Is The Specialized Epic World Cup The Best Gravel Bike?
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- Опубліковано 14 лют 2024
- Is the Epic World Cup the best gravel bike? Let us know your thoughts below!
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I'm riding a Canyon Lux World Cup with drop bar as a gravel bike and it is great. It is only a bit slower on the road than a normal gravel bike, but on rough terrain it is much faster.
What tires are you using
You have made me want this WC SO MUCH. thanks y'all.
I can believe that. My wife likes riding her Orbea Oiz for gravel. It’s a very fast and one of the best climbing XC bikes. What she loves about full suspension is the added traction - no question. These very very fast XC race bikes can be very capable and comfortable gravel bikes.
Happy to see this video. I ride an Epic Evo Pro, and recently added a gravel bike to the stable, Canyon Grail 2. In retrospect, I could likely have both of these bikes in one with the WC. Too many options in the market.
Specialized once had a fully gravel bike in their prototype stage (called Renegade) which is a fully suspension gravel road bike like a dropbar Epic.
I ride a Rockrider race 900 Team bike ( hardtail ) i love it.
I just bought an Epic Evo Comp, installed 700x47 Pathfinder Pro gravel tires, and cut the flatbars very narrow. Gotta go, time to ride.
Excellent review. I agree with a lot of your points regarding the rear suspension and the types of terrain it seems to be ideal for. The main reason I went with this model as opposed to the traditional Epic is because I didn't want to get stuck with the proprietary Brain/Flight Attendant rear suspension gadgets. And like you said, that front fork Brain setup makes for a damn rough ride. Yes, you do have the option to switch to "fade" mode which essentially makes it a standard fork, but in addition to it being unnecessarily heavier, there is no compression dampening adjustment at all! You're stuck with a generic factory setup which is not compatible with my weight or riding style. I ended up switching it out with the Fox Step cast 32 fork I had from a previous build (slightly less travel, I know, but a much better ride).
Funny you should mention North Carolina as I recently did a race in Pisgah Forrest using this frame set and actually did quite well. Looking forward to a local race series this fall.
Very interesting. That bike is on my short list. Going to build it up like Dylan Johnson's Leadville ride? Bonus points for the TOGs, love mine!
We did exactly that in the next part of this video that’s coming out soon
@@bicyclestation Famous Mr. Bartholomäus did that with his BMC sponsored dropbar MTB. He is currently participating in the Atlas Mountain Race in Marokko.
Perfect application for the WC
so this bike is like step up from rigid > hard tail > flex stay soft tail > flex stay piviot (this bike) > xc full suspension > downcountry > short travel trail > long travel trail > etc etc
Very good review, I loved it. I am about to buy this EPIC WORLD CUP EXPERT version bike,
I live in Patagonia Argentina, far south, the terrain and climate is hostile and quite flat, with trails and hard terrain,
Not so difficult ups and downs, very few places with rockgarden and that type of difficulties. So it is not necessary to
Traditional double EPIC or EVO.
In fact, 90% of the bicycles in this area are hard tail, I sold a Specialized Chisel and was thinking of buying one
EPIC HT, but the EPIC WC recently entered the country and I think it is the ideal bike for MTB outings, some XC races, Rural and
maybe some gravel or long distance competition.
I was thinking about buying a second gravel bike in the future, a DIVERGE, but I'm thinking that with just one bike, the EPIC WC could do everything.
I ask for advice:
I have a new FOX 34 STEPCAST KASHIMA fork, with a 3-position remote control.
What do you think about replacing the original rockshox brain with my FOX 34?
Would it be a good option? Would I lose benefits?
The idea is to make a positive change, otherwise I prefer to leave it original from the factory.
I still think about replacing the fork because I live 3000 km from any of the official rockshox services.
and doing maintenance would perhaps be a headache. Thank you so much
How is this thing on the wide open flat windy loose farm road type gravel we see in a lot of places?
