Anybody else cross-train on mountain bikes? Curious…
Also - for those who may - any advice on Specialized Epic? I’m in the market for a new mountain bike this year and feature-wise, I’m looking at that particular bike - smart brain deal. The 2003s are going for a lot less right now, but I think the shock computer is a little “smarter” in the 2004. Any input?
thanks–sheri
I bike a lot here in colorado.
If you plan to race in XC races or Xterras, then maybe a very light epic would be a suitable bike. But I would prefer a Hardtail for that but then people might tell you that’s old tech…
If you just do it for training or to have fun don’t get an epic. Get something like a Cannondale Jekyll or a Yeti AS-X. They are way more fun, I didn’t belive this first but riding an AS-X and an epic is not the same sport.
i use tri to cross train for mtn bike racing, i suppose. 
mtn bikes have gotten to be like skiis, in that they are really pretty specialized to what you want, and where you live/what you ride on. the best bike for raging up and down sun baked southern calif hardpack is not gonna be the best thing for ripping up the buffed out woods singletrack of the midwest, for example.
and, the bike niches themselves are pretty closely focused. what exactly are you looking to do? how focused on 'race" do you want it to be?
with that said, the spec brain tech works pretty much as advertised. the '03 bikes were a tad bit portly, (which is better than broken) and as you say i guess the 04’s are gonna be refined. the bike was not the sweetest riding machine around - felt kinda ass heavy and draggin back there, many thought. that is, around here, the trails are tight and the hills short, frequent, and not all that steep - probably a different story if you live where you climb long fire-roads steadily and bomb down them for a long ways, or even if the terrain is more severe. then, as the guy sez something like colorado is a whole nuther kettle-o-fish. what sorta thing you got goin on there?
i recently purchased a mountain bike to ride for fun and fitness. and do the occasional race on. my bike of choice was a kona but it’s not what would be considered a race bike. the shop i purchased from begged me not to get one of the epic bikes as he wasn’t sold in any way shape or form on the epic suspension. granted he was not a specialized dealer, but he seemed to be a straight shooter.
what you buy depends a lot on your bank account. there are a lot of great mountain bikes out there. if you go full suspension, titus, santa cruz, specialized(non-epic), giant, an trek(to name a few) all make some excellent bikes for xc applications; titus/santa cruz will be on the high end, while the other brands have models that can be had for <$2k.
one thing i would suggest is that you really focus on what type of riding you want to do. if it is mostly fun stuff, technical type riding with an occasional race in the mix, you might want to go for a beefier bike as the race bikes aren’t made for extensive abuse. if you are doing a lot of racing and only some recreational riding, then an xc race specific bike might be a teh best route.
as ttn points out, the type of bike will depend a lot on what kind of trails you live near. for myself in arizona, everything is rocky with 2-3 foot drops, which is why i went with a more “trail bike” type of ride with 4 inches of travel all around. bikes have become very specialized such that you can probably find the exact bike(or very close to it) that will meet your needs in terms of suspension/handling/fit etc.
I started cross-training on a mountain bike last year to help my pedalling technique and bike handeling skills and because the guys that I ride with kept bugging me to get one. Also thought Xterra would be fun so another pay off to getting it.
Went to the store to talk my second family at the bike store and walked out with 2003 Specialized Epic Disk for a VERY good price. To make a long story short, this bike is amazing. I fell in love with it and mountain biking the first time I cleared a log. The bike literally is a hard tail at one moment and then like a nice pillow the next. Another guy that I ride with whos been riding hard tails his entire life purchased one and loves it just as much as I do.
I don’t know too much about the advancements in the new brain. But try to get disks on your bike. Hope this helps
My buddy got one . He always has a big shit eating grin when we are riding. He loves it.
I haven’t (so far) done any mountain bike racing - just riding solo and with friends. I live in Idaho - the terrian is typically what I would call longer climbs and descents - not tons of short steep stuff, although definitely some. Some of it’s a bit rocky, but primarily somewhat sandy trails - I ride some road stuff, but prefer singletrack. I’ve ridden an old hardtail for years (added a front suspension to it a few years back which really improved my descents) and wanted to try a full suspension to see what I thought, but didn’t want anything too mushy on the climbs. So that’s why I thought the “brain” techie thing sounded worth trying.
As for discs - you’re talking brakes, right? I have heard that since our climate here is so dry, they are kind of take or leave, but that in moist climates they are must-haves.
Hmm…XTerra…now there a good excuse to go all-out on this purchase.
Thanks all!
