Epic World Cup 2024: Specialized revolutionizes with a full-suspension hardtail

The manufacturer Specialized has just presented its new Specialized Epic World Cup 2024 that comes to give an unexpected twist to the market. It is a full suspension mountain bike designed to race and stand out among hardtail models, both in terms of weight and reactivity. This is a new concept that is a breath of fresh air in the current XC. It is worth taking the time to get to know it and promises to conquer everyone who tries it.

Key features of the new Specialized World Cup

• Monopivot suspension system with 75 mm of rear travel
• 66.5° head angle
• 110 mm front travel
• No rear BRAIN system, but the philosophy remains
• Rear shock (non-locking) with independently adjustable positive and negative air chambers = exceptional stiffness with great absorption capacity
• Weight: 1765g (frame+shock + hardware)
• Available in two models S-Works and Pro, plus a frame kit
• Price from 9,000€.

Specialized Epic World Cup 2024: the brand reinvents the hardtail mountain bikes

The Epic model arrived in Specialized's range in 2003 and for 20 years has been the benchmark XC racing model. The new Epic World Cup continues that legacy and has been developed with the sole purpose of winning. To do so, Specialized engineers came up with a system that combines efficiency, control and lightness, breaks away from the norm and has proven to be a performance success.

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This new Epic World Cup 2024 is a mountain bike that generates too many first impressions and too many questions, so we will try to break down everything it has to offer.

Is it a hardtail or a full suspension?

In reality, this is a full suspension mountain bike with a rear monopivot system and 75 mm of travel. But the truth is that its behavior is closer to that of an advanced hardtail. So much so that Specialized itself places this new Epic WC in its hardtail segment, and its current hardtail model, the Epic HT, will no longer have S-Works or Pro versions, those assemblies will only be available with the Epic WC frame.

The new Epic World Cup does not come to replace the current Specialized Epic and Epic EVO with 110 and 120 mm travel, but rather to complement the Epic HT family with a rigid frame.

Design, frame and SID WCID system

The Epic World Cup debuts a unified design concept that could be said to originate from the new RockShox SID WCID (World Cup Integrated Design) shock, developed specifically for this model in conjunction with RockShox.

Around this shock, Specialized presents a minimalist double diamond frame (not perfect triangles) made of FACT 12m carbon that they claim to have achieved new standards in torsional stiffness and bottom bracket stiffness. This translates into a more precise ride, better power transfer and greater pedaling efficiency. Everything you could ask for from a racing XC MTB.

This double-diamond design manages to include the shock as a structural part of the frame and semi-integrate it together with the crank in the top tube to isolate it from external elements and guarantee its longevity. There were even prototypes with the shock fully encapsulated, but its response and performance was not as good due to overheating.

In addition, the space-saving integration of the shock absorber in the top tube allows the Epic WC to mount two jerrycans in all sizes.

The silhouette of the new Epic WC looks completely clean thanks to the new internal cable routing from the headset and the brand new Roval SL handlebar and stem assembly.

The two full models offered in the range come with Roval SL carbon seatpost, as you would expect from a bike that aims to shave every gram off the scales, but there is room in the internal guide system to mount a dropper seatpost by cable.

Lightness=speed

Speaking of lightness, Specialized engineers singled out weight as one of the key features to make the fastest MTB possible. To that end, they took their cue from the Aethos model, the lightest road bike ever made until 2020, which offers an extremely lightweight frame with amazing torsional stiffness at the bottom bracket.

All this learning went into the Epic WC to give it a frame weighing only 1,765 grams (in size M, painted, with shock and all the hardware).

With less weight, the same rider will be able to accelerate faster, change direction more easily and climb using less energy.

Optimized geometry

At first glance the Specialized Epic World Cup looks like a compact bike and already conveys the responsiveness and agility you'd expect from a hardtail.

Its geometry confirms this, but details such as a very steep head angle of 66.5º stand out, the same as on the Epic EVO, which will allow better performance to be obtained from the 110 mm fork in difficult terrain.

RockShox SID WCID shock (World Cup Integrated Design)

As we said, the shock of the Specialized Epic World Cup is unique because it has been developed specifically for this model with RockShox, but in addition, its characteristics make it a very exclusive component within the current offer of this type of components for XC competition.

