First Look: Specialized Epic 8

The Specialized Epic has been a mainstay of World Cup XCO tracks, and the marathon stage racing scene here in South Africa since it was launched in 2006.

Having spent many a happy hour in the saddle of both the Epic and Epic EVO, there was no way I was passing up the chance to give the latest iteration a rev. Here are my first impressions after a few top secret runs in Jonkershoek:

What’s New?

In short: the Epic 8 no longer makes use of Specialized’s proprietary Brain suspension technology. It’s out with the inertia valve, and in with a custom tuned RockShox Flight Attendant system on the S-Works model, and custom Ride Dynamics tuned RockShox suspension on the rest of the model range. Suspension travel has been increased from 100mm to 120mm front and rear, while the geometry has been tweaked to make it more capable on technical terrain. At the same time the suspension kinematics have evolved to improve pedalling efficiency. The frame also accommodates internal storage (yay!) and an internal steering stop which a last puts paid to the inevitable gouge on the top tube from bar spin in a crash. Finally it weighs in lighter than the previous iteration.

• No Brain
• Travel increased to 120mm
• More capable geometry
• Improved suspension kinematics
• SWAT downtube storage
• Internal steering stop
• Reduced weight

Please Return to Your Seat and Prepare for Takeoff

I rode the S-Works model which comes fully kitted with SRAM the Eagle AXS ecosystem, including the RockShox Flight Attendant system which collects real-time data from the crank, fork, shock, and derailleur to determine your optimal suspension damping setting.

For the data nerds and racing snakes out there you have every measurement feeding to your chosen head unit. Your shifting, suspension and dropper post are all electronically controlled. A Quarq powermeter measures your power output, and the Quarq TyreWiz ensures you can monitor your tyre pressure in real time on your Garmin or Wahoo. Because the S-Works model has been developed specifically to work with the SRAM ecosystem it will not be sold as a frameset only.

The Flight Attendant algorithm takes time to gather data about your riding style and power output, so my first few runs felt janky while the system and I got to know each other. We dialled in surprisingly quickly, and it was uncanny watching it flick between open, middle and lockout as the terrain changed. I’d love to give it a few weeks of data to work with and then feel it in action.

A small digression: this was my first outing on the SRAM Eagle Transmission system, and the new Level Stealth 4-piston brakes. I was blown away by the crispness of the shifting, and really enjoyed the braking power at my disposal. The importance of good, consistent brakes is often overlooked. The whole descending experience hinges on braking control and confidence, and brakes need to have a consistent biting point and good modulation under all conditions for me to relax and trust the system.

On the Trail

The Epic 8 feels fast. It takes your power and gives you forward movement: just like it says on the box. The suspension flicks between modes intuitively after few runs, and having the bike firm up as you try to power up a climb does a lot make you want to push harder and faster.

When you are fighting your way up a choppy climb it opens up a lot more smoothly than I’d anticipated, absorbing hits and then locking up to provide a pedalling platform seamlessly.

On the trails it’s nimble, and wicked around a corner, begging you put in more power after each turn. The handling is razor sharp, and the front wheel goes exactly where you put it (let your gaze wander off the trail at your peril).

When it’s in party mode (wide open) the suspension really works and eats up bumps. When we hit the rocks the bike just floated effortlessly underneath me. Only once I looked at a slow-motion recording did I realise just how much work the suspension was doing for me. All without feeling like I was losing power or speed to ‘squish’.

On the flats between corners the Flight Attendant system firms up into lock out, meaning you don’t waste a single watt. This feels like a bike that has been designed with one purpose in mind: going as fast as possible both up and down hill. It’s a fully committed racer.

If long days and even longer trails, with a sprinkling of big hits are your thing, take a squizz at the Epic 8 EVO.

To find out more about the design and development of the Epic 8, take a look at the full press release here:

The New Epic 8: Reinventing the Formula of Fastest

Efficient x Capable x Lightweight = Fastest

Epics are the fastest cross country race bikes in the world. Always have been. Always will be.
As XC tracks become increasingly more technical, the fastest have adapted. Everyone would expect the new Epic 8 to be more efficient and lighter weight than its predecessor; that’s table stakes, and we did not disappoint. When our World Cup racers turned to the Epic EVO as the bike of choice for many of the ’23 season tracks, it became clear that capability had become the prime mover for the winners of tomorrow. The new Epic 8 is more capable than the previous Epic EVO. The new Epic 8 EVO models set the new downcountry benchmark. Introducing the new Epic 8, redefining the formula of fastest with double the capability, extra efficiency, and less mass.

