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When Specialized presented the Epic 8 to the world a year ago, we were amazed: 120 millimetres of travel with the option of more, progressive and adjustable geometry, a storage compartment and clever details, all with a competitively light frame weight. Anyone who has the chance to throw a leg over the new Epic is in for a surprise. Hardly any other bike demonstrates so impressively how good race bikes can be today. However, even the best cross-country and marathon bike is only as good as its durability. In the test, we put the 7500 euro Specialized Epic 8 Expert through every conceivable scenario: everyday bread-and-butter rides, high alpine enduro trails and, as the highlight of the season, the toughest MTB stage race in Europe. In the endurance test, the Specialized had little luck with the weather and the technology had to endure an enormous number of torturous rides. Special bonus: To put the versatility of the platform to the test, we converted it to the Evo version with 130 millimetres of travel over the course of the eleven-month test.
Facts and figures on the endurance test
Specialised Epic 8 Expert in detail
- Area of application: Cross-country/marathon (Epic) / trail (Epic Evo)
- Suspension travel: 120/120 mm (Epic) / 130/130 mm (Epic Evo)
- Wheel size: 29"
- Frame material: Carbon
- Tested frame size: XL
- Weight: 11.42 kg (Epic) / 12.15 kg (Epic Evo)
- Weight of wheels (set, incl. cassette, tyres, brake discs): 3866 g
- Wheel acceleration: 2855 kg x cm² (Epic)
- Frame stiffness: 5.4N/mm front / 19.3N/mm rear
- Price standard bike: 7500 Euro >> available here at a reduced price
- Available from: Specialist retailers
- Guarantee: for life
- max. system weight: 127 kg
- Special features: Down tube storage compartment, flip chip, flex pivot
Equipment
- Fork: Rockshox SID Select+
- Shock: Rockshox SID Luxe Select+
- Gear system: Sram GX AXS Transmission, 1x12
- Bandwidth: 520 %
- Brakes: Sram Level BRZ Stealth, 180 / 160 mm
- dropper post / stroke: X-Fusion Manic / 170 mm
- Wheels: Roval Control Carbon DT Swiss 350
- Tyres: Specialized Fast Trak Control T7 / Renegade Control T5, 29 x 2.35"
Geometry
- Seat tube length: 500 mm
- Stack: 627 mm
- Reach: 501 mm
- Top tube length: 654 mm
- Seat angle: 76.4°
- Steering angle: 66.4°
- Chainstay length: 433 mm
- Wheelbase: 1243 mm
- Head tube length: 130 mm
- Bottom bracket height: 328 mm
- BB offset: -42 mm
- Protrusion height: 807 mm
- Stem length: 60 mm
- Handlebar width: 750 mm
Even on paper, the new Epic is an awesome machine. I was very excited to see how such a sophisticated machine would perform in the merciless everyday life of a biker. Little did I know at the time that I would be exposing the Specialized to more mud than any other bike in my life. - Jan Timmermann, BIKE editor
Permanent tester profile Jan Timmermann
- Size: 190 cm
- Weight: 82 kg
- Age: 32 years
- Profession: BIKE editor (test & technology, head of fitness resort)
- Place of residence: Upper Bavaria
- Favoured riding style: playful and technical, marathon to enduro, tours with a high proportion of trails
Driving performance in the endurance test
- Kilometres: 3230
- Altitude metres: 60,000
- Regions: Bavarian Pre-Alps, Alps (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy), Odenwald, Bavarian Forest (incl. Ochsenkopf Bike Park), Swedish trail parks, backcountry tours in Finland
- Season highlights: Marathon training camp Vordere Bergstraße, BIKE Transalp, camping road trip Scandinavia
How the Specialized Epic Expert 8 rides
Already after our test of the latest Specialized S-Works Epic I realised that this bike had to be one of the best marathon fullys on the planet. Looking ahead to the highlight of the year, my first participation at the legendary multi-day race BIKE Transalpthe Epic 8 seemed the perfect choice. I was also keen to find out how such a sophisticated race bike would perform in everyday use. Very few customers buy a mountain bike for high-gloss races in perfect weather conditions. They want a bike that delivers what it promises on training laps, on holiday but also in competition. The first rides on the home trails whetted our appetite for more. The long, flat geometry can hold a candle to many a trail bike on the downhill. A long front centre and a slack steering angle ensure a smooth ride. The 435 millimetre short chainstays keep the handling uncomplicated and agile. At the same time, the Epic is relatively light and can be steered effortlessly into the ideal line.
