[Closed] Specialized Epics

no idea about the geometry changes but you have heard about the repeatedly blowing shocks on 08 and 09 ones haven't you? that would put me off right away, shame as a mate has an 08 and it rides lovely. When it works!

theres nothing wrong with the shocks, normally just over excited people using xc race bikes for silly trail/ all mountain riding

normally just over excited people using xc race bikes for silly trail/ all mountain riding

[url= http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/2008-epic-shock-problems ]Look at this recent thread.[/url]

I 'know' three 08 epics ridden sensibly in the woods who have had a total of 9 shocks between them. the shop they were bought from keeps spare ones in the back. Its great if you live near a specialized dealer as you get a new or serviced shock every so often (5 year garuantee, woo!) but i certainly wouldn't take one on holiday or buy a 2nd hand one.

But they do ride well nice 🙂

[i]"theres nothing wrong with the shocks, normally just over excited people using xc race bikes for silly trail/ all mountain riding"[/i]

its a mountain bike, it should stand up to riding.

i ride my carbon xc race bike (a scott spark) down dh tracks, over drops jumps and everything else i come across.

stop trying to file riding into categories. its a mountain bike, you should be able to ride up, over and back down on it.

I've done the Fort Bill run on my Epic without too many issues, was a bit sketchy but thats me 🙂

Dunno why, but I've always had a hankering for one.

No info on geometry then?

fairly std xc stuff dru,

think they relaxed it to a 70 h/a 73 s/a and the like. not too sure about tt's and that though.

I'll do some digging then. Just wondered if I would find it a bit "sharp handling" is all...

plumz richard, thats horseshite mate, mine is one of the ones julian wilson is talking about and the shocks are shite, even the guy at the spesh shop admits there is a problem as he has sent back a fair few.
my last replacement lasted approx half a ride on the quantocks where it blew, my mrs now uses the bike for pootling around on as i can't trust the thing as far as i can throw it.
i am using it for this weekends 12hr charge enduro though so here's hoping it doesnt go then!!!
also two of my riding buddies with the same shock have as julian says gone thro at least 3-4 each.

in short avoid, im gutted having paid so much for something that is really unreliable which is a shame as when its working its helluva bike.

So - look for a 2007 one then?

07 s works has same shock..I'm on my 4th.Top bike when working.

I bought a 2008 Epic and after a dozen XC races decided I couldn't get on with it. Within a week of selling it the guy I had sold it too contacted me accusing me of ripping him off as the shock had collapsed. I told him I had not had any previous problems and if he needed receipts, warranty etc. to come back to me. He took it to a local Specialized dealer who replaced it F.O.C., no questions asked and with no receipt. Obviously a recognised fault in my opinion.

I've got an 08 Epic Expert......done about 1600 miles now inc a lot a fast downhills. I had the rear hub disintegrate, but so far no issues with the rear shock!

My 07 one never needed a shock, it was perfect, my 08 one had 5 shocks, my 09 one has now had 4 shocks and 4 forks, there's a problem...

They're damn good bikes though, and Spesh are good at sorting them out, they do claim to have sorted the latest batch, and I'm inclined to agree with them, the last 2 I had broke at the hose on the brain, they've now decided the clamps were too tight on the hose and it was breaking the hose in the long run. We shall see...

The geometry changed very slightly for 2008 on the carbon ones, which had previously had steeper head and seat tube angles, they relaxed them to make them all like the alu ones IIRC.

Great bike, I really like mine, hopefully it won't break for a while...

hi i have had my s works 09 for 4 weeks now and the first shock let go after 2 miles !!! the fault seemed to be where the shock had been mounted in the factory as the brain pipe was kinked at the shock end. also i would like to point out it was sorted in less than 24 hours(proper sevice from dealer and specailized).
Since i have ridden it for about 150 miles of hardish riding with no problems but on Saturday while doing clic24 the shock popped(oil from the body) while i was on the tarmac climb!!!

i really love the bike and the service you get from the dealers and specailized. I am sure the problems will be sorted with the rear shocks as they have been with the early forks(it's a new product and needs some testing)just hang in there is all i can say to people regarding this probelm.

My 07 Expert is perfect (touches wood), and I would go for an S Works if it wasn't for the shock issues. Hopefully they'll get it sorted for the 2010 model, which I would be interested in. As people say, the after sales is excellent.

Back on topic - I've ridden mine on all sorts of trails, raced it etc. Geometry can be twitchy, and it's not a skills compensator for sure.

i have had my 08 epic for over a year now and not a single problem. i think you would find that there probly was a problem with a certain batch of shocks but havent heard anything official from specilized and i personally dont see it as a wide spread problem

For once I have been lucky then, I was sssooooooo close to buying an 09 Epic but at the last min a Anthem Advanced came up for the right money so went with that.

Hope Specilized sort it out properly soon so you guys can concentrating on enjoying the ride and not when it's going to fall apart 🙁

Went through 5 shocks on my '08 Epic expert - its not a "batch" issue, its a design problem which they now seem to have sorted. Specialized Uk sorted my last shock at Christmas and it has lasted since (previously they were lasting less than 100 miles) - involves replacing parts of the shock - the sorted versions have a yellow/red sticker near te rebound control.

