Today's tracks have more in common with trail riding than the pancake flat NORBA courses of yesteryear so Specialized took a revolutionary new frame design and spec'd it specifically for the rigours of racing contemporary XC courses.
It's one of the lightest frames, tipping the scales around 1175g. To make it this light, the entire frame is built from a superlative FACT 11m carbon fibre and combined with some cues from Specialized's road bikes. Borrowing the Rider-First Engineered™ concept that originated with the Tarmac, the frame design applies specificity to every tube size and carbon layup for every frame size. This creates the optimal balance of rigidity, weight, and responsiveness, so every frame, regardless of size, performs just as intended.
The geometry has also been tweaked for more speed and stability by slacking-out the head tube angle, lengthening the top tube, and correcting the seat tube angle. This way, it feels more planted then ever, and it's incredibly fast. The rear spacing has also been widened to 12x148mm and internal split-housing cable routing has been included.
For the build, this Epic takes value to new heights with a custom-tuned RockShox Reba RL fork, 12-speed SRAM NX Eagle shifting, and fast rolling Roval Control Alloy wheels.
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By pairing a FACT 11m carbon fibre frame with a XC 29 Geometry, this Epic places a focus on revolutionary tube angles and light overall weight for explosive speed and nimble handling on the race circuit.
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The RockShox Reba RL 29 fork offers up 90/100mm of smooth travel, while an easily accessible compression and rebound adjusts permit you to customise the feel according to the terrain at hand.
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One-by 12-speed shifting is provided by a durable SRAM NX Eagle component spec.