Specialized epic review

The bike looks low, long and lean — and lifting it up confirms specialized epic review truly astonishing lack of weight. No, the one purpose of the Epic Pro is flat-out racing.

It featured the same frame and shock with the Brain damper, but added a mm travel fork, dropper post and chunkier tyres to create a more approachable XC bike. There was a greater focus on comfort and plush suspension performance, though as a side benefit it was also significantly lighter. Specialized has taken that feedback on board and has completely overhauled the Epic and Epic EVO platform for , shifting their intentions in the process. The Epic has evolved into a dedicated mm travel race bike platform, and in a lot of ways represents an evolution of the previous Epic EVO. Meanwhile the new Epic EVO has been pumped up even more, turning it into a lightweight but highly capable trail ripper. For those who are less concerned by remote lockouts and place a greater emphasis on having fun on the trail, the Epic EVO is a seriously fast and capable XC bike. Both the Epic and Epic EVO share the same brand new frame and suspension design that sees rear travel increase to mm.

Specialized epic review

Cast your mind back 22 years ago, when the Specialized Epic debuted on the race scene with its iconic Brain shock. Two decades and many revisions later, Specialized is launching the latest version of the Epic and, for the first time ever, there is not a Brain damper in sight. In fact, this is the first Epic where most models will come with a remote lockout. Sacre bleu! So what exactly are the differences? How does the new Epic compare to the short travel Epic World Cup? And where do they all sit amongst the best XC bikes on the market? I gotta say, we are absolutely loving this new trend for mm travel XC bikes, and the Specialized Epic is arguably the best example yet. All new for , the latest Specialized Epic represents the 8th generation of the race bike platform. As part of the launch, Specialized is adopting a new naming system that moves away from traditional year models. Expect other models to follow this nomenclature in the future. Also noteworthy is the fact that there are three distinct variants of the Epic platform.

Anyone know when the dandem epic will roll out?

Aug 3, You must login to Pinkbike. Don't have an account? Sign up. The Specialized Epic been rocketing around racecourses for almost twenty years and has World Cup, World Championship, and even Olympic hardware to its name. The new FACT 12m Epic S-Works carbon frame with Specialized's Brain-controlled suspension is said to be over grams lighter than its predecessor, and according to Specialized the size medium frame now weighs just 1,grams. We can confirm that our complete medium test bike is the lightest here, weighing just

Originally launched back in , the Specialized Epic debuted as the very first full suspension bike on the market to feature a fully automated lockout system. That early Epic and every model since was built around the Brain — an inertia-valve shock damper that could transition from fully locked out, to fully open whenever the rider hit something hard enough. Mike McAndrews, the director of suspension technology at Specialized, came up with the concept as a way to woo racers off of their hardtails. XC racing has of course progressed significantly over the past two decades, and so too has the Epic. For , Specialized is launching an entirely new Epic and Epic EVO, and both represent a stunning leap forward in terms of suspension performance, geometry and handling. For more info about the EVO, check out the full review here. The general suspension layout carries over, and so too does the dual-bottle capability only the XS size is limited to fitting a single bottle inside the mainframe. Make no mistake though, because the frame is brand-spanking new. The S-Works Epic, which is built from FACT 12m carbon fibre, is claimed to weigh just 1,g medium size, including shock, thru-axle, hanger and hardware.

Specialized epic review

One of the best-known XC bikes on the market, the latest Specialized Epic is notable for two reasons. First is the updated geometry, reflecting the changing nature of XC courses, with a longer reach and slacker head angle. Although Specialized has rejigged the shape of the bike, with longer tubes, it's still kept the weight low

12 pounds in stone

Since the reach on the medium Epic is close-ish to the large Epic Evo and the weights are within less than a pound of each other, maybe Levy or Sarah could take both bikes out for some head to head comparisons? Get out of the saddle and honk. The steering is wicked fast and, much like a hardtail, it loves being whipped through tight and flowy singletrack. In broad strokes, here are the key changes from the outgoing EVO to the current Epic: 1. SF-matt 2 days ago. Man, i think they are gonna sell A LOT of these. The Reverb AXS is g heavier than an equivalent Transfer SL , though the wireless setup is a big plus and so too is the light action and infinite adjustability. You have to ride them like an XC tire, but even still I found them sturdier than some of the other paper-thin options out there. Last year I bought a mm bike and all year I've been wondering how much I'm overbiked. But the other ones didn't come a dropper Once you're in shape enough to make climbing fun, your whole world opens up. JeffCoyle Aug 4, at

After months of teasing, the Specialized Epic World Cup has finally arrived! A brand new model for , the Epic World Cup cuts a striking, hardtail-like figure that immediately draws parallels with the Trek Supercaliber. Instead it utilises an all-new shock with an innovative air spring that aims to provide a highly efficient pedalling platform while maintaining a clean, cable-free cockpit.

Everytime I see Roval wheels I think Rircular would be better. It works. Shimano better get their shit together. Both the Epic and Epic EVO share the same brand new frame and suspension design that sees rear travel increase to mm. I guess the Hightower wasn't exactly XC at mm or so either though. DorianKane 2 days ago. IMO it is pretty useless testing bikes this expensive. MikeAzBS : I'd like to see her astrology results as well tbh. That could easily be attributed to rider fatigue but by the same token she also mentions that the slacker geometry made tight corners tougher, so maybe the bike actually is slower under a less than pro XC racer on technical climbs.. A more obvious issue I encountered early on during testing was a pretty horrible metal-on-metal sensation when bottoming out the shock on flat landings. The wheelset is still pretty light at 1,g. Along with the compliant carbon frame, the Epic EVO conforms to the terrain to deliver excellent comfort and grip. With the obscene price of the S-Works bike, the rest can start to seem relatively inexpensive. They finally built a bike with Trek Top Fuel dimensions but with an old suspension design with less stiffness in the frame. The same goes with Flight Attendant, it seems to get back to Middle as soon as possible.