Specialized S-Works Epic HT - Best Hardtail Joe Has Ridden, Priced Accordingly
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- Опубліковано 21 жов 2024
- Joe has already spent plenty of hours aboard his 2018 longterm bike, a Specialized S-Works Epic HT. Find what he thinks in this initial review.
I like the fact that there is still a hardcore xc guy reviewing race bikes and not everything trail trail trail...
You're totally right, but XC is sooo boring :-p Trail/enduro FTW :-)
Seven and a half thousand pounds
Some people think they're the only entitled to have an opinion
Reading MTB Action mags during the 90's...it was 90% XC bikes and 10% everything else...
Pickup a MTB magazine today and it's 90% trail/enduro bikes, 5% e-bike, 3% XC, and 2% everything else.
Times have definitely changed...
Agree. Trail gets more play because people are lazy and want to ride their bike down hill like a kid on a sled not put in the pain for a satisfying XC effort.
Ive found fast trak's to be one ofthe most versatile tyres on the market. Super good in dry conditions, fast rolling, but also impressively grippy in the mud
Yeah they just changed the tire tread pattern and I am not happy about it. The old pattern was way better.
Finally talking about the bike I bought last spring! The stickers on mine also came undone.
Kazak Thranduil so have you removed the stickers or just let them on the wheels?
Plaickner Simon they are still on. Really it’s just one that’s peeling like he shows
Kazak Thranduil I’d take them off. Saves a wee bit weight no?!
je d not really, perhaps if they get worse
If Klein was still around then I feel this is the bike they would make. this frame reminds me of a blue Klein attitude I wanted back in late 90s :P
Love the color. Wish they would make an EVO version with an Ohlins or Pike fork. My 2015 SJ HT EVO with 120mm Pike is an amazing bike.
Specialized’s Ground Control 2.3s Front AND Rear work wonders.
*Only 18* 👇👇👇
395881.loveisreal.ru
$8,500usd for a hardtail...someone would have been taken behind the barn and shot had they tried this 15 years ago.
With 2022 prices, this comment makes even more sense now.
Peter Denk has his company just down my road!
Feel kinda special now :D
Still do not understand why you don`t test the Spark RC bikes. Most winning XC bike last two years, but still no review!
That's exactly the reason. Scott knows what they have. Why pay for UA-cam "reviews" when your product is on the podiums, for everyone to see.
Not sure about that Scott sponsored GCN for ages.
Nobody pays us for reviews. Some brands are much more forthcoming when it comes to lending sample bikes, and sometimes important bikes are tested by people who we can't really get on video, because of where they're based. Check out BikeRadar.com for more reviews if you're interested in something we haven't made a video on.
You get a very expensive piece of kit to essentially do with as you please for months. Money may not *directly* change hands, but let's be real now. You get the gear, the manufacturers get the exposure -- that's a sponsorship.
+Andrzej Sawicki That's *really* not how it works. Nobody here regards test bikes as being a reward from bike brands in anticipation of a positive review, and the brands send us bikes knowing that they can't expect anything but honesty in return. See Joe's recent, thorough coverage of the trouble he had with his previous Cannondale Scalpel - ua-cam.com/video/BmgdIcNLC5g/v-deo.html
Love me some Spec HT!!! The SID Brain is my all time favorite fork. Rear brains are all over the place. Stickers have to go, too heavy🤓 Are they worth it? If you have the $, absolutely!
Would love a follow-up video describing the fork features and set up.
Luv the XC hardtail Video’s
I tried this bike and the Cannondale Fsi WC. In the personal opinion, the FSI is superior in everything and also much more comfortable, for me there is no comparison
Crazy bike for a hardtail!
Holy cow! Lighter than my road climber bike. But also something like 6x more expensive :D
Review the sworks epic (fs version) looks like an amazing bike for 2018.
great video thank you but is more better bmc te01 ?????
2.1" rear is straight out of 1998. Can it take a 2.35"?
Robert Wilke yes I own an epic ht and you can do that I agree that two 2.3s would probably be better for more technical courses but on a smoother trail I like that combo
Robert Wilke
😂😂
Exactly that!
The epic is truly a DANK bike
The fork tech featured was on my Vanilla's 10 years ago.
would love to see a comparison video with the Cannondale F-si or maybe even other pure XC race bikes, @BikeRadar could you please make one?
It is beautiful, I will give them that.
