It was just a couple of years ago that bicycle manufacturer Pinarello collaborated with Jaguar to create a rear suspension system for its Dogma K8-S road racing bike. Well, the latest version of the K8-S will have a new rear suspension that offers a distinct advantage over the previous version – it only comes on when the going gets rough.
The original Dogma Suspension System (DSS 1.0) added 10 mm of rear travel by way of flexible flat carbon fiber chainstays and an elastomer shock. While that certainly helped to smooth out the cobblestone roads on the Tour of Flanders race, where the technology was debuted by the Pinarello-backed Team Sky, the movement of the suspension also slightly decreased pedalling efficiency on smooth roads.
That's where the Electronic Dogma Suspension System (eDSS 2.0) comes in.
Developed in partnership with electronic suspension company HiRide, it incorporates six-axis gyroscopes and accelerometers that detect changes in the road surface. As long as that surface is smooth, the hydraulic suspension remains locked out, keeping the frame stiff and efficient.
As soon as any significant bumps are detected, however, the system responds within a few milliseconds, automatically unlocking the suspension in order to compensate. It's actually much like the electronic active suspensions already in use on some mountain bikes.
eDSS 2.0 has already been tested on a modified K8-S by Team Sky's Ian Stannard in the Scheldeprijs race (in Belgium). It should be available "soon" on the production version of the bike.
