The Ride Continues
Written: Mar 11 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fun, Efficient, and now lighter
Cons: Small issue witht the derailleur, but there is a fix
The Bottom Line: Other than the derailleur hanger issue, this is a phenominal bike, so once you tweek that to work, you will love this bike.
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| FlanderFlop's Full Review: Specialized Epic Comp |
Last year specialized introduced their new "Brain" technology, and it turned the full suspension world on its head. Until last year their were two complaints about full suspension bikes that all of the die-hard hard-tail racers would cling to, despite the fact that more and more of the big cross country races were being won on FS bikes.
Brain Technology
The first was that that the rear suspension not only absorbed bumps, but also absorbed some of the energy from each of the riders pedal strokes making the bike less efficient. (It should be noted, that this loss of efficiency in most cases was more than made up for with the fact that you could pedal through sections you couldn't on a hard-tail, and ride faster on the descents, but hey, die-hards will be die-hards)
Specialized ruined this argument for the die-hards by using its new "Brain" technology. Working together with Fox Shocks they used what is know as an inertial valve in the rear shock that can sense the direction of a pressure on the frame. This is essentially done with a suspended weight that is enclosed in a cylinder near the rear axle. When a force is applied from below (such as a rock or bump) the force will cause the weight to drop in the cylinder and open a valve that will allow the suspension to activate. If the force comes from above (like a pedal stroke) the weight will stay at the top of the cylinder leaving the valve closed and causing the shock to be locked out.
In short, this shock only works when you want it to. I have I also rode one of the 2003 models of this design and have had great luck with it. It does what they say and it works smoothly. I once had a shop guy try to convince me that they would remain locked in washboard type terrain, but I have never experienced this, and I have ridden a lot of washboard and jitter bumps with this bike, and have never experienced this. It should be noted that this shop guy was selling another brand of bike and had never ridden an Epic. Yes mud-slinging occurs even in the bike world.
Can I preload this bike? Yes, you preload for a jump the same way you would a hard tail. If you must have a full suspension preload, you are probably doing a kind of riding that this bike is not aimed for, and there are better designs out there for you.
The Weight Factor
While this bike is still not as light at the equivalent hard-tail, they did shave a bunch of weight off their whole line of Epics this year. So the last remaining objection is slowly going out the window. This years bike is about a half a pound lighter. You just can't argue with that.
The Components
The Epic Comp gets you a wonderful selection of components. The high point of the frame is the Fox Float RL. The RL offers not only the precision in steering that we have come to expect from Fox Forks but a high level of adjustability, with the Rebound and lockout adjustments. Fox makes the best forks on the planet, trust me on this, as there is plenty of room for the full review under the Forks section. Other that this the bike is pretty much an LX set up except for the XTR rear derailleur and the M-555 Hydraulic Disc brake. The brakes are smooth and hold up well, as a personal preference, I would rather have the Avids, but that is just me. Either way it is a nice spec. The Octalink bottom bracket and cranks set provide a stiff pedaling platform. The SPD pedals should be removed immediately and sold while they are new, your dealer may even give you some sort of credit towards the Egg Beaters which should be on there. The Roll-X tires are a wonderful all around fast rolling tire. I have been racing on them for a year now and they have replaced the IRC Mythos as my favorite all around tire. The wheel set is a solid package Specialized hubs with a Mavic Rim. I would have put a Bontrager rim on, but since Trek owns Bontrager, Specialized does not have that option.
All and all there is very little to complain about with the specs on this bike, it is a solid package and race ready.
The Problem
There is one little problem which I have discovered with this bike. Even when the B tension screw is all the way in on the rear derailleur, the pulley wheels will rum on the cassette when the bike is in the lowest two gears in the back and either the small or middle ring in the front. Specialized vaguely waves their finger at Shimano, and Shimano doesn't really need to reply as this combination of components seems to work on all of the other companies bikes. A longer tension screw will not solve the problem, we tried, but there is a relatively easy solution.
The Fix (Sort of)
The fix is essentially to loosen of the tension on the spring in the derailleur. This is done simply by stretching it. To do this you basically need to hyper extend the derailleur, if you are not comfortable doing this, either have a professional mechanic do it for you, or simply leave your bike in the two largest cogs whenever you are not riding it. This is called a cross chain and in general you don't want to ride like this, but it wont hurt while your bike is just sitting there, so leave it in the big ring in the front and the easiest cog in the rear. The other simple fix would be for Specialized to redesign their removable derailleur hanger, but I am assured that they have no intention of doing this.
The Verdict
Other than the one small glitch this is a wonderful bike and I would recommend it to anyone looking to do some serious cross country riding. You big hit junkies should steer clear as ahould anyone on a tight budget. But If you can afford it, this is the bike to have.
Recommended:
Yes
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