Details are emerging regarding newly crowned XC World Champion Christophe Sauser’s new Specialized S-Works Epic. Kept under wraps until the start, the bike is a redesign of the immensely popular full suspension bike which sees a change in shock placement more reminiscent of the Stumpjumper and a drop in weight of a reported 700 grams (1.54lb) on its previous incarnation.

The shock has moved to a more traditional position similar to a MacPherson strut, below the top tube. Previous Epics had featured the shock mounted on the non drive side of the swing arm so this represents a radical alteration. The inertia valved Brain shock unit remains mounted close to the rear axle on the non-drive side, connected to the main unit via a hydraulic hose. All shock units are Specialized own branded, including the front Futureshock fork which features Brain technology. Sauser previously rode with a fork lockout mounted to his handlebar but seems confident enough in the shock to go without now. The fork features a carbon crown to further reduce weight and appears to be a 1 ½ to 1 1/8 inch tapered steerer for added stiffness. This seems to be a trend with some manufacturers and while I understand the reasons it seems a bit like yet another standard making future upgrading a problem. The only good thing is that Trek are doing it with Fox so there might be some choice available.

The frame material appears to be completely carbon including the rear wheel and mech mounts, seat stays and chain stays. This would account for the weight reduction as the previous Epic had an aluminum rear triangle.

Other weight savings include a braze-on Dura Ace front mech which will not be available on production models (although I recently saw an XT mech which would work) and the, exclusive to World Cup racers, Specialized carbon crank set. He also rode a new version of the Roval wheel set with carbon fibre hub shells and bladed spokes. New Magura Marta SL Mag brakes are paired with SRAM XO twist shifters, a package that is becoming standard on pro bikes. The Magura brakes were already one of the top choices on the circuit but these new Mag versions are said to be considerably lighter.

Sauser had limited time on the bike pre-race. He tested it back in February for a few days but only took delivery of the bike the Tuesday before the race. However he did ride a Stumpjumper at the Roc D’Azur last year (it was said to be lighter than the previous Epic) so perhaps his feedback influenced the designers. Sauser’s comment post race was that he feels like he uses more of the travel on the new bike and with no interference from pedaling. Interestingly, 4^th place finisher Liam Killeen, Sauser’s Specialized team mate, rode a regular S-Works Epic.

Having test-rode the current Specialized Epic Expert it’s interesting to see the changes. The Brain shock is fantastic and very easily tunable. I had it dialed within 10 minutes with no tools. The change in shock placement towards a more conventional design is a big change and it seems strange that they haven’t changed the name? Obviously the Epic has been very popular but you would think that Specialized would get more attention for changing the name. Presumably they want to distinguish the Stumpjumper from the Epic. This new bike looks like a great development on what they have learned with the Brain shock. Its pedigree is now beyond reproach. Its not many production bikes that can claim a World Championship on their maiden race!

Expect to pay well over €5,000 for the bike when and if it is eventually released. Word from the Worlds was that the Specialized bigwigs didn’t want Sauser on the bike at all but he managed to convince them (ahem) to allow him to ride it. The question is will it be called an Epic as it doesn’t really bear any similarities to the current model.