~sheri
the shop i bought from was a big proponent of discs and that is coming from dry as a bone phoenix. his theory was that a better bike makes you a faster rider which in turn will necessitate stopping quicker therefore, disc brakes are a good way to go. this is my first experience with discs and so far so good. yes, there is a weight penalty, but they work very well, you can modulate speed without having to lock up the brake.
in addition to the epic in terms of bikes that pedal well–the new rage is virtual pivot point technology which is supposed to create very efficient pedaling. the santa cruz blur and the intense spyder employ this technology(but are pricey). another way to go is a four bar system with a horst link. from what i understand, it is a very good system in terms of pedaling efficiency and has been around. specialized held the patent(i think) on this and has since licensed it to others. i believe some of the specialized stumpjumper xc’s still use that system, as well as bikes such as titus racer-x(pricey) and the intense tracer(out of production but frames are still available). specialized gives pretty good bang for the buck though.
you should post some questions on the forums at mtbreview.com. lots of knowledgeable posters there as well as consumer reviews.
If you’re looking for a stable platform type of mtb like the Epic, I would look towards a Blur or an Intense Spyder instead. Overall, I’ve found them to be better bikes, and both will provide you with a more comfortable ride. Here in SoCal, the Spyder frames have been reduced because the new, longer travel, 5.5 frames are just being released. I know Supergo is letting them go for $1600 or less - you just need to build the rest of the bike around it. Santa Cruz has a line of very good women specific bikes - a Juliana (sp?) with a 5th element shock in the rear and a FOX X-series or Manitou SPV series fork up front would result in a bike that rides like the Epic on climbs, but would likely be more forgiving when the going gets rough. Santa Cruz’ prices are also very reasonable for the quality. Hard to go wrong either way.
No matter what bike you buy, your experiece with full suspension will be better if you deal with a shop that knows how to set you up. As has been stated, these bikes are very specialized, and set up is extremely important with the new stable platform suspensions. Good luck - and have fun - its agreat way to cross train.
excellent post and advice by jm3. set up on the virtual bikes such as the blur is absolutely critical. the juliana is a simple and proven design, very nice choice - spiffy colors, too! the epic will break one day - past experience is not too favorable on getting a replacement part for your '03 epic in say, '07. either way, with rear susp you are buying maintainence - make no mistake. they are cool, fun and neato - but …
on the other hand, for the same coinage you could have a swank handbuilt steel hardtail which will ride Fine like cherry pie and look better every year. or, a production ti hardtail. maybe throw a susp post on there and could be all you need - for racing, especially. all that techno hooha is fun and all but when it comes to xc racing in most locales it is all very very very much a case of the jury being out. i ride a fully rigid steel hardtail with one speed and have beat entire AG fields of guys on blurs and epics and whatnot. a cool IF or moots or sycip is always gonna be great. most rear susp bikes are just gonna be old and out of date in a couple years, and the next generation of must have rear susp bike is still gonna be getting beat as oftan as not in xc racing by a host of hardtails, just like has been the case for the past 5 or six generations of rear susp bikes.
I Mountain bike at least once a week in the off season for my “weight training.” I ride once a week on fairly rough and technical terrain at a low RPM and high resistance. I cal this active weight training and it makes me really strong come spring. I do have fun, but I don’t just go out and play. I think it pays great dividends.
As other posts have noted, it also helps handling, technique, confidence, etc.
BTW - My MTB is a Cannondale Jekyll XTR. I added Hope disc brakes which I love. The bike is always dirty and I always smile when I am on it!
Good Luck!
I did my first full season of mountain bike racing last year. I bought a hardtail as this is what most of the pros are riding. I found was as fit as any of the guys and had no problems keeping up on the climbs and fire trials. BUt when the going got techincal over roots, rocks, logs etc they would just pull out of sight. I am considering a move to a full suspension cross country bike like a Giant NRS1 (hardtail was stolen) to help compensate for my lack of technicial skills on the tricky bits and downhills, I figure I have the fitness from tri’s to help pull the extra weight. Not sure if this is good logic, but will also be more comfortable, after a couple of hours bashing over logs and rocks you do get tired.
I just bought a Specialized S-Works Epic on e-bay and love it. The guy I bought it from hardly used it and there was not a single scratch on it. There have been a few Epics for sale over the past month on E-bay. It is the best bike by far I have ever owned. I upgraded from an old Proflex full suspension and the difference is remarkable. In my view, it is perfect for mtn bike tris because they tend to be less technical than pure mtn bike races. The brain shock means the bike is like a hardtail on smooth trails and on hills. I also have front lockout so it can perform almost like a road bike on flats. I live in Phoenix and see no need for disk brakes. There is a weight penalty and it means more expensive wheels. In muddy places disks would be very useful.