Epic Comp Test Ride

Good, honest review!

--
- Zilla Cary, NC (Remove XSPAM)

"..::TBF::.." <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

groups.msn.comshoebox.msnwOpen ↗

I read a few of the posts on here in the past week about the new Epic line from Specialized. I had
seen them up close over the past few months at the bike shows, and even a few guys out on the
trails with them too.

Whenever I ask an Epic rider what he/she thinks of the bike, they always come back with some
[censored] half-ass answer, which I found strange cause' most people will tell you exactly what they
think of their ride 10 minutes after they hop on it for the first time.

Mary wasn't feeling too well so we cancelled a long ride out in the

country

Quoted message said:

and opted for a local trail. I figured we may as well swing by the LBS and grab an Epic for a test
ride. My guy in the shop was telling me how impressed he was with it, so it seemed like a good day
to hop on one.

They had a few on display but the Epic Comp was the only one he was

willing

Quoted message said:

to let me get dirty. It was built up fairly standard...LX front mech, XT rear, Mavic rims with a
set of Roll X 2.0's. A pair of Avid rim brakes was already installed as well. Everything else was
standard. Think the sticker was set at $3000 CDN.

Instead of driving to the trailhead we decided to ride over on the bike path. I wanted to see how
things were on pavement. Not much to tell there

as

Quoted message said:

you can imagine. When we got to the parking lot, Mary decided she wanted

to

Quoted message said:

get a little spin time in on the Epic to get a feel for it before hitting the trail. Good thing we
did too because I discovered her pedals were in pretty rough shape...she neglected to tell me that
they were not cleaned

or

Quoted message said:

lubed in ages. It was murder clipping in and out until I got them properly adjusted. Should have
used the shop pedals....

The bike felt really stiff, especially when you hack away on it sprinting.

I

Quoted message said:

didn't feel any flex at all, and it turned fairly quickly. I adjusted the tires to about 40 PSI, I
figured the trail would be somewhere between hardpack and mud because of the rain a few days ago.
I would have prefered

a

Quoted message said:

100MM fork instead of the 80MM Fox that was on it, and really....I can do with a good set of disc
brakes. once I got the shock pressure and rebound dialed in, I headed unto the trail.

Like the ads say...it's just like riding a hardtail. The frame was a

large,

Quoted message said:

but seemed a little smaller than the old FSR, and it was much lighter than

I

Quoted message said:

expected it to be too.

The trail is full of roots, hills, and rolling flats...but mostly it's off-camber so I figured
this was a good mix of challenges to test on. Yeah the brain worked as stated. Whenever I hit
something significant it cycled into active mode, but I never quite knew when it was going to
behave like

a

Quoted message said:

four-bar dualie, and when it was gonna stay HT, regardless, it hooked up

on

Quoted message said:

everything I threw at it. It even felt solid on the one or two airborne stunts I pulled. The fork
could have been more plush IMO, the thing felt like I hit a wall everytime a root or rock got in
the way.

The rim brakes just don't do it for me....Maybe they weren't adjusted properly but I'm thinking
two years of hydro discs have spoiled me for modulation and all out stopping power. My Magura's
aren't the lightest,

but

Quoted message said:

they rock!

I did everything from gouge-outs to steep climbs and shoots, the bike was very good all around,
but then a Specialized rig is like that anyway. The long fireroad climb was [censored]' ! I remember
the old HT days on that stretch of gravel, and the Epic was tight and fast.

Downhilling was a little strange though, I couldn't pick lines that were adventurous because I
never knew when the brain shock would kick in. Some

of

Quoted message said:

the bumps and braking grooves didn't activate the shock, and I had to get

Quoted message said:

creative to keep things under control.

Bottom line, the new Epic is nice, but I'm done with HT's, and if I wanted one, I sure wouldn't
pay $2500 - $5000 for one to ride my local trails.

This

Quoted message said:

bike is a HT most of the time, unless you fool with the shock pressure. Furthermore, lighter bikes
can be had if racing is your thing. In that

case

Quoted message said:

i would probably want a Giant NRS Air, it's a HT for all intent and purposes, cost less, and is
lighter.

