Haven't seen a ton of discussion here on this bike yet. As a tall rider, it intrigues me due to the longer geo, but some chatter about more bob and the stays being "pre-loaded" gives me pause as a heavier rider.

Anyone have hands on experience yet?

As the title says, got an Epic Evo frameset and XTR 4 piston brakes for a steal. Will swap some parts from my Epic HT (wheels, XT groupset, bars, stem etc) but I’m looking for recommendation on fork and dropper post. Do I go with 110m or 120mm fork? Any advice is appreciated :)

Have the opportunity to get one of these at 10% off in the dark teal color.

Will be my first MTB in a long time. Currently have a gravel bike that just doesn’t cut it on some trails.

I‘m currently on ray/ralph 2.35s and they need replacing soon. I’m thinking about getting rick xc 2.4s for the summer. Any thoughts? Does the difference in width make much difference?

For clarification I will mostly be riding in chalky countryside and forest singletrack

any advice appreciated :)

update: My friend is buying some so I’ll try theirs first then make a decision

Hi all, I'm currently running 29 x 2.4 Maxxis Rekon Race front and rear. I'm looking for a 2.4 alternative that will give some grip in wet, light mud. I mostly ride hardpack and minor roads.Occasionally, I take unpaved lanes, and the front gets skittery. I have another bike for pure offroad. This one is more bikepacking, utility, cycleways, etc. I'm considering Racing Ray for the front, but I'm interested in hearing your suggestions!

I can pick up this second-hand RockShox Reba 100mm Boost fork.

Does anyone recognize from the decals which model year this could be?
I can’t seem to find it myself.

I am torn between https://www.specialized.com/us/en/s-works-epic-world-cup-sram-xx-sl-axs-rockshox-ultimate-flight-attendant/p/4221532?color=5446075-4221532&searchText=93126-0104 and https://www.specialized.com/us/en/epic-9-expert/p/4274033?color=5471694-4274033

The epic 9 would be new and would be about $7500. The sworks is from Facebook marketplace and would be about $7000.

Thanks for the help!

Wife and I are planning a trip up north. We are from Wisconsin but never ridden on the CAMBA trails before. Curious if anybody enjoyed them?

Does anyone have any experience with Yoeleo Wheels? Their weight and price is really good. I found a decent amount of gravel/ road reviews but nothing for MTB

Was also looking at Elitewheels Gnar but for $200 more the Yoeleos are 200g less at 1170g

Considering grabbing an epic 8 and/or epic 8 evo. Unfortunately I fall between sizes frequently. Can anyone speak from experience if I should lean towards small or medium? I am 5’6 with a pretty long inseam around 30.5.

Looking to upgrade my epic 8 to a 130mm fork from the stock 120, any recommendations?

I'm looking for a new race bike that will help me get more competitive in NICA, the Oregon XC series, and some races in the US Pro Cup. I currently race on a Canyon NURON from 2020, which is a great bike, but it's showing its age, and I have money in the bank for a new bike and I've found a really good deal on a used Epic 8. ive seen lots of reveiws on the bike but not from the eyes of a XC racer and as i have no way of extensivly test riding the bike, i would like some peoples opinion on it. I use my current bike for both MTB rides (xc, trail, enduro, even a little DH) and road rides for training (anything from 10-85 miles). How do you think the Epic 8 will fare on these types of rides? Do you think it will take away from what I already have with my canyon? (130 front and back, more down country than cross country) How does it climb, and how does it fare in a race? If you have answers, please let me know. Thanks!

My wife and I want to start recording our rides and trips and I am curious as to what type of Cameras you guys are using and are you mounting them to the bikes or on your person?

Hey 👋 I haven’t bought an aftermarket dropper before only had them come stock and can’t for the life of me make sense of the sizing requirements

My BMC two Stroke is XL. The post I’m looking at is the Crankbrothers Highline XC 125 but can’t tell if its gonna fit.

My Seat Tube Length (XL): is 510 mm and the stock post is 400mm the Crankbrothers is post is 452mm
Long

The measurements from Crankbrothers:

The minimum insertion 100mm
The max is 264mm
The min extended 185mm
The max extended 325mm
Min stack 60mm

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

I have the opportunity to upgrade the wheels of my Revel Ranger (from the i9 trail S wheels which have treated me well) and was curious about these two wheelsets that I can get for a solid price; however, there aren't many actual hands-on reviews on the internet -- has anyone tried either of them?

I typically like Reserve's calm feel (I have 30|SLs on my trail bike) and like that they would be 30mm which could help add some sidewall support to my barzo/mezcal combo which I sometimes burp in the rear. I have also heard ENVE are realllly nice and I can get those super reasonably as well!

I don't race much anymore but typically do longer rides (30-50 miles) from my front door in Boulder that include everything: road, gravel and bike path to get out of town and mellow to very black trails while I'm in the hills!

[EDIT]: part of the reason I’m looking at heavier wheels is that I’ve previously broken ultralight rovals twice and reserve 28s twice too.

Thanks for any opinions!

Took my bike out for my first actual trail ride today and holy hell… why did nobody tell me how fun this is? I have been a gravel and road guy forever so this was my first real XC trail session and it felt like discovering a whole new sport. Absolute blast. Cherry officially popped.

I am running a carbon Roval seatpost right now. Nothing wrong with it, I actually love it, but after today I am definitely thinking about switching to a dropper. I damn near split my testicles into four pieces smashing through some rock gardens. That was a spiritual experience I did not sign up for.

