The new Specialized Epic World Cup – Radically different

The brand name Specialized stands for innovation. Now, the Americans channelled their efforts onto what is probably the most iconic race bike in mountain bike history. Olympic Games, World Champs of all kinds and most recently, the Cape Epic, have all been won on Specialized Epic Bikes. Despite these successes, the developers from Morgan Hill a new member in the family of podium contenders.

Specialized’s product developers have proven more than once that they have a knack for new trends. With models such as the current Enduro or the Diverge Gravel Bike, the Americans are re-exploring the limits of the established and thus setting new trends for the entire market. The will to further develop the products is rooted deeply within the DNA of Specialized. Now the product managers, laid their eyes on what is probably the most iconic race bike in mountain bike history. Olympic Games, World Champs of all kinds and most recently, the Cape Epic, have all been won on Specialized Epic Bikes. Despite or because of these successes, the developers from Morgan Hill are creating a new additional edition of the podium contender. The new Specialized Epic World Cup takes such a radical new approach that fans of the brand will even wonder if the Epic name is even justified anymore?

All Epic S-Works Bikes in comparisson

Aside from the wording and the option of mounting two bottle cages, there are little commons. The new Epic World Cup has only 75 mm travel at the rear, does without the popular Brain damper and also breaks new ground in terms of design. If you take the time to look at the details, you’ll quickly realise, that this bike is a lot more than a clumsy copy of the Trek Supercaliber.

The new Specialized Epic World Cup defies a current trend

Recently, Scott and Orbea have tried to establish more suspension travel in cross country racing. Both the Scott Spark and the Orbea Oiz have 120 mm suspension travel at the front and rear. The successes that Nino Schurter, or most recently Georg Egger and Lukas Baum rode at the Cape Epic with the Oiz, underline: the attempt was successful. If the racetracks become more and more extreme, then the material has to be redesigned accordingly. On the other hand, nobody can ignore how successful the combination of theTrek Supercaliber (with 70 mm travel in the rear) and Jolanda Neff or Evie Richards in recent years has been. Based on the sporting successes, neither the trend towards more suspension travel nor Trek’s minimalist approach can be confirmed as the right or wrong approach for cross country racers. Maybe that’s also the reason why Specialized decided to creat an adittional model in their lineup. The new Epic World Cup uses 75 mm of travel in the rear, but uses a 110 mm version of the Rock Shox SID SL (32 mm stanchions including Brain technology) for the fork. Is the new Epic World Cup trying to combine two opposing trends in one bike?

The new 2023 Epic World Cup: more hardtail than fully

A look at the damper of the new epic ends the guesswork. Here, it quickly becomes clear which goal the Specialized engineers are pursuing with their new development. Unlike the Scott Spark or the Orbea Oiz, which want to poach trail bikes with more travel, the new Epic is aimed at a different target group. With its minimalistic 75 mm suspension travel, it is clearly aimed at people who love the direct riding experience of hardtails. And there are still be many of them in 2023! Also, during the video shoot with the Scott Scale or the Cannondale Scalpel we have noticed again and again how awesome the direct riding experience of a hardtail can be. Even smallest movements on the crank are converted directly into propulsion. Of course, the feedback from the rear triangle is correspondingly hard on rough descents. With hardtails, the rear tire keeps losing contact with the ground. And where there is no contact, there can be no control. Even if many hardtail disciples love the pure riding experience on single trails, it is ultimately the greatest weakness of mountain bikes with a rigid rear end. The new Specialized Epic addresses exactly this weakness.

The first no-brainer in a long time – the damper of the Specialized Epic World Cup

Combining the advantages of a fully and a hardtail is an ambitious goal that many companies have failed to achieve. (By the way, here we have an article that explains the advantages and disadvantages to you in detail) In order to achieve this goal, Specialized is breaking away from the Brain technology, which for decades has automatically blocked the rear end of the Specialized Epic-Fully with the help of an inertia valve. Even if the Brain dampers always had a slight breakaway torque before releasing the spring travel, they enjoyed cult status in the scene. They make it possible to concentrate 100% on racing without any electronics whatsoever. Because since decades, the system decided independently whether the rear end should be locked or opened. This relieved the rider of a lot of headaches and was always more stylish, elegant and somewhat also less stressful than the electronic approaches from chassis giants like Fox or Rock Shox. Anyone looking for a common thread in Specialized’s product developments will ultimately find it right there. It doesn’t matter whether it’s 29er wheels for bikes with a lot of suspension travel, storage boxes in the down tube, auto-sag functions of suspensions or the Brain shock absorber – they all ultimately have one goal: They should work inconspicuously and deliver real added value, WITHOUT keeping the rider on the trail busy for a split second. If you let the last two sentences melt in your mouth, it will become clear why the new Epic does not have a lockout lever despite the missing Brain damper. From now on, the Americans will solve the issue of efficiency differently.

Two air chambers, three driving modes and half a brain

The spring elements have two air chambers, that’s nothing new. The positive air chamber is responsible for the spring stiffness of the damper or fork. The negative air chamber largely determines the response behaviour of the suspension element. What is new, or rather rediscovered, is the fact that the positive and negative air chambers can be adjusted separately from one another. Therein lies the key to the new concept of the epic.

