Lighter. Smarter. Faste:
“Fast and flat, rowdy and technical, punchy and hard—no matter the course, the Epic is the best tool to get you to the top of the podium. Its design is all-new, and boy, oh boy is it fast”, added Specialized.
Tracks have changed over the past few years. And while hard-packed fireroads used to rule the XC roost, they’ve been replaced with technical singletrack and rock gardens, all while keeping racers going full gas and on the limit. So Specialized completely redesigned the frame to be Rider-First Engineered™, developed a modern XC geometry, and created a new Brain rear shock and suspension platform.
Lighter:
Rider-First Engineered™ frame that saves *up to 525 grams, while also maintaining stiffness.
Smarter:
The Brain 2.0 is completely redesigned. It sits closer to the rear axle and features a new layout and oil flow path for more consistent damping control, bump performance, and bump responsiveness.
Faster:
Longer reach, slacker head tube, and a custom fork offset create a better handling package. Climbing, descending, stability, and confidence are no longer afterthoughts.
Redesigned Frame:
Rider-First Engineered™ is a technology that Specialized introduced with the new Tarmac, and it brings unique layups and tube shapes for every frame size. This allows Specialized engineers to set specific ride quality targets per size, so whether ride a size Small or an X-Large, the rider has the same intended ride experience without it being too stiff or “riding like a wet noodle”.
Specialized were able to make a bike that holds a stiffness-to-weight number that can go toe-to-toe with any of the competition, while also cutting out 240 grams from the rear end (a 39% weight savings) and up to 525 grams out of the frame alone. That's the equivalent of taking out an entire Brain shock, shock extension, a few headset spacers, and pivot hardware.
Brain 2.0:
“The suspension world was turned upside down when Brain was introduced over a decade ago. It was, and is, the only shock that can differentiate rider and trail inputs,” added Specialized. It rides firm on smooth terrain and opens when encountering trail/bump force impact. The need for lockout levers, extra cables, and remotes is gone, so no more riding descents and forgetting to open your shock. It does the thinking for the rider.
According to Specialized, “Brain 2.0 takes everything that was great from earlier iterations and builds upon them”. Moving the Brain closer to the axle, where the moment of inertia happens, creates a more responsive system than ever before. Oil porting and flow paths have been reengineered to reduce oil turbulence and provide more consistent damping. And the suspension team has also addressed hose fitting, so there are no frame rub issues. Now, the hoses are routed directly through the shock extension, taking out unnecessary curves and fittings, and therefore improving oil flow.
Modern Geometry:
XC riding and racing has changed. Gone are the race courses that resembled walking paths through the park. In are sections of trail that could be mistaken for an enduro track. Specialized knew they had to address the sharp, often intimidating ride characteristics of XC bikes, so everything was thrown out the window and they started from scratch.
Specialized increased the reach to make for a longer, more stable front end. To keep the rider position consistent with what we have today, they shortened the stem length, which also makes for quick handling. The head angle, meanwhile, was slackened by 1.5 degrees to create an aggressive 69.5-degree angle. Those two changes combine to create a bike that's much more confident at speed and descending through steep and rough terrain. The bike and suspension team tested dozens of tuning setups and fork offsets until settling on what gave Specialized the best balance of stability and snappy handling, leaving the rider with a 42mm fork offset.
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