S-Works Epic World Cup LTD
As we celebrate our first half-century, we look forward to the next 50 years of innovation with the S-Works Epic World Cup Forward 50 LTD.
With multiple World Cup wins in its inaugural season, the Epic World Cup immediately established itself as the fastest bike in the world for smoother tracks.
The Forward 50 LTD comes in an impressive graphic: the gold represents our 50th anniversary, while the pink recalls our historic Team Stumpjumper and our commitment to racing with an irreverent and rebellious spirit.
These unique bikes are equipped with the best of the best: Specialized/RockShox SIDLuxe WCID rear shock, RockShox SID SL Ultimate 3P fork, Roval Control SL Team wheelset, Roval Control SL integrated cockpit, Roval Control SL seatpost, S-Works Power with Mirror saddle, and CeramicSpeed DUB bottom bracket—ensuring these bikes go as fast as they look.
It’s time to retire your hardtail.
The Epic World Cup is a purpose-built machine, and its purpose is to win. We challenged ourselves to avoid conventional understanding of what it takes to be the fastest. We embraced the challenge with an unprecedented integrated system approach to frame engineering, a revolutionary shock design, and unparalleled ride dynamics. The result? An unmatched combination of efficiency, control, and lightness. The whole is faster than the sum of its parts.
THINK FASTER:
The Epic World Cup is the fastest XC race bike in the world on smoother to moderately technical courses, thanks to its unrivaled combination of efficiency, control, and lightness. World Champion Christopher Blevins put it best: "This bike gives me everything I could want from a hardtail, plus the control and capability of full suspension."
ASTONISHINGLY FAST:
The Specialized Ride Dynamics team conceived and invented a revolutionary shock technology for the Epic World Cup that gives you the efficiency and quick response of a hardtail PLUS the control, capability, and momentum of full suspension—all with simple setup. Co-developed with RockShox, the SID Deluxe WCID shock uses independently adjustable positive and negative air springs to deliver the coveted "snap" of a hardtail, combined with terrain-gobbling compliance and the ability to easily customize settings for a specific course or rider’s preferences.
PUNCHING ABOVE ITS WEIGHT:
The Epic World Cup’s 75mm of rear travel offers the control and capability of a much longer-travel bike. Because it’s designed to be ridden in or near the top of the travel, it produces the same positive travel as a 100mm bike with 25% sag. To further optimize suspension performance, the Specialized Ride Dynamics team tuned the spring to be relatively flat in the mid-stroke, allowing it to handle most bump forces like a longer-travel bike. Due to its large size, the custom Mega Jounce Bumper is an "industry first" and is crucial for smoothly managing bottom-out on the biggest impacts.
LIGHTNESS:
With a frame weight of just 1,765 grams (painted with shock and all hardware), the Epic World Cup outshines the lightest competitors. This translates to faster acceleration, more efficient climbing, and more agile handling—all of which translates to speed. We achieved the featherweight and monstrous stiffness of the Epic WC by applying what we learned from developing our Aethos, the lightest production road frame ever made, specifically advanced composite composition and tube shapes.
- The Epic World Cup frame incorporates suspension technology developed by Ride Dynamics and 75mm of optimized rear wheel travel. With this shock technology, the Epic World Cup delivers unmatched pedaling efficiency and is ready for the toughest descents you can throw at it, without needing lockout controls.
- The SRAM XX SL drivetrain with CeramicSpeed DUB bottom bracket is built around what the best riders need in terms of shifting performance and toughness, making it perfect for the brutal demands of XC racing.
- A RockShox SID SL shock with Race Day 2 of 3 positions with the "Magic Middle" setting of Epic 8 provides support during pedaling and 110mm of active suspension and bump absorption on rough terrain to provide maximum efficiency.
- Weighing in at 1190 grams, the Control SL Team wheels are the lightest production XC wheels on the planet and are still ready for the demands of modern World Cup racing. The biggest weight savings come from our revolutionary carbon spokes: after a three-year process that included exhaustive material research and extensive field and lab testing, we arrived at 20 optimized carbon fiber spokes that are not only 29% lighter than their steel counterparts but also stronger and more durable.
Maximum Precision
An astonishingly light 1,765-gram frame, unmatched bottom bracket stiffness, and radical shock technology deliver category-leading efficiency. Thanks to independently adjustable positive and negative air chambers, the Specialized SID WCID shock provides the Epic World Cup with stiffness when needed with terrain-gobbling control and capability, along with the ability to customize settings to match course conditions and riding style.
Control and Precision
Compared to a hardtail or shorter travel bike, the Epic World Cup keeps the tires on the ground a greater percentage of the time, which translates directly to more control. More control means more speed. The stiffness of the entire system, from the handlebars to the frame to the wheels, provides an agility and precision of handling that’s hard to match.
Exceptional Lightness
With a frame weight of just 1,765 grams (painted, with shock and hardware included), the Epic World Cup outshines even the lightest of its competitors. This translates to a bike with faster, more efficient acceleration and more agile handling. And all that translates to speed.