[Silver]

No, this is not another "what bike to get post".

I saw both of these out on the trail today. Talked to both riders, they had both picked them up yesterday. The Epic rider was having trouble getting things set up. Told me it was definitely a race bike, and he didn't feel that the suspension was very active. Not for epic rides (pardon the pun.)

The Blur rider couldn't stop raving about his bike once I caught up to him. He came form an FSR, and was very happy. Plus, the powdercoated white Blur was gorgeous. Very nicely put together. I'm looking forward to seeing more of these out on the trail.

Not sure what those opinions are worth, but I would think that if you don't like tinkering with your setup, don't get an Epic

 

[rbx]

i actually prefer the sc concept controlling suspension activation via the axle path...

now if we only merge the two technologies we would have a blur epic mmmmmmmmm interesting

 

[indieboy]

Originally posted by Silver
No, this is not another "what bike to get post".

I saw both of these out on the trail today. Talked to both riders, they had both picked them up yesterday. The Epic rider was having trouble getting things set up. Told me it was definitely a race bike, and he didn't feel that the suspension was very active. Not for epic rides (pardon the pun.)

The Blur rider couldn't stop raving about his bike once I caught up to him. He came form an FSR, and was very happy. Plus, the powdercoated white Blur was gorgeous. Very nicely put together. I'm looking forward to seeing more of these out on the trail.

Not sure what those opinions are worth, but I would think that if you don't like tinkering with your setup, don't get an Epic

don't say, don't get an epic, those two bikes are of two totally different breeds. the epic is meant to be a total race bike for those who want to take the edge off of larger hits. like any bike it is going to take some messing w/ to find the set up approiate for each rider. and the blur is meant more as an all around xc bike. so it just depends on what your needs are and what type of riding you like to do. like me i personally don't like the feel of FS xc bikes. i don't think for racing they are necessary at all and wouldn't ride either bike. i think a well made steel or Ti hardtail are all you need.

 

[DHS]

well if the epic is the race bike and the blur is like a race/play bike. why is the Blur lighter....
oh and has more travel....

 

[Scotty]

I purchased the base Epic almost a month ago and it was very easy to set up. This is my first full-suspension bike and it is working great. After some serious hours on it I have to admit that it does exactly what Specilized claims. It feels nice a stiff when locked out and when the suspension hits some rugged terrain it goes plush. I'm not having any problem with it's weight or with bobing and it climbs very well.

 

[indieboy]

Originally posted by DHS
well if the epic is the race bike and the blur is like a race/play bike. why is the Blur lighter....
oh and has more travel....

possibly the shock, that either/or better stock on teh blur and for an xc race bike which the epic is designed to be you don't want a lot of travel on it. i personally feel like 63mm up front is plenty.....you just want enough to take the edge off that's it.

 

[oldfart]

How much travel you want on a race bike is dictated by the terrain and personal preferences. Personaly, for the races I used to enter, 63mm is a waste of time. If the suspension is well designed I don't think 4 inches at each end is too much. The whole bob issue is overblown in my opinion. I run a 5 inch fork and it only bobs when I stand and hammer. Seated climbing nets no movement. The rear of my Superlight does move up and down but not very much.

I have ridden the Blur on a couple rides and it climbs really well. The rear tire stays glued to the ground so traction is amazing. It allows the rider to concentrate more on pedalling and line and less on trying to find traction.

But there certainly are some bikes which do bob too much. The ones I've seen tend to be freeridy type bikes with huge tires and uphill speed is not an issue for those riders.

And I also believe the bob thing feels a lot worse than it actually is. For the riding I do I'd never ride a hardtail again. They just don't work as well. But I agree that there are race situations where a 63mm travel comfort fork and hardtail is the most efficient and faster mount.

 

[indieboy]

Originally posted by oldfart
How much travel you want on a race bike is dictated by the terrain and personal preferences. Personaly, for the races I used to enter, 63mm is a waste of time. If the suspension is well designed I don't think 4 inches at each end is too much. The whole bob issue is overblown in my opinion. I run a 5 inch fork and it only bobs when I stand and hammer. Seated climbing nets no movement. The rear of my Superlight does move up and down but not very much.

I have ridden the Blur on a couple rides and it climbs really well. The rear tire stays glued to the ground so traction is amazing. It allows the rider to concentrate more on pedalling and line and less on trying to find traction.

But there certainly are some bikes which do bob too much. The ones I've seen tend to be freeridy type bikes with huge tires and uphill speed is not an issue for those riders.

And I also believe the bob thing feels a lot worse than it actually is. For the riding I do I'd never ride a hardtail again. They just don't work as well. But I agree that there are race situations where a 63mm travel comfort fork and hardtail is the most efficient and faster mount.

no bob isn't an overblown, the topic is just blown out of proportion by people who shouldn't be worried about it b/c it will never really effect em. you'd probably be surprised that your fork was actually bobing, most of the time you don't feel your suspension bobbing, but it is. most ppl don't feel suspension bob, w/ full suspensions most ppl will never feel pedal induced bobbing. that's why i said that most ppl shouldn't be concerned w/ it. and bob on the front end normally just comes from the fork being set really soft n your body weight causing the suspension to compress before you really hit anything. lol 63mm "comfort fork" what is that all about? lol i think 4-5 inches of travel would be considered a comfort fork in some terms.

 

[Joe Pozer]

Originally posted by DHS
well if the epic is the race bike and the blur is like a race/play bike. why is the Blur lighter....
oh and has more travel....

The difference is the frame. The Epic turned out to be a pig...it's touted as a short travel race bike yet the frame is heavy compared to other F/S race bikes like the Sugar or the Fuel frames. At over 6 pounds it actually rivals the weight of some "trail bikes" which have much more travel. Basically this bike contradicts itself. It's supposed to be a race bike yet the frame is too heavy. It is the first year for the Epic so I'm sure Specialized has some refinements in store and hopefully will shed some of the weight off the frame.

 

[Thepagoda]

I like to ride whatever I can, I've even been seen out on the pancake doing the road race training rides, and for most of my mountian stuff I take out a hardtail with a 100mm fork up front. I used to be one of those "hardtail for life" guys, but I took my roommate's Ellsworth truth for a spin and found that I thought it actually climbed almost as well as the chameleon. the rear tire was stuck to the earth. this was awsome! I have also taken a very quick (and I emphasise that) ride around on an epic, and found that acrually the suspension didn't really feel that nice to me. Most of my riding doesn't require the use of a full suspension, but on those really fast bumpy sections the rear end chatters right into the hands. I got tendonitous from a four hour ride in Downieville followed by a day at the ski slopes on the hardtail. a well designed full suspension is well worth it and is the logical step, but the epic, I think that it might have too many things that could go wrong. The VPP on the other hand is art through simplicity. The best answer is the simplest one.

 

[DHS]

i also don't like how to shock is mounted on the Epic. its on like ball joints. and sometimes even taps the frame. um...yea
i would just think that would wear out a lot sooner. the demo at one of my LBS's already has had a problem with the mounts.
i've ridden it and it does everything specialized said it would. pedals very well.
i myself am getting a VT 1 in less then a week. i just prefered this over the others when i rode them at the show. it just handled everypart of the area they let us ride very well.

 

[MTB Freak]

i like the blur a lot better just because i think that the epic is too radical a design to function all so well in the real world. i havnt ridden any of them so