The new Specialized Epic World Cup is a full suspension mountain bike designed for premier class racing, with 75mm of rear travel.
The bike moves away from the brand’s longstanding brain suspension system and instead uses a new shock designed with RockShox that lets you control the negative air chamber pressure.
The new bike does not replace the current full-suspension Epic, with Specialist branding the Epic World Cup as an “Olympic Cross Country bike.”
The bike is only available in the higher Specialized build tiers, S-Works and Pro. It also points to the death of the Epic Hardtail above the Comp level because the brand feels the Epic World Cup provides all the needs of elite riders.
The S-Works Epic World Cup costs £12,000 / $12,000 / €12,500, while the standard Pro version is £8,500 / $8,900 / €9,000.
The bikes are available to order now, with some retailers already receiving limited quantities.
How do you specialize in the new epic World Cup tournament? Read our first ride review.
new brain?
The frame features a hardtail-like silhouette, similar to that of the Trek Supercaliber, with the rear shocks integrated into the top tube.
Specialized partnered with RockShock to develop a SIDLuxe WCID (World Cup Integrated Design) rear shock.
The new shock allows the bike to be setup in three distinct settings: No Gulp, Half Gulp and Full Gulp.
These settings indicate how much air is in the negative air chamber, which is controlled via a button valve on the shock body that leaks air from the positive chamber.
The company’s “No Gulp” setup requires maximum force to start the suspension because there is no air in the negative spring.
The shock does not recede in this place. Specialized says this means the system gives about the same amount of travel as a typical 100mm rear suspension set up with 25 percent sag (a fairly standard setting for a cross-country mountain bike).
The brand says this is best for smooth courses.
The “Half Gulp” medium setting has an increase in negative air pressure, which eases starting travel, increasing sensitivity to the small vibrations of rougher trails.
Finally, the active “Full Gulp” setting has the most negative air pressure and features a more linear advance with a flatter spring rate.
Specialized moved away from the Brain suspension, which uses an inertia valve to lock the rear shock while pedaling and unlock it under impact.
The Brain has dominated the Epic rear shock since 2002 and Specialized sees the new shock as an evolution of the same principles.
The RockShox SID SL Ultimate still features a brain damper, which incorporates Position-Sensitive technology that enables 15mm of sag in the fork.
Specialized says this provides small bump compliance and a firm pedaling platform without the need for a remote lockout or lever flip.
The Epic World Cup uses a small dog bone-shaped link hidden under the top tube.
Specialized says this size reduction increases stiffness because the tolerances are reduced compared to the larger link in today’s epic.
Specialized Epic World Cup Engineering
The new bike has a slacker geometry than the regular Epic, with a one-degree head angle at 66.5 degrees.
The bike also has a more aggressive seat angle of 74.5 degrees, compared to 75.8 degrees.
This is a common trend in cross-country cycling. As the courses get more technical, there are more seconds to make up on the downhills, making a more capable bike more competitive.
Specialized Epic World Cup tire details
The S-Works frameset is manufactured using Specialized FACT 12M high quality carbon fiber. This saves 110 grams versus the Pro frameset.
Specialized says it used what it learned when developing the Aethos, the brand’s lightest road bike, when designing the Epic World Cup.
The new bike can accommodate up to 36 teeth, with both build options equipped with a 34-tooth chainring.
A full-length rubber guard covers the drivetrain’s side chainstay, which should keep the bike quiet while protecting the carbon underneath.
Home mechanics will rejoice to see the threaded bottom bracket, which has been a popular move by a lot of manufacturers.
Unlike many newer cross-country bikes, which have switched to flat brakes, the Epic World Cup sticks to post-mount brakes, ensuring a wide range of compatibility.
Specialized routed the brake cables through the headset, giving a cleaner look to the cockpit. The brand claims this reduces the possibility of hose failure.
Specialized Epic World Cup specification details
Specialized S-Works Epic World Cup
- fork: RockShox SID SL Ultimate Brain
- shock: Specialized RockShox SIDLuxe WCID Ultimate
- payment system: SRAM XX SL AXS Type T.
- brake: SRAM Level Ultimate Stealth
- Tires: Specialized S-Works FastTrack 2.35in (F), Renegade 2.35in (R)
- price: £12,000 / $12,000 / €12,500
Epic World Cup Specialist
- fork: RockShox SID SL Ultimate Brain
- shock: Specialized RockShox SIDLuxe WCID Ultimate
- payment system: SRAM X0 AXS Type T.
- brake: SRAM Silver Level Sneak
- Tires: Specialized FastTrack 2.35in (F), Renegade 2.35in (R).
- price: £8,500 / $8,900 / €9,000