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S-Works Epic Hardtail

2019 S-Works Epic Hardtail

Call it a healthy disrespect for the status quo, but we were getting bored with hardtail designs. So instead of playing along with a glued-on smile, we opted to turn the cross country world on its head with a bike that's not only the lightest mountain frame we've ever made. It's our lightest frame—period. Introducing the S-Works Epic Hardtail.

Over the last decade, cross country racing has evolved into a completely different animal—the courses are rowdier, more technical, and overall, they're inherently different. Because of this, we realized that the best bike for the job needs to not only be lightweight and stiff, but also be able to descend and climb with equal prowess. Determining the best geometry was the easier of the two, as we took our current XC race geo and added some trail DNA to the mix. This equates to a longer top tube, a shortened the head tube, and a slacked out the front end, the result of which is a tremendous increase in downhill stability, plus a wider fit range. And just as importantly, this doesn't require any sacrifice of climbing proficiency. The weight aspect was more complicated, though. We were posed with the question, "How do you take weight out of something that's already so light?" But the answer was relatively obvious: you get the best mountain bike engineers together in one room and let the magic come out.

Up until now, there were two ways to lighten up a frame—use less of the same grade of carbon or use less of a higher-grade carbon. Option one is never a viable solution as it sacrifices stiffness and strength, two attributes that shouldn't be tampered with. And while we did end up using option two, we weren't content with the amount of weight we could cut out by just using a different grade of carbon. So how else do you cut weight? Well, we began looking at our layup schedules to see if they could be improved, which shed light on a new discovery—layup inefficiencies.

Beginning with our Rider-First Engineered™ frame technology, each size Epic Hardtail is specifically tailored to size—every carbon layup and tube are exclusively selected based upon hundreds of hours of collected ride data. What does this mean for you? It not only creates the optimal balance of rigidity, weight, and responsiveness across every frame size, but it led us to the discovery of how to save weight through the studying of the layup.

Through extensive layup studies, we made the discovery that, by further controlling the construction and layup schedules, we could drastically decrease weight, all while maintaining the ride characteristics that you'd expect from a top-level XC race bike. With this discovery, each frame now features complex cut carbon plys that allow difficult junctions to be covered with less overlap. And while this does complicate the carbon frame puzzle by adding more pieces to the mix, it allows us to design and place them more intelligently. The result of this is a lighter frame, stronger junctions, and a drastic increase in stiffness. We then took the weight savings one step further by using Japanese military ballistic-grade carbon, which we now call 12m, to create the lightest mountain bike we've ever made. How much lighter of a frame, you ask? Less than 900 grams for a size Large frame—the same weight as a full 24oz Purist water bottle.

For the build, the S-Works spares no expense, opting for a custom RockShox SID World Cup fork with Brain, SRAM XX1 Eagle™12-speed shifting, SRAM Level Ultimate hydraulic disc brakes, and hand-built Roval Control SL carbon wheels.

Technical Specifications

FRAMESET

FRAME

Specialized S-Works FACT 12m, XC Geometry, internal split-housing cable routing, PF30 BB, 12x148mm rear-end, triangulated post-mount 160mm brake

SUSPENSION

FORK

RockShox SID World Cup Brain 29, Solo Air, Top-Adjust, 51mm offset, 15x110mm thru-axle (S: 90mm, M-XL: 100mm)

COCKPIT

STEM

S-Works SL, alloy, titanium bolts, 6-degree rise

HANDLEBARS

S-Works Carbon Mini Rise, 6-degree upsweep, 8-degree backsweep, 10mm rise, 750mm, 31.8mm

SADDLE

Body Geometry Phenom Pro, carbon fiber rails, carbon fiber base, 143mm

GRIPS

Specialized Sip grip, half-waffle, S/M: regular thickness, L/XL: XL thickness

SEATPOST

S-Works FACT carbon, 0mm offset

SEAT BINDER

Specialized Alloy, 30.0mm, titanium bolt

BRAKES

REAR BRAKE

SRAM Level Ultimate, hydraulic disc

FRONT BRAKE

SRAM Level Ultimate, hydraulic disc

DRIVETRAIN

SHIFT LEVERS

SRAM XX1 Eagle, trigger, 12-speed

REAR DERAILLEUR

SRAM XX1 Eagle, 12-speed

CASSETTE

SRAM XG-1295 Eagle, 12-speed, 10-50t

CRANKSET

SRAM XX1 Eagle, Boost™ 148, DUB, 170/175mm

CHAINRINGS

SRAM Eagle Alloy 32T

BOTTOM BRACKET

SRAM, DUB, PF30

CHAIN

SRAM XX1 Eagle, 12-speed

WHEELS & TIRES

RIMS

Roval Control SL, hookless carbon, 25mm internal width, tubeless-ready, hand-built

FRONT HUB

Roval Control SL, sealed cartridge bearings, 15mm thru-axle, 110mm spacing, 24h

REAR HUB

Roval Control SL, DT Swiss Star Ratchet, 54t engagement, SRAM XD driver body, 12mm thru-axle, 148mm spacing, 28h

SPOKES

DT Swiss Competition Race

FRONT TIRE

Fast Trak, GRIPTON® compound, 60 TPI, 2Bliss Ready, 29x2.3"

REAR TIRE

Fast Trak, GRIPTON® compound, 60 TPI, 2Bliss Ready, 29x2.1"

INNER TUBES

Presta, 60mm valve

ACCESSORIES

PEDALS

Specialized Dirt

* Weights based on production painted frames as pictured. Actual weights will vary based on colorway, frame size, and component variation. Specifications are subject to change without notice.

Geometry

SMLXL
Crank Length170mm175mm175mm175mm
Handlebar Width750mm750mm750mm750mm
Stem Length60mm75mm75mm90mm
Saddle Width143mm143mm143mm143mm
Seatpost Length350mm400mm400mm400mm
Stack599mm608mm622mm637mm
Reach395mm418mm441mm462mm
Head Tube Length95mm95mm110mm125mm
Head Tube Angle69.8°69.8°69.8°69.8°
BB Height309mm309mm309mm309mm
BB Drop61mm61mm61mm61mm
Trail82mm82mm82mm82mm
Fork Length, Full496mm506mm506mm506mm
Fork Rake/Offset51mm51mm51mm51mm
Front Center650mm676mm705mm731mm
Chainstay Length430mm430mm430mm430mm
Wheelbase1073mm1099mm1128mm1154mm
Top Tube Length, Horizontal568mm595mm623mm649mm
Bike Standover Height760mm790mm814mm845mm
Seat Tube Length400mm430mm470mm520mm
Seat Tube Angle74°74°74°74°
Geometry

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