What do you call a hardtail race bike so light it can put most road bikes to shame? Well, we suppose you could call it a hardly-there-tail, but it actually goes by the name of the S-Works Epic Hardtail. Even while barely registering on the scale, we’ve loaded it with enough capability to do quite a number on the trail. Welcome to having your cake and eating it too—S-Works style. Working towards the lightest bike possible has long been the race within the race, but at what cost? The battle of the grams certainly hasn’t been without its casualties, with hardtail XC race bikes coming to stand for a harsh, twitchy ride at the expense of capability and versatility. But who said fatigue from fighting against your own bike makes you any faster? Instead, recognizing that the fastest bike is more than simply the lightest bike, we said out with the jarred-to-death tail, the measure-your-posterior’s-sorrows-by-the-yard tail and in with the avant-garde tail. The ridiculously capable, mystifyingly comfortable, head-shakingly light and all-around fast, Epic Hardtail. Sure, we optimized every inch of the Epic Hardtail frame to achieve the lightest production hardtail frame in the world anyway, but we also prioritized our commitment to creating an Epic Hardtail that’s as capable as it is comfortable with aggressive singletrack-inspired geometry, increased tire clearance and a frame obsessively engineered for increased vertical compliance, all while creating a bike that lives and breathes the fundamentals of fast. Such an unbeleivably lightweight yet impressively capable frame deserves a build to match and the S-Works Epic Hardtail certainly doesn't disappoint. SRAM's Eagle XX1 AXS electronic groupset and the featherweight Roval Control SL wheelset lead the charge in dropping some serious grams while seriously ratcheting up performance.
Ridiculously capable and refreshingly compliant with a weight that'll make most road frames jealous, the FACT 12m carbon S-Works Epic Hardtail frame isn't just light, it's the lightest production hardtail frame ever produced.
Pairing 100 millimeters of the most efficent travel on earth with RockShox's svelte-yet-stiff SID SL Ultimate chassis, the RockShox SID SL Ultimate BRAIN fork serves as the pinnacle of XC-race supsension perfection.
The pinnacle of drivetrain performance, SRAM's XX1 Eagle AXS combines next-gen wireless technology, incredibly accurate shift performance and game-changing versatility to drastically redefine the riding experience.
Weighing a remarkable 1240 grams, the Roval Control SL wheelset not only increases strength and reduces weight, but also features a new 29-millimeter-wide internal width rim profile that improves pinch-flat resistance by 22-percent.
Specifications
Frameset
Frame
S-Works FACT 12m, Progressive XC Geometry, Rider-First Engineeredâ„¢, threaded BB, 12x148mm rear spacing, internal cable routing,
Seat Binder
Specialized Alloy, 34.9mm, Titanium bolt
Accessories
SWAT
SWAT EMT Cage-Mount Tool
Suspension
Fork
RockShox SID SL ULTIMATE BRAIN, Top-Adjust Brain damper, Debon Air, 15x110mm, 44mm offset, 100mm Travel
Cockpit
Stem
S-Works SL, alloy, titanium bolts, 6-degree rise
Handlebars
S-Works Carbon XC Mini Rise, 6-degree upsweep, 8-degree backsweep, 10mm rise, 760mm, 31.8mm
Tape
Specialized Trail Grips
Saddle
Body Geometry S-Works Power, carbon fiber rails, carbon fiber base
SeatPost
S-Works FACT carbon, 10mm setback, 30.9mm
Brakes
Front Brake
SRAM Level Ultimate, 2-piston caliper, hydraulic disc
Rear Brake
SRAM Level Ultimate, 2-piston caliper, hydraulic disc
Drivetrain
Rear Derailleur
SRAM XX1 Eagle AXS
Shift Levers
SRAM Eagle AXS Rocker Paddle
Cassette
Sram XG-1299, 12-Speed, 10-52t
Chain
SRAM XX1 Eagle
Crankset
Quarq XX1 Powermeter, DUB, 170/175mm, 34t
Chainrings
Steel, 30T
Bottom Bracket
SRAM DUB, BSA 73mm, Threaded
Wheels
Rims
Roval Control SL, Carbon offset design, 29mm internal width, 4mm hook width, Tubeless ready, 24h
Front Hub
Roval Control SL, DT Swiss Internals, Ceramic Bearings, 6-bolt, 15mm thru-axle, 110mm spacing, Torque caps, 24h straight pull t-head
Rear Hub
Roval Control SL, DT Swiss 180 Internals, DT Swiss Ratchet EXP, Ceramic bearings, 12mm thru-axle, 148mm spacing, 24h straight-pull
Spokes
DT Swiss Aerolite
Front Tire
Specialized Fast Trak, Control Casing, T5 Compound, 29x2.35
Rear Tire
Specialized Renegade, Control Casing, T5 Compound, 29x2.35
Inner Tubes
Turbo Tube w/Talc 40mm PV 29x1.75-2.4