I have brain forks on my 09 sworks hardtail. These started to fail after about 5 races. But as mentioned spesh service is first class and i was only with out the forks for a few days.

regards Jewsons bike metioned in a previous post I have rode it and its great and i would say to anyone thinking of buying one. if spesh can sort jewsons then 99.9% of bikes will be fine AS I HAVE SEEN THE WAY HE RIDES!

"Rapidly touches wood"

I agree with atoms1 - 5 shocks on an 08 Epic Expert. Excellent service from shop who openly agreed it was a design fault - if you do a search on mtbr there is a thread where someone from specialized admits as much. Surprised to hear not fixed for the '09. Have also had a "yellow spot" since just after x-mas and it has lasted longer than all the other ones combined.

ive been through yellow and red dot shocks..?
bike held over the 12hr carge race but is starting to be a little clunky so will be going back after this weekends margam park marathon.
forks are p$ssing oil now too.... 😈

okay so i take it all back, rode afan on sunday and managed to blow the rear shock up on my 08 epic. so maybe you were all right.... 🙁

We are, every single one we sold last year went wrong, without fail!

Jewson, that sounds like the same problem as mine, the new shocks have instructions on filing out the mounts for the brain hose, allegedly they hold the hose too tightly so it can't slide and rips the hose out of the shock over time.

plumz welcome to the fold..!

im seriously considering writing to spesh, to see if they can reimburse me my money, its just not a reliable machine.

so is it all the same problem im woundering??
my shock had become very notchy all of a sudden, the first inch of travel was very very loose and would bob up and down with out hardly any weight being applied, and the rest of the travel was very very firm. ow yer and the brain wouldnt work.

PlumzRichard,
I dont know if its the same brain as in my spesh forks but that exactly what happened to them.

plumz that is the fault that everyone gets, repair by replacement.

it sucks.

PlumzRichard - yep that sounds right - practically no compression until you hit the inertia value and then the damping and rebound feels uncontrolled. Also the brain dial moves a lot less.

What baffles me is; that despite the well recognised reliability issues on the brain Shocks that you all still bought one.

What's with that?

Also the brain dial moves a lot less

well i brought mine last summer before i was aware of these problems, i only have 4 years left of guarantee...maybe its time for a new frame !

That's slack they've not sorted the 2008 ones, no real excuse for that! The 09 ones seem to have been sorted to be fair to them!

went into a spesh dealers today to inquire about saddle fitting for the GF.
was looking at he bikes as you do and asked the mechanic about spesh's new forks/shocks.
a rough translation of what he said in german would be "they are really shitty forks and shocks without the performance of established brands but with the reliability of something very unreliable"

would buy a saddle though as if you don't get on with one you can take it back and exchange it for another untill you're happy.

ive got a 2007 sworks - after 4 shock replacements spesh said they have rectified the problem and since then i have had no problems ( that was over a year ago). i love it , best bike i have ever owned. Friend of mine has a 2009 sworks , he is on his 2nd shock after 4 months. with regards to size the 2009 feels alot bigger and alot higher at the front.

I'd contest that the actual product isn't good, their forks and shock are excellent, the reliability isn't!

well spoke to specilized today, apperently they had put 10 new parts in my shock and then just decided that it wasent worth it and are now sending me a complete new shock

used mine at the welsh weekend, spoke snapped off at the nipple just before the end of the 1st lap...(a re-occurring problem of my mates epic which has prompted a re lace under warranty)

rear shock is now starting to clunk yet again, forks pi$$ing oil.

its going back today again, the thing is i really like the bike when it works but you just can't trust it to not break down, i certainly wouldn't take it abroad.

if i could i'd get a refund and buy another bike but the thing is 10months old now, i'll still try today though.

I'm new here.....first post... and I'm looking to buy a new 2008 epic. I have test ridden it and its for me. I spoke to techy bloke at specialized UK today and have been told that a new seal they have been recently fitting is working wonders- so rate of problems will drop.

I'm going to buy new as I want that 5 year warranty. When i test rode the epic over a long weekend in wales etc it had a slightly notchy top out feel- like there was just a slight bit of play almost? Spesh bloke said that will be the older seal. My girlfriend has just bought an epic to but has yet to ride it. I guess we shall find out if problems have been solved.....

How bad were the earlier shocks(fox built)?- any faults with them or is it just the brain fade ones?

MY gut feeling is that with all the thousands of epics built then sold around the world its mainly the faults/problems that get posted up and thats what we hear about, not "My epic is faultless and has done 1000s of miles".... I hope...

Anyway- is there anything I should look out for on the first rides that might indicate a problem shock? - As I have nothing to compare it too having been a steel hardtail rider since the 80's.
cheers
alex

I have 07 and its been fine & dandy. Great in fact.

There were no serious problems with the Fox shocks, but the Spesh shocks have never been Fox built, the 08s were the least reliable, but they do seem to have finally sorted it out.

They're great bikes, enjoy it.