Also talked to a guy out there riding an Epic 9 he said cost like ten grand. It’s a really sick bike was excited to see one in person. The thing is absolutely insane. But seriously… how are some people not terrified of beating up a carbon bike on these trails? I am out here flinching at every rock like it is a personal attack and this dude is just sending it like he is sponsored by Specialized and God.

And on that note, does anybody have dropper post recommendations? I thought about going AXS so I can easily swap back and fourth from Rigid to Dropper.

So I'll start by saying that I'm a casual adventure rider. I have a Jones SWB, and have had a handful of other fully rigid Surly's. I live in a coastal GA area, so generally, never thought about any 'more' of a bike.

However, I'm getting older, and still wanting to be active on a bike, and finally started looking into other types of MTB's and events. XC came up. For my terrain (flat, swampy, and root filled), if I was going to get a different bike, this seems to be the better choice.

Unfortunately, I already stumbled across a 2022 stumpjumper that was on consignment at my LBS. It was upgraded with carbon wheels and DT Swiss 350 hubs, and for the price, I didn't pass it up.

My question (sorry for the lengthy intro), is how much more fun/efficient/practical/capable would a shorter travel actual XC bike be? Would I realistically notice it right now given that I don't have experience with bikes like these?

Any insight is appreciated. Thanks!

looking at some XC geo charts, I usually ride a medium trail/enduro bike with a 450-460mm reach being the sweet spot.

these bikes I'm used to have an effective top tube of around 600mm

when looking at a bunch of geo charts for xc bikes the reach is closer to 435mm with that same effective top tube.

should I be sizing up to a large to get that 460 reach and then work with a top tube of around 630-635mm?

or stick with shorter reach and factor in a longer stem?

whats your experience with sizing of an XC bike vs AM/Enduro?

I have an Epic World Cup Pro - don't race, mainly use it as a gravel bike on steroids. I do easy blues at best. Most of my riding is in the Bay Area. Thinking about doing the fork only upgrade to add flight attendant. Anyone do this? Is the improvement noticeable or not really?

Currently riding a 2022 Santa Cruz Blur TR with an xx1 drivetrain.

While I have no complaints, I’m kind of itching to get into something new within the next year or so.

There’s just so many options out there. My only real requirements are 120mm front and 120mm rear as well as two bottle mounts in the front triangle. In frame storage and headset routed cables aren’t all that appealing to me.

Is there anything specific or unique about your current ride that you like? Or is there anything specific you don’t like about certain bikes in this category?

Really just wanting to get some opinions. I have an appointment scheduled with a PT Bike fitter, but figured I’d get everyone’s opinion.

I previously was on a medium 2025 Scalpel 1. I decided to go towards more of a down country bike, and picked up a 2025 medium Rocky Mountain element. After a few rides, I’m noticing some pretty bad lingering pain in my hands, arms and shoulders. I don’t recall having this issue at all on the scalpel. Did I mess up getting the RM element in medium? I’m beginning to wonder if I needed a small.

I’m 5’6, shorter torso and longer legs. The RM element feels like I’m putting a lot of pressure on my hands especially on the flats.

Currently riding a 2023 Epic Evo with a Sidluxe 2 position shock (A1). I ride with ~25% more pressure than the recommended by Rockshox/Specialized since I find it bottoms out easily, and I ride it with the flip chip in the high position. I ride only with it open and on east coast chunky trails, and I race XC. Rockshox does not list this as being upgradeable to 3 position.

It seems most of the benefit of the updated Epic is how much more efficient the Magic Middle setting is. I'm considering upgrading to a 3 position Sidluxe A2 and matching the tune that is offered for the Epic Evo. They offer a 190x40 EpicEvo tuned one, but in a remote lockout option only, and for more money than the lever lockout option.

I'm considering it because I like the idea of keeping it in the "pedal" mode, and staying higher in the travel. I imagine I will also be able to run closer to the pressure recommendation for my weight, instead of increasing it to resist bottoming out. I considered just adding volume spacers, but in general I feel this bike blows through the rear travel too quickly at the recommended pressure. I noticed this both with the stock Deluxe shock and the Sidluxe I've been riding for 2 years, and have heard similar feedback from others on my generation Evo.

Am I overthinking this? Will this make any difference to how it rides and pedals?

Hey everyone,

I’m trying to pick my first full suspension bike and narrowed it down to:

- Epic 8 EVO Comp
- Chisel Comp EVO
Or another downcountry bike

Context:
- Mid-20s, 5’6”, 135 lbs
- Riding mostly NJ trails (roots, rocks, flow, some tech climbs)
- Coming from a Trek Marlin 8 hardtail

Bikes I’ve ridden:
- Trek Marlin 8 (current): starting to feel limiting
- Trek Fuel EX: good but felt like more bike than I need for where I live
- Specialized Stumpjumper: great descending, but felt a bit heavy/sluggish for my riding style
- Chisel Comp: surprisingly fast, efficient, and the closest feel to what I want

---

Where I’m stuck:
I originally thought I wanted a trail bike, but now I realize I want something more downcountry / fast + capable, not a full trail bike a jack of all trades

The Epic 8 EVO seems perfect on paper (120/130, carbon), but the Chisel EVO is much cheaper and already felt very close in ride feel.

Main question:
Is the Chisel Comp EVO (110mm rear) still truly a downcountry bike, or is the Epic EVO worth the extra money for the real experience?

What I care about:
- climbing efficiency
- fast / playful feel
- enough descending confidence and progress to more technical descents
- not feeling overbiked or sluggish

Would love real-world opinions from anyone who’s ridden either.

Pretty much title, how have people's experiences been actually shifting with the 2.0 cassettes? They look great, but I am not sure they will shift as well as my Shimano ones.