Specialized Epic World Cup Expert 2025

THINK FASTER: The Epic World Cup is the world’s fastest XC race bike on smooth to technical rides thanks to its unmatched combination of efficiency, control and lightness. World champion Christopher Blevins put it this way: “This bike gives me everything I could want from a hardtail, plus the control and capability of the full suspension.” All it took to create this racing machine was a fully integrated development approach, the creation of a new shock concept and four decades of experience in cross-country victories. . REFERENCE CHART: To deliver maximum speed through unprecedented efficiency power transfer and highly precise handling, our engineering team set and achieved new standards in torsional rigidity and bottom bracket stiffness. This goal required an integrated development approach that fused a structurally superior double-diamond design with its shock cradled inside the top tube, and topped off with the most sophisticated carbon laminate in Specialized’s history. A NEW FORM OF SUSPENSION IS BORN: The team at Specialized Ride Dynamics conceived and invented a revolutionary shock technology for the Epic World Cup that provides the rider with the efficiency and quick response of a hardtail PLUS the control, capability and momentum of a full suspension, all with a simple setup. Co-developed with RockShox, the SID Deluxe WCID shock uses independently adjustable positive and negative air chambers to deliver the much-sought-after “effect” of a hardtail, combined with terrain-eating damping, and the ability to easily customise settings for a specific ride or adjust them to the rider’s preferences and feels. Use the firm setting and it will roll like a hardtail, or use the more active setting and it will absorb every bump without losing efficiency or acceleration. But you’re not just limited to “open and closed,” the simple nature of its setup allows the rider to adjust it across the spectrum between firm and smooth. GOING ABOVE ITS OWN CATEGORY: The Epic World Cup’s 75mm of rear travel provides the control and capability of a longer-travel bike. Because it’s designed to run with a greatly reduced sag, it offers the same effective travel as a 100mm bike with 25% sag. To further optimize suspension performance, the Specialized Ride Dynamics team has adjusted the air chamber setting to be relatively linear in the middle of the suspension to absorb big shocks like a longer-travel bike. Due to its large size, the Mega Jounce Bumper is an “industry first” and plays a crucial role in absorption when you butt up with strong impacts.

HAVE WE LOST “OUR MINDS”? Something like this: While the revolutionary new SID Deluxe WCID shock provides the unique combination of suspension and stiffness at the rear, the BRAIN is still alive and kicking at the fork. Its Position-Sensitive technology makes the first 15 mm of travel very smooth so as not to lose traction in small bumps while the rest of the suspension has a firmer behavior so as not to contaminate pedaling. All this without the need for a remote lock or lever. THE WEIGHT IS ABOVE: With a frame weight of just 1,915 grams (painted, shocked and all hardware), the Epic World Cup outperforms the lightest of its competitors. It accelerates faster, scales efficiently, and is better controlled in any circumstance. All of that translates into speed. We’ve achieved the featherweight and monstrous rigidity of the Epic WC by applying what we learned about advanced carbon laminate and tube shapes in the development of our Aethos, the lightest production road frame ever made.

• The new Epic World Cup frame features Ride Dynamics Developed suspension technology and 75mm of optimized travel at the rear.
  Thanks to its damping system, the Epic World Cup offers unmatched pedaling efficiency and is ready for the most demanding descents, without the need for any remote control to open and lock the shock.
• The SRAM GX drivetrain is based on what the best riders need in terms of performance and robust shifting, so it’s perfectly suited to the brutal demands of modern cross-country racing.
• The all-new SID SL BRAIN fork provides 110mm of bump-absorbing performance, while distinguishing bumps from the ground or rider for maximum efficiency.
• Descendants of a long lineage of the World Cup, the hand-crafted Roval Control carbon wheels feature a modern 29mm internal width hookless rim that maximises strength, ride quality and durability, while keeping weight to a minimum.