Mountain Bike Rider — March 2018

£3,500

T

he original Specialized Epic

transformed XC racing, as it was

the first full-suspension bike to

be consistently raced to victory

at the highest level. Powered by

the likes of Jaroslav Kulhavy, the Epic

has racked up world titles, Olympic gold

medals and countless World Cup races.

This year sees the biggest revamp

to the Epic since its inception almost 15

years ago, a ground-up redesign with

every part of the frame evolving.

By far the biggest change to the

frame design is Specialized dropping

its iconic FSR suspension, replacing the

Horst link chainstay pivot with a much

lighter flex stay. The smart part of the

Brain shock has also been placed closer

to the rear axle, making it more sensitive

to impacts.

SUSPENSION

An inertia valve inside the RockShox

Brain shock dictates how the suspension

behaves. Set it to firm and the system

stands solid, like a hardtail, in the

face of rider inputs such as pedalling

and weight shifts. Encounter a bump

however, and it opens up to let the

wheel move though its 100mm of

available travel. The Brain has four

settings from Firm to Soft, so you can

effectively lobotomise the Epic should

you wish. With the adjuster situated at

the rear axle, any adjustments require

you to get off the bike. Still, there’s

something to be said about giving your

own brain one less thing to think about

during a race. For XC racing, the Firm

setting is ideal, but on less demanding

trails a disconcerting knock can be

felt when the shock opens up on the

first impact. Luckily, as the trail gets

more demanding this tends to be less

noticeable as once it’s open it tends

to stay open and behave more like a

regular full-suspension bike.

Many racers will consider the

RockShox Reba fork a little too trail-

focused for a bike like the Epic, but in

reality it weighs only a handful of grams

more than the SID. The more basic RL

model on the Epic is one of the reasons

it struggles downhill. As the rear end

tends to push rider weight over the

fork, the RL sits further into its travel,

neutering its capabilities. Running

the fork firmer for more support just

punishes the rider even further, due to

the reduction in the already restricted

small-bump performance.

COMPONENTS

Despite the ultra-low gears found on the

12-speed SRAM Eagle equipped bikes,

Specialized fits a 30t chainring to the

Race Face Aeffect chainset on the Epic.

From a racing perspective this means

the Epic loses out on top-end speed.

Plus, as it makes you ride further down

the cassette, this can lead to accelerated

cassette and chain wear.

Specialized’s in-house finishing kit

enjoys quality construction and shows

some real thought, like the Epic coming

with a higher-volume 2.3in tyre on the

front to help offset the lack of grip from

the fast-rolling, shallow-tread XC tyres.

PERFORMANCE

The Epic stands out as being the fastest

bike for climbing and sprinting on less

technical terrain — the Brain shock

automatically eliminating any loss of

SPECIALIZED EPIC COMP CARBON

SPECIFICATION

FrameFACT 11M

Carbon, 100mm

ShockRockShox/

Specialized Micro

Brain w/Autosag

ForkRockShox Reba

RL Solo Air, 100mm

WheelsSpecialized

Boost hubs, Roval

Control29rims,

Fast Trak Gripton

29x2.3/2.1in tyres

DrivetrainRace Face

Aeffectchainset30t,

SRAM GX 11-speed

r-mech and shifter

BrakesSRAM Level

TL, 180/160mm

Components

Specialized Mini-rise

720mm handlebar,

Specialized XC

90mm stem,

Specialized alloy

seatpost, Phenom

Comp saddle

SizesS, M, L, XL

Weight11.66kg

(25.71lb)

Contact

specialized.com

GEOMETRY

Size testedLarge

Head angle69.1°

Seat angle70.3°

BB height327mm

Chainstay435mm

Front centre711mm

Wheelbase1,146mm

Down tube703mm

Top tube599mm

Reach456mm

Specialized’s Autosag

technology on the

RockShox shock

makes it quick and

Inertia valve ‘Brain’ shock easy to set the sag

differentiates between rider input

andbumpforces,where a four-

position adjuster alters the force

needed to activate the shock

The 100mm RockShox

Reba fork has a

reduced offset to

improve the steering

response of the Epic

With 28mm Torque Cap hub

end caps, steering stiffness

is first rate. It also makes

locating the front axle easier

VERDICT

Racers who baulk at the thought

of any power being lost through

suspension movement will love the

efficiency of the new Specialized

Epic Comp Carbon. Thanks to the

Brain’s ability to remain calm under

rider input, it is without doubt a

destroyer of climbs. Specialized has

brought some clever design features

to the table too and it should be

commended on how razor sharp the

Epic looks and rides. It loses ground

on the descents though,

so we’d like to

see a little less

height in the BB

and a better

performing fork

to make it less of

a one-trick pony.

power due to sloppy pedalling dynamics

or exaggerated body language. The

steep seat angle also helps give it the

edge on steep, seated climbs.

Despite all of the changes to the Epic

frame it still lags behind the Giant and

Scott in terms of downhill prowess. The

relatively high BB, nose-heavy riding

position and aforementioned fork issues

make it feel out of its depth on steeper,

more technical trails. The end result is

that you’re on the brakes more, losing

precious time. So any advantage the

Epic builds on the climbs and on the

flat is cancelled out by the inability to

comfortably attack or allow the rider to

recover on the downs.

BIKE TEST

102 mbr MARCH 2018