XC Bikes Just Entered The Future - 2024 Specialized Epic 8 Review 

I love how every new model is 20% more pedaling efficient than the outgoing one.

It seems the Rocky Mountain Element 2022(3?) had the right idea. When your guys reviewed that bike the geo numbers were out there and questionable…. Now Specialized do it and it’s the “future man”. I reckon those two bikes deserve a comparison.

I wasn't interested in a XC bike before seeing this and now I kinda am, good job Dario.

Any review where they didn’t say “poppy and playful” is a quality review as far as I’m concerned. Well done pinkbike!

Looking at the geometry numbers - if you brought an Epic Evo from last year, but sized up, you'd pretty much have the equivalent of this bike! I purchased a large instead of a medium epic evo (2023) and the geometry matches the Epic 8 in a medium. Woohoo!

I just want to call out how Epic the location you are filming this is. That backdrop! 😲

I use my epic evo as a gravel bike and a mountain bike. Changed out the front chain ring to a 34 to get more speed in lower gears

Nice one Dario! First bike review I’ve been stoked about in awhile

Love my Epic 8 130!

The Scott Spark RC's head angle is already adjustable 67.2, 66.6, 66 degrees with three position suspension. Nice to see some standardisation on brand's XCs at long last...and everything is super lol.

Great review, love that we have cons as well (as every review should!). And you're such a nice guy not killing that crawling bug 😂 I agree with you about chainstay, adding 10mm made a great difference on my Tallboy 4 so I assume between XS and XL riders they'd want at least 20mm added. As for the bike it looks great, I'd love to upgrade, but as usual the price tags push the brain from impulse back into reason mode.

Wonderful review Dario! ...Am ...Am I excited about an XC bike!?

I liked the XC bike Trek just released with a very sleek and concealed rear shock.

Just purchased a Pivot Trail 429. This bike’s specs right on top of that, lol. Dario, how would you say they compare? Would have loved to have gotten a chance to ride back to back.

I currently have last years epic s-works evo, and this bike almost makes me want to swop. Nice review!

If I really wanted to pedal hard, this thing would be an absolute weapon around me in the tight New England trails. The EVO version would probably be more my pace though, with good numbers for use as a fast trail bike.

I came for the Bike Review and stayed for the Dating Comments.

Is that a Specialized windbreaker? If so how do you like it? Thanks for quality review!

Cool bike. I have a general question on disc brakes. Bought my first disc braked bike last May and rode max 10 x 30 minutes last year on dry gravel roads or very little mud. Always had it in the apartment before winter storage in a dry shed. Now when I took it out the front wheel jerked to the side when applying the brake. One of the pads were stuck, so only the right one moved. Now I have taken off the wheel three times, applying electronic cleaner and W40 on both sides but they still have trouble moving in and out and never goes back in fully except when being pushed relatively hard by a tool. Is this normal garbage operation? The back brakes seems to be working fine. How I miss rim brakes from my old road bikes. Never any problems during 15 years of riding.

@ Dario Hey man , The Epic in this video have the Flight Attendant Suspension? Great video and picture Quality 👍🤘😎

Nice to see a full sus xc bike with geo is similar to some of the cool modern xc hardtails like the Turner Nitrous and Stanton Sherpa.

How was the flight attendant system on this bike, considering the three point lockout?

Would love to see a similar review done on the Evo version of this bike... great review as always Dario

Now I need to know how this compares to the Super Caliber Gen 2. The 76 degree seat tube is VERY steep for people with long femurs!

Couldn’t help but notice the multi tool on the bottle cage. I love them. Does Specialized still make them?

The epics always been a dream bike for me

Levy would love this bike

Judging from the seat tube angle, I suspect too little pressure on the front wheel, thus more effort is needed to keep the front wheel down on steep climbs.

Great Review.

Does anybody know, which jacket dario is rocking?

So basically it's last years Epic Evo with slightly different geometry. Nice!

@purplebike, where is the Ari at?

Super sad to see the epic ht going away so I may be forced into getting this seeing as how I have to eventually but I definitely wish the epic ht was still made

Will stick with my 2023 Epic Evo.

Forest green with Fox shock. I am waiting for Epic 9 to be able to buy this modell at a sale. :p

so this is going to look weird with a drop bar. Is specialized going to offer a "monster" gravel fully soon that has the tire clearance for mtb tires?

Future? What have Rocky Mountain have done years ago with his XC model, the Element? What is a Yeti SB5T? It was a ... light weight trail but today is called XC?

The 2018 stumpjumper st rebirth. Remember, all st frames were fact 11... sworks in 2018

It's just like my 1960's Mattel!

When is the stump jumper getting refreshed 😮

How does a non fa version ride. If the damper tune of the Epic Evo is too harsh in open mode I guess it‘s even worse in the Epic

Yes longer reach needs the rear centre to match man. It’s not a fad

My only concern about this "XC" bike is that because it's so slack, going over flat, or even uphill tech terrain the bike may feel floppy. I'll have to ride it to see for myself though.

Why note that it’s an epic 8 pro but not mention it having flight attendant?

Dario, single handedly holding pinkbike up.

Mike Levy would love this bike i bet

Riding forbidden bikes has told me that size specific chainstay / rear center length is NOT a fad

another Pro: no hidden cable routing at the headset! Yay! :) Really good review. Thanks.

Epic is now Epic WC...Epic Evo is now Epic 8 and Stumpjumper is now Epic Evo 8. My guess is that the Stump jumper gets a bump to displace the Enduro?

