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2019 Men's Epic Expert

5

3 Reviews

Lightweight carbon frame? Check. Industry-leading suspension technology? Oh yeah.…

Product Details

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Lightweight carbon frame? Check. Industry-leading suspension technology? Oh yeah. Race-ready build kit? You know it. The Epic Expert is not only ready to shine in races, but it's also ready to put your closest buddies in the pain cave on the weekends.

Race courses have evolved over the past few years. They're more technical, steeper, and 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 Brain 2.0. The original Brain changed the way the bike world looked at suspension, both in 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 Brain became more than just a slight upgrade. It's totally reborn. 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 Epic also has a rider Rider-First Engineered™ design that places complex carbon pieces in all the right places, and this 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 525 grams.

The build of the Epic Expert meshes performance with value, featuring a 12-speed SRAM GX Eagle groupset, a RockShox SID fork with bottom-adjust Brain Fade, SRAM Level TL brakes, and a hand-built Roval Control Carbon fiber wheelset. Get ready, because this is going to be Epic.

  • Full fact 11m carbon fiber frame combines stiffness, strength, and light overall weight to deliver an off-the-hook race bike. Meanwhile, the new geometry, RockShox Brain shock, and 100mm of travel, make the Epic the best handling, fastest XC rig you've been on.
  • The 12-speed SRAM GX Eagle groupset brings the performance of Eagle at a doable price point.
  • The hand-built Roval Control Carbon wheels feature a modern 25mm internal width hookless rim, ensuring optimal traction and rolling resistance properties.

Technical Specifications

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FRAMESET

FRAME

Specialized FACT 11m, XC Geometry, Rider-First Engineered™, threaded BB, 12x148mm rear spacing, internal cable routing, 100mm of travel

SUSPENSION

FORK

RockShox SID Brain 29, Solo Air, Bottom-adjust Brain Fade, 15x110mm Maxle® Stealth thru-axle, 42mm offset, 100mm of travel

REAR SHOCK

Custom RockShox Micro Brain shock w/ Spike Valve, AUTOSAG, 51x257mm

COCKPIT

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

SADDLE

Body Geometry Phenom Comp, hollow Cr-Mo rails, 143mm

SEATPOST

Alloy, single-bolt, 30.9mm

SEAT BINDER

Alloy, 34.9mm

BRAKES

FRONT BRAKE

SRAM Level TL, hydraulic disc

REAR BRAKE

SRAM Level TL, hydraulic disc

DRIVETRAIN

SHIFT LEVERS

SRAM GX Eagle, trigger, 12-speed

REAR DERAILLEUR

SRAM GX Eagle, 12-speed

CASSETTE

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

CRANKSET

Truvativ STYLO, DUB

CHAINRINGS

SRAM Eagle, 32T

BOTTOM BRACKET

SRAM DUB, threaded BB

CHAIN

SRAM GX Eagle, 12-speed

WHEELS & TIRES

RIMS

Roval Control Carbon, 25mm internal width, tubeless-ready

FRONT HUB

Specialized, sealed cartridge bearings, 15x110mm spacing, 28h

REAR HUB

Specialized, sealed cartridge bearings, 12x148mm thru-axle, 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

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

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SMLXL
Crank Length170mm175mm175mm175mm
Handlebar Width750mm750mm750mm750mm
Stem Length60mm70mm80mm90mm
Saddle Width143mm143mm143mm143mm
Seatpost Length350mm400mm400mm400mm
Stack588mm597mm611mm630mm
Reach408mm433mm456mm475mm
Head Tube Length95mm105mm120mm140mm
Head Tube Angle69.5°69.5°69.5°69.5°
BB Height332mm332mm332mm332mm
BB Drop38.9mm38.9mm38.9mm38.9mm
Trail94mm94mm94mm94mm
Fork Length, Full506mm506mm506mm506mm
Fork Rake/Offset42mm42mm42mm42mm
Front Center659mm687mm715mm742mm
Chainstay Length438mm438mm438mm438mm
Wheelbase1094mm1123mm1151mm1177mm
Top Tube Length, Horizontal568mm596mm623mm647mm
Bike Standover Height764mm770mm776mm799mm
Seat Tube Length400mm434mm470mm520mm
Seat Tube Angle74.75°74.75°74.75°74.75°
Geometry

Complete Your Ride

Rider Reviews

5

3 Reviews

 

Best mountain bike

What can I say, this is the best bike I’ve ever ridden or owned. It feels like an extension of the body out on the trails. The only bike I can imagine wanting more is a newer model year of the same thing.

Would Recommend?
Yes!

Name:
Rossi

Helpful?

amazing bike

I bought this bike a year ago and I can't be more satisfied. It is safe, fun, comfortable and climbs everything you want. It's geometry is perfect for me! I had problems with the rear suspension but the store's assistance (Gaiabike) was great (they gave me one for replacement while mine was repairing). I don't want anything else!


Name:
Pedro A.

Helpful?

Simply Amazing

Had been riding a 2014 Anthem X1 I bought new and was extremely happy with. But, bike was getting a little old so I tried a 2019 Orbea Alma build and just couldn't get back into a hardtail again. I went out looking for the perfect pairing of the two and found it here. This bike just plain feels great. I have everything set to neutral and couldn't be happier! Light, fast and feels hooked up even on the damp/wet trails this time of year. With the exception of the grips this bike is ready to roll straight out of the box. Imagine what I'll think when I start dialing it in. FWIW I've ridden just about everything and started mountain biking in the late 90's. I'm an intermediate rider and these days I stick to intermediate trails in and around Anderson SC riding around 30 miles a week. Hope I'm as happy 6 months from now - I think I will be!


Name:
Jes A.

Helpful?