As one who has owned eight different Epic "brain" bikes since 2003, I partially agree.

The rear shock brain is absolutely glorious, when you get used to how it responds. It takes some dialing in. Some generations of the Epic were much better than previous generations. I am now riding a 2023 Epic Expert model and the rear brain shock is perfection.

The real problem is the Brain fork. It's a turd. It's been a turd since the E100 pogo stick fork. As soon as I ordered my 2023 Epic, I also ordered SL Ultimate fork. The Brain fork is unpredictable, inconsistent, and heavy. When it's replaced with a regular high-end fork, the bike comes alive.

My bike is an absolute unit right now. Easily one of the best Epic's I've owned (although still a hard nod to the 2012 year, that was a great model as well).

I really wanted a Scott Spark RC, but at the time (Last December), I was told it would be delivered Fall 2023. My Epic was delivered January 2023, so I opted for another Epic.

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The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design.

I haven't ridden a Blur but I had an Epic Evo for a while. Great bike that is fast, climbs well and descends with confidence. I only sold it because I wasn't racing much at the time, but I wish I had kept it. I didn't love the SID fork and would've probably eventually swapped it for a Fox 34 Stepcast, but that's personal preference.

The Blur S TR comes with aluminum rims and mech shifting vs. the Roval Carbon Controls and AXS on the Epic Evo Expert. The Blur GX AXS RSV with the Reserve rims is probably a better direct comp to the Epic Expert.

From what I've read and heard about the Blur TR though, you can't really go wrong with either bike. Do you have the opportunity to test ride them both?

On a side note, while I agree that many Xterra races would be fine on a hardtail, if this will be your only mtb and you want to get he most fun out of it and still be able to race, I'd 100% go full suspension. You can always lock out the rear on less technical trails.

On an XC bike I'm a big fan of the Brain as well.
To be able to go from locked out compression to fully open compression was magical. Hammering with no bob on a smooth surface and transitioning to roots / embedded rocks was really an experience. They were also able to run those bikes with really low anti-squat which helped them pedal well in the rough.

For many, however, the need for maintenance (and the lack of durability of earlier systems) just doesn't work with the general consumer.

With all this said "MTB YUM YUM" posted an Epic Evo review on YouTube and his experience is very different from my own. This isn't to say he's wrong, but it's just a reminder that different people have different experiences. I will say that I'm a bit of a suspension nerd, and I have to wonder if his experience was tainted by poor suspension set up.

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