What’s with the hugely reduced Epic 8 Evo Pros?

I was kicking myself not to get one of last year’s Epic Evos at 50% off like wot kryton did.  Been checking to see if any more come up and noticed a few places have this year’s model at 30% off.

Five and a half grand is still more than I feel is reasonable for a bike, but I am tempted.  The problem is that last time I bought a bike unseen based on STW advice it was a complete piece of shit… Anthem 29 Advanced, so I’d love to try one first.

Anyone got an Epic 8 near Manc?

Anyone know why Spec have lopped 30% off that particular model?

What was wrong with the Anthem?

No motor, no battery. Pedalling is for mugs, innit?

It’s a short travel trail bike in an era when long travel trail/enduro bikes pedal really well. It’s not electric and it’s expensive. I’d guess they overestimated the size of the market again.

What was wrong with the Anthem?

Steep angles. Insanely twitchy. Rubbish on anything remotely tech. Was insanely fast on the road though.

Also, the seat “collar”

Note this was the 29. We also had a 650b Anthem and it was brilliant

Could it be the greasy smear/skidmark paint job? When I first saw photos I assumed that was just lighting shadow until a couple of people who had actually seen one pointed it out to me, one of whom thought it looked so bad he bought the frameset to avoid that.

To be honest it looks like a halfway house to me. Specialized looked at the last generation and rightly decided it needed more anti squat for better pedalling and a steeper seat tube (particularly the Evo). Unfortunately they didn’t go anywhere near far enough. No doubt attempting to meter out the improvements between generations the next one will have this sorted.

No motor, no battery. Pedalling is for mugs, innit?

Least it won’t be sitting in a shop being fixed continuously

Spec have lopped 30% off

What haven’t they done that to recently that isn’t brand new?

the 2025 model is out so the 2024 model gets cheaper. same thing every year.

If it’s £5.5K discounted then it’s probably because no one is willing to pay the silly RRP on high end bikes.

If it’s £5.5K discounted then it’s probably because no one is willing to pay the silly RRP on high end bikes.

See also 50% off Santa Cruz bikes currently.

Owner of my LBS was telling me that the only bikes he is selling in any number are Ebikes and gravel bikes and there’s a massive problem within the bike industry of over supply hence almost everything is discounted

Anyone know why Spec have lopped 30% off that particular model?

Through headset cable routing.

Owner of my LBS was telling me that the only bikes he is selling in any number are Ebikes and gravel bikes and there’s a massive problem within the bike industry of over supply hence almost everything is discounted

I too have heard that Spesh (and others) have a lot of post covid backlog filling up warehouses

It’s a short travel trail bike in an era when long travel trail/enduro bikes pedal really well.

Other than an extra 10mm of travel on the fork, it’s really not a short travel trail bike, at all. It’s an XC bike.

I’m not sure I can go out on my enduro bike and average 22kph over 40km in distance as I can on my Epic, it would have to pedal as well as an ebike.

Through headset cable routing

Only on the S-Works. Optional on all the others.

I too have heard that Spesh (and others) have a lot of post covid backlog filling up warehouses

Pretty sure this must be the case, I was looking at Cannondale Synapse’s and the Alloy 105 model still had 11speed last year despite 12speed being launched in plenty of time, which to me implies they’ve still got containers full of the stuff to fit, the “2024” is now ~30% off in lots of places which is more than the cost of a 12s groupset from merlin and the “2025” model uses an identical frame in the same colors (I think there’s actually one less) which again to me implies they’ve not actually put any new orders in, even the laziest product managers manage to pick a new color off the Pantone chart and update the logos a bit.

Merida went one better, the 2024 Reacto’s were being sold at a discount despite there being zero changes to 2025!

It’s a short travel trail bike in an era when long travel trail/enduro bikes pedal really well.

To some extent, but the same is true of short travel bikes, they now pedal REALLY well.  But having said that I remember demoing the original 26″ Anthem-X (I think, the first one with the vertical shock, not the original Anthem with it at 45deg) and thinking it must surely have a motor as it was so quick compared to whatever Specialized I’d just ridden.  The Maestro bikes have always had really nice suspension.

Merida went one better, the 2024 Reacto’s were being sold at a discount despite there being zero changes to 2025!

Mrs_oab’s Merida eSpeeder was 30% off because last year. The only difference of the next year was paint colour…

Through headset cable routing

Am I the only person who doesn’t see this as an issue?

Upper headset bearings last ages, replace it with a stainless one if it does rust and it’ll probably outlast the frame. My road bikes on it’s 2nd in 20 years!

Cable changes are easy, just use the old one to feed the new one.

Looks far tidier. more of a roadie thing at the moment but it’ll be nice when MTB brakes ever run the hose outlet along the bars rather than out into empty space.

Solves the issue of cables in the way of backpacking bags.

I have one size Medium (just over hill from you near Holmfirth) if you wanna look/try, ps i have had the last year one and this one is correct with all the talk a deffo upgrade

To some extent, but the same is true of short travel bikes, they now pedal REALLY well.

Very true. Plus better geometry for lots of the riding in the UK. Long, low and slack is great when it’s steep but not so much on rolling terrain.

Not to mention my Epic Evo 7 is 10lbs lighter than my Sentinel.

Where are you seeing these?

Sigma or J’s Cycles

The Evo 8 seems redundant now the regular Epic 8 has the same geo as the old Evo. From reading reviews on the two, the Epic 8 is more than capable enough (and lighter).

Am I the only person who doesn’t see this as an issue?

I assume you must be. As everyone who is interested in mountain bikes & does a bit of work on them are universally aligned in how stupid an idea it really is.

MTB headset bearings generally don’t last that well from new, as most brands skimp out & use some tat like Acros, so now your simple, easy bearing replacement involves a brake bleed & an overly complicated headset made up of ill thought out parts, with a bunch of uncooperative cables/hoses.

Which, speaking of cables, get absolutely savaged in the steerer tube area, meaning more regular maintenance and checks, just to make sure a gear cable or a dropper post isn’t literally sawing through your steerer tube, without you even knowing.

The looks thing is also subjective. Personally I think it looks terrible. Cables are bend at un-natural angles & it also compromises performance because the radius of the curve is tighter (more of an issue with a dropper post).

And yes, we have a bike with it, and having ridden bikes for a long enough period of time to see some stupid sh*t by brands, this is universally the most stupid design I have ever seen on an MTB.

And yes, we have a bike with it, and having ridden bikes for a long enough period of time to see some stupid sh*t by brands, this is universally the most stupid design I have ever seen on an MTB.

Not all the systems are the same. Our Merida one is surprisingly good, and more ‘hidden under the stem’ than ‘through headset’.

Sigma or J’s Cycles

Cheers mate 🙂

No XL though 🙁

Had thought the same with Epic vs Evo and am leaning towards the Epic as the Evo is stepping on other bike’s toes.

Am I the only person who doesn’t see this as an issue?

Nope, it doesn’t bother me either.

Yea, I’m looking at the Scultura which uses the FSA system, which is I think the same/similar to how most MTB’s do it with a 1.5″ sized bearing and a spacer that holds the cables.  Obviously not as neat as a integrated stem on the cheaper models though.

What I’d really like to see is a full AXS/DI2 build, with a variation on one of these to hide the rear brake into the frame.  Then the hose inside the frame wouldn’t have to move.

checks, just to make sure a gear cable or a dropper post isn’t literally sawing through your steerer tube, without you even knowing.

To be fair we all collectively accepted that and paid a premium for the same thing with Chris King headsets back in the 2000’s, so it’s nothing new.