I’m considering getting an XC mountain bike which I would use to race X-Terra, but also just general mountain biking for fun.
The Santa Cruz Blur in a TR (extra travel) version has been recommended to me as has the Specialized Epic Evo.
The Blur comes in the R TR for $4499 and the S TR for $5499 with GX Eagle vs. NX Eagle and Fox 34SC fork vs the Rock Shox fork on the cheaper model.
The Epic EVO Starts at $4000 but the next step up is $7000 in World Cup Expert trim where it seems fitted out similarly to the cheaper S TR from Santa Cruz, but with the “brain” technology.
Is there a clear winner here? Something else I should consider?
Don’t get the Brain. It appears that Specy is working on phasing it out. I’d get the better suspension and plan on buying GX AXS. World Cup racers are using the Brain spec’ed Specy bikes less and less.
Depending on the terrain around you, I would agree on not counting out the hardtails. My BMC TwoStroke is impressively quick. It only looses on courses where there are long stretches that require pedaling on very bumpy ground.
I would spend the extra $1,000 on the S TR build Blur. You get a better drivetrain that you can get a couple seasons from, better wheels, carbon bars, FOX Transfer SL dropper and better brakes. And I would take the FOX 34SC over the SID RL all day and twice on sunday.
If you are anything more than a 140lb 200 FTP rider, that NX drivetrain will be smoked in a hurry. Plus, the S build uses and XD driver on the hub instead of HG which is very much not a modern standard. Shimano 12 is all on MicroSpline (MS) not the HyperGlide (HG).
As a road triathlete and total noob mountain biker, I think a rear suspension will be very beneficial for me. Maybe some day I’ll be good enough for a hard tail.
As a road triathlete and total noob mountain biker, I think a rear suspension will be very beneficial for me. Maybe some day I’ll be good enough for a hard tail.
I think I’m narrowing to the Santa Cruz Blur S TR
i’m a similar profile to you - roadie who jumps into xterra sometimes. i also raced MTB in college, so maybe that changes things a bit.
anyway i did an xterra in canada where a friend loaned me a trail bike (a kona process 134). as someone who’d only ever ridden hardtails (and old-school ones at that), it felt like a TON of bike. it wasn’t heavy, it was just wide, cushy, and knobbly. but for the race i did, it was absolutely the right tool for the job. i kept the rubber down the entire time and felt waaaay more confident and comfortable on a pretty technical course. the tech has come such a long way.
i recently did xterra worlds in italy and raced my usual aluminum hardtail - a mondraker. it’s fine but now pretty outdated, and the ride beat me up more. the course was fairly nontechnical and featured lots of long steady climbs, so hardtail was fine . . . i just wish it was lighter.
anyway, long way of saying that maybe your decider should also be the courses in your area and what kinds of trails you see yourself using…
They replace the pivot bearings for free every couple of years though their website. Also the Brain is known to blow out quite often compared to the standard internals of the SID fork. You really only want to lock out of the rear shock anyways and leave the front open if you are locking out the suspension.
I own an Epic Evo but have not ridden the Santa Cruz, so consider that. For me, the Epic Evo is the perfect XC bike. I’ve raced it across Portugal and done epic one-days like White Rim in a Day. I’ve put burlier tires on it and ridden it on the same terrain as my Enduro Bike. If you’re looking for the most efficient bike for pavement and dirt roads then look elsewhere (like the standard Epic), but if you’re looking for a bike that is fast on trails then it ought to be on the short list.
Right now Specialized has 3 Epic Models and each have a full line of Comp, Expert, Pro, Sworks, etc.
(Old) Epic: This is the former XC Race bike with steeper geometry and the brain shock front and rear
Epic Evo: This is a brain-less epic that has slacker / more stable geometry and a lighter frame
Epic World Cup. This is the newest frame and has a mono-strut with the rear shock integrated into the frame just like Trek did. This bike is longer than the Epic Evo, has less travel, and much shorter chainstays but similar head tube angle. It’s likely a bike that uses it’s suspension for speed and not much else. It’s also likely to be decently stable on descents and straight lines, while cornering quickly if you can keep weight on the front wheel. As far as I know there is no “brain” on this product line. Frame weight is very similar to the Epic Evo
The Epic Evo Comp is $4,750 and the Epic Evo Expert is $7,000.
There are also some decent deals on Facebook Marketplace.
I believe the Epic Evo Frame is ~300g lighter than the Blur frame, so there’s that.
