Test Bike Epic Pro Carbon 29 XC Specialized 2021 Gloss Abalone/Satin Black

Epic Pro

What do you get when you open up the taps on trickle-down technology? That'd be the Epic Pro. A waterfall of performance coming straight down from Mount S-Works, the Epic Pro benefits from the most efficient suspension design we've ever created, not to mention a frame that's as light as the previous-generation S-Works while offering the same incredibly efficient power transfer of the current cream of the World Cup crop.

Mixing hardtail efficiency and full-suspension capability to impressively quick results, Epic has always been defined by an uncompromised commitment to speed. Well, that and over 100 World Cup wins and podiums. True to form, the latest Epic continues the tradition, taking advantage of the most efficient BRAIN suspension we've ever created to ensure it's always on a first-name-basis with fast. Re-engineered hand-in-hand with the new Epic, the latest BRAIN design resets the expectation for efficiency, employing a new race-tuned pedaling platform to ensure every watt possible is translated into forward motion, while handily soaking up momentum-killing chatter and big hits alike, all more smoothly than ever.

Redesigned with a focus on efficient power transfer and better handling performance, the Epic's all-new FACT 11m carbon frame features a 15-percent stiffer rear triangle in order to take full advantage of the BRAIN's new race-tuned pedaling platform, while the revised carbon layup of the front triangle sheds weight, sending the Epic's already sky-high stiffness-to-weight ratio even higher. The Epic Pro's Top-Adjust Position-Sensitive BRAIN fork allows for easy tuning on the fly, making suspension adjustments on course pre-rides a stress-free affair, while SRAM's X01 Eagle AXS electronic group takes notes from BRAIN's telepathic performance, firing off shifts with lightning-fast precision.

• Descending from a long World Cup lineage, hand-built Roval Control Carbon wheels feature a modern 25-millimeter internal-width hookless rim, and maximize strength, ride quality, and durability while keeping weight to a minimum.

• Offering 100-millimeters of brilliantly efficient BRAIN-controlled travel, the Epic's FACT 11m carbon frame increases rear triangle stiffness for peerless power transfer and introduces the most capable handling in an Epic yet, all while shedding weight over the previous-generation Epic.

• SRAM's Level TLM brakes feature a one-piece monoblock caliper design that not only excels at shedding speed, but also weight.

• The RockShox SID SL BRAIN fork serves up 100-millimeters of brilliantly controlled BRAIN travel while bringing damper adjustments top-side for quick, on-the-fly tweaks.

• The SRAM X01 Eagle AXS 12-speed rear derailleur not only offers some of the crispest shift around, but it also manages to serve up a maximum 500-percent gear range while using a 10-percent shorter cage design to increase ground clearance over its mechanical counterpart.