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With all of the growth in full-suspension XC bikes, we found that hardtails were starting to become a little same old, same old. So we thought to ourselves, 'What better time then now to shake things up with a modern, revolutionary design?' Say hello to the Epic Hardtail Expert.
It's one of the lightest frames we've ever made, tipping the scales around 1175g. And to make it this light, we built the entire frame from our superlative FACT 11m carbon fiber, and then we took some cues from our road bikes. We borrowed the Rider-First Engineered™ concept that originated with the Tarmac. Now, the frame design applies specificity to every tube size and carbon layup for every frame size. This creates the optimal balance of rigidity, weight, and responsiveness, so every frame, regardless of size, performs just as we intended.
We've also tweaked the geometry for more speed and stability by slacking-out the head tube angle, lengthening the top tube, and correcting the seat tube angle. This way, it feels more planted then ever, and frankly, it's stupid fast. We also widened the rear spacing to 12x148mm and included internal split-housing cable routing.
For the build, this Epic Hardtail successfully balances value with performance, with a custom-tuned RockShox SID fork with Brain, SRAM GX Eagle™ 12-speed shifting, and quick-to-accelerate Roval Control Carbon wheels.
- By pairing a FACT 11m carbon fiber frame with our XC 29 Geometry, this Epic places a focus on revolutionary tube angles and light overall weight for explosive speed and nimble handling on the race circuit.
- SRAM's 12-speed GX Eagle groupset, with its 10-50t cassette, provides a wide gear range that lets you spin up the climbs, yet have plenty of top end for the descents. One-by setups also decrease weight and make it next to impossible to drop a chain.
- Roval's new Control Carbon wheels have many of the hallmarks of the Control Sl wheels, like a 25mm internal width, and a new shape—making traction, low weight, and durability all top priorities.
Technical Specifications
| BOTTOM BRACKET | SRAM, DUB, PF30 |
| CHAIN | SRAM GX Eagle, 12-speed |
| CRANKSET | Truvativ STYLO, DUB |
| SHIFT LEVERS | SRAM GX Eagle, trigger, 12-speed |
| CASSETTE | SRAM GX Eagle, 12-speed, 10-50t |
| CHAINRINGS | SRAM Eagle, 32T |
| REAR DERAILLEUR | SRAM GX Eagle, 12-speed |
| FORK | RockShox SID 29 w/ Brain, bottom-adjust Brain Fade, 15x110mm Maxle® Stealth thru-axle, 51mm offset, (S: 90mm, M-XL: 100mm of travel) |
| SADDLE | Body Geometry Phenom Comp, hollow Cr-Mo rails, 143mm |
| SEAT BINDER | Specialized Alloy, 30.0mm |
| SEATPOST | Specialized, alloy, single-bolt, 27.2mm |
| HANDLEBARS | Specialized Alloy Minirise, 10mm rise, 750mm, 31.8mm clamp |
| STEM | Specialized XC, 3D-forged alloy, 4-bolt, 6-degree rise |
| GRIPS | Specialized Sip grip, half-waffle, S/M: regular thickness, L/XL: XL thickness |
| FRONT HUB | Specialized, sealed cartridge bearings, 15x110mm spacing, 28h |
| REAR HUB | Specialized, sealed cartridge bearings, 12x148mm thru-axle, 28h |
| INNER TUBES | Presta, 60mm valve |
| SPOKES | DT Swiss Industry |
| RIMS | Roval Control Carbon, 25mm internal width, tubeless-ready |
| FRONT TIRE | Fast Trak, GRIPTON® compound, 60 TPI, 2Bliss Ready, 29x2.3" |
| REAR TIRE | Fast Trak, GRIPTON® compound, 60 TPI, 2Bliss Ready, 29x2.1" |
| FRONT BRAKE | SRAM Level TL, hydraulic disc |
| REAR BRAKE | SRAM Level TL, hydraulic disc |
| PEDALS | Specialized Dirt |
| FRAME | Specialized FACT 11m, XC Geometry, internal split-housing cable routing, PF30 BB, 12x148mm rear-end, triangulated post-mount 160mm brake |
Geometry
Epic Hardtail - Geometry
| S | M | L | XL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crank Length | 170mm | 175mm | 175mm | 175mm |
| Stem Length | 60mm | 70mm | 80mm | 90mm |
| Seatpost Length | 350mm | 400mm | 400mm | 400mm |
| Saddle Width | 143mm | 143mm | 143mm | 143mm |
| Handlebar Width | 750mm | 750mm | 750mm | 750mm |
| Reach | 395mm | 418mm | 441mm | 462mm |
| Top Tube Length, Horizontal | 568mm | 595mm | 623mm | 649mm |
| Stack | 599mm | 608mm | 622mm | 637mm |
| Wheelbase | 1073mm | 1099mm | 1128mm | 1154mm |
| Chainstay Length | 430mm | 430mm | 430mm | 430mm |
| Front Center | 650mm | 676mm | 705mm | 731mm |
| BB Drop | 61mm | 61mm | 61mm | 61mm |
| BB Height | 309mm | 309mm | 309mm | 309mm |
| Seat Tube Angle | 74° | 74° | 74° | 74° |
| Head Tube Angle | 69.8° | 69.8° | 69.8° | 69.8° |
| Seat Tube Length | 400mm | 430mm | 470mm | 520mm |
| Head Tube Length | 95mm | 95mm | 110mm | 125mm |
| Bike Standover Height | 760mm | 790mm | 814mm | 845mm |
| Fork Rake/Offset | 51mm | 51mm | 51mm | 51mm |
| Fork Length, Full | 496mm | 506mm | 506mm | 506mm |
| Trail | 82mm | 82mm | 82mm | 82mm |