Bicycle suspension which they use for their "FSR Suspension". Several manufacturer had licensed the design from Specialized. Some European manufacturers, such as Cube and Scott, do use the same suspension design, but couldn't import it to the United States until 2013 due to patent protection. Norco, Canadian bicycle manufacturer also licensed the design from Specialized but further optimized the FSR system, calling their own system Advanced Ride Technology (ART). Although not necessarily sharing any general suspension characteristics, these designs all share a certain structural benefit. Because the connecting links are so short, the floating link comes in the form of a rigid
Trek Bicycle Corporation in the company. Despite the split, Trek and Trek Travel enjoy a close working relationship. In 2003, Trek acquired Villiger, a Swiss bicycle company, and Diamant, the oldest bicycle company in Germany. The acquisition gave Trek a foothold in the active-leisure bicycle market, an important segment in Europe. As part of the acquisition, Trek took over ownership of the Villiger-Diamant production facility in Hartmannsdorf, Germany. Trek's global expansion continued in 2005, when Trek expanded into the Chinese market by opening two stores in Beijing and signing deals with 20 Chinese distributors. For the third time in its history, in 2005