Anyone have a new Spec Epic World Cup?

[Dr Luxurious]

Rode one yesterday, frickin rocket. Almost had me making an crazy expensive impulse buy.

Looking for feedback specifically on the proprietary (ugh) integrated shock and mini pivot. IE tuning, maintenance, likes, dislikes, whether it pairs well with fava beans and a nice chianti, etc.

I keep my stuff forever and stay away from things that might not be repairable in 3 years (like that shock) but IT RIDES SO DAMN WELL so...

[p nut]

I’m more of a hardtail guy and had a chance to ride a friend’s Supercaliber (Gen2). If asked if I’d trade my ti hardtail for one, it’d be hard but would lean Yes! Probably like the Epic WC, it is stiff like a HT but so compliant down the chunky stuff.
I couldn’t justify $12k for one but man, what a great bike.

[EB]

If your primary concern is around maintenance, you should be aware of a number of things:

- This frame uses headset cable routing, and the S-Works models top that off with an integrated bar/stem component. Any changes to the cockpit are massive maintenance headaches.

- I am fairly sure this frame requires a wireless drivetrain, so you are stuck with SRAM until Shimano finally gets around to releasing their solution, which includes some unknowns around UDH and how Shimano intends to deal with the direct mount issue.

- The fork includes Specialized's Brain system, which is a known maintenance headache.

Looking over the rear suspension design, I think the primary maintenance issue is that you are stuck with a shock that is specific to this bike from one manufacturer. Given that this is a highly specialized race bike, I don't think the target market cares much, but your concern about availability down the line is legitimate.

[Dr Luxurious]

Yeah, HT routing is the worst but this only has the rear brake line to worry about because, yes, electronic shifting only. I think I'm ok with that.

No way I can afford the sworks so I won't have to deal with integrated bar/stem. That would be a deal killer for me - I can't abide that much proprietary nonsense.

[Jaybee]

I also have a Supercaliber, which I guess is in the same genre, so I understand the race rocket allure and even the impulse buy. When I bought my Supercal, I was actually walking into that shop to test and probably buy a Highball, but here I be. That short travel bike has won my heart and though there are plenty of design and proprietary concerns, it's still on my very short list of favorite bikes I've ever ridden. I'm guessing the Epic WC probably feels similar.

That said, I think a lot of the concerns EB has are real. I've ridden enough bikes to know that I wouldn't buy a bike with Brain - I just dislike the way it feels relative to a remote lockout. I also resist headset cable routing, especially in bikes that are going to see some weather, creek crossings, etc. One of my riding buddies is on his 3rd set of Scott Spark headset bearings.

What a fun bike though.

[EB]

FWIW, if maintenance is a factor in your buying process for a mountain bike, I highly recommend test riding a Santa Cruz Blur before you drop the coin on this one. To date, Santa Cruz makes the most home-mechanic-friendly mountain bikes in the market, by some distance, in my experience.

You can probably even get a big discount on one at the moment.

[Jaybee]

Originally Posted by EB

FWIW, if maintenance is a factor in your buying process for a mountain bike, I highly recommend test riding a Santa Cruz Blur before you drop the coin on this one. To date, Santa Cruz makes the most home-mechanic-friendly mountain bikes in the market, by some distance, in my experience.

You can probably even get a big discount on one at the moment.

If anyone finds a Blur on big discount, please let me know. Tallboys and Megatowers galore, but no XC bikes.

i second the home-mechanic friendly opinion though. Buy an SC, and
-the fit/finish will be solid. no sloppy interfaces, unchased brake mounts, paint that chips when you look at it.
-the internal cable routing will just work, and it won't go through the headset
-there won't be any weird choices for shock or bearing sizes. Everything is available aftermarket
-it will have a threaded BB
-it probably won't be the lightest frame in class, but it will be durable, have a nice balance of progressive/reasonable geometry, and be a blast to ride.

[Mikej]

For what it’s worth, the blur is 3+ pounds heavier than the Gen2 SC 21.5 lbs.