I hit the uplike button specifically because of the aero bars 🤔
you've just became my fav bike channel ;) I was thinking of building HT this way but you make me want Epic WC instead. question - I'm 191 cm and ride Epic Evo XL for mtb applications. Do you thing that for gravel due to road bars reach I should be rather aiming for L frame? cannot wait to see your build
We’ve been debating that. We stuck true to size and think that the bars being narrow are a big help making it fit right.
You should definitely size down to a large after I road the drop bar WC
When that bike came out I knew that frame is what the gravel world needs, I live in Michigan, our gravel is mean with the freeze/thaw we get pot holes as big as a VW, they can't scrape a frozen road, so they put big stones on top of it, and theres washouts, plus many other things that make suspension needed. I ride a Specialized Sequoia with suspension stem/seatpost, its a cromoly bike, so heavy, I took the dropbars off long ago, rarely used them, I feel more at home with the MTB set up.
I bet that bike is as close to a perfect gravel bike as anything built today, I ride year round on these mean real gravel roads, that bike is where Gravel Bikes should go, but the people that ride gravel bikes, and influance Mfgrs (like Europeons) don't ever get to ride on real gravel roads, they can use road bikes with 38mm tires, LOL or as Homer Simpson would say, DOH !!!!! as long as they buy that stuff, it will be built, not many people think of what is really needed on actual gravel roads.. thanks for posting..
I am curious how the traction would be on the Allied BC40 on that same 30 percent pitch you showed.
I am looking for a mountain bike right now to do longer distance bikepacking races. I need something which straddles the line between a good / fast gravel bike and a light duty XC bike (which is what a lot of bikepacking races are. Not real tough singletrack, but a bit hairier than your usual smooth and fast gravel races).
I already have a regular gravel bike, but the head tube geometry and short wheelbase sucks for steeper terrain. I rode that on my last bikepack race in Georgia and it was a disaster (I crashed... bad).
Definitely looking to find a light weight mountain bike with the correct geometry this time. That World Cup looks good, but it seems like it mght not have enough squish for some of the rockier sections often found in bikepack races - more of a tamer gravel race bike. Hence, wondering if the Allied bike would be better.
The WC I think would fit your needs exactly. The bc40 is amazing but it’s really a XC that’s as capable as a trail bike. The WC going to be better than any other mtb on fire roads and rough gravel. The BC40 is the best MTB and I’ve done a bike packing race on it. But the WC I think would be more suited for bike packing. It might even be one of the most underrated bike packing bikes out on the market right now to be honest.
For ‘mountainbike’ race’s like the atlas mountain race & tour divide Epic WC or Supercaliber?
Both bikes would be good. I think you need to decide if you want a traditional full suspension or the WC that’s really closer to the ride feel of a hardtail. I personally would prefer the WC and believe it to be kinda the most underrated bike packing bike haha.
Have you tried it with the Supercaliber as well? Do you think the Epic WC gives better traction compared to that?
I think comparing it to a locked out supercaliber 100%. Unlocked it’s not really about traction with the supercaliber. It’s not going to be as efficient
Hmmm, it must be a soft tail then lol. A XC bike on lock out (e.g. Scott Spark RC) will be a gravel bike and then on pedal/full a XC mountain bike. The Scott's headtube angle can be changed by rotating the head cups to further differentiate between gravel and XC MTB. Two for one?
I think specialized made a bike that doesn’t have a lock out and performs better then a mtb with a traditional lockout because of all the traction benefits and amazing power transfer while at the same time having the suspension be unlocked.
I got this bike (pro) because it's one of the lightest FS mtb I can find that has t type drivetrain. and I wanted something unique to have fun with.
I have it set up with 55%-60% gulp when going on XC trails and it feels pretty good. uses about 85%-90% of its travel. At 75% gulp or more it feels like a normal FS bike and it just feels too soft and can easily bottom out. Anywhere between 0-50% gulp, it's basically a hardtail and feels amazing on SMOOTH climbs or anything not gnarly.
Something I find interesting is that the more gulp you set up, the more traction you get, but you don't lose as much efficiency. For example if you increase gulp by 5%, you lose 5% worth of efficiency, but you gain 10% -15% worth of traction.
