Here's a FAQ about the fact that the new bike doesn't really need a floating disc brake system:
Yes it's true, there's no suspension lock-out cause by braking forces on the new bike (or virtually none). We're not saying that floating disc brake are not good, but they are expensive and more complicated. That's why there's not a lot of bike that come stock with a disc brake floating system.
Here's how a floating system works: it prevents any relative movement between the caliper and the disc as the suspension compress. A floating system use a pefect parallelogram to make the caliper rotate at the same rate as the disc while the suspension is being compressed.
We're using the same idea with our new bike. The floating system is embedded into our suspension to work like a real floating disc brake. While we were designing the suspension, we've calculated the geometry that would minimize the relative movement between the caliper and the disc. Usually manufacturer are designing their suspension and then at the end they place the brake tabs without really considering the effect it will have on the suspension. The way we are setup we have almost no relative movement at a point where riders are not able to really fell any suspension lock-out.
The easiest way to see if a suspension will lock under hard braking is a simple parking lot test. At a stop, stoke the suspension normally, then stoke it while the brakes are fully applied. If the suspension feels stiffer while the brake are applied, it means that you will have suspension lock-out. Depending on the type of suspension design and the caliper position, this effect will be noticeable at different levels. Some design definetly need a floating disc brake.
We like to keep things simple, reliable and affordable. We were able to do the maths for the suspension lock-out, but the real test was with the tests riders. During the field testing we had 8 test riders and they were unanimous about the fact that the bike has no brake lock-out (the engineers would tell you: virtually no brake lock-out).
I hope it answer your question, if it's not clear don't hesitate to tell me. Thanks