I have several bikes and I certainly prefer the smoother front-end of the Specialized on most rides and the damped Future Shock 2.0 (not the 1.0 which I dislike) is the primary reason I look at those bikes. I also have a shock stem on the gravel bike and I still prefer the Future Shock, if comparing the two. At one point I was thinking that Specialized would provide a lockout like the option pictured above but there may not be much demand.