Specialized Epic Elite Carbon World Cup Review

It is over 4 years since I last rode a full susser, back in the days when 29in wheels were the sole reserve of the roadie crowd. So I leapt at the chance to try a modern 29er full suspension bike. Specialized brought along some demo bikes to this months South Downs Bikes shop ride and although the focus of the event was the new 2016 Stumpjumper FSR, I unhooked an Epic Elite Carbon World Cup from the rack. The Epic World Cup is actually a far more appropriate bike for the style of riding I do, aimed squarely at the XC and marathon racer.   

It was a bit of a rushed set-up with 65 waiting riders itching to hit the trails, so there was no time to tune the shock or fork pressures. As it turned out they were pretty much in the sweet spot! Heading up Chantry Lane to the top of the Downs no amount of out of the saddle, exaggerated pedal input produced any bob from the rear end. However, as soon as we crested the ridge and rolled onto the chalky bridleways the shock immediately opened up. The Specialized ‘Brain’ threshold  lock out was super smooth with no noticeable notch in the movement at all as it disengaged, allowing the rear wheel suspension to open up. There was only one big hit during the entire ride where I actually felt the brain disengage, the rest of the time it was like a magic carpet smoothing out the trail when needed, but locked out when it wasn’t. I was extremely impressed with the efficiency of the suspension system. There was one rocky section where I especially noticed the benefit of the plush ride and extra traction. The single track was almost cobbled with round fist sized flints, sitting proud of the trail. It would have been an absolute bone rattling ride on the hard tail, requiring the rider to get up out of the saddle and freewheel. The Epic not only allowed me to remain seated but also stay on the gas too, the rear wheel sticking to the trail instead of bouncing over the rocks.

Like my own bike, the Epic’s Rock Shox SID fork was also fitted with a Brain. The evening really opened my eyes to the correct set-up of this fork. I run mine quite firm, but the Epic’s fork was buttery smooth, eating every tiny ripple and bump. Yet somehow it remained rock solid on tarmac sprints, which is a glorious combination I’ll admit I’ve never achieved with my own bike.

The rest of the bike worked flawlessly, the Magura MTS brakes further highlighting my continued struggles with my XTR M9000’s, by demonstrating great modulation and good power when needed. The 1x10 SRAM drivechain worked without a glitch all night, even though I personally don’t’ like the location of the ‘push’ only downshift of the SRAM trigger shifter. It is amazing how quickly I have got used to the 42t bailout gear of my 11 speed XX1 cassette, initially I felt short changed with only 36t out back,  but as I have done for the previous 2 years I coped fine despite our ride tackling some seriously steep ascents.

In recent years I have been spoilt by sub 19lbs hard tail race bikes making life easier when scooting up an incline. The extra mass of the Epic was definitely noticeable. This is something that could certainly be helped with some carbon wheels and selective component upgrades. The Elite also had an aluminium swing arm out back, which adds mass compared to the carbon seat and chain stays of the bikes higher up the Epic range.

Handling wise, just under 2 hours is long enough to make a good comparison. I was still adjusting to the wide bars on the Epic, but the angles and position seemed natural and similar to the Stumpy hard tail. It wasn’t obviously ponderous, although perhaps it felt a bit more stable due to the longer wheelbase.

So at the end of the ride when I hung the Epic up in the Specialized tent and picked up my hard tail, was I sold on the benefits of suspension? Yes, but no I won’t be trading in my hard tail anytime soon! Without a doubt the Epic was more comfortable and still rapid if pushed, and during a long marathon event or multi hour trail ride I can see that being a significant advantage. The efficiency is retained because of the Brain threshold lockout and the suspension provides extra traction, making this bike faster through technical or rough sections of trail. For me it didn’t beat the undiluted raw transfer of power of a hard tail, especially when ascending or when your route is more flowing than gnarly. Lugging the extra weight of those pivots and shock around takes it toll and slightly blunts performance.

The Epic is marketed as a race bike and under Javoslav Kulharvy has won the Olympic title, but on the basis of Wednesday evenings ride it didn’t feel as racey to me as my Stumpjumper. The Stumpjumper is almost nervous and feels like it just wants to go fast. The Epic Elite was more steady, a bike that will keep you moving on in any terrain but the ultimate top end just isn’t there. Perhaps a top of the range S-Works Epic would feel more purposeful.  If I could afford another bike, just for technical rides and longer social riding the Epic would be top of my list, but at the moment I’ll stick to the hard tail. The other thought that comes to mind when I remember my full susser days is the maintenance and fettling needed to keep everything moving freely and the suspension feeling shop fresh. The simplicity of the hard tail is definitely appealing for the home mechanic.