That color thou 😎😎😎
So how exactly is this Epic better than for example Canyon CF SLX 9.0 PRO RACE TEAM, which is 300g lighter, has basically similar spec + Canyon's brilliant seatpost and top DT Swiss carbon wheels and costs about 2/3 of Epic's price (~2,5k pounds less)?
As Joe says, the weight and price don't tell the whole story, and this bike handles better than anything else he's ridden. The price of the S-Works version in particular will definitely be a big issue for most riders though.
At this price point, it's not about the money anymore. Anyone with a limited budget can purchase something 99% as good for half the money. The top-end models are what you give to your sponsored athletes (and YT channels) as brand promotion tools. Very rich clients might buy a few, but you don't really care.
I think a more valid argument would be pound for pound is this bike better than the Chisel expert?
I agree with BikeRadar's reply, but with bikes it's all about the rider. Different person may say this is weird and he/she much more prefers an alloy frame 2,5k bike for riding feedback or a competition top model for 4,5k
Andrzej nic tu dla nas nie ma, wracamy na BKXC ;-p
I could get 2 decent motocross bikes for that, its quite pathetic in reality lol but if folks keep paying they gonna keep selling ;)
I being riding mine but gosh without a dropper it really sucks any ideas?
Which bike do you guys recommend instead of this one ??
Do we need such wide handlebars...? I know a lot of singletracks where you wouldn’t pass through the trees !!! Useless, but I guess it’s modern Xc riding...
Man, that bike would smash this 50yr old body to bits by my 3rd ride.
The fork is outdated now, I've been running the new SID world cup carbon with charger damper and its so smooth, 65psi with no volume spacers. I'm 67kg.
What model is the Vest you are wearing?
The only good thing about Specialized is the warranty. The cost is what puts me off upgrading. I have a Stumpy from 2014 but will not upgrade till I snap it.
MtB ArN lifetime warranty?
MtB ArN it'll never break man. I still have an old 92 stumpjumper that has seen, xc, trials and even some downhill in the old days. Now it's got a baby seat on the back and still going lol
Yeah lifetime warranty on the frame. I upgraded everything apart from the wheels and fork.
MtB ArN Little off topic but I recently bought at spec turbo levo and all I can say is Holy shit! Changed mtbing forever for me 😀
its not. plain and simple. I don't like the fact that the Spec has their rear gear cable completely exposed under the chain stay simply because they made he chain stay so small to save more frame weight..... at the cost of a dirty gear cable exposed to the elements of mud, water, dust, etc. Not a good trade-off in my opinion. more maintainence to insure smooth shifting every time out
remove the stickers....those rim are just stunning without them
Playing with the Comp version which has a much nicer pricetag and a sweet Darth Vader look.
So how can i avoid that my stickers come undone?
Nice video Joe.
Very nice 8.7 kg is insanely light
Spesh prices are just on another planet, across the board. They probably pay 350usd MAX for this frame off the supplier. Simple frame, not many small pieces or molds for hardware and fairly simple kit = huge margin bike for Spesh.
Is this bike worth 30 times my second hand Voodoo Bizango that i got for £250?
Unless you are a top top racer no way.
Where was this filmed?
so awesome....!
2 year later and that slack 69.8 hta is now super steep
7 k blimey, they see ya coming
I like it though xc bikes tend to look a bit fragil
Has anyone tested / own the lower spec version of the Epic Hardtail, interested to know ride quality etc, I am eyeing up the Carbon Comp?.........also noticed the gear cable is exposed under the rear chain stay, this is shame as it means extra maintenance over fully internal routing and doesn't allow for Di2
Adam Taylor yes, I've got one. It handles really great, just as the s-works. The frame is a little heavier, but the geometry is just on point. I had a 2015 stumpjumper comp m5 before and you can tell how the Epic is more nimble and agile
Hi I own the epic hardtail comp carbon it's a beautiful bike stiff compliant and such an awesome bike. I have owned it for a year and have washed the crap out of it and ridden in some real crap conditions and I can tell you the cable and housing were just fine and working perfectly a year later keep in mind I have ridden the bike 2000 plus miles
I also owned a stumpjumper HT and I can day the epic is way better handling
Adam Taylor well it's maded with cheap ass fuck carbón,better Mérida come from the same factory but Mérida gives you better carbón. they keep the best from themselves
Brian Ongay Arenas yes please show me your degree in carbon fiber engineering then we can talk
1. Cannondale Fsi 2. Epic HT for me 😉
How tall is Joe
I want one
My 2014 Cannondale F29 Team still lighter (8,5kg)
I thought there was something very Cannondale esq about it.
