5
2 Reviews
With more World Championship titles, Olympic medals, and Cape Epic wins than you…
With more World Championship titles, Olympic medals, and Cape Epic wins than you can count, you may be wondering, "Can the Epic really get any better?" Well, we're glad you asked, because with a completely new geometry, redesigned Brain, and a new frame layup, the all-new S-Works Epic goes from jet fighter to rocket ship—making it the fastest XC bike on the planet.
Race courses have evolved over the past few years. They're more technical, steeper, and simply more challenging to ride. But instead of quivering in our boots, we saw this as an opportunity to make something special—something that both World Cup athletes and XC riders alike can instantly feel the benefit from. We looked at the sum of parts that make a bike handle well, like the head angle, reach, stack, chainstay length, fork offset, etc., and reevaluated all of it. Increasing the reach made a bike that was more stable at speed and generally more comfortable to ride. Dropper posts? Yep, those fit, and not just a short-travel XC option, but full-length droppers that fit in the 30.9mm seat tube. Head angle? We slacked that out, but not without evaluating the overall handling package. It now lands on a custom offset, 42mm fork that works with the slacker head angle in order to behave itself in tight corners and through switchbacks.
Next comes the redesigned Brain technology, Brain 2.0. The Brain changed the way the bike world looked at suspension, both its inefficiencies and benefits alike. And oh was it good. It won races and put a flag in the ground for us as a true leader in innovation and suspension development, but we knew that we could make it better. Simple physics told us that, by moving the Brain closer to the rear axle, it would be in the most sensitive spot. And after countless hours with the RockShox team, the new Brain became more than just a slight upgrade. It's totally new. Now, it reacts seamlessly to bump forces, it has much more consistent damping performance, and finally, it integrates the hoses into the suspension links. This, in turn, improves oil paths, and it creates an incredibly sleek package that outperforms anything on the market.
The new Epic also gets a serious upgrade in the stiffness department. The Rider-First Engineered™ tubes place complex carbon pieces in all the right places, which greatly increases stiffness in the front end for a vast improvement in ride quality and control. To go along with this, each frame size has size-specific tubes that result in the stiffest, best riding XC bike we've ever developed—no matter the frame size.
And while stiffness, Brain technology, and geometry features are cool and all, we know what you're thinking, "What about weight?" We're glad you asked. With the goal of the new Epic to be the fastest XC mountain bike we've ever made, weight was at the top of our priorities list. We started with an efficient frame layout and tube shapes that feature clean cable routing, integrated channels through the shock extension, straight tubes with less curves, and optimized torsion profiles in every section. And, if you're curious, this weight savings is equivalent to shedding a chainstay and shock extension from the previous Epic—nearly 350 grams.
For this S-Works model, the build spares no expense with a custom RockShox SID World Cup fork, Shimano XTR Di2 shifting, a Race Face Next SL G4 crankset, and hand-built, featherweight Roval Control SL wheels.
S-Works FACT 12m carbon fiber frame is the best combination of stiffness, strength, and light overall weight, resulting in the utmost efficiency and speed. Meanwhile, the new geometry, RockShox Brain shock, and 100mm of travel, make the Epic the best handling, fastest XC bike you've ever been on.
Our custom RockShox SID WC fork with Brain features a full-carbon upper, top-adjust Brain fade, and a custom offset, making it the perfect match to the new Epic.
XTR Di2 handles the shifting, effortlessly floating through gears with precision and accuracy.
FRAME
S-Works FACT 12m, XC Geometry, threaded BB, 12x148mm rear spacing, internal cable routing, 100mm of travel
SEAT BINDER
Specialized Alloy 34.9mm, Ti bolt
REAR SHOCK
RockShox/Specialized Micro Brain shock w/ Spike Valve, AUTOSAG, 51x257mm
FORK
RockShox SID WC Brain 29, top-adjust Brain Fade, Solo Air, tapered carbon crown and steerer, 15x110mm Maxle® Stealth thru-axle, 100mm of travel, 42mm offset
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, 2Bliss Ready, 29 x 2.3"
REAR TIRE
Fast Trak, GRIPTON compound, 2Bliss Ready, 29 x 2.1"
INNER TUBES
29x1.75/2.4", 60mm Presta valve
REAR DERAILLEUR
Shimano XTR M9050 Di2, Shadow Plus, GS cage, 11-speed
SHIFT LEVERS
Shimano XTR Di2, 11-speed
CASSETTE
SRAM XG 1199 X-DOME, 11-speed, 10-42t
CHAIN
SRAM XX1, 11-speed w/ PowerLink
CRANKSET
Race Face Next SL G4, Boost™
CHAINRINGS
Alloy 30T
BOTTOM BRACKET
Threaded BB, 24mm spindle
STEM
S-Works SL, alloy, titanium bolts, 6-degree rise
HANDLEBARS
S-Works Carbon Mini Rise, 6-degree upsweep, 8-degree backsweep, 10mm rise, 720mm, 31.8mm
GRIPS
Specialized Sip Grip, half-waffle, S/M: regular thickness, L/XL: XL thickness
SADDLE
Body Geometry S-Works Phenom, carbon rails, 143mm
SEATPOST
S-Works FACT carbon, 10mm setback, 30.9mm
FRONT BRAKE
Shimano XTR M9000, hydraulic disc, post mount, metallic pads, 160/180mm rotors
REAR BRAKE
Shimano XTR M9000, hydraulic disc, post mount, metallic pads, 160mm rotors
PEDALS
Specialized Platform, 9/16" spindle
* 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.
S | M | L | XL | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Crank Length | 170mm | 175mm | 175mm | 175mm |
Handlebar Width | 720mm | 720mm | 720mm | 720mm |
Stem Length | 60mm | 75mm | 90mm | 100mm |
Saddle Width | 143mm | 143mm | 143mm | 143mm |
Seatpost Length | 350mm | 400mm | 400mm | 400mm |
Stack | 588mm | 597mm | 611mm | 630mm |
Reach | 408mm | 433mm | 456mm | 475mm |
Head Tube Length | 95mm | 105mm | 120mm | 140mm |
Head Tube Angle | 69.5° | 69.5° | 69.5° | 69.5° |
BB Height | 332.6mm | 332.6mm | 332.6mm | 332.6mm |
BB Drop | 38.9mm | 38.9mm | 38.9mm | 38.9mm |
Trail | 94mm | 94mm | 94mm | 94mm |
Fork Length, Full | 506mm | 506mm | 506mm | 506mm |
Fork Rake/Offset | 42mm | 42mm | 42mm | 42mm |
Front Center | 659mm | 688mm | 716mm | 742mm |
Chainstay Length | 438mm | 438mm | 438mm | 438mm |
Wheelbase | 1095mm | 1123mm | 1152mm | 1178mm |
Top Tube Length, Horizontal | 568mm | 595mm | 623mm | 649mm |
Bike Standover Height | 764mm | 770mm | 776mm | 799mm |
Seat Tube Length | 400mm | 434mm | 470mm | 520mm |
Seat Tube Angle | 74.75° | 74.75° | 74.75° | 74.75° |
5
2 Reviews