First Look: 2023 Specialized Epic World Cup

The Epic, which has been a mainstay of Specialized's range for quite some time, even saw a lick of this treatment too, albeit in the Evo package. The 120mm Epic Evo arguably made Specialized one of the first big brands to the downcountry punch. This isn't that Epic Evo, though. In fact, it's not really even a replacement or update on the full suspension Epic, which was updated relatively recently in 2021.

Instead, this new Epic World Cup is far more aligned with replacing the Epic Hardtail from the range, which it will do to an extent, if not entirely sooner or later. According the Specialized the Epic Hardtail isn't going anywhere, and will instead become a more value focussed model for those that want a hardtail for all-out racing.


Frame Features

Before we get into the novel suspension, let's take a rundown of this frame.

Being a thoroughbred XC bike, it's no surprise to say that this bike is built around 29" wheels and is able to fit two full-size water bottles. It uses a 110mm travel fork that's coupled with 75mm of travel at the rear. There will be two builds, the S-Works and the Pro model, as well as a frame-only version. The sizes will run from small to extra-large on full builds, and there will be a run of framesets available in the XS.


The shock frame weighs 1765 grams. Our full-build S-Works Epic WC in size large weighs 9.85 kg.


Suspension Design

In some ways the Epic World Cup isn't so much a full-suspension bike with a small dose of rear travel but rather a hardtail that happens to have 75mm of travel. That's not because of the silhouette or the relatively low weight, though; it's because of the way the bike is designed to be used. The suspension system, which features a one-piece rear end that relies on now near commonplace flex stays, isn't meant to be set up with the normal quantities of sag. Oftentimes, even for a short travel XC bike you could run around 20% to 25%. With the new Epic, however, the maximum that Specailized suggests you should run is 10%. This is the full-gulp setting. Maybe Specialized engineers have been enjoying the light beverage refreshments and cabinet of death at their local 7Eleven, I'm not sure, but the name is a little light-hearted and refreshingly self-deprecating for a style of bike that often takes itself very seriously. Maybe too much so.

There are also no-gulp and half-gulp setups that would run the bike at 0 or 5 percent sag respectively. Specialized points out that if you had a 100mm travel bike and ran it at 25% sag then you would effectively have 75mm of travel left to go into. However, although it's a nice thought and effective marketing line, we know that's not really how suspension works. More sag will give a bike that extends and tracks through holes better. Plus, a bike that's happier to go into its stroke and requires less force to break into its travel will let the wheel lift up over roots, rocks or obstacles to greater effect, too.


Some bikes can get called out for vague similarities to pre-existing models and sometimes it's unfair. In this case, though, it's probably quite appropriate to acknowledge the similarities between this and the 60mm travel Trek Supercaliber. There are other similarities and parallels, too. Firstly, both big North American powerhouses teamed up with other industry leaders to make a proprietary rear shock that sits in line with the top tube.

However, there are differences. While both integrate neatly into the frame, the Trek system incorporates the shock as a structural member, whereas the Epic World Cup uses a more standard pivot and linkage, albeit a very small one. Specialized worked with RockShox to make the Brain WKD that you'll find on this bike, and Trek worked with Fox to make their IsoStrut. Both brands also have been trying to make their road bikes as comfortable as possible, even going as far as to include strut systems or dampers. Both bikes are also very short travel and both are there to run alongside and not replace their true full-suspension XC bike.

There are some key differences, though. The IsoStrut Trek system uses one air valve and an equalising port, which is then complemented by a remote lockout, while the Specialized system uses two valves to fine-tune the relationship between the negative and positive air chambers.

What this sets out to achieve on the Epic is the ability to tune the threshold level to push the bike into its stroke. If an air shock was only to have a positive air chamber, it would suffer from the huge amount of preload associated with that. In an air-sprung shock the positive air chamber is trying to extend the shock and resist the forces compressing the bike and forcing it into its cycle; the negative air chamber is actually working to suck the shock down and bring the bike into its stroke.

Oftentimes, these two systems are set at the same similar pressures, but their chambers are different volumes, with the positive being substantially larger. This is why a bike will keep the rider's weight suspended. In the architecture of the shock, you will find a small port to let the large positive air chamber fill the smaller negative chamber. This point is oftentimes around sag. If you wanted to make the bike break into its travel with less force you could increase the volume and or the pressure of the negative chamber. If you wanted it to require more force to begin the cycle you could do the inverse. This is what Specialized is playing with on the Epic World Cup, and it's one way that they're able to run it at almost 0% sag and still get full travel. They're not changing the spring rate for the full stroke, but rather changing the required threshold to begin the cycle.


Builds


S-Works Epic World Cup



Epic World Pro

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Stay tuned for an upcoming long term review. For more information please visit specialized.com

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