I paid a little over $1600 for my Jamis Dakar Comp and I like it a whole

lot

Quoted message said:

better than the Epic. It's fast, solid and fully active all the time. Climbing and descending on
it is sweet once you get the pressure and

rebound

Quoted message said:

dialed in. It soaks up everything on the trail and race courses with no prob, and leaves me with
enough cheddar to blow on beer and gear.

Quoted message said:

Good, honest review!

I second that. Nice job.

In article said:

I paid a little over $1600 for my Jamis Dakar Comp and I like it a whole lot better than the Epic.
It's fast, solid and fully active all the time. Climbing and descending on it is sweet once you
get the pressure and rebound dialed in. It soaks up everything on the trail and race courses with
no prob, and leaves me with enough cheddar to blow on beer and gear.

This is the complaint that I hear about the Epic from the people that I've personally met and talked
to about it. It functions well, but it's inconsistent. Hard cornering can be dangerous because if
the suspension suddenly activates, the back end washes out. If you ask me, this is worse than the
suspension simply being bad at cornering, since you can be prepared for it, and work around it. I
think the concept of the Epic is sort of okay, but not knowing what's going on would make me crazy.
I hear the Fox Fork that uses the same technology is somewhat more predictable, but that's from the
same magazines that think the Epic corners well. :P

JS

--
========================= [email hidden] ========================
Jan Sacharuk Member in Good Standing of The Discordian Solidarity Turn on viewing of the X-Geek-Code
header to see my Geek Code
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I'm so happy, 'cause today I found my friends, they're in my head.... -Nirvana

"Jan Sacharuk" <[email hidden]> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

This is the complaint that I hear about the Epic from the people that I've personally met and
talked to about it. It functions well, but it's inconsistent. Hard cornering can be dangerous
because if the suspension suddenly activates, the back end washes out. If you ask me, this is
worse than the suspension simply being bad at cornering, since you can be prepared for it, and
work around it. I think the concept of the Epic is sort of okay, but not knowing what's going on
would make me crazy. I hear the Fox Fork that uses the same technology is somewhat more
predictable, but that's from the same magazines that think the Epic corners well. :P

Back when I had the Epic Comp testbike for the weekend (I think all of the Epics marked "Testbike"
are Comps), I also found it squirrelly when turning to the right even on pavement. I suspect that
this has something to do with the shock acting as a load-bearing element when locked out, but it is
only stiffening the left side.

I would be curious to ride another LRS bike (one without a lockout) to see if it a general design
issue or just a LRS+Lockout quirk.

-Dave

"Dave Stocker" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Jan Sacharuk" <[email hidden]> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

This is the complaint that I hear about the Epic from the people that I've personally met and
talked to about it. It functions well, but it's inconsistent. Hard cornering can be dangerous
because if the suspension suddenly activates, the back end washes out. If you ask me, this is
worse than the suspension simply being bad at cornering, since you can be prepared for it, and
work around it. I think the concept of the Epic is sort of okay, but not knowing what's going on
would make me crazy. I hear the Fox Fork that uses the same technology is somewhat more
predictable, but that's from the same magazines that think the Epic corners well. :P

Back when I had the Epic Comp testbike for the weekend (I think all of the Epics marked "Testbike"
are Comps), I also found it squirrelly when

turning

Quoted message said:

to the right even on pavement. I suspect that this has something to do

with

Quoted message said:

the shock acting as a load-bearing element when locked out, but it is only stiffening the
left side.

??? I really don't know what you are talking about. It is true that it's different, but I really
don't see any misbehaving in my rides. One thing to consider, maybe is tire choice with such wild
beast. My friend got with his S-Works something Specialized Enduro S-work rubber also. That is scary
to ride. I got myself an entry level Epic, which I upgraded to almost full disc '03 XTR, Shimano 575
wheelsets, Magnum Elite, narrow flat Easton EC70 handlebar, and my favorite Continental Vertical
Protection tires, size small and I weight 60 kilos. Bike is glued to the ground as long as there is
sufficient weight to force it to do so. In high speed cornering suspension is smoothly engaging and
back wheel dose not slide, as hardtail would. On a technical slower parts, it is fast and precise,
in handling and in timely suspension wakeup.

