Maestro Suspension Technology

Whatever your choice in mountain terrain, Maestro Suspension Technology expands your bike’s capabilities and boosts your performance. From fast and efficient XC machines to playful longer travel trail bikes, it’s an adaptable rear suspension platform that gives you more control, traction, comfort and speed.

KEY BENEFITS OF MAESTRO SUSPENSION

Maestro’s near-vertical wheel path and linear spring curve allow the rear suspension to remain sensitive to both small and big impacts without “packing up” under rapid, successive hits or bottoming out from big hits. This results in better contact between your tires and the trail—improving traction, acceleration, cornering and braking.

FULLY ACTIVE

From high-frequency trail vibrations to big-hit compressions, Maestro soaks up the full spectrum of trail impacts to give you a smoother ride over all types of terrain.

PEDALING EFFICIENCY

Whether you’re sprinting up a climb or hammering through a rock garden, Maestro performs consistently under pedaling power and doesn’t compromise efficiency.

TOTAL BRAKE INDEPENDENCE

Even under full braking force, Maestro Suspension stays active, keeping your tires in contact with the trail and giving you better traction at all times.

How it Works

Maestro utilizes four strategically positioned pivot points and two linkages that all work to create a single floating pivot point. This single floating pivot point improves pedaling efficiency by counteracting pedaling forces that would otherwise create suspension compression (squatting) or pedal kickback (bobbing).

Ground Control

Maestro’s near-vertical wheel path and linear spring curve allow the rear suspension to remain sensitive to both small and big impacts without “packing up” under rapid, successive hits or bottoming out from big hits. This results in better contact between your tires and the trail, improving traction, acceleration, cornering and braking.

Four, Two, One

Maestro utilizes four strategically positioned pivot points (the four red circles) and two linkages that all work to create a single floating pivot point (the larger circle). This single floating pivot point improves pedaling efficiency by counteracting pedaling forces that would otherwise create suspension compression (squatting) or pedal kickpack (bobbing).

Fully Connected

Maestro’s upper rocker arms feature trunnion shock mounts, which produce a lower leverage ratio on rear shock compression for better pedaling and braking efficiency. This configuration also allows engineers to create bikes with shorter chainstays, improving their climbing capabilities and agility.

Lower Center of Gravity

Maestro’s moving parts and components, including the linkages, shock, pivots and hardware, are centralized within the frameset. This results in a lower center of gravity, which helps improve the bike’s overall handling on the trail.

Lighter and Stronger

A state of the art, high-pressure molding process is used to produce the Advanced Forged Composite upper rocker arm. This makes it lighter, stiffer and stronger than aluminum to help boost the overall performance of your bike.

Smooth Operator

Double-sealed pivot bearings provide long-term, smooth functioning suspension articulation.

Precise Tracking

A single-piece rear swingarm (no chainstay or seatstay pivots) provides the ultimate in rear-end stiffness for precise tracking over rough terrain.

DEEP DIVE

Take a journey deep inside the kinematics (suspension analysis) of Maestro Suspension Technology. You’ll learn about its unique wheel path, linear leverage ratio, anti-rise characteristics and anti-squat performance—each specifically engineered to bring out the very best from your mountain bike experience.

WHEEL PATH / LEVERAGE RATIO

When compressing from an impact, the trajectory of the swingarm and the direction of the rear wheel dictate how a suspension system performs. Maestro’s nearly vertical, steep-arcing wheel path is the key to its activity, efficiency and independence. A linear shock ratio helps keep suspension travel smooth at its initial stroke and progressive towards the end of its stroke thanks to the nature of air compression.The result is one of the secrets of Maestro’s “bottomless” suspension feel over the full spectrum of trail impacts.

ANTI-RISE

Many suspension designs suffer poor performance under rear brake activation. When applied, the rear disc brake can sometimes either “drive” or “lift” a suspension swingarm to extension or compression—both undesirable traits when riding through tricky terrain. Because of Maestro’s calculated neutral floating pivot point, the system remains neutral to brake input—creating outstanding suspension performance. The result is perfectly balanced suspension on the roughest descents.

ANTI-SQUAT

Anti-squat refers to suspension performance under pedaling force. Most suspension designs add a certain amount of anti-squat to stabilize suspension movement while pedaling. Too much anti-squat, and suspension completely locks out under pedaling. Not enough, and suspension will wastefully bounce up and down under acceleration. Getting the balance right is critical, so Maestro utilizes a higher level of anti-squat through the initial 50% of travel—then regresses to less anti-squat through the second-half of its travel. This results in an efficient pedaling platform when riding smooth terrain, but allows for uninhibited suspension travel on larger hits.