To prepare myself for the rigours of the BIKE Transalp, I travelled to my team partner on the edge of the Odenwald for a five-day training camp. The final highlight was to be the long-distance Odenwald Bike Marathon, which had already hosted the German XCM Championships. The weather gods had other plans and plunged the front mountain road into heavy rain. Nevertheless, we tried to spend around four hours a day on the bikes. I have probably never put a bike through such a stress test in such a short space of time. Trails turned into rivers and the Epic had to cope with huge amounts of liquid dirt. Despite the adverse conditions, the bike performed well and took the abuse without a murmur. The sporty riding position predestines the Epic for long distances. You're in good hands here all day long. Unfortunately, the Odenwald Bike Marathon was cancelled - rescue teams would have had no chance in the muddy masses.
Seven days, a good 500 kilometres and 16,000 metres in altitude at race pace over the biggest natural obstacle in Europe: due to its sheer length, the BIKE Transalp was planned as an absolute endurance test for the Specialized Epic 8. During the race, the bike performed excellently and never let me down. No defects, no flats - that's remarkable under this load. For cross-country tyres, the Specialized combination generates an amazing amount of grip. Our BIKE test lab confirmed the good acceleration values of the carbon Roval wheels, which I can confirm from practical experience. Thanks to two bottle cages, there was always enough liquid on board and thanks to the puncture repair kit in the frame storage compartment, the jersey pockets could remain free for energy bars.
As befits a marathon bike, the suspension of the Specialized Epic was pleasingly drive-neutral. The fork and damper can be adjusted simultaneously using the twist grip on the handlebars. The platform, which can be adjusted in three stages, offers the right setup for every terrain. 120 millimetres of travel may not sound much to many ears, but together with the progressive geometry of the Epic 8, there are plenty of reserves. Not only is the bike a better descender than any trail bike was a few years ago, but the extra travel in the well-functioning suspension is also easy on the tired body on long rides. Thanks to the 170 millimetre adjustment range, the X-Fusion dropper post reliably gets the saddle out of the way. So there are good reasons why you often see the Specialized Epic in the starting blocks of many marathons.
After the end of the BIKE-Transalp, I was drawn back to more relaxed tours and short day adventures. So I took the Specialized Epic endurance test bike on one or two tours through the Bavarian foothills of the Alps. More than once I encountered full-blown enduro trails. In the exposed, steep terrain, it was once again not the suspension and geometry that showed the bike its limits, but the tame brakes. Just powerful enough for a race bike, the Sram Level brakes are nowhere near the potential of the Specialized Epic. Even the previously convincing cross-country tyres reached their grip limit on wet trails. This is not what the Epic (or at least its equipment) is designed for. The test bike proved its versatility on a camping road trip through Finland and Sweden. Together with the Epic, I had fun in small trail parks and found my way through the wild hinterland. In the endurance test, the Specialized Epic really saw everything and mastered most of it with flying colours.
Billing: wear and tear and defects
Experience has shown that mud and sludge shorten the service life of bearings - at least if they are not perfectly sealed. The Sram Dub bottom bracket only achieved a sobering mileage and was already turning roughly after 1500 kilometres. By the end of the endurance test, the part was defective and had even developed play. The same fate befell the headset. Specialised uses an oval cover. As a result, the fixation of the steering stop limiter is exposed every time the bike is turned. In very wet weather, water can collect on the screw and penetrate the headset in the long term. A change would have been appropriate after 1700 kilometres. At the same time, namely after the end of the BIKE Transalp, the Rockshox suspension fork began to run rough over the first few millimetres. The cause: dry seals. A small fork service was able to remedy the situation.
The Specialized tyres were also worn out after 1700 kilometres. At the same time, they delivered perhaps the most impressive performance of the endurance test and remained defect-free up to this point despite tough trail and racing use. In general, the wheel-tyre combination with tubeless setup gave no cause for complaint throughout the entire test period. The bearings of the DT Swiss hubs are still running as they did on day one. Only the stick-on decals on the Roval carbon wheels have started to peel off. Another typical wear part showed more wear. Accelerated by the mud of the marathon training camp, the first set of brake pads was already worn out after just under 1000 kilometres. The next pair was devoured by the BIKE Transalp with its 17,000 metres of downhill riding. A third pair is due at the end of the test. Nice and not a matter of course: The X-Fusion dropper post continues to work without any problems. Apart from a slight lateral play, it performs well.