Not a fan of the fork. I have to go 17psi lower than the recommended pressure to get 20% sag. not sure what that's about. I'm about to swap it out for a normal SID SL fork. hoping it will feel better on XC trails. It is said to be an XC bike anyway.
I think swapping the fork makes sense if it’s your dedicated XC bike to be honest
Smart ideas… it’s what innovation is all about trying stuff and failing or succeeding.
100 mm Fox sc 32 Performance fit 2 damper vs Rockshock Reba is also very diffrent on gravel and prefur the older reba in that fox rides to bouchy for my liking that.
After seeing your video on converting this to drop bar, I am convinced specialized is going to make this a gravel bike. Gravel bikes are now older XCO bikes. XCO bikes are now older trail bikes. Trail bikes are enduro level and enduro bikes are damn near DH bikes.
Love the 'drop bar' S-Works Paint-job! Too expensive as a 6k frame-only!
As they say..."Get your kids involved in cycling - they won't have money to do anything else!" So true these days - no matter the age.
It’s 6k because it comes with the fork also. But yea it’s still expensive
Ok so Epic 8 or the World Cup for Leadville? About to get one, can get the World Cup at a great price right now.
Any thoughts on the new brain on epic wc compare to the old version? The old version feels firm and doesn’t bottoming out
@bicyclestation
I wonder, can the new sid ultimate fork be put on this bike? Or would it have to be the sl?
I think it would work. No reason it wouldn’t
@@bicyclestation I have the same 110 travel fork on my bike as yours but the ultimate is listed as 120mm travel that’s why I ask.
Predicament myself tbh. I’m still on a 2017 Epic FSR SWorks WC full xx1 and mavic crossmax pro; FoX Factory SC 100. Have the last iteration of the Epic HT expert w/ some upgrades. Trance advanced 1.
Looking to get back into XCO racing. I ride around 1 hour of road and fireroad to get to the trailhead blues/reds and a bit of black. Find myself 1:1 rides on FSR and HT both with droppers.
The HT I love the brain fork and the geometry. I miss the rear travel.
The FSR the skinny rims give some skinny tyres even in 2.35. The geometry is razor sharp and a bit dated. I didn’t go brain fork but the fox top fork is amazing too.
I should have gotten a brain front rear Epic FSR expert instead of the HT on clear out deals.
But now the epic evo
The WC rides like the brain more then the epic 8 does
@@bicyclestation thanks. For a one bike does all incl. trail centres I know the smart option is the epic 8 or even the comp and move all my parts and carbon wheels across. For 2-3 hours riding there and back I know the WC is described by yourselves as the best gravel bike.
Tough to get a real feel of what the expert epic 8 and expert epic WC are like when it’s all turning into flight attendant reviews on the epic 8 sworks.
I know there is no Goldilocks. I ride the fsr and miss the ht. I ride the ht and miss the fsr. Either will be awesome. Your climbing review had me sold on the WC though 👌
Jesse, how would you say the WC rear suspension stacks up against the new 3position sid/sidluxe setup on that climb for example?
My local bike shop has a WC frameset I have been looking at, but I think I want to see the new epic/s which should be presented soon before I decide. Im afraid the a "regular" epic with flight attendant will be touching the $20k mark here in Europe, considering the Epic/Evo/WC s-works models are already like $16k
It’s still totally different. The suspension on the WC is always riding high in the travel. The middle setting on the remote still has the feel of a suspension bike.
Hit me up if you want me to try and get you one. I’ve been learning a lot about international shipping lately lol.
@@bicyclestation Unfortunately with shipping, customs and import fee, buying a bike from you guys would probably end up more expensive, or on par with what it costs here. My local bike shop has a red medium and a large in stock with 20% off, so after seeing your positive words in this vid, I might bite the bullet. I am pissed about the roval control cockpit being out of stock until July or something though...
