Wishing for the perfect blend of suspension control, bottom-out resistance, and traction? With the Specialized GENIE system, your wish is their command, or so they say (our testing points to a great-riding bike as well). Now, Specialized is letting the GENIE out of the bottle, or more appropriately, the air can.
While GENIE was originally developed with Fox for the Stumpjumper 15 (and later for the Levo SL), two years later, the GENIE tech is coming to RockShox. Specifically, the RockShox Super Deluxe GENIE, which can be found on the Levo 4, Levo R, and Stumpjumper 15.
Like the Fox GENIE, the RockShox version uses two air chambers that are connected and work together for the first 70% of the shock stroke. The last 30% is where the outer chamber is closed off, which increases support and ramps up the progression to prevent harsh bottom-outs on big hits.
The middle-to-end of the shock stroke is where the magic happens, with more travel at the same bump force, while also increasing the end stroke support.
Intended and developed only for the Specialized models mentioned above, the Super Deluxe Genie uses a unique eyelet, sealhead, air can, damper shaft, and air can token. All of the other parts are shared with the standard Super Deluxe.
Availability still appears to be limited to higher trims, with the Super Deluxe Genie found on the S-Works and Expert model Levo 4, and the S-Works and Pro model Levo R. There aren’t any Stumpjumper 15 models listed on the website with the RockShox GENIE yet, but we’ve been told you’ll find it on the S-Works, Pro, and Expert models there as well.
