Specialized Men's Epic Hardtail Expert

The Specialized Men's Epic Hardtail Expert proves to be a game changer in the constant evolution of cross-country bikes. Challenging the ordinary, this robust bike spins the classic hardtail on its head, creating an innovative new design that's both ultra-light and immensely strong.

The Epic Hardtail Expert’s robust frame is one of the lightest we have ever made - a mere 1175g, thanks to our top-notch FACT 11m carbon fibre construction. To give it a unique touch, we incorporated design elements from our road bikes.

Adapting the Rider-First Engineered™ concept that originated with the Tarmac, we have tailored the design specification for each tube size and carbon layup for every frame size. This creates an optimal balance between rigidity, weight, and responsiveness. Altered geometry amps up speed and stability - the head tube is more slackened, the top tube elongated, and seat tube angle readjusted. This gives the bike better grounding and enhances the speed, feeling more planted than ever. Additionally, we’ve widened the rear spacing to 12x148mm and included internal split-housing cable routing.

For the build, the Epic Hardtail strikes a perfect balance between value and performance. This is achieved with a custom-tuned RockShox SID fork with Brain, SRAM GX Eagle™ 12-speed shifting, and quick-to-accelerate Roval Control Carbon wheels.

The FACT 11m carbon fibre frame is paired with our XC 29 Geometry for revolutionary tube angles and extremely light overall weight, ensuring explosive speed and agile handling on the race circuit. We also incorporated 148mm rear spacing and all-new triangulated post-mount brake mounts.
The Custom RockShox SID 29 w/ Brain fork provides 90/100mm of efficient travel. The Brain technology differentiates between terrain and rider input to maximise your power and adjusts the oil flow when not hitting bumps.
The 12-speed SRAM's GX Eagle groupset, featuring a 10-50t cassette, offers a wide gear range that enables smooth uphill climbs, and ample top-end for descents. The one-by setup also reduces weight and virtually bans the chances of a chain drop.

Specification

FRAME	Specialized FACT 11m, XC Geometry, internal split-housing cable routing, PF30 BB, 12x148mm rear end, triangulated post-mount 160mm brake
FORK	RockShox SID Brain 29, Solo Air, 51mm offset, 15x110mm thru-axle (S: 90mm of travel, M/L/XL: 100mm of travel)
FRONT HUB	Specialized, sealed cartridge bearing, 15x110mm spacing, torque caps, 32h
REAR HUB	Specialized, sealed cartridge bearing, XD driver body, 12mm thru-axle, 148mm spacing, 32h
SPOKES	DT Swiss Industry, stainless, 2.0
RIMS	Roval Control Carbon, hookless bead, 22mm internal width, tubeless ready
INNER TUBES	Standard, Presta valve
FRONT TYRE	Fast Trak, GRIPTON compound, 2Bliss Ready, 29 x 2.3",
REAR TYRE	Fast Trak, GRIPTON compound, 2Bliss Ready, 29 x 2.1"
CRANKSET	Truvativ Stylo, 6K alloy, Boostâ„¢ 148, 175mm crankarm, 30mm spindle
CHAINRINGS	SRAM Eagleâ„¢, alloy, 32T
BOTTOM BRACKET	SRAM PF30
SHIFT LEVERS	SRAM GX Eagle, trigger, 12-speed
REAR DERAILLEUR	SRAM GX Eagle, 12-speed
CASSETTE	SRAM GX Eagle, 12-speed, 10-50t
CHAIN	SRAM GX Eagle, 12-speed w/ PowerLock©
FRONT BRAKE	SRAM Level TL
REAR BRAKE	SRAM Level TL
HANDLEBARS	Specialized Mini-Rise, 7050 alloy, 8-degree backsweep, 6-degree upsweep, 10mm rise, 720mm width, 31.8mm clamp
GRIPS	Specialized Sip Grip, half-waffle, S/M: regular thickness, L/XL: XL thickness
STEM	Specialized XC, 3D-forged alloy, 4-bolt, 6-degree rise
SADDLE	Body Geometry Phenom Comp, Adaptive Edge design, Hollow Cr-Mo rails, 143mm
SEATPOST	Specialized, alloy, single bolt, 21mm offset, 27.2mm
SEAT BINDER	Specialized Alloy 30.0mm
PEDALS	Specialized Dirt