Ah that makes way more sense. Surprised it’s 20% off. Yea those are extremely hard to find right now. I have like 20 on backorder lol
@@bicyclestation I bought my first bike from this guy when I was like 7 years old, 25 years ago, so we go way back.
But yeah, he sells me any specialized product for basically his purchase price plus like a few hundred $, less if its accessories. But the bikes are already 20%-30% more here then they are for you guys
Can still order the cockpit in 90mm here in Europe, its in stock. But all the others say july when he checked the system for me, might have to get one on backorder as well
I want to put drop bars on my Scott Scale RC... I don't love gravel bikes, but I love gravel courses.
I feel the exact same way.
@@bicyclestation Yeah, Gravel bikes are the right tool for some routes, but in my area the dirt roads are so chonky that even my hardtail feels under biked at times. Excited to see how this project turns out!
So put dropbar on and it really will be the best gravel bike. I myself have done dropbar 2015 S-Works Stumpjumper HT and funny that this SJ is lighter than most "real" gravel bikes my riding buddies have :) and that with 100mm suspension fork and 2.2 Continental RaceKings...
What saddles are you using?
Big fan of Bontrager Aeolus RSL. I use the 145mm wide version
What about gearing? The biggest issue I have riding my Epic Evo on gravel rides is cross chaining all the time.
I run a 38t chainring
Couldn’t you get similar unlocked behaviour out of a Supercal by just pumping up the shock so you have minimal sag? Wouldn’t that give it the same trap door effect with better traction than a hard tail? Either way I’m looking forward to the mountain bike portion of the review. Finally I heard a rumour that there is something like an Epic WC Evo coming. This bike with a SID 35mm and a dropper from the factory would be awesome!
I don’t think it would. I just think it would be rock solid feeling. The negative air chamber in the WC is really what causes that trap door effect. I like the way you word that btw.
I think that would be kinda strange if it’s true. Seems like the regular epic would fit that use case better then a upforked WC
@@bicyclestation thanks for clearing that up! I’m really loving this channel btw, I hope it’s bringing in some more traffic to your site!
Appreciate it!
Nice video. I have new epic WC s works and it is super fast, best XC bike ever! Supershort almost gravel chainstay length at 430mm. And very low center of gravity at 57mm BB drop! I disagree that we should get boost on gravel bike, because it will widen Q factor and kill all purpose of gravel bike which had road dna in there nature. Gravel bike should stay at 145-150mm Q Factor!! Even creo 2 came back from boost to 142/100 and some other brands to after 1 year of testing boost on gravel all come back to 142/100
Road wide is now standard on most gravel bikes I think that ship has sailed. If your looking for a narrow q you might be better off with an endurance road bike no a days. The WC is clear evidence that the boots wheel with wider q results in better power transfer. I think if you took the boost wheels and applied them to gravel geo it would be amazing
yes, as i write 145-150: road wide=150mm. That is ok, but not more! I have seen so many riders quiting MTB beacouse of too wide stance width, it is shame! And shimano even make XTR crancks IN 158-171mm q factor options and even make XTR pedals with -3mm offset. Dont judge based only on your needs and fit. For wheels you are wrong. Power transfer have nothing to do with boost vs 142/100. You can make and design 142/100 wheel stiffer than boost. @@bicyclestation
The only reason boost exists is to have better power transfer. If it had nothing to do with power transfer why do all mtbs have boost now?
As i said: 145-150 mm is good, road wide is 150! I had seen to many riders quitting MTB over the years because of too WIDE STANCE WIDTH! Dont judge only by your needs and your body fit. I assume you have problems with your back or some other issues, so you need wider STANCE WIDTH to set and compensate your back more straight up. SHIMANO XTR HOLLOWTECH II 12 speed cranks have q factor from 162-171mm options! And they have XTR pedals at -3mm offset! Gravel is staying at max 150mm qfactor and that is good,95% riders need that. And no, you are wrong again: BOOST have nothing to do with wheel power transfer. You can design and enginer 142/100 wheel stiffer than boost if you want. Zipp actually found that lower stiffness is faster. @@bicyclestation
It exist because of wider tires that needs more clearance around BB/chainstay/chainring area in back and that increases chainline. And again wider tires clearance at a front. "stiffer wheel/wider bracing spoke angle" is just byproduct of wider hub, not the cause itself or main design target. @@bicyclestation
The suspension 1/4 gulp traction thing can be replicated on any bike with suspension lockout. When setting up the lockout cable, have the suspension opened a bit to allow little travel on locked position. I agree that little travel helps a lot on having better traction . I disagree though that It's the best gravel bike. It may be better on mtb type terrain like Leadville but that will suffer on pure gravel routes like Unbound.