If in any moment bike starts to lose control, it's my fault. Is there a perfect anything in the
world? No, right?

Also, any full has his better and worse sides, hardtail likewise and Epic is no exception. How much
is each imperfect and behaves improper depend on rider preference primarily, that on the success of
it's design. That would say if you like hardtail, full has to have something you are so fond of,
vice versa also. Epic is a mix, so one should actually like both to be happy with it.

Just my humble input.

D'

..::TBF::.. said:

groups.msn.comshoebox.msnwOpen ↗

[snip nice review]

Thanks for posting your opinion on the Epic hype.

Peace, Bill The mind serves properly as a window glass rather than as a reflector, that is, the mind
should give an immediate view instead of an interpretation of the world.
:-]

"wanguard" <[email hidden]> schrieb im Newsbeitrag "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

??? I really don't know what you are talking about. It is true that it's different, but I really
don't see any misbehaving in my rides.

I am 75-80kg depending on the season, this could be a factor. I was 80 when I rode the Epic in
March. What I saw was this: go fast on pavement or a fireroad. Take a shallow corner; enough to lean
the bike, but not enough to reach for the brakes. Do the same thing on a left turn and compare. My
observation was that the rear felt soft and slightly unpredictable on the right turn, but stiff on
the left turn. Ideally, someone would do this while being followed by a camera to see if it is real,
or simply percieved. I would be curious to ride a Bergwerk or Meridia to see if they do the same
thing without the brain.

Quoted message said:

One thing to consider, maybe is tire choice with such wild beast. My friend got with

his

Quoted message said:

S-Works something Specialized Enduro S-work rubber also.

ended up buying an 03 FSR Comp. The tires are the same as on the Epic Comp testbike and I do not
get any misbehaving out of them. I was also the first person to ride that testbike (I had been
waiting for the testbikes to come
in), so wear was also not a factor.

Quoted message said:

Bike is glued to the ground as long as there is sufficient weight to force it to do so. In high
speed cornering suspension is smoothly engaging and back wheel dose not slide, as hardtail
would. On

a

Quoted message said:

technical slower parts, it is fast and precise, in handling and in timely suspension wakeup.

I did not say it slid. What I noticed were disconcerting and unpredictable geometry changes.

You are 20kg less, so YMMV.

-Dave

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

??? I really don't know what you are talking about. It is true that it's different, but I really
don't see any misbehaving in my rides.

I am 75-80kg depending on the season, this could be a factor. I was 80

when

Quoted message said:

I rode the Epic in March. What I saw was this: go fast on pavement or a fireroad. Take a shallow
corner; enough to lean the bike, but not enough

to

Quoted message said:

reach for the brakes. Do the same thing on a left turn and compare. My observation was that the
rear felt soft and slightly unpredictable on the right turn, but stiff on the left turn. Ideally,
someone would do this while being followed by a camera to see if it is real, or simply

percieved.

Quoted message said:

I would be curious to ride a Bergwerk or Meridia to see if they do the

same

Quoted message said:

thing without the brain.

Quoted message said:

One thing to consider, maybe is tire choice with such wild beast. My friend got with

his

Quoted message said:

S-Works something Specialized Enduro S-work rubber also.

ended up buying an 03 FSR Comp. The tires are the same as on the Epic

Comp

Quoted message said:

testbike and I do not get any misbehaving out of them. I was also the

first

Quoted message said:

person to ride that testbike (I had been waiting for the testbikes to come
in), so wear was also not a factor.

Quoted message said:

Bike is glued to the ground as long as there is sufficient weight to force it to do so. In high
speed cornering

suspension

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

is smoothly engaging and back wheel dose not slide, as hardtail would.

On

Quoted message said:

a

Quoted message said:

technical slower parts, it is fast and precise, in handling and in

timely

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

suspension wakeup.

I did not say it slid. What I noticed were disconcerting and

unpredictable

Quoted message said:

geometry changes.

You are 20kg less, so YMMV.

How dee,

What ever I did I just don't feel anything wrong. What size of the bike you where riding? Myn is
small, maybe a bit stiffer than others, plus I am pretty light...

Go figure, never the less if I catch something I will remember and get back to you.

best of all,

d'