S-Works Epic 8

I instantly felt the direct power transfer… every watt goes immediately into forward momentum.

Christopher Blevins

The Fastest Frame on Earth

Specialized Ride Dynamics

While you were cutting school to ride your bike, some kids stayed in science club, learning how to manipulate the laws of physics. And some of those kids rode their bikes, too. Those are the kids who grew up to be members of Specialized Ride Dynamics.

And thank goodness they did, because they’ve bent those laws into the fastest, most dialed-in, thought-out, efficient, and lightweight bikes in the world.

To understand how we made the fastest mountain bikes on the planet, you need to understand the Specialized Ride Dynamics team, the elite off-road members of the Specialized Science Club. Our Ride Dynamics team relentlessly focuses on advancing the ride by holistically developing the chassis, geometry, kinematics, spring curves, and damping performance of the bike so it all works together to achieve a singular, elevated ride.

It’s a core group of riders who work obsessively on improving the ride for all riders. They work in our Innovation Centers, on the trail, and on race courses with access to unmatched engineering and testing resources in the industry, collaborating with the fastest racers in the world.

Thank goodness, indeed.

Capability

The fastest up the climb is the fastest across the line.

The Epic 8 punches way, way above its class, because just smashing up the climb is no longer all it takes to win. As tracks get more technical, capability makes the difference between winning and crashing. On top of that, the more composed the bike in technical terrain, the more the rider can recover on the descents so they’re ready to attack on the next climb.

Progressive Geometry for Modern XC

Riders will be blown away by how the Epic 8’s progressive geometry delivers technical terrain capability alongside fast and efficient climbing and acceleration performance. The generous cockpit centers the rider on the bike for optimal traction and corner control. The low bottom bracket and slack headtube keep things composed in the rough, while giving you the freedom to choose between destroying the turn, floating through it, or nailing the inside line.

Specialized Ride Dynamics Tuned Dampers

One might surmise, based on a casual glance at the levers on the rear shocks, that these are typical climbing and descending modes. Just multiple settings of increased compression damping. Look again. Inside. Check out the Specialized Ride Dynamics-developed custom valving. The Ride Dynamics team prescribes the damping characteristics of the shocks (and forks) because it’s by tuning the dampers as part of a system approach between the chassis, leverage rate, and kinematics that we elevate the ride of the bike beyond the sum of its parts.

Epic 8’s Dynamic Trio

Epic 8 models have three custom tuned positions for the rear shock – Wide Open, Sprint, and the Magic Middle.

Wide Open: Let ‘er rip
As the name implies, this is the setting for when there’s a long descent or a particularly technical section. Any time you want maximum suspension advantage. The Wide Open setting has minimal compression damping, delivering a super supple, active ride that makes the Epic 8 feel like a bike with way more travel. You’re welcome.

Magic Middle: Set it and forget it, Goldilocks
Let’s face it, when you’re racing cross country, it’s often hard to keep your lungs in your body, much less think about changing your shock setting. And yet, you need both a firm platform for pedaling efficiency, and active suspension in the rough. That’s why Epic 8 models boast the Magic Middle setting; it’s ideal for 80% of racing situations. Set it (shove your lung back down your neck) and forget it.

Sprint-On-Lock: It’s Hammer Time
As a rule, we’re believers in active suspension. But there’s an exception to every rule. Like when the finish line is a smooth 50 meters away and you got a bogie on your tail. Or when there’s a smooth, extended climb. In times like these you wanna’ lock the shock and go. Hard. Enter Sprint-On-Lock setting. You get it. Drop the hammer.

Flight Attendant, Tuned By Specialized Ride Dynamics
Free Your Mind. Focus On Fast. The Specialized Ride Dynamics tuned RockShox Flight Attendant system frees your mind to focus on fast by simplifying decision making in the heat of the moment, instantaneously changing to the optimal Dynamic Trio setting; the identical custom settings found on Epic 8’s without Flight Attendant.

