Cross country courses are nothing like they used to be. Today's tracks have more in common with trail riding than the pancake flat NORBA courses of yesteryear. For this reason, we threw away the hardtail rulebook and drafted our own chapter to create the Epic Hardtail Comp. We took a revolutionary new frame design and spec'd it specifically for the rigors of racing contemporary XC courses.
It's one of the lightest frames we've ever made, tipping the scales around 1175g. And to make it this light, we built the entire frame from our superlative FACT 11m carbon fibre, and then we took some cues from our road bikes. We borrowed the Rider-First Engineered⢠concept that originated with the Tarmac. Now, 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 we intended.
We've also tweaked the geometry 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 frankly, it's stupid fast. We also widened the rear spacing to 12x148mm and included internal split-housing cable routing.
For the build, this Epic takes value to new heights with a custom-tuned RockShox Reba RL fork, 1x11 SRAM GX shifting, and fast rolling Roval Control alloy wheels.
Frame
: | Specialized FACT 11m, XC Geometry, internal split-housing cable routing, PF30 BB, 12x148mm rear end, triangulated post-mount 160mm brake
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Fork
: | RockShox Reba RL 29, Solo Air, 51mm offset, 15x110mm thru-axle (S: 90mm, M-XL: 100mm of travel)
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Front Hub
: | Specialized, sealed cartridge bearings, 15x110mm spacing, 24h
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Rear Hub
: | Specialized, sealed cartridge bearings, 12x148mm thru-axle, 28h
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Spokes
: | Stainless, 14g
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Rims
: | Roval Control 29, hookless alloy, 22mm internal width, tubeless-ready, 32h
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Inner Tubes
: | Standard, Presta valve
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Front Tyre
: | Fast Trak, GRIPTON compound, 2Bliss Ready, 29 x 2.3"
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Rear Tyre
: | Fast Trak, GRIPTON compound, 2Bliss Ready, 29 x 2.1"
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Crankset
: | Race Face Aeffect crank, PF30
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Chain Rings
: | Steel, 30T
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Bottom Bracket
: | Race Face PF30
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Shift Levers
: | SRAM GX, trigger, 11-speed
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Rear Derailleur
: | SRAM GX, long cage, 11-speed
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Cassette
: | SRAM XG 1150, 11-speed, 10-42t
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Chain
: | KMC X11, 11-speed w/ Missing Linkā¢
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Front Brake
: | SRAM Level TL, hydraulic disc, organic pads, 160/180mm rotor
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Rear Brake
: | SRAM Level TL, hydraulic disc, organic pads, 160 rotor
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Handlebars
: | Specialized Mini-rise, 6000 alloy, 8-degree backsweep, 6-degree upsweep, 10mm rise, 720mm width, 31.8mm clamp
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Grips
: | Specialized Sip Grip, half-waffle, S/M: regular thickness, L/XL: XL thickness
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Stem
: | Specialized XC, 3D-forged alloy, 4-bolt, 6-degree rise
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Saddle
: | Body Geometry Phenom Comp, Adaptive Edge design, Hollow Cr-Mo rails, 143mm
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Seatpost
: | Specialized, alloy, single bolt, 27.2mm
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Seat Binder
: | Specialized Alloy 30.0mm
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Pedals: | Specialized Dirt |