Why would it suffer?
@@bicyclestation assuming all other factors are constant, it will come down to marginal gains, weight, rigidity, aero, tire size and rolling resistance. For Unbound, gravel bike has the edge imho. To flatly proclaim that it's the Best Gravel Bike is not really true.
I think it is. Said it was my opinion like 5 times in the video. Conti race kings and Schwab thunderburts have lower rolling resistance than pretty much every gravel tire. They are more comfortable also. You’re all ready seeing 2.2 mtb tires being raced by tons of the lifetime grandprix racers. The WC has amazing power transfer and the utility. Why can’t it be the best gravel bike?
@@bicyclestation since you mentioned lifetime grandprix races and as far as results is concerned, the best gravel bike is the highball and stigmata 😉
Yes! That’s exactly my point. Both bike are amazing examples of how bikes that accept mtb tires are preforming extremely well at all these events. The stig is one redesign away from being a drop bar mtb.
Like!
This could be a great bikepacking bike
Agreed! Jesse rode it for the 200 mile Ozark Gravel Despair this spring and had it loaded up with bags
@@bicyclestation and I’m glad y’all talked about the difference between the WC and the Supercaliber. I had been eyeing the Supercaliber before the WC came out.
Now I just gotta save up the funds…
I have a 2020 Specialized Fuse laying around (don't use it), may be turn it into a gravel bike and call it 'Fustein'
I’d love to see it if you do haha.
check out this bike WC with bars 1:46 ua-cam.com/video/ClSgmKXdbJo/v-deo.html&lc=Ugy8Vb20xDKlxweH17J4AaABAg.A02RlTIJlLOA02djTIUxH8@@bicyclestation
WC with bars in the wild --min. 1:46
ua-cam.com/video/ClSgmKXdbJo/v-deo.html&lc=Ugy8Vb20xDKlxweH17J4AaABAg.A02RlTIJlLOA02djTIUxH8@@bicyclestation
You should put drop bars on it!
lol did you even watch the whole video?
Put TT bars on it.
Well do both
"is the most controversial video" ? No, is not! it´s true. This bike was build for marathon~gravel or light xc (whatever) and they want us to swallow it like mtb world cup.
It’s controversial because the majority of people I talk to have gotten upset with me when I call it a gravel bike haha. You and me are on the same page.
Give away please watching from dubai
Are you kidding us? 🙄Just because the bike has a damper with two separate adjustable pressure chambers you call it revolutionary? I have on my old Stumpjumper a Rockshox Reba SL 2006 fork from the ancient time, that has exactly the same configuration. It's because solo-air forks haven't been invented yet and everyone had to play with the two pressure settings until it was made fit. Solo-air later on was invented for noobs who had no time and no brains to figure out the Reba SL. And now Specialized sells this as a new invention. WTF!? 🤨
I didn’t call the idea revolutionary. I said the bike works well. There’s tons of suspension with positive and negative air chambers on the market. I don’t understand your point. And I also don’t think specialized said it was a completely new design either?
@@bicyclestation I watched the Specialized commercials and interviews about the STR. They (and you also) claim it to be the best and most revolutionary bike ever on the planet. I've been a customer of Specialized for over 25 years and came to the conclusion that they are good bikes, but not revolutionarily much better than other top brands. But waaaay overprized!
Your right. Specialized paid me to make this video. You got me
Yess… bike industry on a suicide mission according to all marketing rules.