Specialized S-Works Epic AXS

We saw that evolution in racing as an opportunity to evolve the perfect racing machine—a bike that both World Cup athletes and XC riders alike can instantly feel the benefit from. Confident handling is paramount. That’s why we increased the Epic’s reach to make it more stable at speed and generally more comfortable to ride. Dropper posts? Yep. Full-length droppers fit in the Epic’s 30.9mm seat tube. Head angle? We slacked that out to improve high-speed handling and steep descents, but not without evaluating the overall handling package. The Epic still behaves itself beautifully in tight corners and switchbacks thanks to our pairing that slacker head angle with a custom offset, 42mm fork. Next comes Brain 2.0. The original Brain changed the way the bike world looked at suspension, both its drawbacks and benefits. And oh, was the Brain good. Brain-equipped Epics won countless races and put a flag in the ground. This was the pinnacle of racing performance…. But we knew we could make this suspension better still. Simple physics told us that, by moving the Brain closer to the rear axle, it would be in the most sensitive spot. And after countless hours with the RockShox team, we’ve achieved much more than an upgraded Brain. This is Brain reborn. Now, the Brain reacts seamlessly to bump forces, has much more consistent damping performance, and finally, features hoses that are sleekly integrated within the suspension links. This, in turn, improves oil paths, and creates an incredibly sleek package that outperforms anything on the market. The Epic also has a rider Rider-First Engineered™ design that places complex carbon pieces in all the right places, and this greatly increases stiffness in the front-end for a vast improvement in ride quality and control. To go along with this, each frame size has size-specific tubes that result in the stiffest, best riding XC bike we’ve ever developed—no matter the frame size. And while stiffness, Brain technology, and geometry features are cool and all, we know what you’re thinking, ‘What about weight?’ The Epic’s goal is to be the fastest XC mountain bike we’ve ever made, so weight was at the top of our priorities list. We started with an efficient frame layout and tube shapes that feature clean cable routing, integrated channels through the shock extension, straight tubes with less curves, and optimized torsion profiles in every section. And, if you’re curious, this weight savings is equivalent to shedding a chainstay and shock extension from the previous Epic—nearly 350 grams. For this S-Works AXS model, we spared no expense with the build, so it features a custom RockShox SID World Cup fork w/ Brain Fade, SRAM’s new wireless XX1 Eagle AXS electronic drivetrain, powerful SRAM Level Ultimate brakes, and hand-built, featherweight Roval Control SL wheels.