Looking at Geometry, the Blue TR is a touch lower, shorter, and steeper. The wheelbase, chainstays (slightly), and front center are all shorter. This is likely to feel like a faster handling bike that might be more at home on tighter twistier terrain (though not necessarily “better”) while still having a balanced fore-aft feel. To me the Epic Evo feels very balanced and confidence inspiring and that may be important to an infrequent mountain biker. The Epic World cup might need a more skilled pilot to keep weight and traction on the front wheel with it’s shorter chainstays and longer front-end.
I think that you’re local, so feel free to check out my Epic Evo or UBikes has the Evo, Worldcup, and I believe the Blur TR on their floor right now. Always worthwhile to take things for a ride before committing!
Are you running a lockout on your Evo? That seems to be the thing for the world cup riders these days. I’ve never ridden any of the new specy offerings. I think the new Epic Evo really has them pointed in the right direction. How much anti squat is built into that bike?
With regard to lockouts, to the audience at large. For the average ride you don’t really need them, but when an XCO race starts with an up hill sprint on asphalt, it is a dang nice feature to have.
I would throw another bike into the options with the Orbea Oiz. The newest version looks like a really nice rig.
I have a Santa Cruz Tallboy, which I love, so I’m certainly a fan of Santa Cruz bikes, but one thing that has me dreaming about an Epic is the ability to carry two water bottles. May seem silly, but as a Triathlete pretending to be a mtber, I love going for longer rides, and hate carrying a camelback. If I can put two water bottles on my bike then suddenly what I need to carry for tools, etc. starts to look exactly the same as what I bring on my gravel bike.
most xterra’s are not that technical and can easily be raced well on a hardtail. i would venture that most pros use FS because that is the race bike they are supplied with. if xterra had UCI world cup level support and bike supply, i bet they would choose hardtail for most courses. beaver creek and maui were definitely hardtail courses. snowbasin could go either way. alabama i would probably pick FS (have raced on both FS and HT, was a little faster on FS but also a litter better fitness so …?)
i’m currently building up a carbon Twostroke frameset, so can’t say much about it yet, but aluminum models look like a great deal. bikes getting up into the $7000 range and you only get GX level components is absolutely insane. you could easily get a race worthy hardtail and a trail bike (120-140mm suspension) for the price of an Epic. learn how to ride on the trail bike and then learn how to race on the HT
Are you running a lockout on your Evo? That seems to be the thing for the world cup riders these days. I’ve never ridden any of the new specy offerings. I think the new Epic Evo really has them pointed in the right direction. How much anti squat is built into that bike?
With regard to lockouts, to the audience at large. For the average ride you don’t really need them, but when an XCO race starts with an up hill sprint on asphalt, it is a dang nice feature to have.
I would throw another bike into the options with the Orbea Oiz. The newest version looks like a really nice rig.
For my fork I have a Stepcast 34 with a remote lock on the FIT4 damper.
On the rear I’m just running the lever on the shock body and I only flip it when I’m on pavement. (Full disclosure, I recently replaced the rear DPS with the new FLOAT (which is dreamy)).
The Epic Evo has ~92% anti-squat, which I think works well. It’s not the most efficient on perfectly smooth surfaces, but you’re seeing more and more bikes in this range (including the Blur). I think being right around 100% offsets much of the force while still allowing active suspension in rooty / rocky segments by limiting pedal kickback. Bikes that are higher (like 110%) can feel very direct in their pedaling which is good, but at times it feels like you’re fighting them to pedal through rougher terrain.
I have a Santa Cruz Tallboy, which I love, so I’m certainly a fan of Santa Cruz bikes, but one thing that has me dreaming about an Epic is the ability to carry two water bottles. May seem silly, but as a Triathlete pretending to be a mtber, I love going for longer rides, and hate carrying a camelback. If I can put two water bottles on my bike then suddenly what I need to carry for tools, etc. starts to look exactly the same as what I bring on my gravel bike.
New Blur has room for 2 waterbottles. In this day, an XC bike that can only carry one ought to be overlooked.
I have a Santa Cruz Tallboy, which I love, so I’m certainly a fan of Santa Cruz bikes, but one thing that has me dreaming about an Epic is the ability to carry two water bottles. May seem silly, but as a Triathlete pretending to be a mtber, I love going for longer rides, and hate carrying a camelback. If I can put two water bottles on my bike then suddenly what I need to carry for tools, etc. starts to look exactly the same as what I bring on my gravel bike.
As a triathlete, surely you’re rocking a 1.5L water bottle down your jersey!
Throwing my hat into the ring here, I’m in a similar situation and am shopping for an XC bike. I had kind of narrowed my choices down to the gen 2 Trek Supercaliber. Curious as to everyone’s thoughts on that bike.
Also while we are talking MTB - I know most people here are fit nerds when it comes to TT bikes, but I have found little on proper MTB fit. Any recommendations?