+ for not giggeling while quoting the marketing bullshit :D

In the past they made a nice Brain system today you have heavy electronic... anyway. I like Dario greets from swiss

I know that hating on Specialized is a sport unto itself but I think when you're talking about all arounder bikes the big brands that have to cater to everyone really do that market really really well. My Stumpjumper is a really good example of that. I have multiple bikes, but if I had to go down to only one, it would be my go-to.

When did Beavis start doing bike reviews for pinkbike?!? I miss Levy.

Specialized: "It's too expensive to make sure the chainstays scale appropriately with the frame size. Can we spin it to suggest that everyone in the entire world would be suited by the exact same chain stay length? No? Damn. Well at least we can keep the price reasonable, right?" $9000

Looks damn close to my FSR from the 90s

w vid love ur content pink bike

Didn't watch the video, but is the future trail bikes as xc bikes?

Think Dario likes this one? I can't tell.

Obviously they've built the bike their Pro XC racers need , part time racers naturally want the same kit, even if they dont necessarily need it .

Huge miss with the chain stay length.

Rad!

Love the new BC40 …. Oh wait what?!? 😂

As much as I love specialized I hate that they bought the trust fork patent and are just sitting on it. It was a disruptive idea that would have evolved the industry after a few iterations of the product. Unfortunately due to Covid and the supply chains the company went under and specialized bought the patent . Please Specialized, use the patent, I loved the trust fork!!

20% more efficient is huge!

So pretty much the same geo numbers as the current Scott Spark

thats pretty cool. but, $9K??!!! I know that has become somewhat "normal" in this segment. but that is still nuts. You can buy a brand new dirt bike for that much money. It has an engine. Nearly ten thousand dollars for a bicycle, is ridiculous. I get it. it's cool. but ten thousand dollars???!!!!

If it didn't cost an arm and a leg it would be perfect in my eyes.

Tamed down rocky mountain Element.

Thats pretty nice santa cruz blu....i mean specialized..

Shame the cheapest option is $6500 cad. Can't see that ever being in my budget.

Impossible Climb! Impossible Climb!

Bummed they dont offer size 6, also, really hoping the rumors were/are true of an alloy version.

The first 7 minuites of this is just specs from Specialized, I wouldn’t call that a review. Really seems like Pink Bike is just drinking the cool-aid instead of riding the bike, reviewing it and comparing the preformance to Specilzied marketing claims. That being said I think the geo is super interesting, I like the idea of putting your weight farther forward I am having issues with that on my Santa Cruz Cameleon 7, even with the seat passed the Max label on the rails.

flight attendant worth the money?

Price is fucking ridiculous.

Great review! I won the lotto by being in the right place at the right time and was able to get the s-works version. Coming off a 2018 epic pro, I’m blow, blow, blown away! New heights with wide versatility in one bike. The 150mm dropper makes it feel crazy stable on descents through gnarly New England stream bed descents and rugged trail features alike. So smooth and so dam fast up or down. This is a benchmark bike that others will try to catch

So 12k Canadian dollars

Always worth remembering when Specialized start chucking about these magic improvement numbers, that only they know how to measure, somehow they're also incapable of putting any weights of their bikes on the website. Massive snake oil salesmen.

More like this XC bike has become a light weight trail bike, I guess the days of quick steering XC bikes are gone.

‘XC bikes just enter the future.’ Specialized gone full Scott on Epic Ocho..

Beat PB presenter hands down 🤌

Ahh, amazing 👏... It's 10k... oh, maybe in 5 years 😢

... "It's (the SWAT Box) the nicest thing ever made..." Wow! I see... What a refined and well thought out description.

Here we go, another bike at almost $10k. No thanks.

I stopped watching when the markting crap started "it's 20% more efficient" ...

Hmm product gimmick... But I love it...

And the new colours are 29% more in style than the old colours, going with silly percentage ‘upgrades’.

Just entered the future?? scott bike was all ready in the future

Dario's coming into his own. He's better when he can just sit in front of the camera and goof off with his script (like Levy)... As opposed to trying to stick to a script between kaz n henry

ooo weee... $$$$$$$$$$$$. Scalpel SE 1 is on sale for $4300 at the moment with carbon wheels and bars. hmmmmm

Are these AI comments?😅

Who are you?

a lot lighter than the Enduro?..... hmmm lol

Dario's vocal frye is unbearable. Could PB pay for some vocalization coaching?

75.5 degree STA is an EMBARRASSMENT! Definitely NOT STEEP Dario wtf? Specialized should take a note from Transition regarding bike geo(their STA are almost at 79 degrees).75.5 STA sucks for a super steep climb I just don't understand why they don't make it closer to 79 degrees like other brands are doing. For reference; my 170mm Enduro bike has a 76.5 STA so I can't understand why not make steeper seat tubes for XC bikes....they would be unbeatable machines for climbing if they had steeper seat tubes.

Levy would've loved this bike and the review would have been better. Nice try Dario...

These guys have been reviewing DownCountry bikes for quite some time but suddenly this is the future? This is obviously a paid review.

So an xc frame.. that is lighter than what was basically their trail frame from 5 yrs ago? Hahaha. The sensationalism is thick with this one. How much specialized pay y'all? Haha

saying that xc bikes "just" entered the future is very misleading, there have been multiple bikes more progressive than this in the past few years

Specialized really said we fucked up with the super caliber copy so we hit the go back button