Unlike the current trend, the RockShox SID WCID (World Cup Integrated Design) offers no locks or remote controls to change its settings on the fly. But it does offer the agile pedaling response of a hardtail while absorbing impact forces with poise to maximize momentum and decrease rider fatigue.

In addition, the way it works means that the 75 mm of travel can be effectively matched to the 100 mm of bikes with this travel. How did they achieve this?

One of the keys to this unique performance is that the rear shock has independently adjustable positive and negative air chambers. This system in combination with optimized air volumes and damping characteristics, the Epic World Cup achieves that stiff feel while having a great capacity to absorb terrain irregularities.

As mentioned above, the shock is configurable and has three positions (firm, medium and soft) that must be adjusted before setting off. In fact, it is essential to pay attention to this operation to get the most out of the Specialized Epic World Cup 2024.

In the FIRM position, the one we would choose to ride fast on smooth trails, the shock works without SAG so we will need a great initial force to start the ride, from there on the damping sensation will be the same as we could have on another bike with a 100mm travel with 25% SAG.

The MEDIUM position offers sensations and performance halfway between a hardtail and a full suspension. With 2.5mm of SAG (5%) it increases sensitivity to light impacts and offers a less aggressive ride feel.

If we select the SOFT position we will have the full SAG (10% - 4mm), the ride becomes smoother and it will be the ideal setting for difficult terrain.

How to configure the shock absorber

We've already told you that the shock setup is something you'll have to pay attention to if you want to take advantage of everything this bike has to offer, and that requires a basic adjustment that won't be as easy as pushing a button, but that anyone can do simply with an air pump, a 4mm Allen wrench and the pressure tables offered by Specialized. Those tables are a general guide, but the adjustment is unlimited and every rider will be able to try and choose the setting that works best for them.

No rear BRAIN, but its philosophy continues

As you can see, the well-known and exclusive BRAIN system as such disappears from the rear shock in this Epic World Cup, but its philosophy remains the same. Once again we have a shock that the rider does not need to, and cannot, interact with while riding. The bike has been developed so that the rear shock performs well without having to constantly modify it while pedaling.

In addition, in the case of the S-Works model, the BRAIN system is retained on the Epic World Cup fork.

Epic World Cup 2024: models, setups and prices

The Specialized Epic World Cup will be available from April 2023 and will come in the two top-of-the-line setups plus a Frame Kit option.

S-Works Epic World Cup 2024 - 12,500€

• Frame: S-Works FACT 12m Carbon, WCID suspension design, Progressive XC Race Geometry, Rider-First EngineeredTM, threaded BB, 12x148mm rear spacing, internal cable routing, 75mm of travel
• SWAT: SWAT EMT Cage-Mount Tool
• Shock: RockShox-Specialized SIDLuxe WCID Ultimate, Ride Dynamics Developed, Independent negative spring, Rebound Adjust, 215x40mm
• Fork: RockShox SID SL ULTIMATE BRAIN, Top-Adjust Brain damper, Debon Air, 15x110mm, 44mm offset, 110mm Travel
• Grips: Specialized Trail Grips
• Saddle: Body Geometry S-Works Power, carbon fiber rails, carbon fiber base
• Handlebar: Roval Control SL Integrated cockpit, 60mm/70mm X- 12 degree integrated stem, 8-degree backsweep, 1 degree upsweep, 760mm wide
• Brakes: Level Ultimate, 2-piston caliper, hydraulic disc, stealth, 180/160mm rotor
• Rear derailleur: SRAM XX SL Eagle Transmission
• Controller: SRAM POD AXS controller
• Casette: SRAM CS-1299 Cassette, 12-speed, 10-52t
• Chain: SRAM XX SL Eagle
• Bottom bracket: Quarq XX SL power meter crankset, Carbon, 168 Q-Factor, DUB, 170/175mm, 34T
• Chainring: 34T
• Bottom Bracket Case: SRAM DUB, BSA 73mm, Threaded
• Rims: Roval Control SL, Carbon offset design, 29mm internal width, 4mm hook width, Tubeless ready, 24h
• Front hub: Roval Control SL, DT Swiss Internals, Ceramic Bearings, 6-bolt, 15mm thru-axle, 110mm spacing, Torque caps, 24h straight pull t-head
• Rear hub: Roval Control SL, DT Swiss 180 Internals, DT Swiss Ratchet EXP, Ceramic bearings, 12mm thru-axle, 148mm spacing, 24h straight-pull t-head
• Spokes: DT Swiss Aerolite Straight-pull t-head
• Front tyre: Specialized S-Works Fast Trak, S-Works Casing, T5/T7 Compound, 29x2.35
• Rear tyre: Specialized Renegade, Control Casing, T5 Compound, 29x2.35
• Seatpost: Roval Control SL carbon seatpost, Two-bolt clamp, 0mm offset, 415/370mm x 30.9
• Sizes: S, M, L, XL
• Colors: Gloss Red Tint / Flake Silver - Satin Chameleon Lapis Tint S Gra
• Price: 12,500€

