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2018 Men's Epic Hardtail Expert

5

1 Reviews

With all of the growth in full-suspension XC bikes, we found that hardtails were…

Product Details

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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 do so, we built the entire frame from our superlative FACT 11m carbon fiber, and then we took some design 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, 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 extremely light overall weight for explosive speed and nimble handling on the race circuit. For good measure, we also gave it 148mm rear spacing and all-new triangulated post-mount brake mounts.
  • The Custom RockShox SID 29 w/ Brain fork provides 90/100mm of efficient travel. It features Brain technology that distinguishes between terrain and rider input in order to maximize your power, while a Brain Fade adjusts the oil flow when not hitting bumps.
  • 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.

Technical Specifications

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FRAMESET

FRAME

Specialized FACT 11m, XC Geometry, internal split-housing cable routing, PF30 BB, 12x148mm rear end, triangulated post-mount 160mm brake

SEAT BINDER

Specialized Alloy 30.0mm

SUSPENSION

FORK

RockShox SID Brain 29, Solo Air, 51mm offset, 15x110mm thru-axle (S: 90mm of travel, M/L/XL: 100mm of travel)

WHEELS

RIMS

Roval Control Carbon, hookless bead, 22mm internal width, tubeless ready

FRONT HUB

Specialized, sealed cartridge bearing, 15x110mm spacing, torque caps, 32h

REAR HUB

Specialized, sealed cartridge bearing, XD driver body, 12mm thru-axle, 148mm spacing, 32h

SPOKES

DT Swiss Industry, stainless, 2.0

FRONT TIRE

Fast Trak, GRIPTON compound, 2Bliss Ready, 29 x 2.3",

REAR TIRE

Fast Trak, GRIPTON compound, 2Bliss Ready, 29 x 2.1"

INNER TUBES

Standard, Presta valve

DRIVETRAIN

REAR DERAILLEUR

SRAM GX Eagle, 12-speed

SHIFT LEVERS

SRAM GX Eagle, trigger, 12-speed

CASSETTE

SRAM GX Eagle, 12-speed, 10-50t

CHAIN

SRAM GX Eagle, 12-speed w/ PowerLock®

CRANKSET

Truvativ Stylo, 6K alloy, Boost™ 148, 175mm crankarm, 30mm spindle

CHAINRINGS

SRAM Eagle™, alloy, 32T

BOTTOM BRACKET

SRAM PF30

COCKPIT

STEM

Specialized XC, 3D-forged alloy, 4-bolt, 6-degree rise

HANDLEBARS

Specialized Mini-Rise, 7050 alloy, 8-degree backsweep, 6-degree upsweep, 10mm rise, 720mm width, 31.8mm clamp

GRIPS

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

SADDLE

Body Geometry Phenom Comp, Adaptive Edge design, Hollow Cr-Mo rails, 143mm

SEATPOST

Specialized, alloy, single bolt, 21mm offset, 27.2mm

BRAKES

REAR BRAKE

SRAM Level TL

FRONT BRAKE

SRAM Level TL

ACCESSORIES

PEDALS

Specialized Dirt

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

Geometry

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SMLXL
Crank Length170mm175mm175mm175mm
Handlebar Width720mm720mm720mm720mm
Stem Length70mm90mm100mm110mm
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

Rider Reviews

5

1 Reviews

 

not disappointed at all after 2 months

I use my bicycle as a primary means of travel. I am retired military so all I do is ride my bicycle everyday day everywhere. Primary on paved roads but I am actively searching for dirt trails and going out to the local mountains. I have only had this bike forlessthan 2 months but I have ridden over 80 hours on her. She has handled VERY VERY well all of the abuse that I have given it.


Name:
Maldito

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