The story I heard...
vis a vis Horst Link patents, iDrive, etc., was that in '97/98-ish the new suspension platform was slated to be the Lobo system (with its chainstay pivots) - it was going to replace LTS across the board.
However, around the same time Jim Busby was riding some all-popular-at-the-time Y-bikes (and assorted URT's) and decided that the concept had some merit, except for the bottom bracket being attatched to the suspension bit; thus, the iDrive concept was born. I used to ride w/ a OE Product Mgr from Rockshox at the time and remember seeing some of the early prototypes, first one took me about an hour to get my mind around what was going on!
Combine the timing w/ Specialized's Horst Link lockdown and iDrive takes over. The rest, as they say...
Subject for another thread, but in the last few months I've had opportunities to ride the latest & greatest-generation 5-Spot, Nomad, Mojo HD, Enduro, and Remedy - not all-day rides but enough to get a basic impression and overall feel. I can honestly say that as great as all the new stuff is (face it, $5-8k buys you a damn nice bike no matter who makes it) I have yet to feel anything that knocks my socks off compared to my Force. Even my eccentric generation 'Drives, though they don't have modern era stiffness-to-weight, geometry, etc., still hold their own alongside newer designs. Until someone has spent some time on the ID system it's tough to sell, especially given GT's recent turbulent past; but once you get used to its 'independence' it's tough to be impressed by other designs.