[EB]

Originally Posted by Jaybee

If anyone finds a Blur on big discount, please let me know. Tallboys and Megatowers galore, but no XC bikes.

i second the home-mechanic friendly opinion though. Buy an SC, and
-the fit/finish will be solid. no sloppy interfaces, unchased brake mounts, paint that chips when you look at it.
-the internal cable routing will just work, and it won't go through the headset
-there won't be any weird choices for shock or bearing sizes. Everything is available aftermarket
-it will have a threaded BB
-it probably won't be the lightest frame in class, but it will be durable, have a nice balance of progressive/reasonable geometry, and be a blast to ride.

You forgot to add that the linkages are dog-simple to work on. Zerk fittings, hello!

[Dr Luxurious]

Re: the Blur
Nah, I'm going for the "just barely has suspension / almost a hardtail" thing. IE the Epic WC or Supercal.
I have a Canyon Lux and I'm just not into the squish. I've also ridden Ibis, and the regular Epic. They feel like the Lux: Too... full suspension. Assuming the Blur is similar (?)
I'm starting to talk myself out of it because of the brain fork. Having to send it in for service is ridiculous. Could swap the fork but that's another pile of money.
Leaning back toward the Trek.
But the WC I'm looking at is at about $2K off retail which is awfully compelling and is really the only reason this bike is even a possibility.

[EB]

Originally Posted by Dr Luxurious

Re: the Blur
Nah, I'm going for the "just barely has suspension / almost a hardtail" thing. IE the Epic WC or Supercal.
I have a Canyon Lux and I'm just not into the squish. I've also ridden Ibis, and the regular Epic. They feel like the Lux: Too... full suspension. Assuming the Blur is similar (?)
I'm starting to talk myself out of it because of the brain fork. Having to send it in for service is ridiculous. Could swap the fork but that's another pile of money.
Leaning back toward the Trek.
But the WC I'm looking at is at about $2K off retail which is awfully compelling and is really the only reason this bike is even a possibility.

Increase the spring rate on the Blur, turn up the compression damping a bit, and it will behave more like your desired ride feel. And that leaves you with the option to have a higher traction option available as well, without all of the proprietary stuff.

[catchourbreath]

One other question for the EPIC WC, they don't seem to show up super often in the WC races, the new evo appears to be more common. I do wonder if the lifespan of the bike might be short (same to say with the Diverge STR)

[EB]

Originally Posted by catchourbreath

One other question for the EPIC WC, they don't seem to show up super often in the WC races, the new evo appears to be more common. I do wonder if the lifespan of the bike might be short (same to say with the Diverge STR)

That's just course dependent. A lot of the World Cup courses are gnarly enough now - especially on technical climbs - that the 100mm and 120mm bikes are always the winning choice. There are much fewer WC courses now where a hardtail or this kind of "soft-tail" makes sense.

This even applies to XCC, because the World Cup rules require the rider to use the same bike on the XCC course as the XCO course, so it often just makes more sense to run the 120mm bike with the lockout on in the XCC, than to save a couple of pounds in the XCC with the soft-tail, only to get punished on the tech climbs in the XCO.

Outside of world class riding there are of course lots of XC races where the soft tail can make more sense, especially in the US domestic scene and in NICA where gnarly courses are practically against the rules.

[.RJ]

Originally Posted by catchourbreath

One other question for the EPIC WC, they don't seem to show up super often in the WC races, the new evo appears to be more common. I do wonder if the lifespan of the bike might be short (same to say with the Diverge STR)

If thats the case, it would make sense to buy with the bike a full set of whatever odd proprietary bits to that frame - cable guides, headset parts, derailleur hangar, and possibly a complete shock, etc - if you're committed to riding it long term.

Specialized is better than most at keeping parts available for old bikes but it can take months to find stuff.

[Jaybee]

Originally Posted by catchourbreath

One other question for the EPIC WC, they don't seem to show up super often in the WC races, the new evo appears to be more common. I do wonder if the lifespan of the bike might be short (same to say with the Diverge STR)

As a World Cup race bike, the Epic 8 is more on par with the other 120/120 offerings that nearly everyone except Trek riders are on. There are more Epic WCs at some of the less spicy climb heavy courses (Araxa, Les Gets) and they're also pretty popular at less techy marathon races like Leadville.

But I think your concern about Epic WC being phased out is a valid one. Trek has been committed to the Supercal platform for longer, so it seems like it has some real staying power.