TOTAL SYSTEM CONNECTIVITY
Flight Attendant leverages SRAM AXS Wireless technology to collects real-time data from the crank, fork, shock, and derailleur to determine optimal damping setting to deliver an unmatched experience.

EFFICIENCY
Old thinking is that the stiffer the frame and suspension, the more efficient the bike will be. We’re calling bullshit on that. Efficiency is delivered by keeping the rider in the optimal pedaling position, reducing pedal-induced bobbing, and maintaining active suspension to decrease fatigue.

RUTHLESS BIOMECHANICAL EFFICIENCY

20% Less Pedal Bob

The new Epic 8 is the most efficient pedaling suspension bike we’ve ever tested, while maintaining traction and absorbing bumps. By optimizing the kinematics of the suspension, Specialized Ride Dynamics was able to create a bike that reduces inefficient pedal-induced bobbing by 20%*, maintains active suspension for effective bump force management, while ensuring the rider remains in the most efficient pedaling position.

*Compared to the Epic EVO – our racers’ bike of choice for most of the ’23 tracks.

WHAT BUMP?

12% Smoother Ride – Proven

The new Epic 8 absorbs 12% more bump and vibration forces than the previous generation, leaving the rider less fatigued and more powerful over time. One aspect of the Ride Dynamics test protocol is to instrument our bikes with accelerometers at the wheels and at the frame. This allows us to compare the forces coming into the bike at the wheels with the forces experienced by the rider. “Root Mean Square” (RMS) standardization of this accelerometer data accurately represents how effective the bike is at bump force management.

GIVE FATIGUE THE FINGER
Did you feel that? Didn’t think so. The Epic 8 makes fresher, faster, and less fatigued riders by better absorbing bump forces so their bodies don’t. In fact, it’s the most effective 120mm travel bike at bump force management that we’ve ever tested.

That means that while the bike is soaking up the speed-sucking bumps, the rider’s energy stores and brain power aren’t being zapped, leaving the rider to recover from the last big climb, maintain a powerful descent position, or stay in the saddle to put more power down.

The bumps, and competition, will be left wondering where you went.

LIGHTWEIGHT

Of course the new Epic 8 is lighter than its predecessors. In fact, we shaved 76 grams off of the new S-Works while boosting efficiency and capability. On top of that, we added features like SWAT and steering stops. How’d we do it? Simple, obsessive attention to detail, engineering, and composites wizardry.

Every Fibre of Our Being
Our Premium FACT 12M Carbon Fiber

Like parents, we’re quite proud of the bikes we’ve brought to life. And while it’s generally frowned upon to play favorites, we’d be lying if we said we weren’t most proud of the all-new S-Works Epic 8. One reason is the FACT 12M chassis, with its unrivaled composite materials laid up by hand in a painstaking and meticulous schedule to deliver unmatched stiffness and strength-to-weight stats.

BE GONE, LAZY GRAMS
Making every gram count means counting every gram.

While weight alone does not make a fast bike, it is true that mass is the enemy of performance. So we made sure to achieve our unreasonable weight targets, while wringing the maximum velocity from every gram.

1. Rider-First Engineered
   Each Epic 8 frame size is optimized specifically to the size riders who ride it. This isn’t just scaling tube sizes, it’s a ground-up engineering process on every single frame that ensures every size rider gets the same excellent performance, all while eliminating any and all extraneous mass.
2. More Killer. No Filler.
   Compression molding composite parts is inefficient because they’re solid and require filler. Hollow composite structures are lighter and stronger. In our quest for optimization, we invented a way to bladder mold and post machine forward shock tabs to save 24 grams out of the top tube.
3. Ti Hardware
   While we’re bragging about the S-Works, let us point out the titanium hardware at the pivots. Told you we were obsessive.
4. Shock Extension
   Another piece of functional jewelry is the extremely light carbon shock extension on the S-Works. Shaving around 20% of the mass isn’t easy to do, but neither is training and racing for the “W”, so we figured we owed it to you.

WHO SAYS YOU CAN’T GET SOMETHIN’ FOR NOTHIN’?

Well whoever said it is wrong, because with the Epic 8 you don’t need to spend a single gram to get mega capability, SWAT 4.0 to carry all your essential “stuff” in your downtube, and an integrated steering stop to prevent the ubiquitous top tube scar the first time you crash and your bars spin.

To find out more about the Epic 8 EVO head on through to our First Look and press release.