Gonna wait for threaded bb model lol
good to know they make adult diapers in full pants length
I tried it and found to be pretty harsh in the rear. Best HT for balance between confort and stiffness in the rear to me is the canyon exceed
Let's stop that commercial! Mérida has a damping system the flex stay makes the bike stiff at the bottom and absorbs at the top, and that specialized it's maded at the Mérida factory and obiously is less bike than Mérida because what are you paying is the marketing stuff that specialized makes.
Brian Ongay Arenas you are wrong. all modern frames now uses the same design. flex top and stiff bottom. what makes sworks better is the material, geometry, and layup process.
It's good that the stickers are coming off, easier to remove those huge shitty cheap looking stickers then.
This doesn't have a fork lockout remote?
On hardtail you don`t need ot
NallePu83, very much bullshit
If you can`t ride With one hand
It has an automatic lockout, the brain. So you don’t need a remote.
Of course you can reach down an turn the knob, but my question was about whether or not it has a lockout remote. Poverty vs luxury bikes. The price of this bike doesn't put it into the poverty bike category.
More xc bike reviews 😊
Well, best XC hardtail, maybe - not one to swap your 140mm steely hardcore hardtail for ;)
Super Nice 👍
LIKE SI HABLAS ESPAÑOL Y NO ENTENDÍSTE UN CARAJO
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
I simply don’t understand why no Bike review channels will review cheapish affordable bikes???
AF25 raleigh tokul is good bike for the price but they dont make the 2018 version so ebay is your only way to get them
darknight29 _ why are you telling me this? I don’t want bike reviews from UA-cam comments?
why not?
it's simple, they test what they get from the manufacturer, and those guys want you to see their high-end bike, hoping that even people who can't afford it will be so impressed that they just buy some lower spec model. For sure this works on some of my friends.
Michal Toman yeah true I guess it just won’t change
i need but i don't have money
£7.5k 😱 don’t convince yourself this bike is worth it because it just isn’t 🤦🏻♂️
Looks like a decent bike 😂
Tomi Saaranen true xc bikes tend to look fast and cool
kyleegeep agree
Tomi Saaranen needs Tourney TX
Kazak Thranduil What the hell?? 😂😂😂
S-Works is supost to be no expenses spared why have they put cheap eagle on it and not the XX1
oliver wilkins xx1 was released like 5 years old ago. its an old technology compared to eagle.
Don’t buy an Epic rear shox / brain don’t last long,
This will give you problem, and Specialized offer no warranty.
Would recommed you buy a bike with better support.
i don't want slack! I want steep head angle and my XC bike to handle like a sports car!
He looks like he’s struggling to pedal that thing.
Top spec but no xx1 Eagle thanks specialized!
TL;DR "Rides good, needs better stickers."
REVIEW the 2020 CHISEL !!!!!!!!
ALUMINIUM
Second that!
Worthy? Yes....if you are disgusting rich or make money riding....
lol what the heck is a 'hardtail'?
Not a specialized fan
Canyon exceed is more better.
Not lighter than a Focus Raven Team... and more expensive.
Jose C. did you watch the video? its not about weight.
Meh.
Sram brakes are awful
Its a girls bike!!. What terrible colours Or is that sexist, I dont know, I haven't lived in the PC over the top UK for 7 years!!
tony bell Yah really AWFUL color!
tony bell I think the colours look like something from the 90s. All it needs is some purple alloy spoke nipples.
I like it
Shame about the colors!
SPZ = A lot of overpriced BS bikes
the ht are now only a corner of the market: ht are formally dead.
baronerotto bullshit
baronerotto yes are death for softy ass pussys that don't have any skill forma descents or legs for climbing.
baronerotto HTs are live and well. They are just pushing the boundaries on them. My 2015 SJ HT EVO with a 120mm Pike is a beast on the trails.
Brian Ongay Arenas yes ,or like 50 old like me with a sore back . 😉
Im 50 and unfit but hard tail all the way, softies generally, unless top class are weaker riders, thats fair enough, each to their own
3 degrees too steep. Get an Unno on test and see how a slack head angle ONLY benefits a bike.