The drivetrain also showed the first signs of wear after the Transalp at race speed (1700 kilometres). Nevertheless, it continued to run and accompanied the Specialized Epic to the end of the test without any major problems. The Sram GX AXS Transmission wireless shifting ran reliably and defect-free for more than 3000 kilometres. The button cell in the controller had to be replaced once. The chainring, chain and cassette have now exceeded their wear limit and should be replaced. The paintwork also suffered from all the mud. Although the finish is of high quality, the paintwork shows some battle scars, especially on the seat stays. Shortly before the end of the endurance test, we noticed loose bolts in the rocker, which could be tightened without any problems. The final check in the BIKE test lab revealed a no longer fresh main bearing. All other frame bearings were still running smoothly.
Cost breakdown in continuous operation
At 7500 euros RRP, the purchase price of the Specialized Epic 8 Expert is steep but on a par with other cutting-edge marathon full-sussers of a similar quality, such as the Cannondale Scalpel or the Mondraker Podium. If you keep your eyes open, you can find the Epic 8 Expert on second-hand portals for as little as 5000 euros in mint condition. However, you need to be lucky to find the right frame size. The loss in value of around 3000 euros for our test bike is painful after just eleven months. Wearing parts costing a total of around 345 euros are (unfortunately) normal in terms of mileage and use.
- 1 x bottom bracket: approx. 35 euros
- 1 x headset bearing: approx. 50 euros
- 3 x brake pads: approx. 75 euros
- 2 x tyres: approx. 100 Euro
- 1 x small fork service: approx. 85 euros
- Loss of value: approx. 3000 Euro
Tuning measures
Our test experience shows that even at a price point of over 7000 euros, not all marathon full-sussers are race-ready out of the box. The Specialized Epic 8 Expert is different. You could actually pick up the bike from the dealer and set off on the long haul straight away. To suit my personal preferences, I fitted a Selle Italia SLR saddle and SQlab inner bars. For the cockpit, I swapped the completely problem-free original parts for a BikeYoke Barkeeper stem with a length of 55 millimetres and a Hope carbon bar shortened to 760 millimetres for purely visual reasons. To give the Sram Level brakes a bit more bite for alpine descents, I combined them with power pads and larger discs from Trickstuff (200/180 mm). I was able to save a few grams by using titanium brake disc bolts. I replaced the standard grips with inexpensive ODI Longneck grips, which I have appreciated for their good damping since my BMX days and which can be easily cut off for compatibility with the twist grip.
From marathon to trail: conversion to Specialized Epic Evo
After a good 2000 kilometres on the Specialized Epic 8, the 2024 MTB season was coming to an end and I decided to give the marathon bike a completely new lease of life for the last third of the endurance test. By replacing the fork and shock, it is possible to to give the Epic ten millimetres more suspension travel at the front and rear. Specialized sells the version with the suffix "Evo". We have already been able to test the Specialized Epic 8 Evo off the shelf extensively. For my conversion, I decided to go all out and gave the bike Fox Factory suspension and a carbon fibre Roval Trail wheelset, which promised even more stability when riding harder. A tyre change was due in late autumn anyway. Unfortunately, the Sram Level brakes were not strong enough to slow down my 85 kilo weight on demanding trail descents, despite four pistons, bite-resistant pads and large discs. I therefore first switched to a Hope X2, then to the new TRP Evo X.
After the conversion, the Specialized Epic had around 700 grams more on its ribs and still weighed in at a respectable 12.15 kilos in the premium build and frame size XL. This makes the Epic Evo one of the lightest trail bikes currently on the market. The geometry change is minor and can be customised using the flip chip. The conversion of the parts does little to change the character of the bike. Compared to the powerful competition in the trail bike category, the Epic as an Evo remains a propulsion-orientated, firm bike. This is ideal for long, sporty tours with a lot of trail riding. Other concepts offer more comfort and reserves. More tyre grip and braking power is a benefit for the Specialized, but could also be achieved without a complete conversion on the Marathon version. The additional travel reserves help on rough trails. In a direct comparison, however, it becomes clear once again how well the Epic already masters the terrain with 120 millimetres of travel.
BIKE- Conclusion on the endurance test
As a driving machine, the Specialised Epic 8 is currently hard to beat. The combination of extremely progressive geometry and controlled suspension with extra reserves is convincing in every situation. Details such as the storage compartment and flip-chip are a real added value in the wide range of applications from XC to Tour to Trail. Marathon racers should be pleased that Specialized still hits a sweet spot in terms of weight. In the Expert version, the Epic 8 is race-ready out of the box. Whilst the riding characteristics are first class, the durability is only average. As a concept, the Epic works better than the Epic Evo.
Pro
- Extremely wide range of use from marathon to tour to trail
- large reserves for a race bike due to geometry and suspension
- Good workmanship and practical details with good weight
Contra
- Endurance test exposes weak points in pedal and headset bearings
- Tyres and brakes can't always keep up with the chassis
Jan Timmermann
Editor