The three riding modes of the 2023 Specialized Epic World Cup

If you choose the hard riding mode, using a setup that requires explanation, you completely eliminate the negative chamber of the damper. The result: small bumps are simply ignored by the damper. The riding behaviour comes pretty close to that of a hardtail in normal conditions. Only when a really hard hit hits the rear wheel, does the shock absorber release the 75 mm of travel. This is how Specialized wants to combine the direct handling of a hardtail with the reserves of a fully, when it really gets down to business. Anyone who cannot get used to this thought, or rather feeling, has the option of filling the negative chamber with a new setup. The medium riding mode requires big but not extreme hits to release the suspension travel. In the soft riding mode, the damper works as you would expect from a fully. Thanks to approx. 10% negative spring travel, it responds to even minor bumps and ensures a comfortable ride, even on gravel. In rough terrain, with only 75 mm of rear travel, the limit should be reached faster than with modern race fullys such as the Scott Spark or the Orbea Oiz. But it should be clearly superior to a classic hardtail.

No quick switch between driving modes

The idea behind this system is that the rider chooses his mode, depending on the route or personal preferences and is happy with it while riding. After all, you want to mountain bike and not adjust the dampers. For the fork, Specialized continues to rely on the proven Brain technology, which automatically releases the spring travel, using an inertia valve. Like its predecessor, the new Epic does completely without a lockout lever on the handlebars.

Are 1765 grams heavy or light for the frame and shock?

Specialized specifies the frame weight as 1765 grams including the damper, paint and all the screws required to attach the damper. But where should one classify this weight now? If you compare it with conventional race fullys, it is amazingly good value. Including the damper, hardly any full suspension bike manages to fall below two kilograms. However, if you take a look at the hardtails – and just to remind you: That was the target group where we think that Specialized wants to go hunting for customers – the weight analysis of the frame is sobering. The S-Works version of the current Specialized Epic Hardtail was one of the lightest mountain bike frames in the world. The benchmark for the frame weight is more in the range of 700 grams. With over a kilo more on the frame, the total weight of the bike naturally increases significantly. The fascination that super-light hardtails such as the Scott Scale SL trigger, suffers as a result. After all: Even the competition does not find it easy to score a hit when it comes to frame weight. The Trek Supercaliber frame, including the shock (which consists, among other things, of a stanchion from a 40 mm downhill fork by Fox) weighs well over 2000 grams. The frame weight and the low rear suspension travel make it absolutely clear: the new Specialized Epic is neither one thing nor the other. The question arises: Does this approach perfectly reflect the zeitgeist? If you do not like this idea, you still have the choice for a normal Epic Hardtail or Fully.

Current standards on the Specialized Epic World Cup

• Bottom bracket: BSA (bolted)
• Wheel size: 29 inches
• Rear wheel installation dimensions: 12×148 mm
• Seatpost: 30.9 mm
• Cable routing: through the headset
• Bottle holder: space for two
• Special feature: does not require a lockout lever
• Derailleur hanger: UDH (SRAM Eagle Transmission compatible)
• Travel: 110 mm (front) / 75 mm (rear)

Not to be neglected: Prices of the 2023 Epic World Cup

As in our report on the new Cube Stereo One and also the Canyon Neuron, we have to state once again: the peak in price development has been reached. Sure, €12,500 for the S-Works model isn’t a bargain. However, if you compare this price with that of the S-Works Fullys, you will notice that the bikes have become significantly cheaper. After the third launch this year, which shows the same trend in price development, one thing is clear: In the medium term, prices will tumble to a reasonable level across the entire industry.

Model variants of the 2023 Specialized Epic World Cup

When it comes to the model variants, Specialized is still keeping a low profile when it comes to the presentation. In addition to the frame (which costs a whopping €6500 in the S-Works version), only two models are currently being presented. Both are shifting with SRAM’s new Eagle Transmission drive. Both are outrageously expensive. Currently there is still a shortage of parts in the industry. It is expected, that as these shortages end, other model variants will also appear later in the season or for the 2024 model year. However, Specialized clearly positions the new Epic World Cup as a high-end product. A “cheap” version for 3000 to 4000 € is not to be expected in the medium term. Specialized will serve this price range with the Epic Hardtail, which is currently on the market. According to our information, the Epic Evo with 120 mm travel and the normal Epic Fully will remain unchanged for the time being. Here is also an overview of the current hardtail lineup from Specialized: Here are the current Epic Fullys:

Comparison with the competition (Trek Supercaliber)

As per usual, we not only provide in-depth insights. In contrast to all other media, our innovative and absolutely objective test system allows direct comparison with other bikes. The new Specialized Epic Cross Country Fully can’t be finalised without the competition comparison to the Trek Supercaliber. The visual similarity simply invites us to do so. While no one at Morgen Hill will admit that, there’s no denying, that the Supercaliber was at least a bit of inspiration in the development of the new Epic. If you subtract the usual development period for a new mountain bike of three to four years from today, you end up roughly with the presentation date of the Trek Supercaliber 2019. But a look at the details reveals: A lot has happened in this period. The frame of the Specialized is significantly lighter, the whole concept does not require a lockout lever compared to the Trek and the geometry also looks much more modern. We have already drawn a comparison for you so that you can form your own opinion. You can find complete purchase advice for race bikes here.

In this article, the author Ludwig Döhl has incorporated his experience from more than 100,000 kilometers in the mountain bike saddle.