohhh...here use this smilie:
Please provide evidence that Specialized "took" the patents ....
I don't mean they stole the amp patent...but they didn't create it either. I was tempted to use the word "stole" but that's not what they did. It's just that they find these neat little things that work, prevent other people from using them, and then release them in very limited quantities or for limited use or for too high a price.
If specialized hadn't blocked everybody from using the horst link, which everybody was already doing, there would be a lot of good bikes FOR CHEAP out there. If Stratos were allowed free reign with the ID cartridge, it could have become something very useful.
It's good for their business, but bad for me. And that's all I care about, me.
If specialized hadn't blocked everybody from using the horst link, which everybody was already doing, there would be a lot of good bikes FOR CHEAP out there. If Stratos were allowed free reign with the ID cartridge, it could have become something very useful.
It's good for their business, but bad for me. And that's all I care about, me.
Sweet, so someday if you patent something as good as the horst link, you'll let everyone use it for free right?
They make crappy forks! Enough said!
So did stratos.
I'll take your word on that one, I never owned/rode a Stratos
So there aren't a lot of good bikes for cheap because specalized owns the patent to the horst link? You've got to be kidding me.
Sweet, so someday if you patent something as good as the horst link, you'll let everyone use it for free right?
edit: I am with the 'GRipper on this one, if specialized had not patented it, someone else would have sooner or later.
Well I agree the "Trixy" and "The Champ" were kind of weird. But That dosn't make the whole company crappy!
The Statos S8 was a sik fork!! It could take some serious abuse.
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^ The landing on that is the exposed dirt on the right, not the left one.
I'm too big of a wuss to hit that thing. I'll take pictures of people doing it though.
I'm too big of a wuss to hit that thing. I'll take pictures of people doing it though.
HAHAHAHA
everything I ever used or tried out from Risse was crap! From their forks to suspension modifiers. Every item of thiers I tried, failed as did their customer service! So due to my experience with that companies products, I feel I am justified to say that Risse is crap and risse forks are really crappy. Crap, crappidity, crap, crap, crap!
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luelling
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How can you not like this fork??
I bet you can go super fast with it!!!Attachments
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luelling
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I bet this sweet bike is fast too!!!
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moutain cycle didnt innovate? they were huge innovators in their time. First monocouqe bike, single pivot, hydroformed bodies.
Take it easy on the guy, he isn't old enough to remember the tiny ads in MBA mountain cycle had back in the day. Weren't they one of the first to use a disc brake? They also had a crazy inverted suspension fork that looked like it was made from the shock absorber off of a chevy truck.
Well they shouldn't have stopped innovating in 1993 then.
internernal cabel route, fork stops, the mountain cycle battery? 9.5 inches of rear suspension? their bikes are sick.
You keep thinking that,
Any pictures of those bar end caps?
Exactly...They produced the exact same bikes for 15 years. In the early 90s they were innovators, but when 2006 rolls around you may want to consider updating your stuff aside from tube shape and paint.
The Battery will never be produced, nor was it a terribly fascinating new bike, just riding a trend.
Kinesis pawned them off to Ideation cause they didn't want to put the time/money into R&D on new designs...
Didn't you hear that Risse admitted they made a spelling error with the big foot.
Here is what it was supposed to be.
Here is what it was supposed to be.
Don't worry Transcend probably hasn't either.
Why do you have so much hate for Stratos? Did they refuse to buy a banner ad in your e-zine?