avalanx

It looks like he may have clipped his handlebars, nasty crash, apparently he has a separated shoulder. Hope to see him on the start line tomorrow!

Sulli with some top notch photies!

Glad the frame has such a low BB that it works well in EVO guise. I think a lot of people underestimate the effect a bigger fork has on geo, raising the BB and slackening the seat angle is not ideal in most cases. The new EVO has pretty spot on angles even with the shift, some other XC bikes(including outgoing epic) have pretty slack seat angles and high BBs with a 120mm fork. All around good work from Spez I think!

I totally agree with you I think more than 90% of Epic owners will use it as a glorified gravel bike. Sort of sad to think about really. That being said, I the the big S really nailed the geometry on this bike, definitely the most progressive mainstream XC bike around!

Flex stays have been used effectively in many bike designs, previous Scalpel, Scott Spark, Spez Epic. I'm just not sure I would label anything with flex stays a trail bike. Its an intentionally compromised suspension design for the sake of weight. Looks like a spot on race bike though, good to see less conservative anti-squat figures for an XC bike. 80% at sag should be pretty grippy!

Stans has a pretty cool article on their website explaining their idea of "wide right" essentially speaking about having a rim that is the right width for tyre you are using. So not all tyres widths will do well on all rims(Bell and Lightbulb effect). Check it out, http://www.notubes.com/WideRight/ The AC Wide Lightenings have an internal rim width of 29.3mm, which is awesome I wish my Crest's were that accommodating. However this also means that you should ideally avoid the really skinny race tyres and go for something a little wider, this is a good thing and isn't going to add rolling resistance, contrary to popular belief. Also should it be kept in mind that not all tyre profiles are the same, one brand's 2.25 might be a lot fatter than another's etc. That being said, I wouldn't run anything less than 2.25". Schwalbe make great tyres but aren't great value. Consider a Maxxis Ikon 2.25 on the back(or front as well) and a Maxxis Ardent or Ardent race 2.35 on the front. Also the Specialized ground control 2.3 at front would be great, impressive rolling resistance and a lot of grip. If you are not phased about the cost of the tyres, definitely consider Vittoria, their tyres do best with a wider rim profile. Saguarro on the back and Barzo on the front is a dream setup. If you really want to analyze the details check out http://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/ You could run any setup though, most Specialized teams the run skinny 1.95" Renegade tyres on wide Roval carbon rims. This does risk the "bell" effect which exposes you to side wall cuts(team songo has struggled with this at the Epic). Anyways you can't go massively wrong with any tyre setup, as someone new to the scene, don't waste money on expensive tyres just get the cheapest and strongest tyres that your local bike shop has in stock, erring on the wider side in your case.

This is great, I think I'd have one of these over the RC. That being said, I prefer my old Camber to my current Epic. Other's please don't make the same mistake, unless you get paid to win then go for the more entertaining ride.

I am the seller. I find all of this a ridiculous version of events. To begin with, I used the wheelset right up to the time of the sale, selling them only to upgrade to a wider rims(the mavics are 19mm internal). Why would I sell unrideable wheels, that just doesn’t make sense. So Gys’ dissatisfaction was surprising, I thought it was a case of buyers remorse or that he damaged the wheels himself. I was not willing to take the risk of blindly shipping the wheels back returning the payment after his threats. In fact I am quite sick of being sworn at and harassed. Here is an extract of the email that I sent to him that should provide some context into the matter. “I sold the wheels to you in good faith and in working condition. All representations made regarding the wheels were clear and open. I have been using the wheels in the same condition for many months and they are by no measure unrideable. You must realise that you bought second hand wheels, the price advertised was at R 5000.00 a price that takes into consideration the condition of the wheels. I was clear to you about the dent on the back wheel, I pointed it out to you. You clearly acknowledged this as you then offered a reduced price of R4500.00 on account of the dent, after having inspected the wheel thoroughly. I then accepted your offer. No false representations were made regarding the wheels. My local bike shop confirms that the wheels were true and the dent was not significant enough to warrant a replacement of the rim. I can confirm this as I happily used the wheels in the same condition for months, they are nowhere near falling apart and certainly serve their function adequately. If you are not satisfied with the wheels based on their condition that you were fully aware of, it would be a non-material mistake on your part. If you purchased a new set of Mavic Crossmax ST wheels, for which the lowest price I can find is R12 900. Then you would have reason to expect every aspect of the wheels to be in perfect and new condition. However you bought second hand wheels for a third of their new value, a price which you agreed on based on the condition of wheels. “

Hey everyone, This is a call for help, to anyone who has any advice to give me. 2 years ago I injured my MTP( the joint behind the big toe) which is pretty much where most of pedal force goes through. Had surgery on it by Doc in Morningside, whose name I won't mention because the surgery was very much a "sausage machine" type effort with a short consultation and immediate booking into surgery without any scans. Tried to get out of the surgery but was coerced into it, sucks being a layman with some doctors. Anyways, surgery was not very successful, took about 7 months for me to get back onto my bike. Unusual as I was 22 and in good health. To this day I still struggle with my foot, not being able to put pressure on the inside of the foot has caused problems with my ITB, over developed the outside of my calf muscle and quadricep, while there is visible muscle atrophy on the inside quadricep and calf. Unable to get a full pedal stroke in either, because the range of the calf muscle is limited and the foot is essentially stationary through the pedal stroke. I need to see a physio who specialised in cycling specific rehabilitation and possibly a surgeon to assess whether I need corrective surgery. Any advise will be greatly appreciated. Many thanks, A frustrated mountainbiker.

