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If you ask us, it's been too long since hardtails got their world shaken up. Well,…
If you ask us, it's been too long since hardtails got their world shaken up. Well, our all-new Epic Hardtail Pro Carbon does just that. New geometry, crazy-low frame weight, and a build from the racing gods—this bike is ready to shatter the mold.
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.
For the build, the Epic Hardtail Pro Carbon hits right on the money, opting for a custom-tuned RockShox SID fork with Brain, SRAM X01 Eagle 12-speed shifting, and hand-built Roval Control Carbon wheels.
FRAME
Specialized FACT 11m, XC Geometry, internal split-housing cable routing, PF30 BB, 12x148mm rear-end, triangulated post-mount 160mm brake
FORK
RockShox SID Brain 29, Solo Air, Top-Adjust brain-fade, 51mm offset, 15x110mm thru-axle (S: 90mm, M-XL: 100mm)
HANDLEBARS
S-Works Carbon Mini Rise, 6-degree upsweep, 8-degree backsweep, 10mm rise, 750mm, 31.8mm
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
SADDLE
Body Geometry Phenom Expert, hollow titanium rails, carbon fiber base, 143mm
SEATPOST
Specialized Carbon, single-bolt, 27.2mm
SEAT BINDER
Specialized Alloy, 30.0mm
REAR BRAKE
SRAM Level TLM, hydraulic disc
FRONT BRAKE
SRAM Level TLM, hydraulic disc
SHIFT LEVERS
SRAM X01 Eagle, trigger, 12-speed
REAR DERAILLEUR
SRAM X01 Eagle, 12-speed
CASSETTE
SRAM XG-1295 Eagle, 12-speed, 10-50t
CRANKSET
Truvativ STYLO Carbon, DUB
CHAINRINGS
SRAM Eagle, 32T
BOTTOM BRACKET
SRAM, DUB, PF30
CHAIN
SRAM GX Eagle, 12-speed
RIMS
Roval Control Carbon, 25mm internal width, tubeless-ready
FRONT HUB
Specialized, sealed cartridge bearings, 15x110mm spacing, 28h
REAR HUB
DT Swiss 350, Star Ratchet, 36t engagement, SRAM XD driver body, 12mm thru-axle, 148mm spacing, 28h
SPOKES
DT Swiss Industry
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
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.
S | M | L | XL | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Crank Length | 170mm | 175mm | 175mm | 175mm |
Handlebar Width | 750mm | 750mm | 750mm | 750mm |
Stem Length | 60mm | 70mm | 80mm | 90mm |
Saddle Width | 143mm | 143mm | 143mm | 143mm |
Seatpost Length | 350mm | 400mm | 400mm | 400mm |
Stack | 599mm | 608mm | 622mm | 637mm |
Reach | 395mm | 418mm | 441mm | 462mm |
Head Tube Length | 95mm | 95mm | 110mm | 125mm |
Head Tube Angle | 69.8° | 69.8° | 69.8° | 69.8° |
BB Height | 309mm | 309mm | 309mm | 309mm |
BB Drop | 61mm | 61mm | 61mm | 61mm |
Trail | 82mm | 82mm | 82mm | 82mm |
Fork Length, Full | 496mm | 506mm | 506mm | 506mm |
Fork Rake/Offset | 51mm | 51mm | 51mm | 51mm |
Front Center | 650mm | 676mm | 705mm | 731mm |
Chainstay Length | 430mm | 430mm | 430mm | 430mm |
Wheelbase | 1073mm | 1099mm | 1128mm | 1154mm |
Top Tube Length, Horizontal | 568mm | 595mm | 623mm | 649mm |
Bike Standover Height | 760mm | 790mm | 814mm | 845mm |
Seat Tube Length | 400mm | 430mm | 470mm | 520mm |
Seat Tube Angle | 74° | 74° | 74° | 74° |
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