Specialized Epic World Cup PRO 2024 - 9,000€

• Frame: S-Works FACT 12m Carbon, WCID suspension design, Progressive XC Race Geometry, Rider-First EngineeredTM, threaded BB, 12x148mm rear spacing, internal cable routing, 75mm of travel
• SWAT: SWAT EMT Cage-Mount Tool
• Shock: RockShox-Specialized SIDLuxe WCID Ultimate, Ride Dynamics Developed, Independent negative spring, Rebound Adjust, 215x40mm
• Fork: RockShox SID SL ULTIMATE BRAIN, Top-Adjust Brain damper, Debon Air, 15x110mm, 44mm offset, 110mm Travel
• Stem: Specialized Pro SL, alloy, 4-bolt
• Grips: Specialized Trail Grips
• Saddle: Body Geometry Power Expert
• Handlebar: S-Works Carbon XC Mini Rise, 6-degree upsweep, 8-degree backsweep, 10mm rise, 760mm, 31.8mm
• Brakes: SRAM Level Silver, 2-piston caliper, hydraulic disc, stealth, 180/160mm rotor
• Rear derailleur: SRAM X0 Eagle Transmission
• Controller: SRAM POD AXS controller
• Casette: SRAM XS 1295, 12 speed, 10-52
• Cadena: SRAM XO Eagle
• Bottom bracket: SRAM
• Chainring: 34T
• Bottom bracket case: SRAM DUB Threaded Wide
• Rims: Roval Control, Carbon offset design, 29mm internal width, 4mm hook width, Tubeless ready, 28h
• Front hub: DT Swiss 350 straight-pull, 6-bolt, DT Swiss Ratchet, 12x148mm thru axle, XD freehub body, 28h straight-pull
• Rear hub: DT Swiss 350, 6-bolt, 15mm Thru-axle, 110mm spacing, 28h straight -pull
• Radios: DT Swiss Competition Race Straight-pull
• Front tyre: Specialized Fast Trak, Control Casing, T7 Compound, 29x2.35
• Rear tyre: Specialized Renegade, Control Casing, T5 Compound, 29x2.35
• Seatpost: Roval Control SL carbon seatpost, Two-bolt clamp, 0mm offset, 415/370mm x 30.9
• Sizes: S, M, L, XL
• Colors: Gloss Deep Lake Metallic - Satin Chameleon Lapis Tint S Gra
• Price: 9,000€

Epic World Cup 2024 Frame - 6,500€

• Frame: S-Works FACT 12m Carbon, WCID suspension design, Progressive XC Race Geometry, Rider-First EngineeredTM, threaded BB, 12x148mm rear spacing, internal cable routing, 75mm of travel
• SWAT: SWAT EMT Cage-Mount Tool
• Shock: RockShox-Specialized SIDLuxe WCID Ultimate, Ride Dynamics Developed, Independent negative spring, Rebound Adjust, 215x40mm
• Fork: RockShox SID SL ULTIMATE BRAIN, Top-Adjust Brain damper, Debon Air, 15x110mm, 44mm offset, 110mm Travel
• Seatpost: Roval Control SL carbon seatpost, Two-bolt clamp, 0mm offset, 415/370mm x 30.9

Further information is available on the official Specialized website.