Hope to see this bike at a night race sometime Jules!

Stolen: Specialized Camber Expert Carbon 2014 When: 13 September 2015 Where: Stellenbosch, Western Cape Broke in through the back door, forced entry after 12AM while one female was in the house, luckily she slept through it and was not harmed. Stole everything they could get their hands on, TV, sound equipment 2 bikes. Get further details about the incident in the Stolen Bikes section

I'd also love to know, my entry depends on whether it is just 65km of dirt road or not? Suspicious because a roadie sent me the details

That looks amazing!

Very impressive that two amateurs came in 9th! Massive well done!

Keep shopping in my opinion. I've ridden both and like them, as pure race bikes they are excellent, but for general use the Epic at least is not a fun bike. Check out the Tallboy or Pivot Mach 429.

If only you could pick one of those up for 4- 5k

Not sure why people bash specialized, just because they put a lot of money into marketing? Does that automatically imply they don't put a lot of money into development? I hate this hipster mentally developing amongst cyclists, a company of large scale is specifically the type of company that will invest into more niche market products like 29er ladies bikes. So why not let them.

When comparing the epic to the Scott, they are very similar.. The spark has better value at this price point and is certainly better spec'ed than the Epic. You mentioned you want something with no pedal bob, in that regard the Epic is the best option on the market as the brain shock eliminates suspension action from pedaling inputs. The value of the spark, would get me to buy it over the epic if this is as far as you can push your budget. However with an extra 6k or so; an Epic comp carbon with a new wheelset and crank is one mean bike! (If the same spec, I think the Epic is better platform) Now when considering all options, not just Scott and Specialized exclusively. I agree with @wapad, the 429 is a brilliant bike, especially if your goal isn't to win races but to "participate' I think the 429 will prove to be more comfortable/usable and you won't really notice the weight difference. *I would also say look at a tallboy, but they aren't the greatest in terms of value for money, even worse than spez

Thanks, will check them out. where did you buy the rims and the hubs?

@niterider thanks for the table i think that sums things up quite nicely. I've been shopping around for 'the perfect'(subjective to riding style of course) 29er myself over the past few months and in all honesty i don't think the pyga oneten29 is the best, its pretty good, but there are definitely other bikes that are quite a bit better in terms of balance. One thing the pyga has, which is great is really short chain-stays, this will give it great handling in the tight stuff, and this is exactly where the Trance x falls short, as it doesn't really have such short-chain stays; 452 is longer even than a stumpjumpers 450 mm chain stays. The closest comparison would be a Camber. I think a camber will be slightly lighter though considering its carbon and generally has a light cross country type 110m fork (reba/sid/float). Also bare in mind that a 70 degree(Camber) head angle on a 29er is already pretty slack, so 69.5(Oneten29) may be too slack if you are planning on doing a lot of cross country riding. So basically, the Pyga oneten29 will probably be better than the Epic on the tight technical stuff, but I have no doubt in my mind that the FSR suspension combined with the brain shock will provide a much more stable pedaling platform and be faster on the climbs, also the epic will be lighter, in s-works guise much lighter! I'd say, assess what you want to use the bike for, in terms of trail riding or xc. The camber is a well balanced bike, that also has short chain stays and probably the best 29er geometry around along with the likes of the two tallboys. I'd say if you want a light xc/trail bike that isn't too biased to either type of riding, go for the camber or tallboy. I've opted for the Camber!

I'm looking to have a custom wheel-set built. Hope pro 2 hubs(black) with ZTRarch rims(black) and I don't necessarily mind what spokes as long as they are (white) Specs: 142x12 rear 9mm QR front Where would be the best place to buy a build like this? (in Gauteng/online) Thanks for the advice, Daniel

Looks awesome!! Really keen to ride these trails!

This is literally just all the boring flat stuff! and you crashed on a 1ft jump!

This will potentially be my first sani2c, are there separate waiting lists for the race,adventure trail, or is there just one waiting list? I'm wondering if i have decreased my chances of getting a spot by entering for the race?

I am actually in a similar position myself, but I am more torn between the camber and the stumpy fsr. I would say try a camber, as it fits in between the stumpy and epic perfectly. Unless you want to finish top 20 in races you won't really notice thee speed difference between the two bikes, but they do have very different riding styles. Stumpy has a 69 head angle the epic's is almost 71 degrees, also 130mm vs 100mm. Again the camber fits in with a 70 head angle and 110mm travel. The 2013 cambers have also been optimised as 29ers now, considering they don't come in 26er form any more.